Chapter 8
8
AIDEN
T he steady vibrations radiating from the seat faded when I killed the Honda’s engine. Lifting the sweltering helmet off, I raked several fingers through my sweat-damp hair to push it out of my eyes, only for it to flop back in place immediately despite the effort. The rumble of another bike had me hooking the helmet on the handlebars and twisting to check over my shoulder, spotting Miles tearing along the path, speeding my way.
Normally, this would be a solo tour, since the bikers with us—currently off exploring the trails on their own—were experienced riders, and only two were in the group, but with the dangers lurking around Anchor Bay, Miles tagged along like Hudson advised. Leaning forward, I stared off into the distance, the beautiful scenery and snowcapped mountains still just as breathtaking as they were when we first arrived in Alaska five years ago.
Miles skidded to a stop beside me, dirt and rocks shooting out from beneath the tires before he killed his bike. I watched as he removed his helmet just like I did, wiping off the sweat dripping into his beard, and as I expected, that damn smirk was still on his face like it had been all morning.
“Fuck, you’ve got it bad,” I joked, knowing I wasn’t any different. Just those few hours yesterday with Aspen and I was borderline obsessed with the woman. Not in a creepy, make-a-skin-suit-out-of-her type of way, but more of a want-to-be-around-her-and-monopolize-all-her-time type of way. I eyed him as he checked his phone. “Did she write back after you sent the address?”
Without verbally responding, he tossed his phone my way before reaching for his water. I caught it mid-air and immediately flipped it around. With the screen already unlocked and on the text thread, I scrolled up to find the time stamp from earlier in the morning.
Me: Good morning. See you this afternoon.
Me: Let me know if you have any trouble with the address I sent.
Aspen: FML. I forgot how early the sun rises here in the summer.
Me: Sorry?
Aspen: Think any of the shops in town sell an eye mask or something? Another night of little sleep and no one will want to be near me. #grumpy
Me: I can ask one of the women at work if they can spare one. I’m sure they won’t mind.
Aspen: And I need coffee. Lots of coffee. Where should I go?
Me: The main building at the resort has breakfast and coffee. Or there’s a shop in town that roasts its own beans, Sips. At least that’s what Aiden says. It’s near Dave’s.
Aspen: Ohhh. Fellow coffee snob. Nice. I’ll stop by there on my way out.
Me: Out? Out where?
Aspen: Outdoors? I want to get some shots before meeting you and Aiden later.
Me: That’s not safe.
Aspen: I’ll pack my bear spray, Dad.
I chuckled at her response. Of course the bastard was already obsessing over her safety. Though with all the shit going on, I was glad he was thinking about it, since she wasn’t aware of the situation. I frowned at the phone as I continued to read Miles’s texts detailing all the safety provisions for going out alone, the gear and weapons he wanted her to pack, and the tracking device she thought he suggested as a joke.
It wasn’t.
“We need to tell her,” I said as I tossed the phone back to him. “I know we have nothing concrete yet, but I don’t like the idea of her going out alone unaware. She thinks all she has to worry about is the wildlife. If she knows what we suspect, then she’ll be on guard and be suspicious of strangers who approach her when we’re not around.”
Miles nodded. “Agreed.” Holding up his phone, he frowned at the screen. “Caroline hasn’t written me back. She knows I worry about her when she goes out alone.”
I huffed and shook my head, recalling all the arguments between those two about her feeling untouchable. Though she wasn’t technically a native to Alaska, having moved here with her family when she was a baby, she sure as hell knew the land like one. She took risks when they weren’t needed, always going out on her own, which drove Miles’s protective instincts crazy. He saw her as a sister to protect after her dad passed two years ago, and he took that role to the extreme.
“When we get back, we’ll talk to Hudson.” Until Brandon came back from Montana, Hudson was our point of contact for anything related to the case and Uplift. You’d think we would push back, considering a new guy was placed as the company’s temporary leader, but the guy was rock-solid, trustworthy, and knew what he was doing on the investigation front. “We could be overreacting. It hasn’t been that long since she left, and she’s just as capable of being out there on her own as we are. Though it is unlike her. Maybe she just isn’t reaching out because it’s a dangerous area and knew you would disapprove of where she went.”
But even as I said the words, I knew that wasn’t the case.
