Page 6 of Crashing the Altar
He gave a firm shake of his head. “No arguments.”
My eyes lifted to the sky. Biting my tongue was hard, but I knew I wasn’t going to win this one.
“And no attitude, either.”
I leveled him with a glare in direct disobedience of his order.
Tripp tried to give me a stern expression, but it didn’t last long. Eventually, a dimple popped on his cheek, betraying he was fighting back a smile.
Tilting my head in the direction of my family’s house on the property, I shuffled back a few steps. “Guess I’d better head home.”
“Or you could stay.”
I shot a pointed look toward the hose dangling from Tripp’s fingers. “I’ve caused enough trouble, and you’re inviting me to hang around for more?”
“Not sure you can do too much damage with your skinny little ass parked on the couch watching romcoms all afternoon.”
“Movie marathon?” My voice rose in excitement. Curling up on the couch with Tripp sounded like heaven while I nursed the hangover from hell.
“‘Course.” He flashed me a cheeky grin. “Why don’t you run inside and get to work on the popcorn? I’ll be in in a bit.”
He didn’t need to tell me twice. I hightailed it to the kitchen, my heart a little lighter for having averted disaster, our close-knit bond seemingly intact and unchanged.
And as I cuddled into the straight-from-the-shower, fresh-smelling man of my dreams on the couch, I convinced myself that what we had was toospecial to risk. I could never give up these moments of quiet comfort with my best friend. It would kill me to lose the friendship we’d spent a lifetime building.
It was finally time to put all romantic notions concerning Tripp Sullivan out of my mind.
All that was left to do now was figure out how.
Chapter 1
Tripp
Eight Years Later
Happy Birthday, Lucky! How’s it feel to be staring down the barrel of thirty?
Penny:You do know we’re the same age, right? *Unamused face emoji*
Ah, I’ve heard that the memory is the first thing to go when you get old. Since I’m a nice guy, I’ll kindly remind you that I’m twenty-eight, whereas you, darlin’, are twenty-nine, as of *checks watch* three hours ago.
Penny:Seriously? You’re going to nitpick over three months?
Sounds like it’s naptime over at the old folks’ home. *Smiling devil emoji*
Penny:You are literally the most annoying person I know.
Yeah, yeah. Keep tellin’ yourself that. You know you love me.
I held my breath as three dancing dots indicated she was typing her reply, silently praying she would respond by saying that she did love me.
A fool could dream, right?
Penny Atkins was my best friend, but I would gladly sell my soul to the Devil himself to be more than just friends. I couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment I fell for her; all I knew was that I couldn’t remember a time when I wasn’t head over heels in love with the pretty blonde I’d spent every waking minute with since we were both in diapers.
I’d pined for the girl practically my entire life, relishing the intimate—yet platonic—moments when I held her in my arms or we slept in the same bed. It was agony getting a taste of what would never truly be mine. Being the man in her life, knowing one day another would sweep in to take my place permanently.
But as much as it hurt to keep her close, the idea of losing her was paralyzing.
