They decided to join Charleigh and Bryce over dinner. Dax was also there.“What’s your plan?” Dax started grilling Tripp. It was long overdue, and Tripp expected nothing less from him.“I don’t mean to disrespect you, Dax, but I think it would be best if you won’t interfere with my relationship. This is not something that I wanted to hide from you and Dad. I just didn’t know where to start,” Ari interjected.Tripp rewarded his wife with a smile of pride.“Was it even legit?”“Of course, it is if none of both parties has filed a divorce,” Charleigh replied. “I think the law in Vegas and other States are just the same as in Hopes Spring. Do tell me, Mayor.”“I want to see the marriage certificate.” He dropped the cutlery on his plate. The dining table went completely silent, even Clary, Bryce’s daughter, paused from cutting her asparagus.“Be my guess,” Tripp replied, unamused.“I can’t still wrap my head around the fact that my brother had been married for three years.” Of course, she
They barely got inside the house before Tripp had his hands all over his wife— a hand moved to her nape, fisting her hair tightly in his grasp as he pressed her against the door.“Should I stop?” His voice was pure sex—deep and husky. His warm breathing fanned her face as he forcibly craned her to move closer, look her in the eye that showed so much eagerness.“Don’t,” she said breathlessly.One word coming from her made him growl like an animal before he attacked her, crushed his mouth to his wife’s, taking every breath into him. He plunged his tongue deep, taking over, demanding as he swirled and stabbed as he kept his fist in place. The pain in his chest should bother him, but his whole being came to life, every living cell in his body ignited and his skin lit on fire.His wife accepted everything he gave— wholeheartedly—the pleasure, the fire, the connection between them as she welcomed the unbearable ache between her thighs and on her pebbled nipples against the fabric of her br
“You’re perfect. A fantasy comes true.”Her chest, neck, and cheeks flushed red from her husband’s compliment.“Way way better in real. So fucking perfect.” Given his sexual nature, it took everything for Tripp not to get up and grab his wife, throw her to his bed, and take her however he pleased.She slipped her fingers into the waistband of her black panties and pushed them down her feet, kicking the thin material away. She knew she was soaking wet and Tripp could possibly see the wetness pooling between her thighs as she was waxed clean. She watched her husband carefully as she sauntered closer to the bed.“You’re so beautiful. Beautiful doesn’t even fit the right description, my wife.” Tripp quivered and groaned, losing his self-control as he felt like he had waited for fucking eternity.“You’re in control now, wife.” He writhed under her as she finally, positioned herself, straddling his thighs. His hands glided over her ass, lifting it, searching for her throbbing core.“Tripp.”
It was not the stiff cold night that woke him up or the yellow light from the lamp on the nightstand, or the pain from his injury when he missed the dose of his painkillers or the warm breathing against his neck—it was the emptiness twisting in the pit of his stomach, and the empty space at the other side of his bed.Before he dozed to slumber, he had so many things he wanted to say to his wife—he wanted to tell her how beautiful she was, how they fit perfectly together, how amazing he felt when he was inside her, or how he wanted her over and over again. He wanted some answers to his unanswered questions.He was expecting tender and feather kisses on his shoulder to wake him up. He thought a good pillow talk would be nice when they woke up. Instead, he found himself alone in the room, cold, and lonely.Did she regret her impulsive decisions? Was she going back to being a cynical woman and evasive toward him?He sat on the bed alone. He could still feel her pussy gripping around his c
Around seven, he went to the cake shop to buy some coffee and pastries that Ari loved.“Tripp, come on in.” Bryce pulled the door for him. “How’re your ribs?” There was something in the way he asked—something not so like him.Tripp sensed something mischievous. “Still cracked. Can you give me two cups of coffee?” Then he paused. He knew Ari liked coffee, but he didn’t know exactly what she preferred.“She preferred black.”“Right. Thanks.”“Apple cinnamon, brioche?”“Yeah. How much?”“On the house, Tripp.”Before Tripp could argue, something caught his eye outside the shop—his wife. His heartbeat accelerated just by a simple glance. Ari hadn’t noticed his presence since he was inside, and she wasn’t alone. His teeth almost cracked when he saw who she was with. The peaches fucking dude Tinsley. He knew he was being melodramatic.He felt a grip on his shoulder that he was sure it was Bryce. “Calm down.”“That guy is getting under my skin,” he said through gritted teeth, not looking at B
“I-I don’t need to go.”Ari stared at him in shock, her heart beating so fast that might break out from her ribcage.“Fuck!”“Yeah, fart! Are you sure you’re okay? Did you just have chest pain?” She wanted to ask if he had a history of a panic attack or if he had a heart defect. She almost died in panic.For an ER nurse, what happened in the car was nothing compared to the cases she handled in the hospital every day. She’d handle and seen worse, but in Tripp’s case, it was different. He was her husband. Now she felt it in hand when wives panicked when their husbands collapsed in front of them.Tripp wiped off the sweat from his forehead while she increased the air condition in her car.“I thought I’d die.” He chuckled out of his stupidity. Jealousy was an ugly quality, but he couldn’t help it. The fact that he had the most beautiful wife, he wanted to make sure that no one would touch her but him.“And you think it was funny?” Her voice was filled with sarcasm and a hint of sadness.H
