Hitched: A Dark Hitchhiker Romance (Ride or Die Romances)

Selena

Our little game delays our departure. By the time we get back inside, I’m a bloody, muddy mess with an ache between my legs. Lex stopped holding back and fucked me so hard and raw. I felt his strength with every deep thrust that rearranged my insides. When he choked me, I felt what he was capable of. He could kill me, and I truly thought for a few moments that he would, that I would die beneath Lex while his cock was buried inside me. For some reason, that didn’t seem as bad as it should have. I still don’t know if he’ll let me stay with him. He told me I won, but I fear he’ll change his mind.

While I shower, he moves the piece of shit’s body off the porch. I run my hand over the large cut on my abdomen and rub away the dirt. I wash my hair and get rid of the twigs and leaves tangled within.

When I get out of the shower, Lex stares at me. He’s still filthy, caked in dried mud and blood, and I have no clue if it’s mine, his, or the man’s. He gestures to the folded pile of clothes he set on the counter. Without speaking, he strips naked, and I try to look away as he pushes past me, rubbing against my body as he gets in the shower. I dress to the wordless sound of his shower. The tight feeling in my belly proves I still don’t believe him. I still fear he only said what he said because he was inside me.

I grab my bag and the homeowner’s key to the old Ford pickup before walking down the long driveway toward where Lex left the car before our game. When I get to the rusty tan truck, I notice Lex left the window open. The ripped driver’s seat is wet from a quick rain that just passed. I groan and climb inside to back the truck toward the house.

While Lex showers, I load the truck with food and tools. I grab a hunting rifle and a box of ammo off the mantle above the fireplace and a cozy blanket from the couch. I put them in the bed of the truck. Just as I finish, Lex appears, clean and dressed. His dirty-blond hair is brushed back, still slick and wet. He surveys what I’ve done with a look of pride.

Actually, I’m not sure if he’s proud or just less angry than he was when he first told me I wasn’t going with him.

Before I can tell Lex the seat is wet, he gets into the driver’s side. He slams his hand on the steering wheel. He’s so on edge.

“You left the window open,” I say as I get into the dry passenger seat. “Also, I put a sign on the front door saying he was out of town the rest of the week.”

Lex turns toward me and nods. “Good idea.”

I reach into the glove box and grab the rabbit’s foot I took from my old car and hang it on the crooked rearview mirror. The corners of Lex’s mouth creep upward, but he sobers. It’s been our lucky charm so far, and I sure as hell wouldn’t leave it behind now. It swings with the rough movements of the old truck as we pull down the driveway.

“Lex,” I say, trying to draw his attention.

His lips tighten, forcing back any response. The silence makes me almost certain he said what he said to get me on the road with him. To shut me up and get me in the car so he can do what he always intended to do: drop me off the first chance he gets.

I don’t truly settle in my seat until we drive by the sign for a bus station. I release a breath of relief as we pass it.

I’m confused as much as it seems he is. How can he like to be around me when he’s so willing to kill me in the same moment? I try to shake off my insecurity. He was always willing to kill me. It’s always been on the table, even when I felt the hesitation every time he threatened it. Even when I worried he’d do it, I knew there was a bigger struggle inside him. So I stayed calm, placing my fate in his hands.

Whatever that would be.

I’d rather him kill me than drop me off at the damn bus station. He’s the first person who’s gotten to know me. Not even my parents let me open up the way I have with him. They thought I had nothing more going for me than being an unhappy wife in a marriage I never wanted. But Lex saw something else in me. Something I couldn’t even see. Lex is someone I should stay far away from, but I see things in him he can’t either.

His darkness deserves some light.

“You surprised me, rabbit,” he says after a nauseating length of silence.

“When?”

“In the woods. You were so tactful. Resourceful. Almost more than me.” He lets a smirk cross his face for a moment.

“I’m not as stupid or weak as you think I am,” I tell him while forcing my gaze out the window.

“I never thought you were weak.” He takes a moment to gather his thoughts. “I considered you vulnerable.”

“And?”

He clears his throat. “My trip to the border is suicide.” He refuses to look at me as my gaze snaps to his face.

“What do you mean?”

“My story either ends in a shootout at the checkpoint or I die in the goddamn desert trying to cross on foot.”

“Lex,” I whisper, shaking my head.

“This is why I needed you to go. I needed you to leave because I realized what a fucking pipe dream this was. You think this is your fairy tale, but it’s merely a horror story.”

“I’m not accepting that.”

Lex laughs. “Sure are stubborn, aren’t you? You can’t buy your way out of this one, rabbit.” He doesn’t speak for a while, letting the road noise fill the gap in our conversation. “What was your idea? How did you see this ending?” he finally asks.

“Nope, it doesn’t matter.”

“Rabbit,” he says firmly. “Tell me.”

I don’t respond, dropping my head to my hand. Lex pulls over and fists my hair, pulling me into him. “Tell me, sweet bunny,” he whispers. His words are the heat that melts me and he knows it does. He flashes those blue eyes at me, and my resolve dissolves.

