by Abbi Glines
I didn’t want to be protected from him. Ever. “I don’t want to be safe from you,” I said. Before I could lose the nerve, I reached up and untied my bikini top and took a breath as we both froze. It would fall down and expose me the moment one of us moved. I wanted his hands on me. I wasn’t scared of Tripp. I was in love with him.
Tripp moved first, and I closed my eyes as the top of my swimsuit fell down, leaving the breeze to dance across my bare breasts.
“Holy fuck,” Tripp whispered with awe in his voice, which made my nipples tighten up and the tingle between my legs ignite again.
It felt like forever before his large, warm hands covered me. The feel of his palm against me made me cry out his name as I reached to grab hold of his arms. I wasn’t sure I could remain standing if he did much more.
He ran his thumbs over my tender area. My legs wobbled, and I held on tighter, gripping his hands. “Look at me, Bethy,” he said in a hoarse whisper. I forced my eyes open, knowing he was going to see everything I was feeling reflected in them. I wasn’t able to hide my feelings for him anymore. Not like this.
His hands moved from my breasts. I started to protest before I could stop myself, but he pulled me against him as he reached around and undid the back of my suit so that my top no longer hung there but fell to the sand below. Then his hands were back on me, holding the weight of my breasts as he looked at them with reverence. I trembled, and his eyes looked back up at me.
“Do you trust me?” he asked.
“Yes,” I breathed out. The desperate sound in my voice should have been embarrassing, but it wasn’t. Not when he was looking at me like that.
He lowered his head and covered my mouth with his again. The minty taste of him made my knees weak. I grabbed his arms again, and a growl came from his chest before he pulled back and then took me down to the blanket with him. “Straddle me again,” he said, moving me over his lap. I was careful not to sink down onto him again. I didn’t want to end this. But he grabbed my hips and pushed me down until my center was tightly pressed against his hardness. “Fuck,” he groaned, and I realized it felt good to him, too. I’d thought he had stopped earlier because he didn’t like it.
I was relieved, because this friction felt better than anything we’d done so far. I relaxed into his lap. Tripp kissed my mouth again, but then his mouth was moving down my neck, his lips brushing across my collarbone. My breasts were aching so badly. Seeing his mouth so close was too much.
Before I could break down and whimper, his mouth moved lower, and he pressed a kiss to one of my puckered nipples before pulling it into his hot mouth. The sensation that followed sent a string of fireworks off in my body. I grabbed his head and held him there. This was heaven, and I didn’t want him to stop. Ever.
His teeth teased me, and then he sucked harder. I chanted his name, holding his head against me. When he moved to the other breast, I whimpered in relief. This was amazing. His hips moved under me, and the other part of my body woke up again. The tingling in my breasts was joined with the one between my legs. I rocked against him, and he groaned as he continued to lavish my breasts with attention.
I took that as a good thing and began rocking on him again. With each rub of his hardness against me, I became more crazed. There was something there that I needed. “Tripp,” I panted, not sure what it was I was trying to achieve, though I knew I wanted it.
He lifted his head from my chest and claimed my mouth again. I threw all my hunger into the kiss, wanting him as close to me as possible. He pulled back for a second and jerked his shirt over his head before returning to our kiss. My wet, sensitive nipples were pressed up against his chest, and I wanted to weep with joy.
I needed him closer. I rubbed against him harder, and my breathing became erratic. I had to get there. I couldn’t control myself. There was a need inside me taking over everything else.
Then Tripp’s hand slipped inside my bikini bottoms, and I stopped moving and sucked in a breath. He was going to touch me. There. Oh, God.
“Trust me,” he said again, as if reminding me.
I nodded, but I didn’t breathe. When his finger slid along my folds, my entire body jerked in response. “Oh, God!” I cried out, unable to contain myself.
“Shhh. Easy, baby. I got you,” he said in my ear as he held me against him. His breathing was heavy and as fast as mine. “You’re soaking wet,” he said as his finger slid easily along me, because he was right: I was wet.
