Chapter 4
4
Tripp
T he weekend goes by entirely too fast. It never feels long enough, and by the time I’m dragging my feet into work Monday morning, I’m desperately wishing three-day weekends were more of a thing. After August dropped me off at my place Friday night, I passed out and slept harder than I have in who knows how long, but then I woke up Saturday morning, wired and replaying every single thing that happened between us down by the creek, overthinking it all.
Why am I like this?
A dozen questions ran through my head, each one sending me deeper into a spiral than the last.
Was I an okay kisser?
Did he like my dick? Was it big enough for him?
He was a little bigger than me, but I don’t think I’m small in that department, by any means .
Did I compare to all of his other partners?
How many partners has he had?
Did he drop me off and then make fun of how fast I came?
Why the fuck did I come that fast?
The questions are still floating around in my head, and what’s worse is I know I’m going to see him any minute when he comes in for his morning coffee. I wish I could say I’ve prepared myself for how I’m going to act and what I’m going to say, but I have not. Not even a little bit.
Bell above the door chiming, my heart stutters. There’s only one person who could be here this early. My back is to the register as I finish restocking the grande size cups. My palms sweat as I hear him set his keys and phone down on the counter, the same way he does every morning, and when I turn around, coming face to face with him, I’m not ready.
In a flash, every filthy image from Friday night comes to the forefront of my mind. The way it felt to have August kissing me—devouring me. The way it felt having his hands on my body, his thick, meaty dick sliding against mine. The way I almost came all over again watching him taste my release.
And maybe most of all… the intoxicating way it felt to take him in my mouth. To make a man like August squirm and groan and breathe heavily. How it felt to have his cock throb against my tongue as he flooded my mouth. My mouth waters as I remember how he tasted.
“Mornin’, sweetheart,” he drawls, lip curled into a crooked grin that makes my knees nearly buckle.
“M-morning.”
August breathes out a small laugh, tilting his head a little as he takes me in. “You know, you’re real cute when you blush like that.”
Oh, God.
My heart thumps harder, hands trembling as I reach for a cup and ask, “Your usual?” Except instead of coming out sounding normal, my voice is squeaky like a damn mouse. That only makes his smile wider and my face hotter. For fuck’s sake, I’m not going to survive this interaction.
I came in front of the guy—actually, on top of him—and I put my mouth on his dick, no problem, but now, taking his order is too much?
He nods once, biting down on his bottom lip, and it’s all I can do to not whimper at the memory of him biting my lip like that. “Yeah, my usual, baby.”
Shit, shit. shit . Why is he such a flirt? How is he such a flirt? It’s like it comes so naturally to him, while I’m standing here red as a damn tomato as I damn near swallow my tongue. With trembling hands, I make his drink, surprised I don’t spill any on myself in the meantime. After I ring him up, I take his card, our fingers brushing, and it’s like an electric zap.
“Have a n-nice day,” I fumble to say before I dart into the back so I don’t have to watch him leave. And this time, I do not try to bring any dry ingredients to the kitchen. I don’t think I could survive another incident like that.
As the morning passes and more customers come and go, it’s easy for me to get lost in my work and almost forget August—emphasis on almost. After our morning rush, I’m wiping down the counter with a rag, when Chloe, my friend and also the one who witnessed the aftermath of my August run-in on Friday, comes over to me. She’s quiet a moment, which is unlike her.
But then… “Is that a hickey on your neck?” she blurts out, way too loud for a coffee shop full of people.
Turning my head, eyes wide as they find hers, I subconsciously slap a hand over my neck, over the spot I know she’s referring to. “Will you shut the hell up!” I hiss, my face heating.
Waking up Saturday morning and going into the bathroom to take a shower, I was horrified to find the dark purple bruise, right under my ear. I don’t recall him sucking on my neck hard enough to leave a mark, but if I’m being honest, my mind was one big hazy, floaty mess the entire time we were hooking up, so it makes sense I don’t recall something like that.
But sure enough, it was there. And still is. You’d think two days later, it would go away, but August apparently has the suction skills of a freaking vacuum because, while it’s faded some, it’s still very visible.
Great, now I’m thinking of August’s sucking skills. That’s exactly what I need at work… a hickey and a boner.
“Who the hell gave you a hickey?” she asks, crossing her arms over her chest as she smirks at me.
Meeting my friend’s gaze, I chew on the inside of my cheek, wondering if I should tell her or not. It’ll feel really good to get it off my chest to somebody other than Jamie. Somebody who lives here and knows August. But why is the idea of speaking it out loud so damn embarrassing?
Fuck it.
“August took me out on a date Friday night.” Her eyes widen, and I can’t help the smile that curls my lips. “He took me to the drive-in theater, and we ended up making out in the bed of his truck, which he made up like an actual bed with pillows and blankets. Then afterwards, he took me back to his family’s ranch, where we sat by the creek, and we hooked up.”
I say all of that practically in one long breath. I’m winded by the time I finish.
“Oh, the typical August date.” Chloe waves a hand in front of her, snorting. “We’ve all been there. Welcome to the club. It’s like a Wolf Creek initiation.”
My brows pinch. “What?” Wolf Creek initiation? What does that even mean?
