Wendy scowled at Tripp and moved to shut the door in his face, but he stepped forward too quickly. Her indignant squeak had Serenity laughing on the other end of the line.
“Just let him bring you. Then you don’t have to speak to him again all night.”
Wendy was backing up, her phone gripped tight in her hand. “I’m never going to forgive you for this,” she muttered.
Tripp prowled toward her.
“Sorry, but he was the only one who was willing to go along with my plan to kidnap you.”
Her brows shot up. “Kidnap me? Seriously? What is wrong with you? If I don’t want to go to the?—”
“That’s just it, though. You do want to go. I know you do. You’re just standing in your own way and I haven’t figured out why. So let Tripp bring you. And then Reese will take you home.” Serenity ended the call and Wendy gasped.
She pulled the phone away to see that the screen had darkened and she shook her head with disgust. “You guys are the worst.”
“If you’re lumping me in with Serenity, I can’t be all bad,” Tripp cooed.
Wendy held up her hand. “Not another step closer. I’ll scream. These walls are paper-thin. The sheriff?—”
“Is a good friend of my family’s. I’m sure he’d love to chat over some tea or coffee.”
Her scowl deepened.
“Now, you run off to your room and get dressed for the party or I’ll be forced to do it for you.”
Wendy’s eyes narrowed. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Wouldn’t I?” He took another step toward her, and she squealed as she ran down the hall.
This was so ridiculous.
Her heart hammered. Her chest squeezed. And yet a small thrill rippled through her body at the same time. With Tripp’s arrival, she hadn’t had a chance to dwell on her reasons for not going. It had been nice to forget for a few minutes.
With the door closed between them, she turned to the dress she had draped on her bed in a moment of weakness. Serenity was right. She did want to go. She’d been enjoying herself—getting out of the house more lately. What was one more night of torture when she could also find joy in the freedom of getting out?
Wendy emerged from her bedroom.It was quiet in her apartment, so quiet that she wasn’t sure if Tripp had left. Then she saw him, sitting on the couch with his forearms on his knees. He was staring into space. He could have turned on the television or gone snooping, but he hadn’t.
He was just sitting there.
And he looked utterly delicious. She hadn’t had a chance to really look at him when he’d arrived. He was dressed in a black button-down with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The collar had two buttons undone and he’d paired his shirt with a nice pair of dark blue jeans. His boots were black and he’d left his black Stetson on the couch at his side.
Ironic, that she’d chosen the same color for this event. She’d always liked how formal the dark color looked. While she didenjoy the occasional pastel color scheme in her clothing, black was what made her feel invincible and she needed that tonight.
Tripp must have sensed her because he swiveled his head around.
His eyes rounded slightly and he shot to his feet. The way he took in her appearance felt more like he was sizing up his next meal. The black sleeveless dress was made from a fabric that hugged her figure. It clung to every inch of her, leaving nothing to the imagination. There were bits of glitter throughout the material which paired well with the silver heels she’d chosen. She’d clipped up one side of her wavy hair and let the other side hang free over her shoulder. There hadn’t been much time to do her makeup, so she’d gone with a minimalist look.
Up until this second, she’d been happy with the outcome. She’d been confident that she could march out into her apartment with her head held high. Heck, she’d planned on putting Tripp in his place for daring come to her apartment the way he had.
But now?
All that confidence had fizzled under his scrutiny. One cross word would be all it would take for her to crumble.
Tripp could do that to her, she’d realized. Somehow, he’d gotten beneath her skin. Why did she care what he thought?
He took a step toward her, finally meeting her eyes. “You look…”
She moved past him as quickly as she could muster. “Come on. We’re already late.”