Caroline loved and respected both of us. Even though we weren’t huge fans of her going out alone, she would’ve at least shot a text or dropped a pin. Especially to Miles.
The growing roar of two bikes cut off our conversation as the riders came into view. They slowed to a stop beside Miles, shut off their engines, and pulled off their helmets. Forcing a smile, I hitched my chin in greeting.
“You two having fun?” I asked, pushing excitement into my tone. Usually, I loved these excursions, but today, all I wanted was to be back home, waiting for Aspen.
The one with her long blonde hair braided down her back wiped the sweat off her lips and downed half the water in her bottle. “Hell yes. Damn, I forgot how much fun it is to ride like this. The arenas and crowds are great, but this”—she gestured to the tall trees surrounding us—“is what made me fall in love with riding.”
“I’m starving,” the brunette one complained. “Did today include lunch or—” She looked between me and Miles, wiggling her brows. “—just eye candy?”
“For fuck’s sake,” the blonde grumbled. “Don’t mind her. She’s a shameless flirt.”
“Tell me I’m wrong. They’re hot as fuck and wouldn’t be a repeat who would get all clingy like they always do.”
I huffed. “Those are some high standards you have there.”
The woman shrugged with a smirk on her lips. “You don’t need a good guy to get good dick.”
“And on that note,” the blonde one cut in. “You mentioned there was a risky spot around here. Now that you know we can ride…” She trailed off, hope in her tone.
With a nod, thankful for the interruption from the other awkward and somewhat hilarious conversation, I tugged my helmet on. “If you’re up for it.” They each gave an excited shout. “Then, follow me.”
All four of our bikes started in unison. With a wicked smile pulling at my lips, I pressed the gas and took off down the trail, knowing our two clients for the day and Miles would follow. Even as the trees flew past me, the thrill of speeding down the uneven and dangerous path thrumming through my veins, my thoughts slipped to Aspen.
Imagining all the fun and deliciously dirty possibilities if she said yes to us.
* * *
Boot against the edge of the porch, I knocked it twice, dirt and rocks falling off with each thump, before repeating with the other. Beside me, Miles did the same, gaze scanning the narrow road that cut between the cottages. Leaning against a sturdy wooden post, I took in the small homestead-type town Brandon and his partners built for those of us who work for Uplift. Cabins of various sizes lined either side of the road that cut through the center of our village and led toward Anchor Bay.
At the opposite end from where our cabin was situated was the general store that Brandon’s wife and their other partner ran together. While Brandon focused on the Uplift business, Amy and Carl kept our community and all aspects of the nearly self-sufficient homestead running smoothly. In their store, they offered premade meals, grocery items, and personal products as needed. The food they sold was cooked with meat they hunted or caught and produce grown in the small greenhouses that dotted along the outer edge of our community.
Somewhere in the distance, a few dogs barked playfully, causing one of the farm animals Baylee raised to bellow their annoyance at the noise. Inhaling deeply, I held the crisp air in my lungs, savoring the scents of home. Our community wasn’t much, but what we lacked in material things, we made up for in love and support for one another. Most of us were veterans with many scars, inside and out.
Thinking of that had me turning my focus to Miles, who walked beside me on our way to Hudson and Calista’s cabin. The easy, relaxed smile slipped from my lips. He paused in front of their porch to brush off the fur clinging to his pants and arched a brow, questioning my sudden mood shift. He scanned my face, features falling as he stood tall and crossed both arms over his chest.
“Stop whatever you’re thinking about.”
The struggle was real, to force my lips upward into a somewhat convincing smile, which, of course, he saw right through to the guilt and regrets I wrestled with internally. “Just thinking about Brandon and Uplift, what he’s done for so many of us. What do you think we’d be doing, or where would we be if we hadn’t heard about Uplift and dropped everything to be a part of this place?”
Miles scratched at his beard and turned to scan the cabins like I just had, taking it all in. “We’d be unhappy and know we were missing something but wouldn’t know what.”
“Wow,” I mouthed.
“Well, I would. You’d be happy somewhere with a wife and two-point-five kids with a white picket fence and a dog that doesn’t shed or drool on everything.”
My stomach dropped despite his joking tone. He knew that was what I had wanted. What I thought would make me happy and whole until I had it with the wrong person and everything went to shit.
Including Miles’s life and future.
