Pulled Away (Away #2)

1. Chapter 1

Chapter one

Aspen

B lowing out a deep breath, I arch my spine and take a mental inventory of all my aches and pains. A fiery ball of pain lodged in my back—sounds about right. Throbbing knees that would, under normal circumstances, call for arthritis medication—check. Fingers that would happily stay curled into claws—absolutely freaking check.

Scrubbing years’ worth of dirt off of wired cage doors is backbreaking work. But at least I made progress, and despite being so tired, I’m beaming. Underneath all the dirt and grime, the cages are in a much better condition than I first thought. Small mercies, right? Scrubbing rows and rows of cages as opposed to having to fork out a fortune for new ones.

Once I’m done, I lock the door behind me, my muscles quivering as I drag my feet to the main building. My feet might be dragging, but my lips are smiling. This still feels surreal. The list of things to do is endless, but every time I tick something off my to-do list, it’s a tiny step forward.

I enter the main building and pause, taking in the room. It doesn’t look like anything, just a room with four walls, empty and silent, but the vision I have for it is so clear in my head. The reception area will be the heart of everything. The first stop for people who want a companion to complete their families, whether it be a cat or a dog. It has to radiate warmth, inviting people inside—a place that puts people at ease. Because the more at ease they are, the more likely it will be that an animal will have a second chance at a forever home.

I had finished my undergraduate degree and was in my first year at Tufts for veterinary science when Mom received the news that would change our lives. Cancer. And it was aggressive. She fought it and gave it everything she had, and I was beside her every step of the way. But there comes a point when you realize that not every fight ends up with a win.

She reached that point before I did. I lived in denial until I couldn’t close my eyes to the truth anymore. Accepting it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do, and it led to the biggest fight we’d ever had.

There were only the two of us left, and I refused to let her spend her remaining days in an unfamiliar place with strangers taking care of her, so I took a leave of absence from college. I wanted her to be surrounded by memories of happier times. Times when Dad was still alive and our family was whole. It seemed logical to me, but she protested this vehemently, her worry for me, as always, paramount. I did it anyway, and in the end, it was the right decision. Her last smile was one I hadn’t seen since Dad had passed away from a heart attack five years before. It was a smile that told me she was happy to be seeing him again. And even though my heart was breaking, I felt a sense of peace, knowing that they would be reunited.

Do I know what the afterlife looks like? No, but imagining them happy and together made the grief easier to bear.

On the bad nights, nights when my heart ached from missing both of them, I closed my eyes and imagined Dad waiting for her beside her bed. I imagined him wrapping his arms around her, whispering her name while pressing his lips against hers. And then, once her final breath left her body, taking her hand and leading her toward the next stage of their journey. It made me feel better. Sad, but better.

During those days between her death and her funeral, I felt lost. While taking care of Mom, I had given no thought to what came next. My future loomed uncertain in front of me and going back to Tufts was simply not an option. At least not yet. There was no money left. And even if I had the money, I wasn’t sure I wanted to. Grief had cut my lifeline, leaving me adrift.

Julia came for Mom’s funeral. They had been friends since college, and even though they had different lives in different towns, they had stayed in each other’s lives. She was a major influence in why I wanted to become a vet, and she made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. Move to Westhill and work for her at her animal hospital, while I decide what I want to do. I had nothing keeping me in Boston, so after I settled everything, I packed up my car and made the four-hour drive.

Then one day, Julia mentioned this property, and it had me curious. I made an appointment to see it, and my reaction to it is difficult to explain. The best I can explain is that it was this “knowing.” Knowing that this was what I was supposed to do. My tiny contribution to offset some of the evil humans are capable of.

The woman who had owned it had died years ago, and her son, who had no interest in continuing her legacy, had allowed time to do a number on it. All he was interested in was selling it as quickly as possible. Surprisingly, no investor had snapped it up, but my best guess was that despite its size, it was too far out of town to garner any interest.

Not many people were in the market to buy an animal rescue, so it lay abandoned for years. When I put an offer in, he jumped on it even though it was below his asking price.

