Tripp (Knights Corruption MC Series Book 4)
Page 12
“Hey, babe,” I greeted. Babe? Where the hell did that come from?
She looked as shocked as I felt, but smiled nonetheless while stepping back when I stood up. Guiding her toward Chambers, I asked her to wait for me while I disappeared inside. Once I’d retrieved the keys from Marek, who was slumped over the table while simultaneously yelling at me because I didn’t have a bottle of booze with me, I took hold of Reece’s hand and led her back outside.
“What the hell, Tripp?” someone yelled across the courtyard. When I turned, I saw Hawke jogging toward me. “You still got my truck,” he accused.
“I know. You were too damn drunk last night to drive so I did you a favor.”
Glancing behind me, he jerked his chin at Reece before looking back at me.
“Who ya got here?”
Now that my brother was sober, I guessed it was time for official introductions. So help me if he tries any slick shit, I’ll put him on his ass. Although he’d told me he was done with steppin’ out on Edana, he still had a long way to go before I actually believed it.
“Hawke, this is Reece. Reece, meet my younger, uglier brother, Hawke.”
“Don’t you wish?” Hawke glared at me before nodding toward Reece, who was still standing behind me. “Nice to meet you,” he finally said. “But I think you might have something wrong with you, you know . . . up here,” he said, pointing to his temple. “Anyone willing to hang out with my brother just can’t be right in the head.” He laughed but soon grimaced when I punched him in the chest.
“Shut the hell up,” I grated, a half smirk on my face when I finally turned away from him and walked back toward the truck, Reece quickly following. “I’m takin’ your truck again. Be back later.”
Zip’s house was a five-minute ride from the clubhouse, which put me at ease knowing I could easily check in on her. In case she needed me, not for my own selfish need to see her.
Yeah, keep tellin’ yourself that.
We entered the modest home and I gave her the condensed tour, although there wasn’t that much to see. The living room was first, followed by a dining room and finally the kitchen toward the back of the house. Upstairs, there were two bedrooms and a small bathroom. The entire place was void of any fancy décor, but it was clean and was a million times better than that fuckin’ shithole of a motel.
Watching Reece take it all in, I knew I’d made the right decision bringing her here. Going over the security system left Reece in a panic, so I wrote down the instructions on how to arm and disarm it, explaining everything in more detail as I jotted it down.
Rooting through Zip’s hallway closet, I came across a fresh set of sheets and a new blanket. After making up the bed in his room, knowing that’s where she’d be sleeping, I said good night and instructed her to set the alarm as soon as I left.
As I walked back toward the truck I was struck by an odd sense of anxiety about leaving her all alone.
Tripp
Bag of groceries in hand, I unlocked the front door. As I approached the keypad to disarm the alarm, I noticed Reece had never set it. Annoyance and a hint of fear coursed through me that she was left unprotected all evening. Looked like we’d be having quite the conversation as soon as I saw her.
Placing the bag on the kitchen counter, I filled the coffee pot before checking out the contents of the fridge—empty except for some condiments. Like I said, Zip spent the majority of his time at the clubhouse, so it didn’t shock me that he didn’t have any food.
While I waited for the coffee to brew, I went in search of Reece, taking the steps two at a time and quickly reaching the top. I tried to tell myself not to appear too eager, or enthusiastic, or whatever would make me seem as if I’d been counting the minutes until I laid eyes on her again. Dispelling my impatience, I told myself the reason I was quickly walking toward her bedroom was because I needed to have a talk with her about safety. The sooner that issue was resolved the better.
Looking down at my watch before entering her room, I saw that it was just after eight. By most standards, including mine, it was still kind of early, so I assumed she was still in bed.
As soon as my eyes landed on her sleeping form, I relaxed, breathing a sigh of relief that she was safe. To be this worried about a woman I barely knew was uncharacteristic of me, but there was just something different about Reece. I felt it the first time I saw her dancing on stage, and again when I rescued her from that asshole. Every time we interacted, or touched, or laughed, I knew my world was changing.
