Page 3 of Trip (Riders of Retribution #3)

Julia

So this is what everyone means when they say that kisses leave you breathless.

It’s both everything that I’ve heard it would be and nothing like it at all. There are fireworks, but they aren’t behind my eyelids. They’re in my chest, in my fingertips. I feel like I’m soaring, but also like I’ve never been more firmly planted in the moment.

Ever since my parents were killed, nothing has felt real. It’s like I’ve been navigating through a bad dream, the worst dream I’ve ever had. Trip feels real. He’s solid and human, and that makes me feel like a person again.

After a few minutes of what feels like intense kissing, Trip licks into my mouth. I’m very quickly reminded of my inexperience. This is so different from what was happening a few seconds ago.

I love it. Is it possible to get addicted to kissing? Because I think that’s happening. I’m going to be chasing this high for the rest of my life. But I don’t want to kiss anyone but Trip.

God, what is happening to me? Where did a man like this even come from? I didn’t know they made them so… irresistible.

As I open up to him, further following his lead, a soft noise escapes the back of my throat without my permission.

I feel my cheeks heat up with embarrassment, but when he moves in even closer, kissing me even harder, I find that I don’t care.

In fact, I let myself relax even further into this.

If he likes the sounds he seems to coax out of me without any effort, he can have them.

I struggle to keep up with his pace. It’s obvious that he’s done this before, but I don’t want to think about that.

I’ll only make myself jealous. Instead, I try my best to follow his lead, my free hand gripping his shoulder as something warm starts to coil in my gut.

It’s a kind of desire that burns low, like the first spark that starts a wildfire.

If something were to happen to the two of us right now, if a meteor were to fall from the sky and wipe us out, I could die happy.

Before that train of thought moves too far, Trip’s hand slides from where it’s resting on my hip to my abdomen, drifting down lower. Abruptly, I pull away, my chest heaving and my face flaming. I can barely meet his eyes, but I can’t let this go any further without him knowing.

“I’ve, uh–” I start, swallowing hard and clearing my throat. My voice sounds wrecked, and I don’t fully understand why.

“Is everything okay?” he asks, his voice dripping with concern as he shifts the hand on my abdomen back to the safety of my hip.

I can’t believe how badly I miss the contact.

“Everything’s fine!” I squeak quickly. Then, I shake my head and put on a shaky smile. “It’s just that I’ve never… done anything like this before.”

Trip’s quiet. It stretches on for a beat too long and I’m worried that I’ve just ruined my chances with this man before I’ve even had an opportunity. Before I’m able to start backpedaling or explaining my lack of experience, he asks, “Was that your first kiss?”

“It was,” I say, wondering if it would have been better to lie. I like him too much to keep the truth from him though, especially since he asked directly.

His eyes darken and he straightens up as he says, “Then we can stop here.” The words sound like they’re taking all of his self-control to say, but his resolve is strong. “I’ll wait as long as you want me to. But make no mistake, Julia. I want you.”

I had no intention of putting a stop to any of this when I interrupted our kissing.

All I wanted to do was let Trip know what he was getting into.

With his new declaration, I want him even more.

Somehow, knowing that he’d be willing to wait for me makes me more desperate to give myself to him as soon as possible.

So, with all of the confidence I can muster, I say, “I want you too, Trip. So please… don’t stop.”

I swear to god as soon as the words leave my mouth, he growls . Then, he’s smashing our lips together with renewed fervor. I can’t help but wonder if he’s trying to suck all of the air out of my lungs. If he is, I’m happily letting him.

This time, when his hand drifts to my stomach, his touch is firmer.

I suppress the urge to press my inner thighs together, not because I don’t want him touching me, but the area between my legs aches for any sort of attention.

I’m rewarded for my patience almost immediately when his surprisingly deft fingertips find the button of my jeans.

He undoes my jeans and slides his fingers into the waistband of my panties teasingly. He never stops kissing me. I’m dizzy, breathless, and needy. My hips buck up almost instinctively. I feel like Trip has unlocked some animalistic side of me that I didn’t know existed.

“Oh,” I gasp into his mouth when he works his hand into my underwear.

His fingers brush through my folds, gliding as though there’s some sort of lubricant. A shiver of delight runs up my spine when I realize that I’m the lubricant. That I’m so turned on by Trip that my body is making it easier for him to touch me.

“You weren’t kidding about wanting me, huh?” he asks, fingertip circling my opening. I whine so loudly that I have to fight the urge to slap a hand over my mouth. With a chuckle, he murmurs, “You’re so sensitive, Julia. That’s adorable.”

“Ye– yeah,” I say, spreading my legs wider to give him better access.

He hums with satisfaction before connecting our lips again. Our kiss isn’t as desperate as it was a few seconds ago, but that doesn’t mean that the intensity has died down any. Each passing of our tongues is electric. His lips are insistent against mine, pressing hard, pulling softly.