It was a win-win for both of us, although on bad days, days when I stressed about where I’d find the money to fix or replace the growing list of things that needed fixing or replacing, it didn’t feel like a win to me.

But today is a good day. It might be rundown and neglected, but it is mine, and with a lot of hard work and love, I’d get there. Eventually.

I’m in the room I designated as the break room, packing away the cleaning supplies, when a car door slams outside. All I want is a greasy burger and fries, a scalding bath, and then my bed for some glorious sleep. Grabbing my phone, I check the time. A shiver of unease travels down my spine. It’s after eight and dark outside, and I’m not expecting anyone.

“Hey, baby.”

All my unease evaporates, and a smile takes over my face when Ryan walks into the room. My stomach flutters when I take him in. With his backward cap—his hair curling around the edges—his shorts and tank top, he looks like a cocky shit, but there’s nothing about Ryan that’s cocky. He’s the most down-to-earth person I know. But even if he was cocky, he’d be my cocky shit.

“Hey. What are you doing here? I thought you were with the guys tonight.”

Every month, Ryan and his friends get together to do whatever strikes their fancy. Sometimes it’s poker, sometimes basketball, and sometimes it’s beers and shooting the shit. We girls get together for book club, or a night out. Whatever we decide on, it always includes a general catch-up session, drinks in some form, and of course, gossip.

I bowed out tonight so I could get some work done.

“I ducked out early.” He wraps his arms around me and pulls me against him, pressing a soft kiss against my lips. “I missed you.”

“You saw me this morning,” I whisper, reaching up and winding my arms around his neck.

“That was hours ago.” He leans forward and gently nips my lip. “And the house is empty without you.”

“I’m dirty, and I smell.”

His lips travel down my neck, and I’m helpless against the shivers running down my neck and shoulders.

“I love it when you’re dirty.” He grins, and it’s slow and lazy, his eyes filled with simmering heat.

My heart skips a beat, and all my aches and pains evaporate at the hardness of his body pressed against mine and the throatiness of his voice.

“You’re using your sex voice,” I gasp when his hands move down and squeeze my ass.

“Is it working?” He peers at me, the desire on his face making my knees weak.

Instead of answering, I show him, pulling his head closer and sealing my lips against his. I could get lost in this man, in his touch, his smell, his taste. He groans and deepens the kiss, his tongue tangling with mine. His hands—that’s currently unzipping my jeans shorts—freezes when my stomach lets out a loud grumble. He pulls his head back, looking almost confused, and a laugh slips out of me.

“Sorry. I’m hungry.”

He takes a step back, and immediately I miss his warmth. “You haven’t eaten yet?”

“No, I came straight from work.”

He reaches out and cups my cheek. “You should have messaged. I would have brought you something.”

“I didn’t want to interrupt your guys’ night.”

“Aspen,” he says, his voice an admonishment and his expression serious. Instead of annoying me, it makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I often forget to eat, and he never hesitates to call me on it. I’ll never stop being thankful for the way he cares about me.

“Don’t Aspen me. You’re not my daddy.” My words are meant to tease, to lighten the moment, but the feeling that settles in my stomach feels anything but light.

“If I was your daddy, I would spank that sexy ass of yours.” His voice is a soft murmur, but his eyes darken, a sensuous weight settling in them. “I bet that would get your pussy dripping for me.”

“Yeah?” I ask, a bit breathless. I love it when Ryan talks dirty, but his eyes are telling me this is more than just talk. Fuck. Never in my wildest dreams did I think the thought of a spanking would turn me on like this.

“Yeah.” The low rasp of his voice lets me know that I’m not the only one turned on by the thought. “But first, we need to feed you.”

Sighing in contentment, I lean my head back on the edge of the hot tub and soak in the peace and quiet. We’re heading towards fall—my favorite time of the year—and there’s a slight chill in the air, but for now the sky is clear, the stars silent sentinels bearing witness to our hopes and dreams. Lazy tendrils of steam drift from the gently bubbling water, merging with the cool night air.

