With a trembling hand, Wendy wrapped her fingers through the crook of his arm. The music started shortly after, and all the couples marched down the aisle.
The ceremony was beautiful. Perfection, really. Every so often, Wendy caught Tripp’s eye and they shared a small smile. Once the bride and groom were announced as husband and wife, cheers filled the air. Following the ceremony, pictures were taken then the guests were all ushered toward a barn that had been decorated for a reception.
Evening brought with it cooler temperatures which were absolutely necessary with all the dancing and celebrating goingon. But it was still a little too much. Wendy chose a small, almost secluded table toward the back of the barn. It was the perfect place to put up her feet and stay out of the way.
“I didn’t see you out there to catch the bouquet.”
Wendy nearly groaned at the sound of his voice. It would have been half-hearted anyway. “And I didn’t see you out there to catch the garter.” She craned her neck up and around to find Tripp staring down at her, a strange expression marring his handsome features. When he noticed her staring, he blinked and thrust a glass toward her.
“I brought you some sweet tea.”
She bit back a smile. “Thank you. I didn’t know they were serving it for the wedding.”
“They weren’t.”
Wendy paused with the glass at her lips.
“I made a small batch this morning.” He wasn’t meeting her eyes. Instead, he was staring out at the guests who were enjoying themselves. She would have thought Tripp would be out there mingling with them, finding a girl he could snare.
Why was he here, with her?
Wendy took a sip and shrugged off the question. It didn’t matter anyway. She could tolerate his company well enough now.
Fine, that wasn’t really honest. She enjoyed his company and a small part of her was thrilled that he’d sought her out. Stupid as it was, she had gotten a little attached to him.
What would Olivia think?
She grimaced. Olivia might not mind that Wendy had started spending time with Tripp, but those kisses? She’d definitely have something to say about that. And Tripp was one of the reasons she hadn’t talked to Olivia in a while.
Tripp put his glass on the table and hunched over. He’d taken off his suit jacket and rolled his sleeves to his forearms. Right now, he was resting said forearms on his knees. He could even make looking slightly disheveled delectable.
Wendy did groan then. She couldn’t help it. Her thoughts had gone rogue and there was nothing she could do about it.
“Do you think we could ever be something more?”
Something hard slammed into her chest at his question and she sputtered on her drink, coughing as she attempted not to inhale more of it. Tripp wasn’t even looking at her. It was like he was too scared to do so. Or maybe he didn’t want her to read the teasing he most certainly was trying to hide.
“What?” she finally asked.
This time he sat straighter, turned his chair to face her, then peered at her without a drop of mischief. “Will you dance with me?”
She blinked rapidly. That was not what he’d asked her. This was a game. It had to be. Before she could decline and demand to know why he’d asked his first question, he stood and held out his hand. Her brain wasn’t computing at the moment, and he must have noticed because he simply took her hand and tugged her to her feet. Barefoot, he all but dragged her to the dance floor.
“Tripp—” she protested but was cut off when his hand came firmly around her back and he pulled her close. He held her righthand in his against his chest and they swayed. This felt far more intimate than the last time they’d danced.
Her heart hammered in her chest, thudding frantically as she attempted to make sense of what was happening. Tripp leaned in closer, his nose tracing the hollow of her neck. She closed her eyes if only to focus on her breathing.
“Tripp,” she whispered, “what are you?—”
“You feel this, right?”
“What?” she rasped.
He inhaled deeply then pulled back to stare into her eyes. “This could work. You and me. I’ve been thinking about it a lot and?—”
She blinked several more times, clarity finally pushing through the clouds of desire that had settled around her. “Tripp… no.”
He frowned at her but he didn’t release her.
