Coach Rutching moaned as I closed the door to let Coach Mae sort through the drama I had intentionally put at her door. It wasn’t the exact drama I’d expected, but it was my fault nonetheless.
When we reached our cars Renee whirled around and stuck her finger in my chest. “That was the stupidest thing you’ve ever done. McKenna, that’s so not like you. What the hell were you thinking?”
Tears tracked down her face and I felt rivulets rush down mine as well. “I just wanted to protect you. With Coach Rutching so close I felt like it was the perfect opportunity to keep him away from you for good. You deserve happiness and not to have to worry if he’ll ever show up. I feel awful Claire got involved. Shit, I can’t believe she was having sex with him.”
Renee’s finger moved from out of my chest and she crushed me to her. We held each other, crying at the past and present pain.
“You could have been hurt,” Renee whispered, shivering at the thought.
“It would have been worth it. I wasn’t going to do anything with him. Claire kept putting herself out there when I tried to flirt with him. At first I was going to get with him so he’d have to face consequences, but Claire was determined. I feel like shit. It should have been me in his office not Claire.”
“McKenna, Coach Mae was right. You didn’t make her do what she did. She had a choice. Fuck, I can’t believe he was here,” she said, pulling away and wiping her face.
“When I saw him I wanted to quit immediately, but then I thought maybe he was put here for a reason,” I admitted.
“So you decided to flirt with him right in front of me.” Trip’s voice was gravely as he talked through his gritted teeth. He grasped my upper arm and pulled me toward him.
“Sorry, I didn’t want you involved. But I should have known you’d figure it out. You do have access to the Batcave.”
Trip’s cheek jumped. “No more flirting with anybody.”
“Nobody?” I asked, my stomach doing flops when he didn’t release me and I was pressed up against his body.
“Only me.”
I opened my mouth, but Trip’s lips sealed over it. My knees gave out as his tongue thrust into my mouth, stroking my tongue so it would come out to play. Trip pulled me closer. The kiss was urgent and demanding as I sunk deeper into him. His hand released my arm and moved behind my neck so he could position my head to kiss me deeper. His arm banded around my back, locking me to him.
My hands roamed up his hard chest and moved around his neck, doing my own type of locking.
“It’s about damn time.” Brian’s voice filtered through my hazy mind.
Trip’s lips unlatched from mine. He smiled down at me, placing tiny kisses on my cheek and nose. “You’re telling me.”
“I’ll call you later and chew you out some more, Kenna,” Renee said, a smile in her voice.
“Uh-huh,” I answered, my head still mushy from Trip’s kiss.
“Your place or mine, darlin’?”
“Mine’s closer.”
“Smart girls are so hot.” Trip picked me up and threw me in Dora. He belted my seatbelt and gave me one more searing kiss.
“Drive safe,” he ordered before closing my door and dashing to Diego.