FuckHe was quicker on his feet, licking the juices around his mouth. “Does your dad have a key to your house?” Why did he have to ask? He didn’t know. He felt that they didn’t have privacy anywhere they went, even in her own home.“Stay here. Close the water and don’t move. Don’t make a noise,” she warned him. The panic in her voice was obvious. She quickly grabbed the towel from the rack and wrapped it around her body.She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Before she could get out of the shower, Tripp cupped her face and kissed her hard, plunging his tongue into her mouth, swirled inside, and invaded to let her taste herself.Ari squirmed as her taste flooded her tastebud. She felt the hot liquid pooling between her thighs and she had to let go of a shuddering breath to ignore the ache.“Relax. You can’t hide this look from your father, Ari.” He gave her a quick kiss on her lips one more time before he let her go.“Thanks. You’re helping me a lot. And I bet I just stroked you
“Wow.” Ari stopped in the middle of her small dining room, scanning the surroundings as if she were brought to the five-star restaurant. “Did you ever rest?”Tripp had his way of making his marriage work even though his dinner date offer was turned down more than twice. Charleigh was at his disposal when he asked for help with the groceries.After two hours, he was cooking a simple lobster bisque, a side salad, and of course, Brice’s famous raspberry chocolate cupcakes.“Have a seat, beautiful.” He ushered her to the chair.“How did you make this possible?”“I have some help. Charleigh did me a solid.” He kissed the top of her head once she was seated.“I should change to something nice.” She suddenly felt shy with the candlelit, flower arrangement, and now that Tripp started to play jazz on his phone.“I’d rather have you naked for my dessert.” He smirked. “Your clothes are just fine. I just want to have dinner with you even though we have to spend it at home.”The words naked and de
Tripp’s angry voice echoed in the forest. There was no ounce of hesitation in him.Ari stopped to a halt, eyes widening in shock as she turned to look at Tripp. She saw the look in her husband’s eyes reflected possession and determination to claim her, and that terrified her as if his words could break her.“Tripp, don’t!” She wanted to stop whatever Tripp was planning, but he ignored the warning and let his self-control slip off in him.“I know I don’t fit to be the man you imagined for Ari. I know I’m not the right candidate she would be marrying, or whoever would fit into her life that you had carefully planned out for her. But too late for that, Teagan. She has been mine for three years. I was just a stupid guy with a huge ego, ambitious, and over-confident back then. So I left her, and that was the biggest mistake of my life. But yeah, maybe if I stayed with her that day, I had nothing to support her, for my family, and we would end up hating each other. So maybe staying away fro
Tripp froze beside Ari. So did she, sucking a breath.One moment he was in the middle of something, the next thing, they were interrupted. The fact that Tripp was having a hard-on after he finger-fucked his wife, he was finding it hard to believe that Teagan found them.He also felt that he was just caught in a compromising position even though he knew there was nothing wrong with what he did. And by the tone of Teagan calling Ari, Tripp knew something was not right. How did he find them anyway?Tripp was enraged about something he couldn’t understand. Maybe his possessiveness or overprotectiveness over Ari. He was sure it had nothing to do with the interruption—it was probably from how Teagan called his daughter.“Fix your clothes, baby.” He squeezed his eyes shut and took a long deep breath. His anger and his hard-on were not helping.“Let me talk to my father.” A wave of panic and nervousness washed over her.“No. We’ll do it together.” Tripp offered his hand and lifted Ari to her
Having a hard time processing the gratitude, Ari drank her wine in a gulp.“I don’t deserve the kindness you give to me,” Tripp continued. “What I deserve is resentment from you, Ari. Please, tell me if I am doing this wrong. If you want me to change. I’ll do everything for you, for us.”“You talk too much.” She knelt, cupped his head, and kissed him hard, wet, and wild. Her tongue was forcefully seeking an entrance.When Tripp didn’t give it to her, she tugged his bottom lip until he opened for her with a groan. She knew Tripp wanted to say more, but she wanted him to stop—he’d been trying too hard for them to make this work, and he deserved a reward of some sort.And she had to stop him because if she didn’t, she might end up blurting out the words at the tip of her tongue right now.She was the kind of woman who thought before she put it into action, but with Tripp, her mind was busy thinking how good she would feel underneath him, on top of him, against him, behind him, in all ang
