Say Yes to a Second Chance

by Kirk, Cindy

  Adrianna lightly tapped the gear shift protruding from the console between them. “Seems to me we’ve got a pretty effective chaperone.”

  “Oh, we’re not going to make out here.” Tripp chuckled. “Not enough room.”

  Puzzled, Adrianna frowned. “I thought that’s why we drove up here.”

  “It’s a beautiful night,” he said with a boyish smile. “I thought we’d put a blanket in the truck bed and look at the stars.”

  Look at the stars? Well, she guessed that sounded better than “make out,” which reminded her way too much of high school. Not that she’d made out with anyone back then. Unless you counted Darrell Hecker, who’d been in band with her and kissed her cheek one time after a swing concert.

  “Okay.” She reached for her door handle, thankful they’d gotten everything settled.

  “Whoa.” He touched her arm. “Wait. I’ll open the door.”

  “I’m perfectly capable of opening my own door,” she said stiffly.

  He grinned. “I have no doubt of that, but let me be a gentleman for a few more seconds.”

  A shiver of anticipation skittered up her spine. Did that mean that he was thinking of not being a gentleman once they reached the truck bed? Would she get a teeny glimpse of Tripp’s wild side tonight? She could only hope.

  “Before we do this,” she heard him say, “in order to fulfill your fantasy—for as long as we’re here—we’re going back to those high school days. For now, we’re not Tripp the CEO or Adrianna the nurse midwife—we’re just two high school kids parking.”

  Even though Adrianna had never been interested in acting and had never been particularly good at role-playing during those silly party games, she liked the idea of not being her adult self this evening. “I’ll give it a try.”

  He smiled and something flickered in the back of his eyes. It told her that Tripp was as ready as she to shed his adult persona for some simple, wholesome fun.

  She shifted in her seat, gripped by anticipation, while he got out, retrieved a red plaid blanket from the backseat and rounded the front of the truck.

  When he opened the door and held out his hand, her teenage self hesitated.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  She batted her lashes at him. “If my parents knew I was up here alone with you, they’d have a fit.”

  He smiled, a cocky, confident grin you’d expect from a football hero and class president. “I’ve got a solution. Don’t tell them.”

  Adrianna laughed and held out her hand. “I like the way you think.”

  “I like the way you taste,” he said, taking her fingers in his. “I haven’t been able to get that kiss out of my mind. All I can think about is you. And me. Together.”

  Her heart tripped over itself. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it either.”

  “Is that why you agreed to come here with me?” he asked in a low tone, although there was no one around for miles. “Please tell me it wasn’t to look at the stars.”

  “It was you.” Her voice came out low and husky. “It’s always been you.”

  He winked. “It’s always been you, too, babe.”

  Even though he was just making stuff up as he went, Adrianna had spoken the truth. From the time she’d been a teenager, Tripp had mesmerized her. Perhaps tonight’s brief interlude would help get him out from under her skin.

  After lowering the end gate, he helped her climb into the back of the truck. She stood while he spread the blanket.

  “You know,” he said, “if we lie down, we’ll have a great view of the stars.”

  “I think you have more in mind than looking at the stars, Tripp Randall.” A sound burst forth from Adrianna’s throat that could only be described as a giggle. It took her by such surprise that she giggled again.

  “Perhaps I do.” Tripp sat on the blanket and tugged her down next to him.

  She heaved an exaggerated sigh. “I don’t think my parents would approve of my sitting this close.”

  “True.” He grinned. “Then again, they wouldn’t approve of your being up here in the first place.”

  He took her hand, urging her even closer. Even though the night breeze now held a hint of coolness, heat was rolling off Tripp Randall in waves and Adrianna was anything but cold.

  When he put his arm around her shoulders, she gave in to desire and rested her head against his broad chest.

  “This is nice,” she said, her fingers playing with the buttons on his shirt. “I don’t think either of us will be comfortable like this for long.”

