Chapter 523 Chapter 523
Tripp looked over at her again, she hadn’t spoken since he’d switched back to driving. When they agreed to drive through the night, he’d relinquished the wheel to grab a short nap. They’d stopped and gone for a quick run to fill their bellies; she had seemed out of sorts at that point.
After his short nap, he’d messaged Ken with an earlier arrival time and, he looked at the clock on the dash, a few more hours and this would be done and over with and they could both get back to the teams and help.
“Tripp.”
He glanced over at her, “yeah?”
“Tripp. What the hell kind of name is that? Did you have a nice trip? Be careful, you’ll trip and fall…”
“I don’t know, Amari, where my folks got the name from, but it’s mine, so I’m keeping it.” His cat felt like he was standing ready for something. What was going on?
“I don’t like people.” She looked back out the window. “I like being alone, my skin starts to crawl if I’m stuck with someone in my face all the time.”
He turned back to watch where he was driving, “am I in your face?” Where was she going with this? And where had it come from?
“No. You’re driving.”
Waves of hostility were pouring off her. “Right. So, why are you telling me this?” Few words. Basic questions. That was a safe plan.
“Because you bit me.”
“You kind of told me to.”
She made a scoffing sound, “that’s beside the point—I can’t be held responsible for what I say in the middle of good—great sex.”
Tripp looked at her, to see her scowl back at him.
“You know what I mean.” She yanked her jacket away from her neck, “that’s why I’m telling you this, because of this bite,” she dropped her hand back to her lap, “you’re going to be in my face.”
He counted to ten inside his head, hoping in that time he’d figure out what was going on. “That clears it up.” Squeezing the steering wheel, he forced himself to watch out the windshield. “I don’t like people either. Three people in a room are two too many.”
“Exactly.” She sighed loud and long. “Do you have a home?”
He frowned at the road, “Yes. Well, no, not really. Mae lets me use a small house just off the clan land when I’m around.” He inhaled slowly, trying to convey to his tense cat that he was figuring it out. He was trying to. “Do you have a home?”
She snorted. “Not now. Those assholes made me crash it.”
“You lived in your van?”
“Yeah? What?” Her tone was abrupt. “It was perfect. Everything I wanted was in it and I never got sick of the scenery.”
Tripp nodded, that made sense to him. “I can respect that.” Was she worried about her gear? They would have saved it for her.
“Stop being so nice. I’m being a bitch to you and you’re sitting there taking it.”
Because I have no idea what the hell is happening. “You’d prefer I didn’t?” His animal was currently prowling in circles inside him.
“No. Yes.”
Tripp glanced at her, then back to the road to make the corner. “Do you need to go for a brisk walk or run? I can stop.”
“No. What’s a run going to fix.” Her voice was louder now.
“I don’t know,” he said slowly, “because I’m not sure what’s broken right now.”
“Nothing. Nothing is broken.” She spat the words. “You think I’m broken?”
His brain felt like it might detonate any second now. “Noo.” He knew it was a stupid question as it came out of his mouth, “are you?”
“How would I know?” Her tone was filled with defeat now. “I mean, if I were I’d be the last one to see it, right? What a dumb question.” The hostility was back.
The mental whiplash was bad, his cat was unsure and when that happened blood was usually spilled. He slowed and then pulled off the road. It was a bad place to stop, in the wide-open, high points all around them, but he needed to get to the bottom of whatever in hell was going on.
“Why are you stopping?” Now she sounded annoyed.
He gave her a wary look, “because if you’re trying to pick a fight with me, I thought I’d give you my undivided attention.”
“I’m not trying to pick a fight.” She crossed her arms over her chest and stared out the windshield.
“No? You don’t like my name or people. I bit you thus, I’m in your face…”
“That’s not picking a fight?”
He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Okay, what is it then?”
“Why are you being like this?” She glared at him, “Uh.” Yanking the handle, she opened the door and got out.
Tripp sat there and watched her walk down into the ditch and keep going. Groaning, he jerked the gear shift into park and then pulled the keys out of the ignition. She was still walking. “Shit.” He got out and jogged after her. “Where are you going?”
Amari stopped and stood there, her back to him. “Nowhere.”
He glanced around, checking the air to make sure they were alone. “The speed you’re moving, you’ll get there in no time.” His cat agreed with his assessment that there was no one nearby. “What’s wrong?”
She turned around, “nothing.”
He stared at her, not even sure what to do.
“I’m fine.”