“Don’t you wanna join me?” Her eyes lingered on the growing dark brown stubble of her husband. After they made love three days ago, she couldn’t help herself not to feel it against her fingertips. When she told him she liked the roughness against her skin, he kept it unshaven.He was an eye candy in his shorts. He might have felt Ari staring at him. His strong jaw locked hard, became more prominent from her angle. His mouth was pressed in a determined line as he chopped the bell pepper expertly like a chef.She knew Tripp used to control even when they made love. He liked to dominate and was always successful with little to no effort. Was there a time that Tripp had ever lost his control? She didn’t have to know for as long as he would lose control of her. She didn’t mind at all.“Are you just gonna stare at me?” His brow arched, reaching his hairline. His smile was meaningful—as if he just read her thoughts. “I thought you wanted to go to the dock.”“I’m going. Are you sure you don’t
“Thank me later.” Charleigh kissed her on the cheek. “Open your trunk.”Tripp left to take the things he brought with Charleigh. When he came back with the duffel, Ari was already in the car. Once he was done, he went to the passenger’s seat.Ari’s hands were on the steering wheel as if she was about to say something but held the thought. Her emotion was making her weep, and she did not want to cry like an idiot.“You okay?” Tripp asked, still confused when Ari kept silent in her seat. “Look, if this is a bad idea, we can drive home. Forget this thing happened. I’m totally cool with it.”Ari looked at him for a few seconds before she cupped his head and kissed him like she always wanted. She drunk in the surprised gasp slipped from Tripp’s lips. His mouth opened to welcome her, and she devoured him, slipped her tongue, and tasted every corner of his mouth. His taste and coffee exploded in her tongue and she wished it would last.Tripp groaned and moaned as she sucked his bottom lip an
“You scared the heck out of me.” Shell-shocked, she stared at Spencer with wide eyes, her palm on her chest.With the look on Spencer throwing at her, she didn’t have to be surprised—it was like everything was slowly clicking into its places. Spencer looked assertive as if she knew more than what she saw. She heard everything. She figured it out all by herself.Ari’s secret was over. Now she was in deep trouble.“Spence,” she said breathlessly, her heart still pounding.“I can’t say that I’m surprised.” She looked upset as she leaned against the locker. Her eyes filled with judgment.“I can explain.” She held Spencer’s arm.“Don’t tell me crap that this is not what it looks like, Ari because this is exactly what it looks like. Are you even planning on telling me?”“Of course, I was planning to—”“But, he told you not to tell any soul, right? Because for him, everything is just a game, a deal. You’re his pawn, and you know that. Yet you’re falling for his crap.”Her eyes widened again.
Despite a lot of patients coming tonight from food poisoning at the birthday party going wrong, Ari was in a good mood to work long hours.The ER staff awwed with wide eyes that confused Ari before she heard a male voice behind her asking her name.“And that’s me. The Miss Arizona.” She laughed at herself before she turned around, giving the same reaction as her friends. “Wow! Where are you?” She managed to joke as she searched for the guy calling her name. She could not see anyone behind the huge bouquet of different flowers in red.The guy pushed the bouquet into her. “This is for you, miss.”Ari managed to hug the flowers, her back hitting the counter as air emptied her lungs because the bouquet weighed like twenty-five kilograms. Now she couldn’t see the face of the man. “Are you sure this is mine? There are probably twenty Arizona Sky in this town, you know.”“That’s for you, ma’am. The only Arizona Sky I am sure I know of is in Grand Canyon,” the delivery guy scoffed. “And this
“Wow.” Ari stopped in the middle of her small dining room, scanning the surroundings as if she were brought to the five-star restaurant. “Did you ever rest?”Tripp had his way of making his marriage work even though his dinner date offer was turned down more than twice. Charleigh was at his disposal when he asked for help with the groceries.After two hours, he was cooking a simple lobster bisque, a side salad, and of course, Brice’s famous raspberry chocolate cupcakes.“Have a seat, beautiful.” He ushered her to the chair.“How did you make this possible?”“I have some help. Charleigh did me a solid.” He kissed the top of her head once she was seated.“I should change to something nice.” She suddenly felt shy with the candlelit, flower arrangement, and now that Tripp started to play jazz on his phone.“I’d rather have you naked for my dessert.” He smirked. “Your clothes are just fine. I just want to have dinner with you even though we have to spend it at home.”The words naked and de
FuckHe was quicker on his feet, licking the juices around his mouth. “Does your dad have a key to your house?” Why did he have to ask? He didn’t know. He felt that they didn’t have privacy anywhere they went, even in her own home.“Stay here. Close the water and don’t move. Don’t make a noise,” she warned him. The panic in her voice was obvious. She quickly grabbed the towel from the rack and wrapped it around her body.She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Before she could get out of the shower, Tripp cupped her face and kissed her hard, plunging his tongue into her mouth, swirled inside, and invaded to let her taste herself.Ari squirmed as her taste flooded her tastebud. She felt the hot liquid pooling between her thighs and she had to let go of a shuddering breath to ignore the ache.“Relax. You can’t hide this look from your father, Ari.” He gave her a quick kiss on her lips one more time before he let her go.“Thanks. You’re helping me a lot. And I bet I just stroked you