Chapter 27

Millie

Having Tripp here feels like a dream come true. I can’t get enough of him, and honestly, I don’t want to. Every moment with him feels electric, like he's awakening a part of me I never knew existed. He’s everything I never knew I needed—strong, attentive, and with a quiet intensity that draws me in deeper every day. I’m falling so quickly, it’s terrifying, but there’s no stopping it. I’ve never been in love before, and the depth of what I’m feeling scares me.

But with Tripp, I feel safe, like he’ll always cherish and protect me. I hope I’m right. Sure, there’s so much we still need to figure out, but I believe we’ll find our way through it together. There’s a connection between us, something undeniable that makes me believe we can overcome anything.

As we head back to my bedroom, anticipation curls in my stomach. Tripp’s hands are already on me, deftly removing my clothing with a confidence that sends a thrill through me. There’s just something about the way he is with me, something tender yet possessive. It’s like he knows exactly what I need without me saying a word, and I melt under his touch. The world outside fades away, and all that matters is this moment, with Tripp.

“I need to be inside you, Millie. Fuck, what are you doing to me?” he whispers against my skin, causing goosebumps to rise.

“The same thing you’re doing to me,” I say, my voice low and breathless as I lock gazes with him. My heart pounds in my chest, every beat echoing the intensity between us. His eyes darken, filled with a mix of desire and something deeper, something that sends a shiver down my spine. The air between us feels charged, like we’re on the edge of something inevitable. My words hang in the air, heavy with meaning, and I can see the way they affect him.

He takes a step closer, and I can feel the heat radiating off his body, drawing me in like a magnet. “On the bed,” he demands and I immediately oblige.

I’m completely naked, and no longer self conscious about my body. Tripp makes me feel beautiful. Sexy. Like he can’t get enough of me.

And I can’t get enough of him. He slowly removes his clothing like he’s putting on his very own striptease.

I lick my lips, anxious to have him inside me, filling me up. “Like this?” I ask him, getting to my knees as I massage my breasts with my hands.

Now it’s his turn to lick his lips, and he nearly growls as he removes the last of his clothing. “Yeah, just like that.”

I giggle softly as he climbs onto the bed. “What are you going to do with me?” I ask him, feeling playful.

“I’m going to slam this hard cock into your tight pussy. From behind.”

I smile. “This hard cock?” I ask him, taking his manhood into my own hand, stroking it.

His eyes roll back. “Yeah. You like this cock, don’t you?”

I nod, dragging my lower lip between my teeth as I squeeze his dick in my hand. “Yes. I love it.”

His eyes flash with desire. “You love it, huh?”

The mention of the word love has my senses on high alert. It has me wanting to say the words out loud. It makes me want to tell him how much I love him, but I fear we may not be there yet. So instead, I keep the topic light.

I nod again. “Yes. I love it.” I glance down at his hard shaft in my hands, and I spot the bead of precum leaking out of the tip. I lean down, swiping my tongue over it, and he groans as I do.

“I love the feel of your mouth on me,” he grits out between his teeth.

A sense of pride surges through me. I want to make him happy, so I continue licking at him, but he grabs my hair. “No little bunny. I want to be inside you.”

I gaze up at him and nod. “Do it,” I sass at him and his smile widens.

“On your hands and knees.”

I do as he demands and he positions himself behind me, lining up our bodies, and entering me in one final stroke. We both still as he presses a kiss to my back.

And then he starts moving, and my body comes alive with excitement. He grips onto my ass, his fingers digging into my flesh as he continues pushing deeper inside me.

“I can’t get enough of you, Millie. Fuck,” he groans. “Fuck, I love fucking this pussy.”

Before I can even answer him, he removes himself from me, flipping me over in one swift movement. He’s now on top of me, pushing his dick back inside me. His face is right above mine, and his eyes fix on mine.

“I love being inside you,” he whispers, and I barely hear him.

