Strangers on a Train Read online

  Strangers on a Train

  Lolita Lane

  Contents

  Copyright

  About Strangers on a Train

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  About the Author

  Strangers on a Train

  Copyright © 2016 by Lolita Lane

  Cover by CT Cover Creations

  Photography: ©Shutterstock

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  About Strangers on a Train

  With her sister’s wedding quickly approaching, Leah decides it’s the ideal time for her to get away. A European vacation with a train to Valencia sounds like the perfect escape. And when a sexy man with a seductive accent sits across from her, things can only get better.

  But Leah’s plans for a one night stand quickly derail. Enrique isn’t just capable of giving her multiple orgasms, he’s much more than that. And when she returns home she realizes that she not only left her heart in Spain, but there’s a new one beating inside of her.

  **This steamy standalone story is chock full of Instalove, No Cheating, and a Happy Ending. You’ve been warned.

  1

  “No, I’m not going to miss the plane and miss your wedding, Mia.”

  Sisters. The one I had was simultaneously a pain in the ass and my best friend. “You missed Aunt Gertrude’s wedding,” my sister said over the phone.

  Rumbling along in a train, I watched as the landscape passed by as I spoke with her. People didn’t travel much by train in America, but in Europe, it was a pretty nice way to get around. A bonus, of course, was that it seemed I had most of the car to myself this time around. After dealing with the headaches of whiny children, old snoring people, and other annoyances, I welcomed the peace and quiet. It made having a long phone conversation with my talkative sister that much easier.

  “Aunt Gertrude has had like, six weddings. That woman takes the ‘til death do us part’ thing very lightly.”

  “Eh, beats being in a loveless marriage for the rest of her life.”

  “True.”

  “Seriously, Leah. I’m going to kick your ass if you don’t make it back in time. You worked hard to help me set this up. I plan on holding on to Christopher for a long time, so I’m hoping I don’t have that second wedding. You better get back to the States, you better be there, and you better savor the results of your labor with me.”

  “God, Mia, you’re not getting married to me. And your wedding is still six weeks away. I don’t know why you’re insisting that I fly back straight away.”

  “Well, no. It just means the world to me that you’ll be here for the rest of the planning. I didn’t think it was a good idea for you to go wandering around Europe this close to it all. It’s a good thing your fever’s gone.”

  I rolled my eyes. I had contracted some sort of infection during my last stopover and had spiked a fever, and I was sick as a dog for days. The doctor had prescribed some antibiotics though, and I had just finished taking the last of it. When I had mentioned it to Mia during our last phone call, she had launched into a panicked sermon and offered to fly out and bring me home. It was all I could do to decline her offer and promise that I’d make my way back in a few days.

  “If I didn’t do it now, I’m not going to get to do it for years. I promise I’ll be home soon. I’ve already booked my ticket.”

  “Okay. I really want you to come to the cake tasting with me, and later this week was the only time they could squeeze me in. I just hope your plane’s not delayed. Stuff is always reliable until you need it the most.”

  I shook my head. My sister always worried way too much. “Mia, I promise you, I will be there. If I have to pay a billion dollars to charter a plane just for it, I’ll do it. If I have to hijack one, I’ll do it. If I have to swim across the Atlantic to be there on time, I will do it.”

  “Alright, alright. But seriously, if you miss this because you aren’t dead, I’m going to make you dead.”

  “I’ll hand you the knife to murder me with if I don’t make it. I swear.”

  “Intercontinental Over-The-Phone Pinky Swear?”

  “Intercontinental Over-The-Phone Pinky Swear,” I said.

  “Good.” She seemed to settle down. “I can’t believe I’m finally getting married. Oh God, you know how Christopher is. The way he proposed to me. The guy’s a romantic. I wonder what he’s planning to do for our wedding night.”

  “Probably consummate your marriage.”

  “Well duh, I meant besides that.”

  I stayed on the phone with my sister for what seemed like hours before I started to get bored and started looking around to see if there was absolutely anyone else in the train car with me.

  There was one other person. I peered behind my seat, caught a glimpse of him, and ducked back down into my seat when he looked my way. I wasn’t just sharing my train with anyone, I was sharing my train with a hottie.

  I thought about taking the initiative and going over to talk to him myself. Sure, I had met a lot of interesting people on my journeys, but there were very few I felt any real attraction to.

  A series of light footfalls on the car’s floor told me my initiative wasn’t required.

  “You mind if I sit here?” the stranger asked, his voice thick with an exotic accent. He gestured to the seat that was directly across from me.

  “Um, uh, sure. Go right ahead,” I said, covering the phone’s mic. I uncovered it and quickly mumbled. “Gotta go, Mia. HG alert.”

  HG was something Mia came up with back when we were teenagers. It stood for ‘hot guy’ and while we both thought it was ridiculous now, we found we still had a use for it.

  “Oh,” she replied. “Well, you are allowed a plus one for the wedding.”

