Page 32 of Highway To Destiny

“Yes, he did. I’m very sorry,” I replied. Her empathy touched me, and I patted her hand, which was still on my arm. I relaxed with her demeanor.

The silence that hung in the air was suddenly interrupted by Spencer. “I’ll never forget when Mr. Pickles died. I cried for days.” He continued to eat as we all turned our heads his way.

“Mr. Pickles?” Connor responded with a raised eyebrow as he turned his head to his friend.

“Yeah. He was my hamster when I was about seven,” he replied.

I put my head in my hand and laughed. Connor and his mother, seeing the levity that Spencer produced, joined in. Spencer had that knowing smile plastered on his face and then laughed along with us. Leave it to Spencer to break up the somber mood at the table.

The rest of the night entailed comfortable conversation, Spencer telling more stories about his family, and numerous flirty looks between Connor and me as we shared a nightcap. As the night ended, I was about to call for a rideshare when Connor suggested he could take me back to my hotel using his mom’s SUV. I wasn’t about to refuse and hoped we’d get some private time together.

I hadn’t felt like spending Christmas night in my sleeper cab, so I opted for a night in a hotel downtown. The lot I’d parked my rig in was on the edge of the city, and the thought of spending my only night in Portland there seemed cruel on Christmas. I didn’t want to be alone and stuck out there anyway.

Before we left, Connor excused himself for a short time. When he came back, he motioned Spencer to join him in the kitchen as Sharon and I continued chatting.

There were goodbye hugs between Sharon, Spencer and me before Connor and I headed out the door. “Your mom is a wonderful woman, Connor. I think you know that, though,” I said as we got into his mom’s SUV. We buckled up, and he looked at me.

“I do know that. Her love and support mean everything to me.” He pulled out of the driveway and put his hand in my lap so I could intertwine our fingers. “Again, I’m sorry you witnessed my brother’s dickwad behavior before walking out the door,” he said with a grimace.

“I’m assuming your argument with him was about me?” I asked as I stroked my thumb over his.

“He was being a fucking dick. He accused me of having daddy issues and was upset I didn’t warn him about you being older,” he replied. I could feel him tense up thinking about their exchange. “And he berated you for being a trucker. He had no right to be judgmental, and he flung it in my face. He ruined Christmas because of it, the son of a bitch.”

He took a deep breath and huffed it out but remained silent. There was no traffic at night, and it was a holiday, so the drive to the hotel was easy.

“Connor, Christmas wasn’t ruined, at least not for me or Spencer. We had an amazing dinner that your lovely mother prepared, and we had a good, relaxing conversation during it and after. I had a wonderful time despite what happened between you and your brother.” I wanted to reassure him that the evening had gone well. He squeezed my hand.

I squeezed back. “To be honest, I’ve been worrying about how I’d be accepted by your family. I am old enough to be your father.” He looked over at me, and I waggled my brow at him. “That’s why I hesitated to accept your invitation.” I paused. “Your mom seemed okay and comfortable with me, though.” His eyes were back on the road, and I could see he was deep in thought.

“I know she was surprised, but Mom was never one to judge. Kyle seemed to have that vice covered,” he said spitefully.

I chuckled. “Just so you’re aware, judgment can also be considered a virtue.” Connor looked at me with a frown. “In this case, though, he probably was a dick in how he spoke to you.” Connor didn’t say anything as I concluded, “I bet he’s always been your protector.”

“I wanted to deck him, but instead, we said things we couldn’t take back. I think we both realized it too late. And yes, he’d always been my protector.” We stayed silent for a couple of minutes.

Connor brought up the dinner conversation about my loss. “I didn’t know about your parents or your sister. You’ve never said anything about them before.”

“Well, we’ve never had deep, meaningful discussions about ourselves in the few times we’d gotten together. You just happened to learn a little more about me tonight,” I replied. “When your mom and I were chatting alone in the living room, she did ask about our relationship. I told her I found myself attracted to you and that I might be bi. I’m pretty sure she’ll want to talk to you about it too.” I looked over at Connor, who kept his eyes on the road and simply squeezed my hand.

We remained silent, but I kept his hand in mine. A few minutes later, we arrived at my hotel. We pulled up to valet parking. “I don’t know if you need to head back, but I’d love it if you could join me for a while,” I said before the valet came around to the driver’s side of the SUV.

“I think that could be arranged,” he replied enthusiastically, and my heart fluttered. The tension in the car had dissipated. I couldn’t get enough of him.

We exited the vehicle, and I told the valet my last name and room number. Connor hooked his arm in mine as we made our way through the lobby, and the concierge smiled at us when we walked toward the bank of elevators. My room was on the fifteenth floor.

As we waited for the elevator, I asked, “Did you tell Spencer you might be a little late returning home tonight?” He smiled but didn’t look at me.

“I did. He said he’d keep Mom entertained until bedtime, then told me to have fun.” The elevator doors opened, and I used the keycard to take us up to my floor.

When the doors closed, Connor was on me instantly. He wrapped his hands around my waist and hungrily attacked my mouth with his. It was sudden, and I wasn’t quite prepared for it. I took hold of the hair on the back of his head and pulled him back enough to hear his breath hitch. He pushed his hips into me, and I could feel his hard erection. My tongue sought his, and my cock came to life.

“Connor, there are cameras in the elevator,” I said, laughing into his open mouth.

All I heard was, “Don’t care.” He continued to grind against me and rubbed my hard cock through my jeans with his free hand. It was almost uncomfortable, but not enough to get him to stop.

The elevator dinged, and Connor backed away, licking his swollen lips. I had a grin on my face as I saw the number fifteen illuminated above the doors. It opened to an empty hallway, and I led us down to my room. I slipped the card into the reader. It flipped green, and I pulled him through the open door. No sooner had the door shut behind us than Connor pulled my coat off as fast as he could.

It was fast and feral. My blood was on fire, and I wanted him. I wanted to take control tonight and didn’t care if I was clumsy. I needed to feel him underneath me. I needed to know what he wanted and what I could do for him. Connor obviously wanted it as much as I did.

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