The feel of him inside me has my emotions already all over the place. My chest swells, the words I’ve been wanting to say to him on the tip of my tongue.

Before I can even utter them, Tripp says, “I love you, Millie.” His eyes are locked on mine, and I can see the sincerity behind his green irises. “I love you so fucking much.”

Tingles erupt down my spine as my body grows closer toward my orgasm. “I love you too,” I tell him.

His lips crash against mine with a fierce urgency, each kiss searing and hungry as he continues pumping deep inside me. Our bodies move in perfect rhythm, the intensity of the moment making everything else disappear. The kiss is all-consuming, a fiery connection that binds us together, and it feels like it could last forever. The world around us fades into a blur, leaving only the heat of our passion and the overwhelming need to stay this close to him. I never want to stop kissing him, to lose this electric connection that seems to go on and on, making me feel like I could melt into him completely.

I love this man. I want forever with him. And I think it’s what he wants too.

My heart warms to the idea, and I can’t stop smiling as he breaks the kiss.

“I love you,” he whispers as his body picks up.

“I love you, Tripp,” I say as my body explodes, my orgasm crashing down all around me. The sensations keep going, spreading through my body, lighting me up from the inside out.

Tripp isn’t far behind me as his own release finds him. His body tenses briefly, and then he’s exploding deep inside me.

Thank god I’m on the pill, but the thought of being pregnant with Tripp’s child doesn’t frighten me.

Maybe one day.

No, I know it’ll happen one day.

A future with Tripp takes root, blossoming like a family tree of possibilities. I’m back to smiling as Tripp pulls out of me.

He heads to the bathroom to clean up, and brings back a cloth for me.

“I love you,” he reminds me, wanting to make sure I know he wasn’t just caught up in the moment of sex.

“I mean it too. I love you,” I tell him and the smile that spreads across his face is enough to melt even the coldest of hearts.

It turns me into a puddle of tears.

“Why are you crying?” he asks me, cupping my face with his hands.

“I’m just so happy,” I tell him, not even realizing this is everything I’ve ever wanted. “I have everything. A successful shop, and now I’m in love. My life is perfect.”

He smiles, and kisses me on the lips briefly. “I love you,” he whispers, and then together we cuddle on my bed.

He holds me tight, his fingers brushing along my arm as he spoons my body. “Tell me about your family.”

I stiffen when I’m reminded of them. “Not much to tell,” I say, wishing more than anything I had a big family like he does. “My father left my mother when he found out she was pregnant. My mother moved in with her mother. My grandmother is the one who opened Book, Spine, and Sinker. My grandmother died when I was eleven, and my mother and I ran the shop together.”

“So, you’ve always been a reader?”

I nod, my smile widening at the thought of books. “Yeah. My mother used to read to me every night. She died when I turned eighteen.”

“Millie, I’m so sorry.” He squeezes me closer to him.

“It’s okay,” I say, my go-to answer whenever anyone ever mentions my mother’s death. “She’s buried in Saint Pierce.”

“Why?”

“That’s where I was born, and my mother loved it there. The big city. She always said it was so exciting. She told me when she got cancer that she wanted to be buried in the cemetery at St. Paul’s cemetery.”

“Why?”

I shrug. “She said it reminded her of better days.” A tear grazes my cheek. “I think it’s where she met my father, and a small part of me thinks she never fully got over him.”

Tripp presses a kiss to the top of my head. “At least she’s happy now. Did she ever tell you who your father is?”

“No,” I whisper, wanting to change the subject more than anything. “That reminds me,” I say to him. “I got the invite to Anya’s engagement party this Friday at Atta Boy.”

He tenses briefly, but then I can feel him squeeze me tighter to his chest. “Maybe we should tell everyone that night that we’re an item.”

I can’t stop the silly smile that erupts across my face. “Yes. I’d like that.”

He kisses my hair and after a little while we fall asleep, wrapped in each other’s arms.