Page 13 of Trip

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Trip

Holy shit. He was still stunned stupid by the miracle he’d just witnessed. Hell, his chest puffed out, the miracle he’d caused. All he could do was watch her run away with tears in her eyes.

Tears he didn’t understand and a look of shame he couldn’t comprehend.

If anyone had a reason to feel shame, it was him. They’d done this exact thing hundreds of times in the past and yet, he’d never brought her that much pleasure.

That was his failure, he realized. But in his defense, they’d been teenagers who barely understood their own bodies, much less that of the opposite sex.

Still, she’d run from him. “Jess.” He turned to follow, dick out and all. By the time he got to the door, he heard her tears. Each broken sob was a fiery blade across his heart.

Was she regretting what happened that much? Did she find him lacking because he’d never done that for her before? Hell, he’d basically treated her like a whore. That hadn’t entered his mind until he tucked himself away and zipped his pants. Yeah, that was a dick move. He didn’t even take off his pants.

They’d been so caught up in the moment, and he didn’t want her to change her mind. “Jess. Open the door and let me in.”

“Go away, Trip. I’m sorry. It was a mistake and I’ll leave like I planned. Please, just…”

Her voice trailed off in a sob and Trip couldn’t take another fucking minute of it. “No. I already told you, you say yes, we say no to everything else, but not each other.”

The only answer he got was more sobs.

“I will kick this fucking door in or you can unlock it. Either way, I am holding you in less than thirty seconds, so decide.”

Trip wasn’t making the same mistake twice. He’d let her tears and silence shut him out once before. Not again.

Never again.

“I’m so sorry.” The words weren’t spoken to him but whispered to herself and Trip didn’t fucking like it.

“Okay, choice made.” Without thinking how it would feel, Trip lowered his shoulder and rammed the flimsy door, banking it off the wall.

“Fuck,” he cursed as the vibration wound its way through his abused body. Ironically, as it subsided, his shoulder felt better than it had. He didn’t have time to question how in the world that worked, because the sight before him hurt worse than any physical pain.

Jess immediately started babbling. “I’m sorry. I swear I didn’t pee on you. I’m going to leave, but my phone is in there and I’m in here and you were in there and I’m sorry and…”

She was speaking in one long sentence. Trip worried when she kept going without taking a breath.

“Hey, hey.” He dropped to his knees at her feet and cupped her face, this time with both hands since the shoulder was already on fire or he just didn’t care about it.

Her response was to shake her head and squeeze her eyes shut. Given the gravity of the moment, Trip felt bad for his half smile. He couldn’t help himself. She looked eighteen again.

But then her words sank in.

“Jess.” When she ignored him, he realized his mistake. He was thinking of her as Jess, not JJ. “JJ, look at me.”

Trip wasn’t used to asking twice, but he did. Even added a please. She complied.

He thumbed away her tears. Before he could speak, she stiffened and explained, “I am sorry for what happened—”

“I’m sure as fuck not,” Trip cut her off in his anger. He would not let her deny them or what they’d done.

“I promise I didn’t pee on you or anything like that. I did research and even asked my gynecologist. Please don’t be angry.”

He’d only witnessed her this wounded one other time, and now he was questioning everything. Past and present. Everything except what had just happened.

“I know that. Why would you think… did someone tell you that?” Trip tried to keep the anger out of his voice but found it impossible. When she cast her gaze to the side, he knew, somehow, he knew that some other asswipe had made her feel ashamed.

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