I groan with pleasure when Ryan’s clever fingers find a tender spot on the arch of my foot. The way his fingers knead and massage is almost hypnotic, and my eyes are threatening to slip shut. I inhaled the burger and fries he bought on the way home, and between my full stomach, Ryan’s fingers, and the heat of the hot tub, I’m boneless with contentment.

“Thank you.” My voice is soft, mingling and dissipating with the steam rising from the tub. I’m almost scared to speak; scared to break this spell I’m under.

“For what?”

“For everything. Without you, none of this would be possible.”

And it’s true. He’s the one that’s constantly encouraging me to follow my dreams. About six months into our relationship, he asked me to move in with him. I thought it was too soon, but he argued that when you know, you know.

So why waste time?

It took a bit of time, but he wore me down. If I have to be honest, most of my protests were for show, because I was head over heels for him, and that’s when we had our first proper fight. He refused to let me contribute towards our living expenses. I had just bought the abandoned animal rescue, and it was slowly dawning on me just how much it would cost to fix it up. The money I received from Mom’s estate was enough to cover the purchase of the property with a little left over. But even though I didn’t have a mortgage, there were still costs every month, as well as a lot that needed to be repaired or replaced, and I knew that whatever was left over would be quickly swallowed. While working as a veterinary technologist, and studying part-time to complete my bachelor’s, I wasn’t earning a boatload of money, so everything had to be done in bits and pieces.

Ryan calmly pointed out that he didn’t need me to contribute and the money I saved living with him, I could spend fixing the rescue. It was a bitter pill for my pride to swallow, and when I said I didn’t need his charity, he exploded. He said it’s not charity to do things to help the people you love. We eventually came to a compromise. I contributed to our grocery bill every month and every spare cent I had left over went towards my studies and the rescue.

That’s why when his birthday came around, I bought him this hot tub. He’s always wanted one, but it was far down on his list of priorities. When he saw it installed on the deck, it had taken him a minute or two before he could speak.

“You shouldn’t have spent so much money on me,” he had said, his voice chiding.

I just shrugged, a smile playing on my lips. Despite his words, his eyes couldn’t lie, and that night, he repeatedly showed me how much he appreciated it. We christened the hot tub thoroughly.

His eyes soften and he smiles that lopsided smile I love so much.

“You don’t have to thank me.”

I pull my leg from his lap and make my way over to him, straddling him. We’re both naked, and the feel of him pressed against me warms me more than the water does.

“How did I get so lucky?” Burrowing my fingers into his sandy blond hair, I peer into his eyes. Leaning closer, I rub my nose against his, taking a deep breath. He smells like home.

My lips have a mind of their own. They trail over his cheek until I’m breathing in his ear, before pulling his earlobe between my teeth. My lips tip in a smile at his shiver.

“I’m the lucky one,” he murmurs, his voice husky.

Sitting up, I trail my eyes over his face, taking in his sharp cheekbones, strong nose, square jaw, and then my favorite feature, his brown eyes I often find myself getting lost in.

“I think we’ll have to agree to disagree with that.” Bending forward again, I take his mouth in a long, slow kiss. His lips part as he deepens the kiss, his tongue chasing and tangling with mine. I’ll never get enough of his warm breath on my lips, of the way he tastes, or how his hands restlessly roam my body as if he’s trying to touch me everywhere all at once. Aching for him, I push up slightly and it’s the only invitation he needs, positioning his cock to where it needs to be. We both groan when I slide down on him, and I shiver from the way he stretches me.

“Remind me to thank Rose when we see her again,” I gasp, rotating my hips.

He half groans, half laughs. “I don’t want to talk about my sister right now.”

“I suppose not. Not while I’m riding your cock.”

He grunts, his head falling back, his eyes half-mast while staring at my breasts that are bobbing in the water with my movements.

“It’s a beautiful cock. The best one I’ve ever seen,” I tease.

“The only one you’ll ever see again.” His voice is a growl, his eyes a little wild. Sitting up, he punctuates his statement with an extra hard thrust that makes a puff of air leave my mouth and my toes curl. Tangling a hand in my hair, he wraps his other arm around my waist, keeping me still while he pounds into me. All I can do is wrap my arms around his shoulders and hang on for the ride.