Road Trip

Chapter 11

We finally pulled into the hotel at just after 3AM, both exhausted to the core. We grabbed our bags and loaded them onto the luggage trolley, even though they weren't too heavy, we were just too tired to carry them. I stumbled over to the desk and checked us in while Blake wandered the lobby to keep herself awake. She was grabbing random pamphlets from the What to do in Albuquerque stand and stuffed them into her back pocket.

"All set?" I mumbled as I walked over to her.

"Oh yeah, we're going to have a blast now," she said, tapping the back of her jeans.

"So, I assume you mean the pamphlets. Or should I be checking out your ass?" I asked with a grin. Tired me had no filter.

"You've been checking it out the entire trip, you can't fool me," she chuckled while nudging me with her elbow.

"You do have a point," I admitted guiltily.

"I was joking!" she said, looking at me in surprise.

"Oh, yep. Me too!" I hurriedly pressed elevator buttons to head up to the room and trying to hide my blushing face. I need sleep before I say more stupid things.

The room itself was nice, though hardly presidential despite the name. We had plenty of room to spread out, though we didn't even take our suitcases off the trolley at this point. I remembered to slap the Do Not Disturb sign on the door, so housekeeping didn't wake us up in a few hours. We both got our toiletries out and got teeth brushed and I put blankets and a pillow on the couch so she could have the bed. When she was done in the bathroom, I took my turn and then came back to my pillow and blankets being gone. I just stared at the couch, confused. I knew I had put them down, hadn't I? Maybe I'd driven too far today, and my mind was hallucinating now.

I trudged back to the closet to get them again.

"Leave them there!" Blake commanded while sitting up in bed, "Now come to bed, you need the sleep."

"I was giving you the bed," I tried to point out.

"I know, and thank you, but you've been awake and driving all day, and your body needs the sleep. The couch won't cut it, so, come to bed," she insisted.

"Are you sure?" I confirmed.

"Ethan is this your normal reaction when a woman tries to get you into her bed?" she asked, mock seriously.

"Sorry, I just didn't want there to be any discomfort between us," I admitted. It was true too, because while the previous night we had fallen asleep fully clothed, tonight I was all too aware that she was in an oversized tee shirt and a pair of tiny shorts. I was also wearing a tee shirt and underwear, but it was better than sleeping in the nude like I do at home.

Sighing, I pulled the covers back and slid into the cool sheets next to Blake. She was right, I did need the sleep, and the bed would help me recover better than the couch. "Thanks Blake, good night."

"Good night Ethan," she murmured, as she relaxed against the pillows.

I got comfortable with the pillows as well, and soon drifted off.

You know those fantasies that guys have about being awoken by a woman who slips under the covers and wakes them up with her mouth? Yeah, I was woken up by a knee to the groin. It may shock you to learn, that I never had that on my list of top 5 fantasies. Top 100 even. But it does wake you up!

"Oh my god I'm so sorry!" exclaimed Blake as she sat up in bed, her face a burning red. "I didn't mean to!"

"It's ok!" I gasped while curled in a fetal position. There really isn't a good way to alleviate the pain unless you have ice handy, and we didn't.

Blake ran to the bathroom and I heard running water before she returned with some damp washcloths, thankfully cool. Taking them from her, I slipped them under the covers and placed them down my boxers. It wasn't ice, but it did help.

"Thanks," I sighed in relief.

"I can't believe I did that," she mumbled glumly, sitting next to me on the bed. "Can I get you anything else?"

"There should be some Advil in my toiletry bag, that would help."

She raced over to the bag and dug through it, returning moments later with a couple of the pills. I swallowed them dry, and hoped they'd kick in soon. She jumped on the bed, kneeling next to me, and watching me like a hawk.

"You have a very strange bedside manner Doctor Denton." I couldn't help but laugh at her demeanor, though it hurt to do so.

"I haven't done that to a guy in 3 years, when I broke up with one of my exes. But he at least deserved it," she said, blushing again.

"Obviously that karma thing I was hoping for has run out," I joked, trying to not feel guilty. I knew it was an accident and certainly wasn't going to hold it against her.

"Definitely puts a damper on the day," she said sadly.

"Nah, I'm fine," I assured her. "Go take your shower, I'll be up and about by the time your done and we can go get some food. I don't know about you, but I'm starving!"

"I could eat," she admitted shyly. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Go get cleaned up."

She stood up on the bed and walked over to the other edge, jumping down and made her way to the bathroom. It was hard not to notice her legs under that tee shirt, and my imagination needed a cold shower immediately afterwards. But in the meantime, I just lay in bed holding the cool washcloths. Luckily, they seemed to be doing their job and the pain had started to ebb away.

She wasn't long in the shower, maybe 15 minutes, which I thought was fast considering how much hair she had. When she came out of the bathroom wrapped in one of the white hotel towels while wrapping another around her hair I could only stare.

"You okay?" she said with a slight smirk. I had a feeling she very much enjoyed my embarrassment.

"Yeah, I was just thinking I needed new towels," I said as a horribly bad deflection.

"Ahh, I thought that was it. Did you know this bathroom has a whirlpool tub?" she asked while wiggling her eyebrows.

I was in so much trouble.