“Fine. We used to have a nanny—”

Lex rolls his eyes.

“You know what? Forget it.”

“I’m sorry,” he says with a sarcastic tone. “Please, continue. You had a nanny . . .”

“I’m not going to help you if you’re going to make fun of how I grew up. Would you like it if I made fun of how you grew up?”

“You’re right. I had a nanny, though, for your information. He was the local drug dealer.”

I curl my lip. “Anyway, my nanny was from Arkansas, and she always talked about this forest, saying you could get lost in there and no one would ever find you. Wichita? Or something?”

“Ouachita. It’s a national forest,” he corrects me. When I cock my head at him, he shrugs. “A lot of time to study when you’re serving life.”

“Yeah, Ouachita. She said people built cabins there and just lived off the grid.”

“What’s the point of this little tale?”

“The point is, maybe we can find someplace down there to hide out instead of trying to cross the border.”

Lex releases my hair and sits back. “That’s not . . . a bad idea,” he says, as if formulating a new plan in his mind.

We take the exit toward Arkansas. We’d have gone through there anyway, but now we’ll make a little pit stop, because what else do we have to lose?

We drive into Ouachita National Park through a utility road entrance, avoiding the front gate. A sign attached to a robust tree trunk warns us to enter the heart of the forest at our own risk. We’re fine with the risk.

The narrow trail pulls us into the depths of the park. Dense trees surround us in ways I’ve never seen. It’s so thick. So lush. So green. Aside from the path, this place has been completely left to nature and even then, the truck bounces as we drive over large tree roots trying to reclaim that, too. We take another unmarked road, driving further through winding woodlands. Then we take another—and another—until we have no idea where we are, which means no one else will know, either.

Lex yawns, which makes me yawn. He cuts off the engine.

“Let’s get in the back of the truck,” he says as he climbs out. He unlocks the gate, climbs inside, and goes right to loading up the rifle with rounds.

I get out of the truck, and my feet land on the soft forest floor. When I close the door, the warm, humid night air wraps around me. The forest roars with nighttime sounds: big insects chirping, mosquitoes buzzing, and trees creaking. I climb into the back and close the tailgate.

Lex lays out the blanket I brought, covering the dirty metal. He pulls another blanket from a bag. He lies down and puts the bag beside him so I can lay my head on it. I lie beside him, and it reminds me of the overlook, when I found myself snuggling a man I shouldn’t.

I still shouldn’t, but now I need to.

Lex wraps his arms around me, and I lay my head on his chest. The faint smell of soap still clings to his skin. He covers me and rests his head on his other arm.

“It’s peaceful here,” I whisper.

“I haven’t figured out if it’s a good idea yet.”

“It seems like a good idea for tonight, at least.”

I lean up and kiss him. He grabs my chin and tugs me away from his mouth. “Not tonight,” he says. He’s still on edge.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“I feel like I have to protect you. We’re in the middle of a forest I’m not familiar with, so I have to pay attention to the shit around us,” he says as he releases my chin.

“There’s nothing around us, Lex. Relax.”

He shakes his head. “That’s what you don’t understand. I haven’t dropped my guard since I got in your car that night. Even before I slept with you, I kept my eyes open for the police, your husband, or anyone that could hurt you. You wanted to stay with me, and I let you stay. Now I have to be more vigilant than ever.”

I rub my hand down his stomach, inching toward the front of his jeans. He grabs my hand and rubs my palm.

“I said no,” he tells me, so firmly that I nearly listen.

I shrink beneath the blanket and work off the button until his pawing protests grow weak.

“Don’t do what you’re thinking, Selena,” he whispers through a frustrated groan. “You know once you put your mouth on me, I’m done.”

“That’s the point,” I say before kissing the warm skin above his pants. I work his jeans open, pull out his cock, and take him into my mouth.

“Naughty fucking rabbit,” he growls and takes the blanket off so he can see me. He winds his hand through my hair and groans as I bob on him, taking him as far into my mouth as I can, letting him raise his hips to make me take that last inch. When I pull away and look up at him, I wipe the drool from my lower lip.

“Put your mouth back on me, bunny,” he whispers as he pushes my head down.

I love pleasing him. I love the way he melts from my touch, causing him to say my nickname again, so endearing and so seductive. I can’t believe I once hated it. I’ll be anything he wants me to be when he calls me that now.

Lex wraps his hand around my throat, pulling me toward his mouth and kissing me, hard and driven. I moan against his lips.

“Fuck. Your mouth is incredible. Let me devour you.” He pulls away and holds his pants up as he unlocks the tailgate and drags me toward the edge.

I sit up and let my legs dangle over the side. Lex kisses me before removing my shoes and jeans. He lays me back, wraps his arms around my pale thighs, and tugs me toward him. Just like he said he would, he leans down and devours me, licking me in long strokes that make me grip the blanket above my head. I moan as he rakes my inner thighs with rough fingertips.