Reece had thrown the covers off her at some point, the nightshirt she wore riding up enough that if she moved even an inch I’d be able to see her panties, if she was even wearing any.
I can dream.
Her hair fanned out on the pillow. Her arms were raised high above her head, and the first image that popped into my brain was her splayed out underneath me, instantly making me as hard as stone. My imagination took hold and I envisioned her in every position possible, all in the span of a minute. Before I even realized what I was doing, I’d reached out to touch her, but she moved before I could do so.
Then she moved again, mumbling something in her sleep as her chest began to quickly rise and fall. Tossing her head to the side, she opened her mouth as if to say something but no sound came out. Lowering her arms, she clenched the bedsheet and groaned. At first I thought she was having some sort of erotic dream, but that notion quickly flew out the fuckin’ window when the word “no” left her lips. Over and over again. Then she began pleading with someone not to hurt her, that she wouldn’t do it again. Was the guy who attacked her coming back to torment her in her dreams?
I knew I had to wake her from her nightmare. I tried to be as gentle as possible, knowing that I could frighten her even more if I tried to shake her awake, but the more she writhed around, I knew I had to pull her out of her dreams quickly.
“Reece,” I called out, gripping her by the shoulders. “Reece, wake up. It’s only a dream.” I grew frustrated the longer she remained asleep, and it wasn’t until I practically shouted at her that her eyes popped open. It took her a few seconds to realize where she was, and that whatever she’d been dreaming about was no longer a threat. Before that realization took hold, however, she scooted back on the bed and threw her hands up in front of her, as if to protect herself from me.
I knew it was instinctual on her part, but it didn’t hurt me any less. I would never do anything to harm her, and I kept telling her that with the look of concern in my eyes. Eventually, the fright she felt faded, and it was only when the relief set in that she lunged at me. At first I thought she was gonna try and attack me, which I would’ve let her do to help her purge whatever haunted her, but I quickly understood that she needed me to comfort her.
“Tripp,” she cried, flinging herself into my arms and snuggling into my chest. While I hated that her reaction stemmed from her nightmare, I couldn’t help but love the feel of her against me.
“Was it that bastard who attacked you?” I asked tentatively, not really wanting her to answer but knowing she needed to in order to start moving past what happened to her. She remained quiet, hanging on to me for dear life. After several intense moments, I unlocked her fingers from around me and pulled back enough for me to look into her eyes. “Was that who you were dreamin’ about?” She started to shake her head but then quickly nodded, looking down when she saw the frown on my face. “Reece. . . .”
“I don’t remember.” I knew she wasn’t telling me the truth simply from the way she kept avoiding my eyes.
“Well, you’re safe now,” I soothed, running my hands up and down her arms in a show of comfort. I decided not to grill her about her dream. She relaxed, and so did I. “Come on. I brought you some food.”
“Did you make coffee?” she asked, swinging her long legs over the side of the bed.
“Sure did.” Those were my last words before I walked from the room, leaving her behind me to do whatever she needed to before she came downstairs.
“Okay,” she responded, looking rather worried.
“The alarm,” I started. “You have to make sure you arm it. Every time. I don’t care if the door is locked. You can’t mess up on this.” She remained quiet. “It’s very important. Do you understand?”
She nodded.
“No, I need you to tell me you get it. That you hear what I’m telling you,” I pressed.
“Yes, I understand. Sorry.”
“Okay. If I come here again and find out you didn’t set it, I’ll be forced to spank you.” I meant to lighten the mood with a joke, but as soon as the words left my mouth, I knew I shouldn’t have said them. That was until I saw her skin turn pink, the blush rising from her neck up to her cheeks. Her teeth captured her bottom lip and she briefly closed her eyes before looking at me again.