“Fuck that shit about a Doodle,” I huffed as we stomped up the steps. “You know I love Jubie.” I shook my head as I ran my fingers through my freshly showered locks. “And you know how that whole ‘dream life’ turned out for me when I gave it a go.” I raised a fist to bang on the door, freezing before my skin could make contact, suddenly remembering they had a young daughter who could be sleeping. I adjusted to rapping a single knuckle on the wood instead. “The whole wife-and-potential-family dream failed miserably,” I muttered, trying my damnedest to forget about those years of my life I’d never get back. Those years when I should’ve been with my best friend, protecting him, but instead, I had walked away and gained years of misery.
Muffled voices behind the closed door followed by the snap of the lock disengaging had me forcing an easygoing smile, hoping that would cover the turmoil of emotions still warring inside me. The second the door swung open wide, revealing Calista and Sam, Hudson and Calista’s adorable-as-hell daughter, who bulldozed her way past her mom, my strained smile morphed into a genuine one, and the lingering feelings from our conversation disappeared.
Stooping low, I scooped Sam up before she collided with my shins and suspended her high above my head. Her innocent and happy giggles filled the porch further, clearing all thoughts of my failures and regrets.
“Samantha,” Calista chastised from where she leaned against the doorframe with zero sternness in her tone. “Remember, you need to wait for Mommy before you run out the door.” She blew a raspberry, reminding me of Aspen doing the same a few times last night, and smiled at her daughter, who was now tucked safely against my chest. “Hey, Miles. Hey, Aiden. What’s going on?”
Turning my full attention back to Sam, I tossed her in the air again, desperate for more of her sweet smiles and laughter, too engrossed in the joy radiating off the tiny human to respond, knowing Miles could handle the adult conversation.
He shifted on his feet, the boards under his boots groaning with the move. “We’re looking for Hudson. Is he around? We haven’t seen him since yesterday’s meeting.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Calista shaking her head. “No. He and Oliver left this morning to look into a lead regarding the case. Is there something I can help you with?”
Miles’s dark hair glinted in the light with his slow headshake. “No, it’s about the case and Caroline. We haven’t heard from her.”
“Oh.” Calista stood straight, worry now lining her face. “I can try to reach Hudson, though he might be out of cell range. You two are welcome to hang around for a bit if he doesn’t pick up.” She turned her face to me, and a wide grin spread across her lips. “I’m sure Sam would love some time with her big friend.”
At that, Sam reached out, her tiny, slightly sticky palms sealing to either cheek. “Big friend. Play.”
“Wish we could, little bit,” I said, squishing my lips and mimicking a fish, which had her eyes lighting up and pushing my cheeks in even more. “But we have someone coming here in just a few who we need to meet up with. No playing today.” Her hands fell away, and she tucked them under her armpits in a cute pouting stance. “Though maybe we could come by later with Jubie?”
Sam’s eyes widened, and her thick blonde hair bounced with an enthusiastic nod. “Yes, big friend and Jubie.” She looked over to Miles, who gave her a two-finger wave. “Big friends and Jubie.”
“Seems like she’s warming up to you,” Calista said to Miles, who looked shocked by Sam’s words. “I knew she would. It just took some time, considering you’re fifteen times her size.”
“I’m not that big,” he grumbled, shoulders rounding as he squatted low, putting him at almost eye level with Sam, where I had set her down on the porch. “I can come too?”
She nodded and whirled around. “Big friends. Tea and cookies. Jubie and my dog Bacon.” Her voice trailed off as she hurried deep into their cabin, no doubt to prepare the make-believe tea and cookies for the playdate.
“We’ll come back later. Hopefully, we can talk with Hudson before teatime,” I said, running a hand through my hair. “Would it be okay if our friend came too?”
Miles whirled around to face me and mouthed a “What the fuck?”
“Is this friend like the last one, who you two still can’t shake?” Calista asked, biting her lower lip to conceal her growing smile.
I scoffed and waved her off. “No, absolutely not. Aspen is different. She’s… special,” I said with a confirming nod, more to myself than Calista.
“We just met her,” Miles griped while running a hand over his short dark hair in exasperation. I knew what that move meant, considering he did it a lot around me. What could I say? Sometimes I was a lot to handle.