  “Not now, Mia. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Love you, little sis.”

  She would have gone on for another twelve hours if I had let her. The stranger collapsed into the seat. Another benefit of riding trains was that the seats were far more comfortable than they were on planes.

  “I’m sorry I interrupted your phone call,” he said.

  “It’s no big deal. You know family. Sometimes you welcome a way out.”

  He let out a laugh. God, that smile was so damn charming.

  “My name is Enrique,” he said.

  2

  The way he pronounced his name was the sexiest thing I ever heard. He was tall, sort of lanky, but with a muscular, athletic build. I imagined grabbing a handful of his dark thick hair during the throes of passion, then quickly pushed the thought out of my mind. His chin had what I thought of as ‘traveler stubble’, but Enrique wore it well.

  “May I ask whose company I am sharing?” he asked politely.

  “I’m Leah,” I said, nodding as my face reddened. Yeah, I was hot for this guy. This was an overnight train too, so it wasn’t like I could be a coward and avoid my crush like I’d done many times in the past.r />
  “Ah, Leah. I like that name. A pretty name for a pretty girl.”

  I looked away as my cheeks went from hot to scorching. I wasn’t used to this much attention from a man, especially not one as attractive and sexy as Enrique. He was a Spaniard, I could deduce that much from his accent and his exotic look. I had never seen smoldering eyes before I met him. I thought it was one of those things I only read in books.

  “Where are you heading, Leah?” he asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.

  “Valencia.”

  “Ah, Valencia. My hometown.”

  “You’re from there?”

  “Yes. Born and bred. I’m heading home now.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Where did you go, then?”

  “Hungary. Visiting some cousins. My family likes to spread out, travel, and move around. My mother was the only one of her siblings to marry someone else from Spain. I’ve got cousins in Russia, Canada, Jamaica, and even one in Egypt. We get around.”

  “In other words you just can’t help but flirt with whatever American you found on this train,” I said as I raised my brow.

  “No, not just any. You,” he said as his lips curled up into a seductive smile. “What can I say? I saw a beautiful woman and I wanted to talk to her. Turns out she’s an American. Fate’s pushing me away from my own people. It’s the world shuffling us about.”

  I looked away from him and tried to straighten my hair a bit. Yeah, hello stomach butterflies, how are you guys doing? “Guess it’s that easy to tell I’m an American, huh?”

  “I didn’t know until I heard you speak. There’s just a bit too much of that New York accent to be a Canadian. I should know, I’ve talked to my Canadian uncle quite a bit.”

  “I’m from Pittsburgh, actually, but that’s in the general neighborhood,” I said.

  “Ah. If my geography is worth a damn, that’s one state off. Pretty close.”

  “Yeah,” I said with a shrug. “I’ve spent more time than I’ve wanted to in New York. I’m even heading back there in a few days. I have a flight from Valencia that bounces to Madrid and then hopping right across the ocean. I’d love to keep traveling, but my sister’s wedding is coming up, and she would claw my eyes out if I missed all the preparations that come before it.”

  “Traveler, eh? Where have you been?”

  “Wandering around Europe. Spent some time in Glasgow, London, Berlin, Paris, Zurich. I loved Zurich, it sort of surprised me.”

  “The Swiss and their neutrality keep their city looking pretty at least,” he said.

  “That’s true,” I said nodding. “I’ve also been to Rome. I tried to get into Vatican City, but they wouldn’t let me in. I was only there for a day, and apparently you can’t wear shorts. It was July, and they wanted me to be all dressed up just for a day trip and sightseeing. It wasn’t like I was personally meeting with the Pope.”

  Enrique laughed. “As a Catholic, I understand you completely. I’ve been in there. It’s a lot of prim and proper things, old men in robes. Trust me, you ultimately didn’t miss much. Although meeting the Pope is on my bucket list.”

  “Maybe next time when I’m in Rome for more than a day. How about you? You travel a lot? Or just to meet family?”

  “Ah, I get around. I wander a bit. Been out way east. Tokyo. They looked at me as if I were some sort of bizarre giant. I’m certain that Godzilla wasn’t someone like me.”

  “Big dumb lizard is definitely not as handsome as you are,” I said, blushing nervously. I definitely liked this guy. As far as people to get trapped on a train for a day with, I could have done a whole lot worse than him. “You ever go off to the States?”

  “Not yet. I’ve tried, but I can’t get the clearance.”

  “Huh. You have a passport, right?” I asked. “The United States and Spain aren’t like, at war or anything like that.”

  “Yes, I do. There’s an extra visa I have to apply for though. When I go there, I don’t want to just be some tourist. I want to stay for a little bit and explore the country. It takes weeks to get one, and the bureaucracy soured me, so I’m just putting it off for now.”

  I could see Enrique’s eyes bolting up and down my body. He was definitely checking me out, and I wonder if he noticed that I was doing the same to him. All I could do was smile as I got up and turned to my backpack that was on the seat next to mine. I started to search through it. “Getting a soda. You want one?”