Because of her reaction, I never apologized, instead letting my sexual threat linger in that beautiful head of hers. Her eyes widened when I stepped closer, her breath hitching when I reached toward her to snatch her mug for a refill. A rush of air left her lungs when I turned around, and I couldn’t help but adjust myself. I was so fuckin’ hard that if she made a move on me I’d carry her back upstairs and fuck her so many times she wouldn’t walk right for a week.
Needing another topic of conversation to focus on, even one I didn’t particularly care for, I chose work. Reece now stood in front of the sink, washing out her cup and rinsing off her plate. My eyes were glued to her backside the entire time, until she turned around and caught me leering at her like some kind of creep. Or horny man. Yeah, I was goin’ with sexually frustrated, horny man.
“Listen,” I said, clearing my throat, trying like hell to get back on track and force all of the sordid images from my brain, “I have to head to the clubhouse to take care of some business, but I’ll be back to pick you up at five for work.”
“Why?”
“Why am I gonna pick you up?”
“Yeah. I can find my own way there. I don’t want to put you out. You’ve done enough for me already.” She shuffled her feet in nervousness.
“I don’t mind,” I insisted, my body language giving everything away, I was sure. My go-to intimidating stance was crossing my arms over my chest and spreading my feet, and while the last thing I wanted to do was bully her, I played on the only tool I had right then. I needed her to give in and do as I demanded; otherwise, I feared I’d go out of my mind with worry. And if I was constantly focused on Reece’s safety, I’d be hampered from doing whatever I needed to for the Knights. Then I’d have bigger issues.
“I really don’t—”
I cut her off, my aggravation increasing by the second.
“This conversation is over, Reece. I’ll pick you up at five. Be ready to go.” I gave her a fleeting smile before walking out of the house, a preemptive strike to any argument she may have come up with.
Reece
My first time behind the bar didn’t go exactly as I’d hoped, but with each passing hour I’d mastered some of the skills needed not to break every damn bottle stacked on the shelves.
Tripp stayed true to his word and picked me up at five on the dot, hanging out at the club until Carla insisted his presence was only adding to my nervousness. He left reluctantly, but only after telling me what he thought of the outfit I’d chosen to wear—a short black skirt paired with a low-cut Indulge tank top. Carla had passed out the shirts to every woman who worked there, telling us to wear them to promote the club. Good for business and all that. They were designed to leave little to the imagination, but that was the point, to draw in men who would spend their hard-earned money on the girls.
“I hate the thought of all these men leering at you,” he’d whispered in my ear while I poured one of the customers a beer.
“At least I have clothes on,” was the only thing I could think of to say. He left soon afterward, peering around the club one last time before he disappeared outside. I had no doubt he’d have eyes on me in his absence, and I was proved right when his brother strolled through the front door not an hour later.
“I’m gonna change real quick. I spilled beer all down the front of me,” I yelled over the music. Carla smiled and nodded, tending to the multiple men waiting to be served.
“There should be extra shirts in the back. If you can’t find any, check my locker. It should be open.” She turned back toward one of the customers who wasn’t taking waiting too well. Luckily, Carla knew exactly how to handle those types of guys. Besides, new security had been hired on to assist, just in case.
Once I’d reached the back room, I spotted a pile of the club’s tank tops neatly stacked on top of one of the dressing tables. My bra had been soaked as well but there wasn’t anything I could do about that, so I tossed my beer-soaked shirt on the floor and quickly pulled a fresh one over my head. I’d been too distracted with trying to hurry that I never heard her come into the room.
“Well, who do we have here?” Arianna sneered, the disgust she held for me certainly not hidden. I kept my back to her and didn’t respond, engaging with her the last thing I wanted to do. My plan was to ignore her and head back out to the bar, but that never happened.
As I moved toward the door, Arianna stepped in front to block me.
“I thought they fired you,” she cackled. Yes, cackled. It was the only word to properly describe the sound she made, the noise like nails on a chalkboard.