  A smile played at the corners of his mouth. “If we lie down, we’ll be out of the wind.”

  Adrianna convinced herself that lying beside Tripp would be the same as being on a giant beach towel next to a friend. Once she was next to him, she realized, this didn’t have that crowded-beach feel.

  Then he tugged her to him and kissed her. The touch of his lips sent tiny electrical currents racing through her body.

  “You told me I was only a ‘good’ kisser,” he murmured against her mouth.

  Jeesh, did the guy have a memory like a steel trap or what?

  “Give me a chance to change your opinion.”

  A shiver of excitement traveled up Adrianna’s spine. “Tell me we’re not going to spend all night talking.”

  Almost immediately his lips closed over hers once again. This kiss started out sweet and gentle but quickly escalated into something deliciously dangerous.

  When his tongue swept across her lips, she slipped her fingers into his silky hair and opened her mouth to him. The thought of having even a small part of him inside her was incredibly erotic.

  Her breasts tingled and an ache began between her legs. By the time they came up for air, Adrianna was breathing hard and a delightful shiver of wanting filled her body.

  Tripp trailed a finger down her cheek. “Was that more to your liking?”

  She couldn’t stop the smile from lifting her lips. “You’re definitely on the right track.”

  “Hmm.” His gaze dropped to her chest, lingering on her breasts straining against the fabric. “Let me try again.”

  “If you want.” She tried to force a bored tone, but the words sounded more breathless than bored.

  The kisses began again. Slow, leisurely ones that stoked the fire burning inside her. The flames were on the verge of an inferno when he eased the zipper down on her dress and slipped the fabric from her shoulders.

  “What are you doing?” she asked in that still-oddly-breathless tone, arching her neck back as he nibbled on her ear.

  “Making it a little more convenient.”

  “Convenient?” She inhaled sharply as his fingers unhooked her strapless bra, and suddenly she was naked from the waist up.

  “For me to do this.” His mouth closed over one sensitive nipple, while his fingers teased the tip of the other one.

  “I’m sure my parents wouldn’t approve of this,” she panted.

  He lifted his head from her breast, the tip still wet from his mouth. “Do you want me to stop?”

  “Don’t you dare.” Her breath came in little puffs.

  He chuckled before kissing her with such heat that she feared she would self-combust. Then he returned to her breasts. Her senses remained on overload as he nipped, sucked and licked, then trailed his tongue down her belly. At the same time his hand slipped up and under her dress.

  He cupped her and she squirmed, pressing against his hand, wanting to prolong the sensations flooding her body.

  Still, some sanity remained.

  “I’m not going all the way with you,” she panted, though that was exactly what she wanted to do. Give him her body as she’d already given him her heart.

  “I know,” he said in a tense voice. “That doesn’t mean I can’t bring you pleasure.”

  Before his words could even register, he pushed aside her panties and slipped two fingers inside her. She bucked upward, her muscles clenching tightly against him as he slowly b
egan moving his fingers in and out. In and out. At that moment she’d have done anything, given him anything he asked.

  “You’re so wet.” He nuzzled her breast as his fingers continued to work their magic.

  In and out. In and out. The pressure began to build.

  When his mouth closed over her breast and he began to suckle, Adrianna could no longer hold it in.

  She cried out and arched back as a climax ripped through her, riding wave after wave of pleasure. He kept his fingers inside her until she shuddered.

  Then he pulled back, gently pulling her dress down from where it was bunched around her waist to cover her thighs. Even though her bra was not in ready reach, she lifted the top of her dress over her breasts with shaking hands.

  “I don’t know what just happened there.” Her voice shook. “But you definitely jumped into the ‘great’ range.”

  He chuckled and she felt some of the embarrassed tension leave her. While she’d just had the ride of her life, it had all been for her pleasure. Surely this situation fell under “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

  Adrianna closed her hand around the bulge in his jeans and felt his erection jump. “Can I reciprocate?”

