Chapter 38 Hoes Before Bros
Hoes Before Bros
Tripp
Quinn gets out of my truck with shaky legs, and the sight makes my chest go tight. The thought of my cum dripping down her thighs—sticky and hot—has me gripping her waist before she can get far. I pull her between my knees, stealing another kiss. I can’t help myself. Not with Quinn.
I’m so gone for this woman. There’s nothing stopping me from falling harder than I’ve ever fallen before. I'm not sure this craving for her will ever go away. The way I want her is bottomless.
I want her mess, her lists, the way she overthinks every little detail unless she’s with me. I want to protect her and claim her in the same breath.
She’s mine.
She’s always been mine.
And if that means Wes wants to punch me for a while, then so be it because I want to keep her—whether I deserve her or not.
The light breeze blows tendrils of her blond curls into her face. I reach up to tuck it behind her ear and catch a flicker of movement behind her shoulder.
“Shit,” I mutter, wincing as I drop my hand.
Her eyes follow my gaze to Allie and Sawyer, who are walking toward us. Sawyer’s shoulders are pressed back, and she looks dangerous, like a woman about to go on a rampage.
Quinn shifts back, her eyes wide. I step in front of her, my instinct to protect her still strong, even if I’m a little terrified of the fiery redhead who’s marching toward us now.
“Sorry, I needed some air,” Quinn says, surprising me with how quickly she forms the lie.
Sawyer skewers me with a sharp glare that tells me she knows exactly what we were doing in my truck, but it softens when she looks at Quinn.
“We wanted to make sure you were okay after everything with Cottonwood Creek’s Regina George.”
Tish had a big mouth, and if she thought she could take a shot at Quinn without consequence, she had another thing coming. She ought to know better than to mess with one of my people. I'd deal with her bullshit later.
“But it seems like you’re fine.” Sawyer’s brow lifts at Quinn, and Allie wrinkles her nose. God, please let it be from suspicion and not from actually seeing something. No little sister should have to see her brother like that.
“Uh, yeah. I’m alright, but I don’t really feel like going back in there.”
“Wyatt might be a little disappointed. I think he was hoping to take you home,” Allie says, gaze narrowing slightly as her eyes flick to mine.
“I can take her back to the ranch,” I cut in, despite the look on Sawyer’s face that says she’s thinking about cutting off one of my favorite parts.
I’m not leaving Quinn alone in a car with either of them. She doesn’t need their interrogation right now. And I’m sure as hell not letting Wyatt drive her home.
Quinn elbows me in the ribs, but her lips twitch.
Allie’s eyes bounce from me to Sawyer to Quinn. “Whatever you want to do, Quinn.”
“Uh, yeah. Tripp can take me back. That’s fine.”
“Tripp, can I talk to you for a minute? Alone,“ Sawyer snaps.
Damn it.
I might be more scared of what she’s gonna do to me than I am of Wes. Sawyer is delicate—not like a flower, but like a grenade. When she blows, she takes down everyone in her path, and right now, I’m the one she’s aiming for.
“Sure,” I mutter, leaning in to whisper to Quinn. “If I’m not back in ten minutes, call 9-1-1.”
She finally cracks a smile, and I follow Sawyer’s quick footsteps to where she’s parked on the other side of the lot.
“What’s up?” I ask.
Sawyer plants herself in front of me, arms crossed tightly over her chest.
“Don’t play dumb with me. What’s going on with you two?”
I run my fingers through my hair, mussing it, and shrug. I’m pleading the Fifth.
“Don’t give me that shit. I should have known something was going on sooner. You two are always watching each other from across the room like a couple of stupid teenagers. Wes is gonna flip out.”
“You can’t tell Wes,” I bite out.
Her eyes narrow at me, lips thinning. “Why the hell not?”
“Because I— She— We haven’t decided what this is yet,” I stutter.
She shakes her head at me in disappointment. “I can’t believe you’re fucking your best friend’s little sister behind his back.”
“It wasn’t my idea, Sawyer,” I grit out.
Her lips purse as she considers. “I’m supposed to believe that Quinn came on to you?”
I throw my hands up in frustration. My reputation precedes me, and there’s no use trying to get her to believe me. It doesn’t make a damn bit of difference, anyway.
“Jesus Christ. Believe me. Don’t believe me. I don’t give a fuck. Just don’t tell Wes yet,” I say, my tone ending on a pleading note.
“Well, you’d better figure it out soon, because I’m not keeping this secret from him forever.”
I huff out an annoyed breath. “Yeah, okay. I’ll talk to her.”
She shoots me a glare sharp enough to cut glass. “I don’t need to warn you not to hurt her, do I?”
