Chest aching, he fought the urge to pull her into him so he could consume her like she’d already unknowingly done to him.Perhaps he would have, too, if she hadn’t carefully extricated herself from him.
Tripp blinked several times, his vision coming back into focus. He was breathing heavy but so was she. Only, she wasn’t meeting his eyes anymore.
Wendy rolled her lips together and exhaled forcibly. “Well…”
He waited, holding his breath. Could he dare tell her that she tasted like heaven? That he could see a future with her?
No.
Of course not.
That would only scare her off.
Her eyes flitted up to meet his, full of emotions he wasn’t willing to decipher just yet. “Can you take me home, Tripp? I’m tired.”
His brows furrowed. “Home?”
The small smile she attempted to plaster on her face didn’t reach her eyes. “Yeah. I think I’m ready to call it a night.”
“You… don’t want to…”
She didn’t want to talk about that mind-blowing kiss? About the undeniable tension and chemistry that tied them together? They could get through anything if she was willing.
Wendy swallowed and she placed a palm to his cheek. “You’re a good kisser, Tripp. Of course you are.” She blushed. “And I guess I’m lucky that you gave me attention.”
Now wait a gosh darn minute. She wasn’t saying what he thought she was saying, was she? Before he had a chance to put her in her place, Wendy continued.
“I know the kiss didn’t mean anything—not in the way…” She swallowed again. “Anyway, it didn’t mean anything and that’s okay. It was fun. That’s all.” Her eyes searched his. It almost felt like she was pleading with him to agree with her.
What else could he do, if that was what she wanted?
He cleared his throat. “Yeah. You’re right. It was just a bit of fun.” He felt sick saying those words because, no! It wasn’t just a little fun for him. That kiss had beenmore. It had beeneverything.
She hopped down from the tailgate. “Then it’s settled. After the wedding, we’ll probably never see each other again anyway. It’s for the best. Less messy.”
“Yeah,” he murmured, squeezing the back of his neck. “Less messy.” He jerked his chin toward the truck. “Climb in. I’ll take you home.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Wedding day jittersweren’t just for the bride.
Wendy could attest to that, and she wasn’t even required to do more than smile for the camera and walk down the aisle escorted by the most handsome, most charming, most infuriating man she’d ever met.
Two days of not seeing him, not speaking to him, but remembering every last lingering look, every soft caress, and every softly spoken word of that night stuck with her.
After that kiss, he’d taken her home. He’d walked her to her door. Then he’d looked at her like he’d wanted to say something more. But then he told her goodnight and reminded her to lock her door.
And he’d left.
All the hatred she’d harbored for him was suddenly unreachable. Their little truce had broken her resolve. She didn’t know exactly how it had happened, but she was slowly realizing that she actually liked him. Maybe not enough to date him.
Okay, definitely not enough to date him, because she wasn’t stupid enough to put herself in that position. But maybe enough to be friends. He’d shown a depth to himself. The way he listened. The way he noticed the little parts of her she thought were broken. The way he looked at her like she was breath itself.
But that was part of the game, wasn’t it? Tripp knew how to woo a girl into submission. He’d been doing it for years. He’d know how to make a girl feel special and she’d fallen for his tricks.
Unless they weren’t tricks.
“Earth to Wendy.”
