Ari let her father go home as soon as she confirmed Tripp was the patient. She would settle with Tripp’s family if they wanted to sue her father, and she would take the fall.It had been twelve hours. The twelve long freaking hours of her life. She came back to the hospital when she received a text that Tripp had woken up. She just waited outside the private room where Tripp was confined. The fact that she was his wife, she should be there inside, holding his hands, assuring him that he would be okay, instead she was left out while Charleigh, Dax, and Bryce were there visiting him.“So my wife is studying nursing.” Tripp twirled her coppery hair around his forefinger as they lay in bed.Ari blushed a crimson red. “No. I graduated, but I’m still waiting for the result of my exam.”“Congratulations in advance, baby. I do not doubt the result. You’re gonna be a licensed nurse.” Tripp kissed his wife’s lips.“Thanks. I hope so.”“So, if I’m gonna be sick, would you be my private nurse?”H
“Ari?”She wiped the tears from her face she didn’t realize they were there all this time before Charleigh walked in. “I’m so sorry, Charleigh. I’d take the blame for my father.”What she wasn’t expecting from Charleigh was to pull her into a hug when she thought she would receive the hardest slap of the century. Instead, she found Charleigh rubbing her arms after their quick hug. “I know your father didn’t mean to hit my brother.”“What will happen to my dad, Charleigh?”She smiled sadly. “I’m not happy that my brother is in the hospital bed, and I can’t say that he deserves it either because I love him so much. I just hope he gets well, and he is a lucky bastard he only got a few cracked bones. I guess you two should sort things out. What he did is not something I can take lightly and forgive him. He made a terrible decision, and I can’t believe he kept it from me for three years.”“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She did her best to deny, but the truth was already out. A
Ari woke up early despite not getting a good sleep last night. She thought of the deal she had with Tripp. She would do anything for her father even if she had to deal with her self-centered husband.After she dropped by the Clereigh’s, she headed to the hospital carrying sliced fruits in the container, cups of coffee, and pastries. She wanted to be there before the doctor’s round. She knew about the diagnostics done to Tripp and his treatment too. Perhaps, she wanted to be there for him.She knocked softly on the door, and when she heard nothing from the inside, she helped herself in.“Tripp?” When she found an unmade and empty bed, she groaned. He was probably inside the bathroom. She knew how he could be annoying by disobeying orders, even from his doctor.“Tripp?” She placed down the breakfast on the table and headed toward the bathroom, but it was also empty. Her blood ran so cold in her veins. She should have been receiving a call if there was some development or if— No way. She
The heat in his gaze pierced her, her nipples beading. “You could have done that if you wanted to, you know. You have access to all the medicines in the hospital.”“That’s not true. I’m a nurse, and not a doctor or a pharmacist.”“I did not forget that you are, Ari. And I believe in your resourcefulness.” He picked up the fork and started stubbing the slice of strawberry from the container. “You can have all my wealth once I’m dead.” That made her furious, her blood boiling in her veins as she stood silently, unmoving.If he thought that was the reason why she didn’t file the freaking divorce—because he was richer than her, she wanted nothing from this man than for him to fully recover so that he could get out of her hair and go back to his life. Then her life would be back to normal.“It was just an honest joke. Because if I die, you have the right to have all my assets, which I know you would refuse.”She wasn’t aware she was clenching her hands hard at the edge of the table until T
Since Ari went to take the things of her husband from the inn while Charleigh was the one to pick up Tripp from the hospital.She was nervous and sighed constantly. It wasn’t that she had something to hide from Tripp, or maybe, there was, but it was because she was not ready to stay with him under one roof. And after how they ended, she wasn’t ready to open more old wounds, but would eventually happen one way or another.When they arrived at the house, Ari just finished preparing the room. She knew it wasn’t a good idea, but she was left with no choice but to agree to this arrangement.The room had wood plank flooring, a princess window, and a small attached bathroom. One queen-sized hand-carved wood headboard bed at the center, a six-foot closet, and bedside tables. Nothing luxurious about it, but Ari made sure to place clean sheets and towels that Tripp might need.“Welcome home.” That sounded ridiculous, but Tripp smiled at her despite noticing a trace of sarcasm in her voice.“Tha
He clenched his jaw.His father, Cody Wrylee, was a ruthless son of a bitch when talking about business and money, even to his own son. That was why he was doubtful of the position handed to him on a silver platter. And there was something odd about it.His father was after for something.Even though he would be the CEO of one of the biggest architectural firms in New York City, he knew he would still be under his father’s control being the chairman and the president, and Tripp was trained and had learned to rule on his own.“I know, Dad. Just give me a few more days. Then I’ll get back to you.”“Okay, son. Just don’t disappoint me.” His father didn’t sound happy, but he didn’t give a shit about it right now. He had his own life’s problems to deal with and that was more important than bargaining with business and his father.After the call ended, he walked toward the bathroom and did his deed. When he got back, Ari was already sitting on the edge of his made bed, wearing a worried loo
Her mind was left at home where she left Tripp in bed. The painkiller must have kicked in on him pretty fast. She wanted to call her father to stay at her house, but she knew her father—he would ask a lot of questions, and she was scared that her husband might slip his words if not intentional and mention their sham marriage.Spencer slipped inside the closed curtain while she was checking the patient, complaining of chest pain. She was done printing the ECG on the strips—no sign of elevated ST wave based on the left side leads.“Why are you here, Spence? Don’t you have a patient to attend to?” She recorded the latest heart rate on her chart.“I changed my shift for you, and that’s how you treat me for a caring best friend?” Ari didn’t have to face her best friend to know Spencer’s lips were pursed and dying to ask something.“You did that for me or gossip?”She hit her arm playfully. “You’re such a killjoy.”She sighed. “Not in front of him,” she said between clenched teeth. “Let me
Ari swallowed hard when she remembered what was on the top closet. She felt her neck and her face were burning. She took her yoga pants and a shirt from her drawer, with her undies, and then she went to the bathroom to grab her toiletries and a clean towel before she closed the door behind her.She used Tripp’s bathroom since he was sleeping in her bedroom. In her mind, she was acting like a fool. Tripp was her husband, and he’d seen him naked and exposed in Vegas.She made sure to shower pretty quickly before the devil woke up. She was in the middle of tucking her towel securely around her chest when she bumped into hard solid rock—a hard solid rock of a fine and warm chest.“Fuck,” a groggy voice cursed after a curse.“Oh, my God. Are you okay?” She found Tripp lying flatly on the ground, his hand on his chest “I didn’t hit you hard, did I?” When she lifted her gaze to his face, his gaze was scrutinizing her—from her bare wet legs up to her thighs. She didn’t shiver from her still w
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
“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
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