  “Hmm. Just keep looking for a bit while I think it over.”

  I glanced back at him and noticed what I was doing. I was bent over right in front of him and giving him a good look of my ass at the same time. “Pig,” I said playfully.

  “You parade it right in front of me. What do you expect me to do? Not notice the pretty things that are right next to my face?”

  “Do you want a soda or not?” I pressed, shaking my head bemusedly.

  “I’ll take one if you do not mind.”

  I fished them out and tossed it toward him before sitting back down in my seat. “Sorry, it’s warm. They don’t really spring for refrigerators on a train.”

  He cracked it open and took a deep swig. “Ah, no complaints here.”

  My curiosity about this man was so deep. More than anything, I wanted his lust for my body to also be focused on my mind. “So, what do you do to get by, just out of curiosity?”

  “Ah, my job?”

  “Yeah, that thing.”

  “I’m a French tutor,” he said with a shrug.

  “You tutor people in French, or you tutor French people?”

  “The former, although it’s sometimes the latter. You’re American, you know people can be utterly awful at their native tongue.”

  “Three languages, if I’m going to make the stretch and assume you know Spanish given…you know, you’re Spanish.”

  “How presumptuous of you, just assuming I know Spanish because I’m from Spain. I am offended.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

  He laughed. “I joke, señorita. I know Spanish. Also German. Four is my limit. Not going to press it any further, and I know enough to communicate to anyone in Europe.”

  “I guess Europeans are just more open to learning more languages. I know English and enough of random languages to not starve to death. Beyond that? I’m hopeless.”

  “Not starving to death is important. Very important. How about you, my lovely Leah? What do you call a career?”

  “I don’t have one yet. I’m going back to school in a few months. I was taking a few months to go out and travel. Then I head to a university and study finance.”

  “Stocks, accounting, and all of that?” he asked.

  “Yes. My mom won’t let me study history. Says liberal arts are worthless degrees. With the American job market, she’s not totally wrong.”

  “Spain doesn’t have a deep desire of the arts either, so don’t feel bad.” He gestured with his can of soda. “A toast then, us both, to our careers that we’re not sure we even want.”

  “I can drink to that,” I said, reaching out and clashing his can with my own.

  The liquid in his can splashed out suddenly and landed on my lap.

  “Oh crap.”

  “Ah, apologies, I should have drunk a tiny bit faster.” Enrique reached into his pocket and pulled out a cloth, then reached over to wipe up the spot.

  Which was on my thigh. Which put him right in my face. He massaged it gently, although I doubted how well it would clean up my jeans. I didn’t care though, our faces were so close at the moment. His presence radiated over me, and our faces grew closer.

  Closer still.

  He kissed me. A deep, powerful kiss. A long one, too. Lips only at first, before his hands left my thigh and slipped into my hair. I did the same to him, grabbing a handful of his hair like I had thought about earlier.

  3

  Enrique leaned in deeper, running his hand down my back. My hand went over his shirt, feeling that firm, toned body.

 
There was a need burning inside me at that moment, but it would be denied.

  He pulled away. “Apologies again,” he said. “I don’t know what came over me.”

  I was silent, unable to speak as my mind spun.

  Enrique sat back down in his chair. “I should have asked first. I know American women are a lot more conservative than what I’m used to.”

  My mind was blank, trying to think of what to say. I was so confused. I looked out the window, something I hadn’t done since Enrique had sat next to me. It was pretty dark out. If I wanted to get some sleep, I should do it soon, I guessed. “Um, I’m going to go turn in for the night.”

  I stood up, still so conflicted about what just happened moments ago. Enrique looked up at me. “I guess you sprung for the sleeping cabin?”

  I nodded. “This is meant to be my big vacation before I go back to school. Figured I’d live a little.”

  He shrugged. “I’m a cheapskate on things that don’t matter. I was just going to nod off in a chair.”

  “They are nice chairs at least.”

  There was another moment of awkward silence between us. I started to move toward my cabin, which wasn’t far from where I had sat down. I glanced back at him. “Um, good night, Enrique. It was, um, very nice talking to you.”

  “Good night to you too, lovely Leah,” he nodded.

  I walked over to my cabin’s door. I looked over at him again and saw him trying to get comfortable in the chair. He didn’t look all that tired, and I wasn’t all that tired either.

  Opening the door, I saw a fairly spacious sleeping area. It wouldn’t be like the back of a Volkswagen or anything uncomfortable like that, I told myself.

  A few deep breaths, and I returned to where Enrique was sitting.

  “Hmm, is there a problem, Leah?”

  I took his hand and pulled him, urging him to stand. When he did so, I kissed him.

  Just as strong as before. I wrapped my arms around him and his strong, solid body. He did the same for me, and I felt goosebumps forming over everywhere he touched, even through my t-shirt.