It makes me feel like I’m flying. The way he’s moving against me is almost too much, and at the same time it’s not enough. I want more, but I don’t know how to ask. And even if I did, I wouldn’t want to break away from him to ask.

As it turns out, I don’t need to say anything. Trip seems to know what I need, almost like he can read my mind. His touch drifts upward, and suddenly the pleasure I’m feeling sharpens. I whimper, then yelp. And Trip? Trip groans and rubs circles around my clit.

“That’s–” I say, trying to articulate what’s happening to me. “I–”

“Feels good, right?” he murmurs against my mouth. “You like it when I play with your clit like this? You like when I finger you?”

“Uh huh,” I confirm.

There’s an inexplicable need to babble growing inside me. All of the pleasure that I’m feeling is building faster than I can keep up with. It’s begging for a way out, and my mouth wants to be that outlet.

Trip kisses me again, drinking down all of the noises that try to escape me. His hand keeps going, the circles getting tighter and more insistent. I feel helpless in his arms, and somehow, despite how much I hate feeling out of control, I love it. I could stay here forever.

As he licks into my mouth, my hips twitch, an attempt to get even closer to him. Again, understanding what I need even though I don’t myself, he slides even closer. The hand he has down my pants shifts.

At first, I miss the contact, but it returns in an entirely new way. Now, his thumb works at my bundle of nerves while his thick fingers plunge inside of me. Even with his mouth firmly against mine, I have no hope of keeping myself quiet.

My mewls and whimpers surround the two of us. Trip smiles against my mouth, radiating pride at the way he’s playing me like a fiddle. The best I can do right now is try to keep up with him.

That’s starting to prove to be too much, though. My breaths are coming out in heavy pants, and my brain is hyper-focused on the pleasure swirling in my gut. I’m standing at the edge of something, and Trip is about to push me off, and I trust him to be at the bottom when I fall.

“Trip, I’m–” I say suddenly, gasping and throwing my head back. “I’m–”

“Are you close, Julia?” he asks against my lips, still drinking in every single noise that I make. “Go ahead, cum for me. Let me hear how good I make you feel.”

That’s all it takes for me to fall over that edge. His voice, his lips, his touch. It’s so overwhelming. It’s so good.

There are more fireworks, but this time they’re all over my body. It’s like they’re right beneath my skin. My nerves are alight, and each of my muscles are contracting and releasing. I’m simultaneously out of my body but more present than I’ve ever been.

As I’m experiencing what might be the most intense good feeling I’ve ever had, Trip is right there with me. He works me through it, his thumb still circling my clit as his fingers pump in and out of me. His lips are still moving against mine, too.

Eventually, my climax subsides and Trip gently removes his hand from my pants. My mind is slow to return to Earth. He rests his hand on my hip, kissing me slowly as my breathing evens out.

When I can breathe again, when I’m completely back in my body, I say, “That was incredible.”

“Yeah?” he asks, leaning back while his eyes roam my face.

“Yes,” I say as I rest my head on his shoulder.

Then, when I see a bulge in his pants, I realize that I should do something to return the favor.

In fact, I take a breath, sitting up to ask if I can help him out, my phone rings in my jacket pocket.

I jump back, reaching blindly for it, murmuring, “Sorry.”

“Don’t worry,” Trip says, a smile in his voice as he watches me.

My phone is lit up with a picture of Lizzy’s, my youngest sister, smiling face. My heart sinking, I realize I should have been home almost an hour ago. I can’t believe how irresponsible I’ve been. I would be furious if she or Josephine stayed out this late with a strange man without telling me.

“Hey, Lizzy,” I say, pretending I don’t hear the sigh of relief she lets out. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” she replies. “Josephine and I were wondering when you’d be home. She made spaghetti for dinner.”

“I’ll be home soon,” I promise, looking over at Trip apologetically. “Sorry, I got sidetracked. I should have let you two know I’d be a little late.”

“It’s okay,” she says. “We just wanted to make sure you’re safe.”

“I am,” I promise, guilt starting to set in. I was so wrapped up in my own fun that I didn’t think about my siblings at home. “I love you.”

“Love you too, Julia.”

The call ends, and I smile sheepishly at Trip. I say, “I hate to cut this short but I need to get home to my sisters.”

“Of course,” he says, and if he’s disappointed, he doesn’t show it. In fact, I’d say he’s more sympathetic than anything else. “Let’s head out of here.”

I accept his hand, letting him pull me to my feet and lead me to his bike.

Despite the sinking feeling in my stomach at the thought of shirking my responsibility to my sisters, I can’t help that my heart is soaring.

And, as he drives me back to the diner to get my car, I find myself longing to spend more time with him.