“Your pussy is like something I’ve never tasted, bunny, and I could eat you all fucking night,” he groans as he strokes himself and licks me. His tongue dips inside me before slowly curling over my clit.

“Lexington,” I moan.

He sits up and growls with a sadistic smirk before pushing three fingers inside me. He doesn’t even try to work me out, and I whimper.

“Get on your hands and knees.”

I swallow before doing as he says. The metal scrapes my knees as I back toward him. I’m vulnerable and open, and my cheeks flush with embarrassment.

Lex bites my inner thighs and makes his way up to my pussy again. He buries his face into me, looping his hands around my legs to keep me from moving away from him. The tips of his fingers burn my hips as he squeezes and draws me closer. I moan and drop my chest. His tongue moves at a whole new angle, running along the hood of my clit instead of against it. He moves his head from side to side, and I tremble.

“Come on my face so I can fuck you while you’re still spasming.” His warm breath washes over my clit and when he starts moving his tongue again, it makes me shudder. He loves how he makes me feel.

And I love it, too.

The sounds of the forest die, and I hear nothing more than the sloppy sounds of him fucking me with his mouth. I hear the hungry groan between each stroke of his tongue.

“Have you ever squirted?” he asks.

“No,” I whimper.

Lex pulls me by my hips, drawing me off the back of the truck. I feel empty without his tongue on me. He bends me over the open tailgate and kicks my legs open. He stands beside me with his body pressed against mine. His hand caresses my ass before his fingers push inside me, stretching me with three fingers as he uses the full strength of his arm. He’s so fast. So hard. And I feel the intense urge to bear down on his fingers. I scream out as it grows too intense, vibrating my entire body.

“Lex!” I call out. I don’t know what I’m feeling, and I’m not sure I like it.

“Shh, bunny, relax and let it happen,” he whispers over the intensifying sounds of wetness between my legs. When I tense, he pulls his fingers out of me, and a quick emptiness follows with a gush of liquid.

Before I can say anything, before I even know if I like it, his fingers are back inside me, fucking me with a hungry strength that tenses my body all over again. When he pulls out, I shudder and come again in a wave of pleasure.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“It’s too intense,” I say as I reach back and touch his thigh.

“Come like that on my cock, and I’ll stop,” he says with a smirk.

I nod, and he gets behind me. My chest presses against the open tailgate as he leans his weight into me, gripping the back of my neck with a frustrated groan. He pushes inside me, slick and wet with my come. He fucks me hard and fast, with the same rough momentum that made me saturate the ground with my come. The angle is just right, and every thrust makes my body tremble in noticeable waves. When the pressure becomes too much, he pulls out and keeps his cock against my pussy as I cover him in a gush of come. He grips my ass as I drip around the length of his dick still pressed against my swollen clit.

“Such a good girl,” he growls as he strokes himself against me, stroking my clit at the same time. “Messy little bunny. You’re fucking soaked.” He pushes himself back inside me.

My body tenses as he fucks me, and I realize it’s from my body wanting more. More of him. Not just his body, but his heart.

“Do you have feelings for me, Lex?” I ask, and it stops him mid-thrust.

“What a time to ask me that,” he says as he leans over me. “If I said no, would you want me to stop fucking you?”

I tense, and he groans as I tighten around him.

Couldn’t he just fucking lie while he’s inside me? Does he have to be so . . . cold?

“Oh, that made you mad, huh? You can’t imagine that I didn’t get feelings like you did after all our experiences and time together?”

My heart. I feel the cracks run through it, and I fight back tears. If I speak, he’ll know he’s upsetting me.

Lex wraps an arm around my chest and lifts me to his. He bites my neck. “Bunny, you have all that’s left of my heart. Anything I can feel is for you.”

Just like that, his words crawl through the cracks in my heart and seal them. I melt into his strong body.

“I don’t know if I know what love is, Selena, but I know this is the closest I’ve felt to another person.” He pulls out of me and turns me to face him. He draws me close to his mouth. “I wanted you to leave because I needed to protect the one person who made me feel something other than numb or angry. The only person capable of humanizing someone as barbaric as me.”

I swallow, his breath mixing with mine. “I don’t know what love is either, Lex. I never have. I just know it wasn’t what I had with my husband, and that’s why I didn’t want to leave you. Leaving meant losing the one thing that made me feel . . . safe.” The word almost catches in my throat, but I manage to get it out.

Lex buttons his jeans, climbs into the truck bed, and motions to me. I dress and climb up with him. We lie down, and he holds me tight. I feel bad he didn’t finish, especially when he made me come the way he did. I slip my hand down his stomach, but he stops me with a firm grip.

“We’ll play more once we find a cabin. And I’ll give you twice the amount of my come.”

I nod and kiss him before rolling onto my back and staring up at the dark, star-filled sky. I’ve never seen something so beautiful. So peaceful. It feels like home, and I’m surprised how little I miss my family and my old life.

But what can my new life possibly be?