  His eyes met hers.

  “I want to,” she said, her voice trembling slightly. “I really do.”

  “Let me take a rain check,” he said, kissing her firmly one last time. “It’s late.”

  There’d been intimacy in the darkness, as if no one in the world existed but the two of them. But when he retrieved her panties, which had been slung over the edge of the truck bed, reality returned. Adrianna was forced to admit she’d lost control.

  There wasn’t much conversation as she adjusted her clothes and pulled on her panties. Her hands shook and she fumbled with her zipper. Tripp stepped close, zipping her up with well-practiced ease, stopping only to press a kiss against the back of her neck.

  Even after they were back in the cab of the truck and headed home, Adrianna’s engine still raced. Sex, she realized, could be addictive.

  “It was lucky I didn’t date much in high school,” Adrianna said with a strained laugh as Tripp flicked on the headlights and started down the road.

  He cast a curious sideways glance.

  “I think I’d have had trouble keeping my panties on.”

  “The situation got out of hand tonight,” he muttered. “I let it get out of hand.”

  For a second she didn’t understand what he was saying. Then she realized he feared he’d overstepped. “I liked every bit of what you did.”

  His lips pressed together. “This was supposed to be a simple make-out session.”

  She lifted a shoulder in a slight shrug, feeling remarkably mellow. “It didn’t get that far out of hand. We stayed on second base.”

  Tripp raked a hand through his hair. “We can’t do this again.”

  She gave a throaty chuckle. “Now you sound like a parent.”

  “I’m serious, Adrianna.”

  “If you don’t want to do it again, we won’t,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone.

  “Now you’re talking sense.”

  “But it’s too bad.” She gave him a Madonna-like smile. “I was ready to steal third base.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Adrianna climbed the steps of the church to the sound of the opening hymn. She didn’t always attend, but Betsy had left a message last night informing her that today Nate would be wearing the little sailor outfit she’d given him.

  She stopped in the back of the church and looked for Betsy and Ryan but didn’t see them. The only empty seats she could see from where she stood were in the very back row, the one usually reserved for parents with little ones.

  Then, Hailey Randall turned and motioned her forward. Adrianna smiled and hurried down the aisle as the congregation stowed their hymnals and began to sit.

  She’d thought Hailey was alone. A tall couple in the seats behind the girl had blocked her view of Tripp’s parents...and of Tripp.

  His eyes widened when she slid into the pew next to his sister.

  Tripp’s mother smiled, her eyes lighting at the sight of Adrianna. “Hailey,” she said to her daughter in a low tone, “move over so Adrianna can sit next to Tripp.”

  “Not necess—” Adrianna began, but stopped when she realized it wasn’t going to make a difference.

  Thankfully, the seat exchange didn’t take long and she was soon ensconced between Tripp’s father and the man who’d taken her to the moon and back last night.

  “Hi,” she whispered, heat coloring her cheeks.

  Tripp smiled easily, but she saw the worry in his eyes. She wished they were alone and she could reassure him that even in the light of day, nothing had changed. She still didn’t regret what had happened last night. And there had been an extra benefit. Although she’d recently been struggling with insomnia, last night she’d slept like a baby.

  Perhaps she should tell her family-practice doc to prescribe orgasms for his insomniac patients. The thought of saying that to old Dr. Powell brought a smile to her lips.

  “What’s so funny?” Tripp whispered.

  “I’ll tell you later,” she said and refocused on the Bible readings.

  By the time the minister stood up to deliver the sermon, Adrianna realized that sitting next to Tripp had been a mistake. Not a little mistake. A big one.

  Her body recognized him as last night’s purveyor of pleasure. And it wanted to play some more. The pressure of his thigh against her legs sent fire shooting through her limbs. The intoxicating scent of his cologne brought back memories of his lips nuzzling her breast.

  Without warning an ache began between her legs and her breasts strained against the front of her shirtdress, yearning for his touch.