“And you, my all-work-and-no-play friend, haven’t stopped smiling since you met her last night. Oh, and what about those texts this morning that you practically giggled over, hmm? When have you ever reread a text string over and over and?—”
“You’re basing the seriousness of this ‘friendship’”—she air-quoted the word for emphasis—“on him smiling and a text?”
I hooked a thumb in Miles’s direction with a nod. “Have you met the guy? Any type of communication with someone other than me is a signal that all systems are a go.”
“What, now I’m a damn rocket launch?” Miles snapped. “We met her yesterday?—”
“And fell in love immediately?—”
“Sure, she’s cool as hell?—”
“Plus, hot as hell,” I added, which awarded me a side-eye and smirk from Calista.
“But also leaving in a week,” he ground out around his clenched jaw.
The dude was tense as fuck. He needed this to work out with Aspen more than me.
“A lot can happen in a week,” Calista said behind her fingers, which attempted to hide her wide, knowing smile. “Well, if she’s still around later, bring her too. Though I’m not sure how Sam will react to sharing your attention.”
“Very true.” I chuckled. “Speaking of Aspen, we need to run. She should be here soon.”
Miles and I thanked her for her time and promised to return later before turning on our heels and clomping down the few steps to the short walkway that led to the road.
“What the fuck was that all about?” Miles groused beside me. “What were you thinking, inviting Aspen over to their place?”
“I was thinking of shoving you in the direction you’re already headed,” I stated over my shoulder. “I’m not saying we kidnap Aspen and keep her?—”
“That wasn’t a consideration, but now I’m concerned that you thought it might be on the list of possibilities. You know kidnapping is a crime, right?”
My lips curled into a smirk, and I shook my head in exasperation. “All I’m saying is to be open to the possibility that this could lead to more than a few fun nights.” Pausing, I turned to face my friend, whose brows were pulled in tight as he stared off into the distance. “She’s different. You’re different with her. That’s enough for me to want to push this further than what we’ve had before.”
“She won’t want that,” Miles said with a hard shake of his head. “Not with me, anyway. I have too many issues for a woman like her to want to be with long-term.”
My shoulders slouched and rounded forward, defeat sinking in. “Just give her a chance, please.” I’d fall on my knees where we stood in the middle of the damn road if it meant he’d actually open himself up to the idea of a real future with someone. The fucker was so closed off, I worried about him feeling he had to shoulder the weight of his past and residual pain all on his own. If anything, I wanted Aspen and us to work out because she was strong, resilient, and maybe, just fucking maybe, could be the one to help me save my friend from himself.
Miles’s lips pressed into a tight line as he rubbed at his jaw. “I won’t stop you if she’s who you want to pursue something more… permanent with. I’ll be okay.”
“And what if she wants us both?” I questioned. “For more than a few orgasms and checking a ménage off her bucket list.”
“You think it’s on her bucket list?” he asked, a slow smile peeking through, making his beard and cheeks bunch. “Or anyone’s, for that matter?”
“A wild ménage night is for sure on everyone who needs air to breathe bucket list.”
He nodded and wrapped a hand around the back of his neck, massaging away the tension as he stretched side to side. He parted his lips, ready to respond to our strange turn of conversation, but snapped them closed. Taking two steps, he moved to the edge of the road and scanned the area, clearly having heard something out of the ordinary. Before I could ask what was up, a bike with a familiar dark-headed beauty riding it rounded the corner from the road that led to Anchor Bay. Neither of us moved as she slowed to a stop, stepped off the bike, and took in the row of cabins with a look of wonder on her face.
Miles’s shoulders dropped, and his normally stiff posture softened. The woman he was denying he wanted for more than a good time was yards away, yet she still had an instant calming effect on him in all the ways that mattered.
“Just keep an open mind,” I mumbled, starting in the direction from where Aspen hadn’t moved.
With his confirming nod, we strolled down the road, acting like we weren’t speed-walking just to get to her as quickly as possible. My heart raced in my chest with excitement and anticipation of finding out her thoughts on her and Miles’s conversation the night before about us sharing her.
I had a feeling Aspen would be the one to shake us out of our rut, that she was everything we never knew we needed to not only survive but live. Though it didn’t matter what I thought and felt—those two had to jump on board too. And I only had six days to convince her and Miles that this, us, could be the happily ever after we’d all been looking for.