Something like realization crosses over her features. “Oh, babe, I thought you knew.”
“Knew what?” I ask, harsher than I intend to, feeling my pulse race.
“August is a huge flirt,” she explains, which, yeah, I already knew that part. “And he’s quite the playboy around here. He likes to wine and dine, but he doesn’t do seconds.”
The blood rushes in my ears. “He… doesn’t do… seconds.”
“Yeah, he’s really nice, so he’s not like an asshole type of player, but he just doesn’t do strings or anything like that.”
As if what Chloe is telling me actually hits me, my eyes fly to hers. “You mean that you two…?”
She breathes out a laugh. “Oh, yeah, babe. Long time ago. That’s old news.”
I’m going to be sick.
I can’t believe what I’m hearing.
Here I was, thinking we had a nice time, a great connection. Thinking that he asked me out because he liked me. Only to find out it’s quite literally the opposite. I was just another notch on his belt.
That asshole .
Chloe’s words replay in my head all day. The coffee shop gets busy, so I’m not able to talk to her any more about her history with him, not that I even want to know the juicy details. That’ll only make me feel worse. By the time I clock out and leave, I’m so fired up, I don’t even realize where I’m going until I’m pulling up outside of the barn on the Moore Family Ranch.
There’re a few people mulling about outside, but I don’t see August anywhere. Maybe he’s on another date, schmoozing another innocent, clueless person. Turning off my car, I climb out, huffing to myself.
Pissed at myself.
One of the guys standing outside the giant barn glances my way, a smile tipping up his lips. “Howdy.” Sauntering over to me, he’s got about as much confidence to him as August does. Cowboy hat and sunglasses shielding his face from the sun, plain white t-shirt with the sleeves rolled over once, pair of tight jeans, and a pair of brown leather gloves on his hands. “Lookin’ for someone?”
Now standing right in front of me, it’s more obvious how much taller and larger this man is than me. I square my shoulders and jut out my chin, trying to make myself look more confident than I feel. “I need to speak with August,” I tell him.
He cocks his head to the side, hands on his hips, the grin never leaving his face. “He know you’re comin’?”
“No. ”
The guy chuckles. “Alright, you know how to get down to the cabins?”
“Also no.” My cheeks flame. August was driving when we came back here, it was dark, and I wasn’t exactly paying attention to where we were going.
After he gives me directions on how to get there, I awkwardly climb back into my car, and drive down the pathway toward what I’m hoping is where August lives, and not in the direction of an untimely and unfortunate death. Luckily, after a few minutes, I find the cabins I remember seeing on Friday night, and August’s truck is parked out front.
But there’s only one problem…
There’re four of them, and I have no clue which one belongs to August because we never went inside.
I blow out a sigh, grabbing my phone from the cup holder, and I text him, telling him I’m outside and want to talk to him.
Maybe he’ll ignore me if he’s as big of a player as Chloe made him out to seem. Her words keep echoing in my head.
“He doesn’t do seconds.”
Asshole.
Not even a minute after I hit send, the door to the cabin farthest to the left opens up, and out walks the asshole in question. I practically choke on my tongue as I watch him stroll down the steps and across the yard. A pair of black and red athletic shorts sit low on his hips, he’s shirtless, and there’s a white towel hanging around his neck. Pair that with the wet strands sticking up in every which direction, it’s clear he just got out of the shower.
Swallowing thickly, trying to not picture him standing completely naked underneath the spray as he lathers his body up with soap.
Fuck, what I’d give to watch that.
“Well, this is a surprise, sweetheart,” he drawls, all sweet-like, as he approaches me, smelling damn good.
Focus, Tripp!
“I wanted to come here and tell you to your face that I do not appreciate being another one of your conquests, and that it won’t be happening again.” Then I huff out a frustrated breath and add, “Although, I’ve heard you don’t do seconds anyways, so like you care.”
Amusement has the corners of his lips twitching. “It’s kinda sexy when you get all worked up, sweetheart.”
“Quit calling me that!”
His brow arches. “Why? You seemed to like it plenty the other night.”
“Yeah, well, I was under a different impression the other night. Now I see you clearly.”
“What are you goin’ on about?” August asks, crossing his arms over his bare chest. His pectorals flex and his muscles bunch, and I have to force my eyes away. Dammit.
“What I’m going on about is how you’re apparently Wolf Creek’s biggest playboy, and I’m not interested. Had I known I was just another notch on your belt, I never would’ve gone out with you Friday night.”
He takes a step closer, his clean, fresh scent surrounding me in a way that’s making my head dizzy. “Come on, baby. It’s not like that.”
Mirroring him, I take a step back too, putting some much-needed distance between us. I’m not falling for his flirty ways. “I’m not your baby,” I practically snarl. “I didn’t come here for anything other than to tell you that I know what I was to you, and I don’t appreciate it. It won’t be happening a second time, but again, I heard that’s not your thing anyways. So… goodbye.”
The last part falls flat as my voice cracks, but I don’t let it stop me. I turn around, storming back to my car, and the cocky asshole watches me the entire time as I climb in, start it, and drive off.
I cannot believe the first time I hooked up with somebody ever, it was somebody like that . God, really know how to pick ’em, don’t I?