Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 61286 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61286 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
But just like Skye had kept a few secrets from him, Tripp wasn’t ready to divulge that relationship, either. Not when it would force him to admit his own failings out loud. They weren’t at that point yet.
“Are you dating anyone now?” Skye asked, drawing his attention back to her, and those big blue eyes he could easily get lost in.
He shook his head. “No.”
She arched a brow, her demeanor playful. “No time, or you just like playing the field?”
The waitress dropped off the check and his credit card, and Tripp signed the receipt before meeting Skye’s gaze again.
“How about I haven’t met a woman I’ve wanted to go out with more than a few times.” That was certainly the truth after his break up with Julia nine months ago. “What about you?” he said, putting the focus back on her. “Are you back to dating, at least?”
An incredulous laugh escaped her. “No. I’m not interested in dating. I have a job that I love, and I’m enjoying being on my own. I feel like I’m finally happy again, and settled, and the last thing I need is a man in my life to make me feel whole and complete.”
That response felt like a punch in his gut, but he decided to spin her reply in a different direction. “So, you’ve decided to become a nun then?” he teased, blatantly bringing up the topic of sex.
“I didn’t say that.” She was grinning at him, but she also paused a moment, as if she wanted to be careful about what she said next. “Would it be nice to have an orgasm with something other than my vibrator? Of course,” she said, not shy about admitting she had desires before her expression turned more serious. “But having a man in my life isn’t a necessity. And honestly . . . I’m not the same girl I was when we were dating.”
Fanciful. Optimistic. A hopeful romantic. There was no denying that part of her personality had changed, because he could see it for himself. She’d taken a chance on a dream with a man she thought she could build a life with, and she’d lost.
The heartache in her eyes wrecked him, and before he could stop himself he reached out and gently smoothed a silky strand of hair from her cheek. “I wouldn’t expect you to be the same girl.”
She tipped her head toward him just slightly, as if leaning into the warmth of his touch on her face. “The truth is . . . getting involved with any man again scares the crap out of me,” she admitted in a soft voice. “I don’t trust easily anymore.”
What had that asshole done to her? The rage Tripp felt toward her ex that was bubbling beneath the surface was real, and he had to forcibly push that anger aside because there was no one to unleash it on.
As for his sweet Skye, he desperately wanted to erase all that pain and heartbreak. So, he put his hand on the table in front of her, his palm up, his gaze holding hers steadily.
“Do you trust me?” he asked. It was a daring question, and a huge risk, one he knew might come with an answer he didn’t like, considering how he’d hurt her.
She stared at him for a long moment, then a slow, gradual smile touched her lips as she slid her soft palm along his. “Yes, I trust you,” she whispered.
He felt the breath leave his lungs, because his greatest fear was that he’d contributed to her apprehension about men. He wasn’t sure what, exactly, they were talking about anymore—sex? Something more?—but it didn’t matter. He wasn’t willing to part ways with her yet and he hoped she felt the same.
He wove their fingers intimately together, and she let him. “Would you like to go back to my place where it’s quiet and we can be alone?” Realizing how that sounded, and not wanting her to think his invitation came with any strings attached—even though he’d love nothing more than to feel her beneath him again—he added, “We can have a drink and just talk and relax—”
“Yes, I’d like that,” she said before he could finish.
Relief poured through him. That was all Tripp needed to hear, and he didn’t waste any more time getting them out of there.
Chapter Three
The Uber ride to Tripp’s place was quiet, but in a way that reminded Skye of how effortless and uncomplicated it was to be with him. The connection between them was still strong, and neither felt the need to fill the silence with idle chit chat. In fact, the lull in conversation was so comfortable that she had to resist the urge to snuggle up against him in the back seat and lay her head on his shoulder, just like old times.