  “Stop it,” she muttered.

  “Did you say something?” Tripp leaned closer and the clean, fresh scent of him washed over her.

  She inhaled deeply, which made her body shudder with pent-up need. Who knew the smell of soap had aphrodisiac properties?

  “Adrianna?” Tripp whispered.

  “I’m fine,” Adrianna managed to sputter, keeping her eyes focused straight ahead. Having this type of reaction in a house of worship, well, it didn’t get much worse.

  I’m probably going to hell, she thought. She had to get her mind off Tripp and onto something else.

  When listening to the sermon didn’t work, she began counting sheep. One, two, three... She’d reached three hundred and sixty-five by the time the minister finished and they rose for the next hymn.

  Then Tripp held out the hymnal and his hand brushed hers. The memories started up all over again. The touch of his hand on her breast, the way his fingers had moved in...

  No, she absolutely would not go there.

  She took the church bulletin and fanned herself, singing the words to the hymn with extra gusto.

  Normally the fifty-minute service zoomed by. Today it dragged. By the time it concluded, Adrianna felt as though she’d swum through shark-infested waters and barely made it out alive.

  “Adrianna,” Tripp’s dad said with a welcoming smile, “I’m so glad you could join us this morning. Tripp didn’t tell us you were coming.”

  “I, uh, wasn’t sure I’d be able to make it,” she said, which was the truth. She was thankful she didn’t have to add another lie to her list of sins.

  “Are you going out for breakfast with your group of friends?” Kathy asked.

  Adrianna slanted a sideways glance at Tripp. “I, uh, think so. Ryan and Betsy brought the baby and—”

  Before she could ramble any more, Tripp stepped in. “We’re headed over to The Coffeepot right now.”

  A look of relief crossed his mother’s face. All Adrianna could figure was that she’d picked up on the tension between them and misunderstood. “Well, we won’t keep you. Stop out at the house today if you get the chance. We’d love to see you.”

  “Mom,” Tripp pointed out, “we just h
ad dinner with you Friday night.”

  “I know,” his mom said, looking straight at Adrianna, “but we loved seeing you.”

  “I enjoy visiting with you, too,” Adrianna said.

  As they walked down the aisle of the church and out into the bright sunshine, Tripp placed his hand against the small of Adrianna’s back.

  She inhaled sharply.

  He let his hand fall to his side, but as they headed to their vehicles, he pulled her aside, a look of concern in his eyes. “Is everything okay?”

  Other than I’m about to self-combust? She smiled. “Everything is fine.”

  “I don’t think it is,” he persisted. The look of dogged determination on his face told her he wouldn’t let up until she spilled her guts. “You flinch each time I touch you. Why?”

  “It’s not what you think.”

  “Then tell me what it is.”

  “You unearthed a simmering volcano.”

  Tripp’s brows pulled together in confusion. “I did—”

  He stopped and she saw the instant he realized what she’d just said. For a second, a pleased look filled his eyes before disappearing. “I got you all hot and bothered.”

  “The minister was talking and all I could think about was what you could do with those lips.” She lowered her voice. “And fingers.”

  That gorgeous—and talented—mouth quirked upward in a boyish grin. “You liked it, huh?”

  “You were—”

  “If you say ‘good,’ I’m going to have to kiss you.”

  She laughed aloud, causing several people walking by to turn and smile. “You were magnificent. I tried to tell you last night. I don’t think you heard me.”

  His eyes grew serious. “I stand by what I said. I think it’s best for both of us if we, uh, don’t indulge again.”

  “With you.”

  “What did you say?”

  “You think it’s best that I don’t indulge again with you.”

  “Who else would there be? We’re dating.”

  “In a manner of speaking, yes.”

  “We’re exclusive.” His blue eyes bored into hers, challenging her to disagree.

  “You’re right. For the next few weeks that’s true,” she acknowledged. “After that...”