Page 28 of Tripp

“You need me in order to help you forget. You said so yourself.” Taking a breath, I continued, “You’ve been through a lot, and that’s on me for thinking you were okay with it. I should have known better, but I got caught up in you. In the thought of us together.” To relieve her of some of her mounting anxiety, I kissed her, my lips lingering over hers for several seconds. “I don’t want our first time together to be tainted by your need to escape from something else.”

My eyes widened in shock when she started to cry. At first it was a single tear, but then many more quickly followed. Her shoulders shook as she finally released what had been pent up since the attack. Without hesitation, I wrapped my arms around her as she expelled her anguish. I normally didn’t do well with a crying woman, but with Reece it was different. All I wanted to do was comfort her, to promise her that everything would be okay, even if I didn’t truly believe every word myself.

A tightness gripped my chest, the anger I felt about what happened to her rising to new heights. Such vulnerability and confusion on her part had me wanting to erase the memory of the night before. But I couldn’t. I didn’t know how to help her, and that alone killed me.

Reece

I couldn’t believe all that had happened in the course of twenty minutes. First, Tripp undressed in front of me, comfortable as could be with that unbelievable body of his. Then I fell under some sort of spell when he neared me, imagining all sorts of dirty things I’d love to do to him, and him to me. Then, as brazen as could be, I was the one who made the first move. With all of Tripp’s flirtation, I was the one to kiss him. I was the one who encouraged what happened next without question. I allowed him to take over, to take off my clothes and lay me on the bed beneath him. I was the one who allowed him to put his head between my legs, and I was the one who essentially stopped it with my admission that I needed him to help me forget all that had happened in the past twenty-four hours.

As soon as Tripp rescued me I had something else to focus on entirely, whether it was the anger from being fired or my lusty attraction to the stranger who swooped in on one of my darker moments. What I wasn’t doing was dealing with the near rape that had occurred. A part of me was used to violence, but I thought once I moved to California I’d be able to leave all of that behind me. The incident at the club proved otherwise, and instead of dealing with all of those raw emotions, I chose to deflect. To shove everything so deep down it was as if nothing happened.

But it had, and now I had to deal with it. Breaking down in Tripp’s arms was apparently the first step.

After I’d dried all of my tears, I dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a fresh shirt he’d given me. Of course I looked ridiculous in the overly large clothing, but Tripp grinned when he saw me enter the kitchen, taking me in from head to toe. A flirty smile I was becoming all too familiar with played on his lips as I sat down to a bagel and glass of orange juice.

“Sorry, it’s all I have right now.”

“It’s more than enough,” I said before taking a bite.

I ate in silence, my breakdown before quite embarrassing. Looking up every now and again, I saw that Tripp was watching me. He would go from frowning, to biting his lower lip, which was extremely sexy, to cocking a brow. An internal debate no doubt wreaking havoc on his thoughts.

Eventually one of us had to speak. It just so happened that we decided that very same thing at the same time.

“So,” both of us said, amusement in our tone at the coincidence.

“You go first,” he insisted, taking a sip of his coffee. I watched the muscles of his throat swallow the hot liquid, then stared at his mouth as he licked his lips. “Reece?”

“Sorry. Um . . . well . . . I guess I should be going. Can you give me a ride back to the motel?” I’d hoped he wasn’t going to give me a hard time about going back there. In reality, I had no place else to go.

“No.” His answer was final. He placed his mug on the counter and crossed his arms, looking like he was preparing himself for an argument. Well, he was right. I hardly knew him; I wasn’t going to let him dictate anything for me.

“No?” I asked incredulously, my tone raising an octave in disbelief, although his answer shouldn’t have shocked me. I pushed my empty plate away and stood from the table, bracing myself behind my chair for support.

“No. I already told you you’re not stayin’ there. You can stay here. With me.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t know you. Plus, it’s . . . inappropriate.”

He laughed, uncrossing his arms and stepping forward, mirroring the way I rested my hands on the back of the chair. “Why is it inappropriate? Unusual. Quick. Those are the words I’d use before saying it would be inappropriate.” Clearly he found me amusing, a sentiment which irritated me.

My brain couldn’t function when he stood so close, so I couldn’t come up with a defense as to why I’d chosen that word. Instead, I blurted out something else which came to mind. “I just can’t stay. Please. If you won’t take me back to the motel, then I’ll find my own ride.”

“Youcan’tstay? Or you don’twantto stay?”

He just wouldn’t give up.

Looking away, I said, “I don’t wanna stay.” I lied, of course, but I figured he’d relent if he knew I didn’t want to be there with him. Thankfully, it worked. But when I glanced back at him, I saw a look of disappointment and hurt cross his face. It was brief, but I caught it.

“Fine. But you’re not goin’ back to the motel. I’ll find you a place you can crash at until you get back on your feet.” I opened my mouth to object, but he cut me off. “No argument, Reece.” His hardened expression softened. “Let me do this for you. At least I’ll know you’ll be safe.”

I eventually nodded, giving him the go-ahead to make the arrangements.

Tripp

I left Reece in the kitchen while I stepped out on the porch, closing the door behind me for added privacy. Since I couldn’t force her to stay with me, I had an idea where she could stay. I just needed approval first.

---