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“Nothing! Trip, I’m serious!”
The thunderous expression on his face is terrifying. His hands lift, and for a second, I’m pretty sure he’s going to try to throttle me. Instinctively, I recoil. He notices. With a grunt he lets his hands drop down to his sides.
“You expect me to believe that this was you just being a good person?”
“Yes!”
I’m not that shitty of a person. Or I’d like to believe that I’m not. Yes, I killed a guy and left him to rot in his own house, and maybe I did blackmail a woman into leaving her job, but those were different circumstances. I’m better than that.
Trip stares at me for a long time, searching for something in my expression. I stare back, determined not to shy away from his intensity. After a moment, he sighs and takes a step back. His hardened expression briefly softens and a flash of vulnerability catches in his eyes before he turns his back on me.
“Fine.” There’s a short pause before he adds, “Thanks for your help.”
Woah, Jason didn’t prepare me to receive appreciation from the bad boy of their group. For the first time, I think I’m actually getting a glimpse of the real Trip. Somehow, it makes him even more attractive. Great, of course that’s what crosses my mind. Even as my heart swells, a bitter laugh bubbles up and out of my chest. Trip whirls around to glare at me.
“A thank you? Fromyou? Has Hell frozen over?”
Trip glares, but his mouth twitches as if he wants to smile. I wonder what a real smile would look like on him. All I’ve seen and received from him are smirks. Even in the pictures online, he only gives a half smile.
“Enough about me. What about you?” he asks.
I swear his shifts in moods and conversation are going to give me whiplash. At the shake of my head, he pushes, “What happened to you yesterday?”
There’s no stopping the grimace as I think about what he saw: me, vulnerable in my car while I fought off a panic attack. It was a perfect time to make his move. But that was yesterday. Today’s a new day, and I’m feeling ready to face whatever Trip wants to throw my way. I turn and reach for the sugar on my counter.
“What about yesterday?” I ask sweetly. Before I can finish dumping enough sugar into my coffee to give me diabetes, Trip is there, snatching the mug from my hands and placing it on the counter. “Wait, I wasn’t—”
Trip’s hand comes around from behind me to grip the front of my neck and pull me into his chest. I gasp and tense. What the hell is this? What’s going on?
“Trip?”
“Who fucked with you yesterday, dollface?” His hot breath hits the shell of my ear. Bumps form along my skin on my neck.
“W-what?”
His grip tightens until I wince. “We came by to visit our little doll yesterday afternoon and you were visibly upset. I planned on asking you after work, but you decided to be a brat. Now we have to deal with it this morning. So, who messed with you?”
They came by? And I didn’t notice? Jeez, I must have really been distracted if I didn’t notice my blackmailers lurking around. I reach up and try to pry Trip’s fingers off me.
“No onemessedwith me.”
Trip’s fingers tighten. “Then what happened?”
“Nothing!”
The sound of Trip sighing is my only warning. His hand moves from the front to the back of my neck before he forces my body forward so my chest is pressed against the counter. I let out a huff then a gasp as he lifts my skirt and yanks down my panties. Cool air slides across my ass.
“Trip! Stop it! Someone will see us!” I whisper-screech in surprise, my eyes flying toward the open doorway.
“You should have thought of that before lying to me,” he snarls from behind me.
The palm of his hand suddenly makes contact with my butt. I yelp and try to straighten.
“Ouch, Trip that hur—”
His hand comes down again, slapping my butt so hard that I arch my back and curl my toes before hissing in pain.
“Stop it!”