I shake my head. “You know I care about her.”
Her tone softens a little. “Yeah, I do, but I’m not happy finding out about you two like this.”
I cringe. “You didn’t see anything, did you?”
Her eyes roll. “We saw enough. I might have had to hold Allie’s hair back while she puked in the bushes.”
I groan, but Sawyer’s lips are twitching toward an amused smirk.
“So, is that it?” I ask. “That’s all you needed to say?” I’m impatient to get back to Quinn and make sure she’s okay.
She shrugs. “Don’t be so sloppy. Wes won’t be happy if he walks in on you two somewhere.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I say obediently and walk back to my truck, like a chastised dog with his tail between his legs.
My boots crunching in the gravel parking lot interrupts Allie and Quinn’s conversation. Quinn’s face is flushed, but I don’t miss the way her eyes shine a bit brighter when she sees me.
“You ready to go?” I ask her.
Quinn nods. “Sure.”
I yank open the passenger door and wait for her to climb in before slamming it closed.
“Don’t be an asshole,” Allie warns. “I’ll side with her every time.”
“Noted.”
“Hoes before bros,” she calls out.
“Jesus,” I mumble as I hop in the truck.
Why is everyone so sure I’m gonna fuck this up?
Gravel cracks under the tires as I pull out of the parking lot. I risk a look at Quinn. She meets my gaze and shakes her head.
“That was probably the stupidest thing I’ve ever done,” she says and then bursts out laughing.
I laugh too, unable to help myself when she looks so carefree in the passenger seat.
“How much do you think they saw?” I ask when our laughter finally subsides.
She drops her face into her hands. “God, I don’t know. Allie didn’t seem inclined to say too much. I’m hoping nothing.”
I wince. “That’s optimistic of you.”
“Guess you’re rubbing off on me.”
I reach over and squeeze her thigh. “I’d crack a joke about rubbing one off on you, but I feel like maybe we need to be serious for a sec.”
Her head snaps in my direction. “Serious about what?”
About us.
I want to scream it. I want to throw myself at her feet and beg her to take us seriously because what we have has become everything to me.
I promised this would be casual, and I’ve never taken my promises to Quinn lightly. But this might be one that I don’t mind breaking.
My face sobers, pulse racing. My skin feels hot and tight all over from nerves. I exhale a long breath. “I think we should tell Wes. Sawyer knows something’s going on between us, and she doesn’t want to keep secrets from him.”
Quinn’s eyes flash with an emotion I can’t place. She slowly shakes her head back and forth, and my heart plummets. “There’s nothing to tell him, Tripp,” she says, voice soft.
The words hit me like a slap in the face.
“We need to be logical. Once Pops is back on his feet, I’ll leave, and you’ll still be here. It’s pointless to upset him over something that won’t last.“
The air whooshes from my lungs like I’ve been sucker punched in the gut. Pain lances through my chest, and hollowness echoes in the empty spot where my heart was pounding seconds ago.
Be logical.
I knew Quinn and I were too good to be true. She’s better than this place. Than me. I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up, shouldn’t have let myself fall as inevitable as it all was.
I was never not going to fall for Quinn Dawson, but having anything serious with her is completely illogical.
I swallow past the sharp ache in my throat. “Right. Of course,” I say, my voice rough as gravel as I remove my hand from her thigh.
I clear my throat and force a smile that’s just a mask for the pain tightening in my chest. I’m desperate not to show the hurt her words caused, but she sees straight through me like she always has.
“Tripp, I didn’t mean—“
I cut her off before she can try to make me feel better. “It’s fine. I get it,” I say with a shrug that’s meant to look casual, even though it feels like my heart’s been ripped from my chest. “I just promised Sawyer I’d talk to you about telling Wes is all.”
She stares out the window as I turn onto the long driveway toward the old farmhouse. When I put the truck in park, she looks at me. Her eyes are glassy, like a dam is on the verge of breaking.
I don’t know what to say. I’ve shown her all my cards, but I’ve still been dealt the losing hand. And we both know it.
I have nothing to offer.
Just me and my stupid, idiot heart.
“Quinnie...”
I reach for her, but she shakes her head and gives me a sad smile.
“I’ll see you later, Casanova. Thanks for the ride.”
Before I can open her door, she’s already out of my truck and on the porch, fingers swiping under her eyes as she pulls open the screen door.
I drop my head to the back of my seat and allow the torturous waves of emotion pummel me. I let myself drown in them as I count to ten before I finally exhale.
I drive home in silence, kill the engine, and sit in the dark, listening to the quiet click of the cooling metal as the misery settles in around me.
I think I just ruined everything with Quinn.