“Just from taking my clothes off. Apparently Tripp doesn’t want any other man to look at or touch what’s his.” The words left my lips before my brain could filter them. I hadn’t meant to goad her, but I had to admit that it certainly felt good. Really good. Arianna was nothing if not a bully, and if what I said was enough to leave her speechless, if only for a brief moment, then I considered that a success. No matter how short-lived.
When the shock finally wore off, she attacked. “You’re lying. There’s no way Tripp would ever hook up with the likes of you. You’re . . . beneath me.” She blew a strand of her over-processed hair out of her face. “He’d never bother with you after he had a taste of me.”
The image of Tripp and Arianna together bothered me, although it shouldn’t have. I had no claim on the man. I barely knew him. And even though it was apparent we were attracted to each other, that’s all it was. But I didn’t need to let this bitch know that.
As I was about to say something else to rile her up, my cell rang. And as luck would have it, Tripp’s name flashed across the screen. What were the odds?
Turning my phone toward her so she could see who was calling, I smiled big and said, “Well, would ya look at that. Right on time.” Arianna gave me the nastiest look as I swiped to answer the call. “Hi, sweetheart,” I cooed enthusiastically, probably a little overboard but I couldn’t help myself.
Arianna stood there in utter disbelief before she finally stomped out of the room, shouting at whomever was in her way before slamming the door behind her, leaving me extremely satisfied.
“Sweetheart? Well, that’s unexpected, although I can’t say I don’t like it.” The sound of Tripp’s laughter soothed me, while the roughness of his tone anchored me into calmness.
“Sorry. Arianna was givin’ me shit about you, so I decided to mess with her a bit.”
“Don’t pay her any mind, Reece. Seriously, she’s not worth it.” His words were clipped, which only spurred my next question.
“Do you still hook up with her?”
“What? Who told you that?” Tripp sounded flustered, which was odd coming from him. He seemed as if nothing would faze him.
“She did.” Silence. “So, do you?”
“No, I don’t.”
“It’s true, then? You did sleep with her?” I had no idea why I pried into his business, other than curiosity. And jealousy. Let’s not forget about jealousy.
&
nbsp; Letting out a ragged sigh, he answered, “Yeah, in the past. A few times. But no more. It was a mistake. One that’ll never happen again.”
“Which one was a mistake?” I pried further.
“What?”
“Which time you slept with her was a mistake?”
“Every time.” A frustrated pant of air hit my ear. “Look, I don’t wanna talk about her, so can we please drop it?”
Since Arianna was the last person I wished to discuss, I did as Tripp asked and let it go. He proceeded to change the subject, asking when my shift ended. I told him around three, and that he didn’t have to worry because Carla would give me a ride home, to which he insisted on coming to pick me up. He was so adamant that I relented.
Besides, I really wanted to see him.
As soon as I ended the call, my phone instantly rang. I never bothered looking at the screen, simply figuring it was Tripp calling me right back.
“I know. I won’t go anywhere until you get here.” My tone was light with laughter, but when there was only silence, I pulled the phone from my ear and looked at the screen. Unknown. It wasn’t Tripp who’d called me back.
“Hello?” Still no answer. “Hello?” I asked again. That time I heard someone breathing and my stomach flipped over in nervousness. “Hello?” I asked more timidly, praying the person on the other end would hang up without saying a word.
I got my wish when the call disconnected.
Tripp
Every single day for the past week, I’d seen Reece. I’d picked her up for work, hung out for an hour or so, and then returned later on to drive her home. She’d become more comfortable with her new role at the club, and although there were a few times when some of the drunk customers got a bit handsy with her, she seemed to handle them with no problem. That didn’t mean I trusted anyone around her. Quite the opposite, in fact. If I wasn’t there, I had one of the guys posted until I could return. We’d also hired additional security, not only for Reece but for all of the women at the club. Had to protect the club’s investment, right?