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"Does she have a name?"
"Shelly," he said quickly, then laughed at himself. "We spent a lot of days breaking shells together, riding down the beaches."
"I can picture you with a surfboard on the top, cruising across the country to play soccer for the Inferno. Not a care in the world."
"Fuck, I wish you were right about that."
Before I could ask what he meant, he opened the door and lifted me into the passenger seat. A slight squeal escaped my lips as I grabbed his shoulders to steady myself. He nudged my knees open and pushed himself closer to me, making my breathing come harder.
His lips were close to mine but not touching me. It was a tease like he wanted to see if he could break me before he put me back together. I never felt so ready for a simple kiss, not even with Hunter.
"I want to make you forget about him," Tripp whispered.
Swallowing hard, I tried not to think about the fact that he just practically read my mind. The second I thought of Hunter, something must have changed in me. Tripp must have sensed it.
"You don't have to try very hard."
"I wish I didn't have to try at all," he said before kissing my lips softly.
ChapterThirteen
Tripp
"Where are we going?" Tatum sounded nervous, and she should have been because I was a man on a mission.
"My place."
"What?"
"I'm going to cook for you."
From the corner of my eye, I could tell she was staring at me and contemplating whether going home with me was a good idea. It was cute because she didn't have much of a choice.
"I'm not watching you moan over a meal in public tonight."
"Okay." Her voice was soft and scared, but she finally turned away and looked at where I was taking her. "You live in South Beach?"
"Not far from where I met you."
The last few miles were quiet, but I could tell she was starting to relax as the music played and the wind blew in her hair. Not until I pulled into the parking garage to my condo did she visibly tense up again.
"What assumptions are you making now?" I teased her as I climbed out of the Bronco. She jumped out on her side before I could get around to help her and was shaking her head with a smirk.
"Just wondering how many women you bring home and cook for."
"What's it matter, Coconut? You're here now."
It would have been wiser to tell the truth, that I had never cooked for a woman before, but my guard was up. It was so obvious that right before I was going to kiss her earlier, her thoughts went to Hunter. Even if she wished he didn't exist, she still thought of him, which served as my reminder of what was really going on.
When we got to the elevator, I pressed the top floor button and leaned against the wall opposite Tatum. Crossing my arms, I eyed her, almost hoping she felt uncomfortable. It wasn't like me to be callous in any way. Making a woman uncomfortable never sat right with me, but Tatum was doing the same to me, and even if she didn't realize it, I had to return the feeling.
"How long have you lived here?"
"Almost a year."
"It's nice."
"You've only seen the elevator."
