Page 1 of Tripp

“Stop! It’s not what you think,” she cried, clutching the back of my cut and trying to pull me off the man I found in our bedroom. Inourfucking bed. “Tripp, please. . . .”

I wrenched my body to the side. It took only seconds before she got the hint and her hands fell to her sides.

“If you don’t back the fuck up, Rachel, you’re gonna regret it,” I warned. The blood pumping in my veins was thick, my heart threatening to explode the more enraged I became. I’d never put my hands on a woman in anger before, but this bitch was pushing my limits for sure. Bad things happened when I lost control, and although I’d be justified to flip the fuck out right then, I still tried to keep it together. As best I could.

My thoughts pored over the past couple months, trying like hell to shove the haze of red from my vision. The mysterious incoming texts late at night. The sudden trips out with friends she hadn’t spoken to in months, if not years. The out-of-town trips she suddenly had to take to visit a sick relative, someone I’d never heard her mention before. All of her excuses should have screamed she was fuckin’ around, but I’d been so busy with all the shit goin’ on at the club I simply took her at her word.

What a big fuckin’ mistake.

“You think you can fuck my woman and get away with it!” I roared, slamming the stranger against the wall, the thud of his head hitting the plaster echoing around the room. “I hope she was worth it ’cause now I’m gonna kill ya.”

The guy sucked in a strangled breath, his eyes popping wide as I tightened my grip around his throat. He clawed at my hands, but it was useless. I knew I wasn’t gonna snatch his life, but I sure as hell wasn’t gonna tell either one of them that.

What the fuck did she see in this guy, anyway?His long hair was unkempt, his beard scraggly at best. I towered over the guy, and while I realized I was larger than most, my size didn’t detract from the puniness of the man she’d chosen to fuck around with behind my back.

In retrospect, I’d stupidly decided to be faithful to Rachel. I’d had plenty of opportunities to fuck around, but I’d made a commitment. I thought we both had. I was a one-woman type of man, which was quite the conundrum in the lifestyle I’d chosen. Pussy flowed easily for everyone involved in the Knights Corruption. Shit, for all the clubs I’d known. And while most chose to partake, there were a select few who chose one woman and one woman only.

Foolishly, I’d been one of them.

As I glanced at Rachel, my heart splintered a little more with each passing second. She was still trying to convince me to let go of the guy, fear in her eyes at what she thought I was gonna do. She had feelings for this fucker, which meant whatever she’d felt toward me had waned. We had our issues but I thought we were good . . . all things considered.

“Please,” she continued to beg. “Let him go, Tripp. I promise it won’t happen again.” She grabbed my arm and tried to yank me back, but her feeble attempts only served to irritate me further. I needed to get outta there, but not until I’d finished teaching them both a lesson. Squeezing tighter still, I only released my grip when the guy’s eyes closed, his lungs ceasing to struggle for air. I hadn’t killed him, although I wanted to; I’d merely choked him out. As soon as I backed away, releasing my hand from around his throat, his limp body slumped to the floor. I waited to see if Rachel would rush toward him but she didn’t, although her eyes kept flicking from mine to his and then back again.

Turning fully toward her, I shook my head when I saw the look of fright on her face. She had no idea what I had planned for her, probably thinking I’d killed her lover and that she was next. Apparently, she didn’t know me at all. Or did she? I’d killed before, sure. Numerous times, in fact, but always in retaliation or defense. Never because of infidelity. Although, I’d never been put in this type of situation before.

Stalking toward her, I assessed her body language.

Fear.

Regret?

Didn’t matter. I was done with her, but that didn’t stop me from retaliating. Her back slammed against the wall, her hands coming up in front of her to protect our bodies from colliding. I came to a halt inches from where she stood pinned, my jaw clenched and nostrils flaring. I was so enraged I had no idea what to say. I wanted to wrap my hands around her throat just like I’d done with that fucker, but instead I kept them at my sides. My nails dug into my palms, drawing some of my attention away from thoughts of hurting her.

When moments passed and still I hadn’t moved, she reached out and cupped my face. “I’m so sorry, baby. It’ll never happen again. I swear.” She flicked her eyes to the unconscious man and then back to me. It was then I noticed her pupils were dilated. She was on something, but since her choice of drug varied, I had no idea what it was. “I’ve just . . . been so lonely. You’re always gone, and when you’re here, you’re not really with me.”

I gasped as if she’d sucker punched me in the gut. “Are you fuckin’ kiddin’ me? You’re trying to blame me for you bein’ a whore?” Fury boiled my blood. I jerked my head away from her hand, her fingers falling from my face. I stepped closer, my chest brushing against hers. She stood before me completely naked. Having caught them in bed together, she’d never had the chance to throw on clothes. And while the thought of fucking her senseless normally arrested me whenever I saw her big tits and round ass, her standing before me with not a stitch of clothing on right then only served to disgust me.

Another man had been inside her. Tasted her. Promised her God only knew what, and from the looks she kept sneaking at him, she professed her own hopes and dreams to that bastard as well.

She reached for my hands, but I shrugged her off. “I’m not blaming you. But you can’t blame me either. I know you’ve fucked around on me, and although I didn’t cheat to get back at you, I’m not gonna stand here and let you intimidate me anymore.”

“What the fuck are you talkin’ about?” I yelled. “I haven’t fucked anyone else for the past two years. Ever since we agreed to be together.” As for the other bullshit she spewed, I couldn’t help it. At six four and two hundred thirty pounds, I couldn’t help but intimidate most people, even her. I admitted that I used my size to get what I wanted most of the time, and if I were being honest, I loved that she felt inferior right then.

Her eyes darkened, her posture becoming rigid all in the blink of an eye. Rachel could be a bitch when she wanted and right then was a prime example, trying to turn the tables on me to excuse her abhorrent behavior.

“You can say whatever you want, Tripp. I know you’ve fucked around, but I’m not gonna stand here and try to convince you to come clean.” Pointing toward the man on the floor, she said, “I fucked him. Plenty of times. And now it’s over, so the sooner you forgive me the sooner we can get back to us.” Rachel had done a complete one-eighty in the span of minutes. At first, she played off her actions with remorse, apologizing with a look of guilt plastered on her face and riddled in her voice. And then she tried to blame me for fuckin’ around, acting as if her cheating was merely a bump in the road of our relationship. As if that shit was normal and should be forgiven with no questions asked.

I wasn’t gonna lie. She hurt me. But I wasn’t gonna sit there and cry about it either. I refused to embarrass myself by givin’ her the time of day any longer. No, she fucked up . . . and good.

I need alcohol.

Slamming my hands on the wall, one on each side of her head, I shouted, “Fuck you!” A quick thought of head-butting her flitted through my brain, and while the image satisfied me, I would never do such a thing. Retreating a step, I said, “We’re fuckin’ done. Get your shit and get out.” Turning my back on her, I strode toward the hallway, shouting over my shoulder. “When I get back, you better not be here.”

I heard her yelling but ignored her as I slammed the front door behind me. Two minutes later I was on the open road, embracing the wind and the feel of my bike between my legs. The rumble and vibrations calmed me. My grip on the handlebars loosened the farther I rode, putting as much distance as I could between me and the woman who fucked me over.

Had I known how my night would turn out, I might have stayed at home and watched her leave instead.

Tripp

---