“Uh-huh.” Tripp had learned one thing in this world, no woman ever used that word and meant it.
“What? I am.” She huffed out a breath, “and why do you even care?”
Tripp nodded his head slowly, “well, for starters,” he waved a hand between them, “there’s enough anxiety coming off you that it’s starting to feel like a tidal wave.” She just continued to stand there and look at him. “Second, my cat is currently trying to come out through my skin without the assist of a shift.”
“Fuck.” She turned on her heel and walked away.
“Amari, babe—” he started after her.
She stopped and spun around and glared at him, “don’t call me that. It makes it personal and intimate.”
He stopped and put his hands on his hips, “and you want cold and removed.”
“Yes. No.” She turned her back to him.
“Amari,” he moved with quick steps to stand in front of her before she took off again, bending his knees so he could see her face, he looked at her, “talk to me.” He wanted to shoot something. Sooth her. Hold her…
“I don’t want to go back there.” She said it almost in a whisper.
She didn’t need to tell him where, he knew and he wanted to go there about as much as he wanted to cut off one of his hands. “Neither do I.” He knew it was going to be a shit show.
“Then let’s not.” She crossed her arms over her chest and nodded.
“I don’t think that’s an option.” Was it? The king hadn’t been able to do anything about her father demanding her to come back, so…
“He gave up his rights to summon me when he banished me.”
Tripp wanted to touch her, but with the mash of emotions pouring off her, even his cat thought that was a bad idea. “I know.” He kept his tone soft. She was practically vibrating out of her skin, and he couldn’t be sure if it was going to turn into a teary moment or a blood bath. “Look,” he touched her chin with the tip of his finger to hold her attention, “you’re not the scared kid he sent away.” He gave her a small grin, “far from it.” His cat nudged him, telling him to continue, “hell, I’m not the same man he dealt with either.” Her sexy eyes were locked on his now and he couldn’t chance her being distracted by memories right now. “He’s going to regret it.”
She drew in a slow breath and then nodded her head, “that’s true. I didn’t know what to do then…”
He dropped his hand away. “I don’t see that being an issue now.” He smirked.
The anxiety lessened right away. “You’re right. I’m not afraid of him.” Her voice was more normal now. “He has no power over me now.”
Tripp wanted to breathe a sigh of relief but wasn’t falling for what might be a false moment. “That’s right. You’ll get to see your sister again.” He had no idea if she had in all these years, but little sisters were good at pulling on heartstrings and helping you keep your focus—he should know, he’d do anything for Ginny.
She was nodding slowly. “Let’s do this.”
Tripp wasn’t sure if it was from his words or the internal conversation she had to be having. Whatever it was, he needed to stay calm and keep it together, they’d soon be in her father’s territory, and he needed her to help him watch their backs.
He moved closer, lifting her chin again, his cat remained watchful, trying to sus out if this was a bad move or not. Tripp didn’t care, he needed to be close to her, even if it was just for a minute. Lowering his head, he kissed her mouth softly, a brief connection. “Let’s get there, get this over with and move on like it never happened.”
Her breathing hitched and he stood there waiting for a shift of emotions again. She licked those sexy lips of hers and he couldn’t help watching the movement. Now, was not the time for that, he reminded himself, then leaned down to take her mouth anyway.
Amari’s arms snaked around his neck as she returned his kiss. His cat should have been happy that she was thoroughly distracted and sending out vibes that were no longer confusing, but he wasn’t. He objected completely to their bodies fitting together so perfectly that it was like they were cut from the same pattern by fate.
When she grasped his hair in her hand, Tripp’s body was entering the ‘oh yeah’ state, but his brain instantly sent out a message that said, ‘not the time.’ Tearing his mouth from hers, he looked down at her lust-filled eyes. “As much as I want to, we can’t go in there reeking of sex, it will not set the tone in our favor.”
“Nothing we do or don’t do will make it favorable for us.” Her voice was rasping.
He brushed the hair back from her face and thought for a second, he could happily spend hours just looking at her. “We should go.” His mouth said it despite his own thoughts and his body’s objections.
Her hand slowly released the grip on his hair. He could smell her desire, but logic also won with her. “Let’s get this over with.” She dropped her hands away from him and stepped back. Her sexy eyes moved over his face, then she turned and headed back to the road.
Blowing out a breath, he ran his hand through his hair and watched her for a second. Alpha Hughes better watch his step, he thought, because he would do anything for that woman, even the stupid things he shouldn’t.