Page 19 of Tripp

When his shirt had finally cleared his head, he tossed it on the seat closest to him, his eyes pinned to mine. Watching, waiting for some kind of reaction.

“Better?” he asked, leaning against the counter so I could take him all in. My mouth suddenly went dry. My heart hammered inside my tightly coiled chest, and an ache I was becoming familiar with bloomed between my thighs. “Reece? Are you okay?”

“Huh?” I continued to visually devour him, committing every facet of his incredible body to memory. I was completely shameless.

Tripp pushed himself off the counter, his muscles flexing and taunting me.Yeah, completely shameless.“I asked if you were okay.” The deep gravel of his voice ricocheted through me and made my lustful state even worse.Get a grip, woman.

“Oh yeah, I’m fine. Sorry, I didn’t mean to stare. You just caught me off guard when you stripped in front of me.” My nervous laughter told him everything.

“I hardly call that stripping. Now, if I took off my jeans. . . .” The corners of his full lips kicked up in amusement again.

I knew if I didn’t change the subject I would completely embarrass myself in front of him. No doubt he was used to women throwing themselves at him, and the last thing I needed, or wanted, was to be included in that group. No, Tripp was a stranger, someone I’d just met earlier that night. Even though I essentially owed him my life for his protection, it didn’t change the fact that I didn’t know him. Sure, I was attracted to him, but that’s all it was—physical attraction. Nothing more.

He must have realized I’d become uncomfortable, although I doubted he knew the extent of why, because he turned around and finished dishing out the food he’d cooked. “Sit down,” he ordered, his tone demanding yet gentle.

As soon as I situated myself, he placed the plate in front of me. “It’s the only food here. I hope you don’t mind breakfast.” He stood beside me stock-still until I made a move, so I dug in to keep from focusing on him any longer. Only then did he walk out of the kitchen, returning several minutes later fully clothed. And although I was thankful that he’d covered himself, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment.

Tripp

I toyed with fire. Bringing her back to my place wasn’t the smartest move I’d ever made, yet I couldn’t seem to help myself. From the first time I laid eyes on her I knew I never wanted to look away.

I just about lost my shit when she entered the kitchen wearing nothing but my shirt. Yeah, it covered her completely, but her full tits pressed against the material, drawing my attention right away. I’d seen her naked earlier when she danced for me . . . and every other man at the club. And it was knowing what my shirt hid that tortured me.

Regretfully I had to leave her to take care of club business. I was already late, and I knew Marek would lay into me even worse if I didn’t hurry my ass up and get to the safe house.

“I have to go.” Eyeing her plate, I saw she’d eaten every last morsel.

“Where? Will you be gone long? You’re going to leave me here all by myself?” She showered me with questions, her nervousness wafting off her in waves.

“I have to tend to some business at the club. I probably won’t be back until tomorrow. Late morning. But feel free to make yourself at home. If you wanna take a shower, there’re plenty of towels and anything else you’ll probably need. Not so much chick stuff, but shit to get the job done.” All at once, I felt heat rush through my body. Not only was I picturing her naked in my shower, with her hands running all over her toned and supple body, but I rambled on like some kind of idiot. Taking a much-needed breath, I finished with “You’ll be fine until I get back.”

Grabbing my keys off the table, I walked toward the door, telling myself not to turn around for fear I’d never leave. But her voice stopped me, the innocence of her tone undoing me.

“Tripp?”

With my back still facing her, I answered. “Yeah.”

“I’m scared.” The lilt of her voice tugged at my insides, urging me to swing around and pull her close. But I understood myself enough to know that if I drew her into my embrace I wasn’t gonna let her go.

“Why?”

“Because of everything that happened earlier.”

Shit! There was no way I couldn’t face her, the fright she felt lacing each word. Letting go of the handle, I spun around and walked toward her. Her fingers toyed with the hem of her shirt.Myshirt. Her breath quickened the closer I stepped, and the fear I heard in her voice was mirrored by her expression.

“He won’t hurt you again. I promise.”

“I know.”

“Then why are you scared?”

“I don’t know. When you told me you were leaving, I just got nervous. I can’t explain it, other than to say that I feel safe when you’re near. I know I don’t know you, and you could very well still be a killer,” she nervously joked, “but it’s how I feel.” Looking around the wide-open space, she added, “And now you’re gonna leave me here all alone.”

Reaching for her hand, I intertwined my fingers with hers. “You’ll be fine. This place has a state-of-the-art security system and you’re out in the middle of nowhere.” Grimacing, I realized that probably wasn’t the best thing to say. Nothing like making her feel even more secluded. “What I mean is that the chances of anyone approaching this place are nil to none. You’ll be safe until I get back. But if it would make you feel better, I’ll give you my number in case you need me. I mean, need to call me.”There I go again with the awkward fuckin’ rambling.

“Okay,” she agreed, pulling her hand from mine to root through her purse. Finding her cell, she handed it to me and I input my name and number before giving it back. “I feel better knowing I can reach you.”

She looked like she wanted to say something else, possibly apologize for being so scared, but she remained silent.

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