I ducked my head, suddenly embarrassed. Was I supposed to be wet? Was he grossed out?
“Bethy, sweetheart, look at me,” he said, using his free hand to tilt my chin up. I forced myself to do as he asked, and the heat in his eyes made my breath catch.
“The fact that you’re wet for me is so sexy. It means you want me as much as I want you, and nothing could ever be sweeter than that. Ever,” he said, then slipped a finger inside me.
At that moment, I would believe anything he said. “I want to taste you, here,” he said, sliding his finger back out of me. I had heard about that. I knew people did it, but I wasn’t sure why. “Can I taste you? Will you let me?” he asked, his voice strained. I wanted him to enjoy this as much as I was. If he wanted to taste me, then I’d let him.
I nodded, and he moved me fast. I was on my back as he pulled my bottoms down my legs. I was completely naked. No guy had ever seen me naked. I was suddenly very nervous.
Tripp didn’t notice, though. His focus was completely on my most private area. He pushed my thighs open, and the light in his eyes got brighter. That could not be attractive down there. Why did he seem to like it so much?
He lowered himself until his head was between my legs. His finger was on me again, but this was different. I was completely open to him. Not hidden under my bottoms. “You’re even beautiful here,” he said in a soft whisper as he ran a finger slowly down until it met with the opening it had entered earlier.
“Ahhh, Tripp,” I said as my hips bucked involuntarily from the touch of his finger.
“Mmm-hmm,” he replied before the heat of his tongue touched me.
“Aaahhhhh!” I screamed at the contact. It was so much better than feeling his finger, which I thought would be impossible.
“Tastes better than I imagined,” he said against my heated flesh, then licked me again. I couldn’t breathe. I was lost. This was too much and not enough.
Tripp’s mouth began to taste me with wild abandon as he slipped his tongue inside me, then back up, circling the most sensitive area there. Each time he touched that one spot, I cried out his name. I couldn’t stop myself.
The growing feeling inside me escalated, and I knew I wanted whatever it was. If I died from this, I’d be OK with that. It was worth it. I just wanted more. I felt as if I was about to fall, and I wasn’t sure where.
“Tripp,” I said, grabbing at his shoulders.
“Come for me, sweetheart. I want to taste it,” he said as his hand moved up my body to cup my breast.
I exploded, or at least the world around me did.
Tripp
Present day
She hadn’t looked over at me once. It was deliberate, too. Smiling to myself, I stopped watching her so closely and turned my attention to Woods as he took a seat beside me. “You good?” he asked me. This was a regular question from Woods. Especially since I’d told him about my past with Bethy.
“Yeah,” I replied, not wanting to put a damper on his weekend. “You ready to get hitched?”
Woods grinned and turned his gaze to Della, who was standing at the bar fixing herself a glass of water. “More than anything in my life. I’d have married her sooner had she let me. But Della deserves a fairy-tale wedding. I wanted to give her that.”
Della turned to look at Woods as if she knew we were talking about her and smiled at him sweetly.
He slapped my knee and stood up. “Good chatting with you, but I’ve got to talk to my beautiful fiancée in the back room about something.”
Woods
was gone before I could reply. He wasn’t taking her into the back room to talk. Chuckling, I turned my attention back to Bethy, who was sitting between Harlow and Blaire. Smiling. Really smiling. She was happy. Whatever they were talking about made her smile. I had missed that smile so damn much. She never smiled for me now.
Grant moved over to sit down beside Harlow, with his baby girl tucked close to his chest. Harlow said something to him, and he grinned and leaned over to press a kiss to her lips. I watched Bethy as she took in their happiness. There wasn’t resentment in her face. But there was longing. It made me ache. I hated knowing Bethy was alone. I hated that she wouldn’t let me near her.
The pilot came over the speaker and told everyone to prepare for takeoff. Rush walked over and took Blaire’s hand, pulling her with him to sit in a more private area. Bethy looked lost in that moment. Like she wasn’t sure where she fit in now.
Thad took the now-vacated seat beside her and said something to make her smile. I wanted to knock his pretty-boy teeth down his throat and thank him at the same time. He’d seen what I had seen, and he’d gone in to fix it. She would let him. He hadn’t broken her heart.
I leaned back in my seat and buckled my seat belt like everyone else. I rested my head against the back of the seat and closed my eyes. I couldn’t sit here and watch Thad entertain Bethy for the next two hours. I was glad he was there for her, but watching it was too hard.
When Della and Woods had told everyone we would all be put up in our own private huts, I had expected something less luxurious. This was far from a hut. I stood inside a small house that sat directly on the clear blue water. There was a walkway to the main part of the island and to the other “huts.” Stone walls and a fireplace were only part of the surprising accommodations. The entire house was open on all four sides, giving me a water view wherever I looked. At night, the walls came down at the touch of a button.
The king-size bed that sat in the center of the room was surrounded by white gauzy shit that hung from the ceiling. I set my duffel bag on the bed and walked out to the water to get a good look at my surroundings. This was definitely a fairy tale. Woods hadn’t been kidding. He’d gone all out.
Movement to my left caught my attention, and I turned to see Bethy walking out of the next hut over, wearing a bikini. She hadn’t noticed me yet, so I stepped back inside, just out of sight. I watched as she coated herself with sunscreen before lying down on the double-teak lounger. There were only two huts on each of the twenty extensions from the island. My only neighbor was Bethy. She wasn’t going to like this, but I wasn’t going to let her know right away. I’d wait until it was too late for her to ask for another hut.
I sat down on the glorified beanbag chair inside so I could watch her without her seeing me. She glanced around once, and I grinned from my hidden spot. Then she turned over and untied her top. Fuck. I couldn’t see her, but just knowing I’d get a view of her tits if she sat up was enough to keep me on edge. I silently prayed she would have to reach for something. Soon.
She had undone her bikini straps for me once. But I’d lost that girl, along with her adoring gazes. Pain sliced through my chest whenever I thought of never having that again. I wasn’t going to lie, I had looked for it elsewhere. When I knew I would never have Bethy again, I had tried to recapture that feeling I’d had with her. I had tried with so many women. But even the ones with stars in their eyes never measured up. They weren’t Bethy.
It had taken me six long years to face the fact that I would only ever want her. Coming back to Rosemary Beach and seeing her with Jace, I had told myself her happiness would be enough for me. But it hadn’t been. I had wanted more. So I’d left Rosemary Beach again, not wanting to ruin what she had with Jace.
But my leaving hadn’t helped anything. It had only made things worse.
I never should have returned. But I had, and I couldn’t change that now.
I wasn’t leaving Bethy again.
Bethy
This was easier than I’d expected. The peace and quiet were perfect. I felt the warmth from the day’s sun on my arms and legs as I walked toward the luau on the main part of the island. This wasn’t the rehearsal dinner—that would be tomorrow night. This was Della and Woods’s version of a bachelor and bachelorette party. Woods had been adamant about not having one, and he didn’t want Della to have one, either. He wanted to party with their friends as a couple, not celebrate apart. So we were doing it island-style at a luau. The coconut tops and authentic grass skirts that Della had delivered to our huts were a surprise. I had to admit they were more comfortable than I’d imagined. I was glad I’d gotten some sun on my arms before putting on the top.
Tiki torches lit the way as I walked toward the gathering crowd.
“Hello, Bethy.” Tripp’s voice startled me, and I turned to see him; he was wearing a pair of board shorts and nothing else. He had several tattoos now. I didn’t want to study them or admire them, so I tore my gaze off his naked chest and turned back around.
“Hi,” I replied coolly. Ignoring him on this island would be uncomfortable for everyone. I didn’t want that for Woods and Della. It was time I moved past this and ended all emotion where Tripp was concerned.
As if he had read my thoughts, he gave me space and didn’t say another word. We walked in silence toward the group, and then Tripp walked off to the right to the bar without a backward glance my way.
Letting out the breath I’d been holding, I went in the opposite direction and found Blaire sipping a fruity drink and talking to Della.
“Rush is a very big fan of the outfit. He said he was eternally grateful to you,” Blaire was saying, giggling, as I walked up. I could only imagine how excited Rush was about the coconut bra and the grass skirt Blaire was wearing.
“Hello, Bethy,” Della said through her laughter. “It appears the men are very happy with the ladies’ outfits tonight. Well, except for Grant. Harlow texted me that she was having a hard time getting out of the hut in it. Grant was being a caveman about her wearing it in public.”
That sounded like Grant. He’d been all fun and games until Harlow walked into his life. Now he was a protective daddy and a possessive husband. It looked good on him.
“So how do you like your hut?” Della asked, watching me carefully. As if she were prepared for me not to love it.
“I think it’s fabulous. So not a hut, more like a personal paradise on water.”
Della glanced over my shoulder and then back at me and smiled. “Good. I’m glad you’re happy. We’ve filled up every hut on the island. I want everyone to be happy with their accommodations.”
“Seriously. This place is amazing,” I assured her.
“Rush and I are staying on the main island,” Blaire said, taking a sip of her drink. “Those huts look fabulous, but once Nate gets here, I wouldn’t be able to sleep thinking about him running off into the water so easily. But the hut they gave us on the main island is beautiful. We love it, and it’s far enough off the water that I won’t be nervous about Nate taking a flying leap into it.”
Blaire glanced over my shoulder, then looked back at me with a frown. “Bethy, what’s going on with you and Tripp?” she asked. Leave it to Blaire to just ask me straight out. I had dodged this question with her so many times I couldn’t count anymore.
“Nothing,” I replied, feeling guilty for not telling her the truth.
“You’re lying to me. I can see it all over your face. Plus, Tripp watches your every move.”
Della had a nervous look on her face. She knew something. She and Tripp were friends. Good friends. He’d been the reason she came to Rosemary Beach in the first place. I had been so incredibly jealous of her. I had hated myself for it, too. Pretending it hadn’t been killing me when she’d stayed at Tripp’s condo had been hard. But then it hadn’t been but a couple of weeks before it was obvious that Della wanted Woods.
“Bethy, look at me,” Blaire said in a low voice.
I glanced up at her, and th
e concerned frown on her face only deepened. “Did something happen with you and Tripp?”
I was tired of pretending it hadn’t happened. “A long time ago. Before he left Rosemary Beach the first time,” I admitted in a whisper.
Della let out a sigh, and I looked over at her to see relief on her face. She had known. He’d told her. But she hadn’t said anything. Not even to Blaire.
“Thought so. That’s the only thing that made sense,” Blaire said, studying someone across the fire. I didn’t have to look to know she was watching Tripp. “Was it serious?”
“Yes,” I replied. I couldn’t tell her more. I couldn’t tell either of them more. It was a secret that hurt too much to share. It was my biggest mistake. I would never forgive myself. Every time I held Nate and Lila Kate, I knew I would never be worthy of having kids. I couldn’t forgive myself. How could I expect anyone else to?
“But it was a long time ago. Why are you so mad at him?” Blaire asked.
Because he made me question my love for Jace. Because he reminded me that I had something big once. Something huge. He reminded me that what I felt for Jace wasn’t as big. And I hated myself for that. I hated him for it. “I can’t talk about it. Please, just drop it,” I said, unable to look at her.
I didn’t wait for a response. I forced a smile at Della, then turned and headed away from the group. I wanted the darkness for a moment. To be alone. To pull myself together so I could go back and pretend I was OK.
I heard footsteps behind me and walked faster. Blaire wasn’t one to back down. She’d be worried about me now. I just wished for once she’d back off. Let me deal with this alone.
“No, Blaire. I got this,” Tripp’s voice said, stopping me in place.
No one spoke. I wasn’t sure if I should run and cause a scene or deal with this. Facing Blaire was easier than facing Tripp.
“Don’t push her,” Tripp said in a stern tone.