Chapter 20
“Thankfully, there was something about them that made me question the experience they’d put on their booking form, so I started them at the Sugar Bowls since it’s the most beginner friendly. It was so bad, dude,” Kyle groaned as he brought Aspen up to speed on the day’s misadventures. “Total noobs. Like, shouldn’t even be allowed near a blue levels of skill. So, anyway, I tracked them from a distance like we always do for safety, and once they managed to make it to the bottom, I picked them up and took their asses back to the airport.”
“Good.” Aspen ruffled a hand through her drying hair and stared out the window of her office at the fine, champagne bubble textured snow drifting through the air. The clients were lucky Kyle had been the one piloting the charter because, if it’d been her, she’d have totally lost her cool and ripped them a new one. She understood the appeal of bagging peaks and knew that there were people who banked that shit like currency, but it should never come at the risk of someone’s safety.
“They’re pissed and demanding a refund since they didn’t get their full charter.”
Aspen shrugged. “They can demand all they want. They lied on their contract and put the safety of my equipment and the pilot in jeopardy. I’ll fill my lawyer in on Monday in case they actually decide to purse it and weren’t just blowing off steam, but they won’t be getting a dime. Thanks for the head’s up. I’ll deal with the fuckery on Monday. And I’ll cover the tip you got stiffed for today.”
“You don’t have to—”
“I do. And I will,” Aspen cut him off. “Seriously, man. Thanks for covering for me this weekend.”
“Dude, any time. This beats the fuck out of Excel spreadsheets and tax law.”
Aspen snorted. “Hey, it’s not my fault you decided to lean on that accounting degree when you retired.”
“Yeah, well, not all of us have trusts we can raid to buy a sweet EcoStar and fly for fun,” her old co-pilot retorted.
“Well, lucky for you, I do, and I did, so you can jump in the cockpit anytime you want.”
“I will totally be taking you up on that.”
“Good.” Aspen turned toward the hall at the sound of Eve calling her name from the bedroom, and checked the time on her watch. “Shit.” She still needed to finish getting dressed, and they had to leave in twenty minutes to get to the gala. “I gotta go.”
“Yep, sounds good,” Kyle replied easily . “Catch ya later.”
Aspen dropped her phone into the front pocket of her slacks as she hurried across the landing to the bedroom. She stumbled over nothing when she saw Eve wandering out of the closet with her hair twisted up into an elegant chignon wearing nothing but a towel. Her hands were up by her shoulders to keep the dresses draped from the wooden hangers that were hooked on her fingers from dragging on the ground, and she had the most adorably perplexed expression on her face.
Aspen cleared her throat softly as their eyes locked. “Did you call me?”
Eve nodded and held up the dresses. “Which one do you think would be better? When I packed, I was thinking this one”—she held up a stunning little emerald green number with a plunging neckline that looked borderline indecent—“but this one”—she twitched the hanger holding a sleek black gown that was lovely but would blend into the background—“is more in line with what one expects for a black-tie event.”
Aspen hummed and crossed to where Eve was standing to inspect the dresses. Her instinct was to tell Eve to go for the green one—the color would pair beautifully with her pale skin and strawberry blonde hair, and she very much wanted to see the way it’d emphasize her gorgeous breasts—but she could understand where Eve was coming from in considering the more conservative option. Even though they hadn’t heard from the Morrisons, it was a given that they were not happy about Eve blowing off dinner the night before, and if bending the knee just a little to tradition helped smooth things over, maybe it wasn’t a bad idea?
“They’re both lovely,” she said as she rubbed the skirt of the emerald green dress between her fingers. It was even softer and silkier than it looked, and her stomach fluttered as she imagined the way it’d flow like water around Eve’s thighs as she walked. “But they are very different vibes. Which one do you like better?”
Eve huffed a little laugh and rested her hands against her shoulders. “Which dress, or which vibe?”
“Either.” Aspen let her hand fall from the dress to Eve’s hip. “Both.” She caressed Eve’s hip through the soft, fluffy towel. When Eve didn’t respond, she explained, “I’m trying to understand what you’re thinking before I weigh in.”
Eve sighed and lifted the dresses back out in front of herself to look at them. “I’m thinking that I want to wear this one”—she gazed longingly at the green dress for a handful of heartbeats before hefting the black one a tad higher—“but that this one is safer.”
Aspen bit her lip as she watched Eve stare resignedly at the black dress. It was safer. And she had no doubt that Eve would wear the shit out of it, but her heart broke at the idea of watching Eve twist herself into a shape that her parents might approve of. She stepped between the dresses to brush a tender kiss across Eve’s forehead. “I want you to wear whatever makes you feel the most beautiful.”
“They won’t like the green one.”
“Oh, beautiful girl…” Aspen pulled Eve into her arms and held her tightly. “I mean this in the most respectful way possible, but fuck them and their opinions with a gigantic cactus.”
Eve snorted and buried her face in the crook of Aspen’s neck. “That doesn’t sound very respectful.”
“Yeah, well…” Aspen let her voice trail off as she leaned her cheek against the crown of Eve’s head and dragged her right hand along Eve’s back to trace the line where Eve’s towel cut across her shoulder blades. “I think you would look incredible in both dresses,” she said as she drew a string of spiraling circles up Eve’s spine to the nape of her neck, “but if my vote means anything, I would really like to see you in the green one.”
Her heart soared at the feeling of Eve’s lips bowing into a smile against her throat. “Your vote counts more than anyone’s.”
“Except yours,” Aspen said, needing Eve to understand that she would never ask her to change herself in any way just to try to make her happy. “What do you want to wear?”
She was heartened by the way Eve hesitated for only the briefest of moments before answering, “I want to wear the green one.”
She smiled and kissed Eve’s forehead. “All right.” She took the hanger with the black dress from Eve’s hand and tossed it onto the bed. “Green, it is.” She slipped the jewel-toned gown from its hanger and draped it much more carefully across the edge of the duvet so it wouldn’t wrinkle, and waggled her eyebrows at Eve as she turned back to her. “Now for the most important part…”
“Oh?” Eve hooked a finger through one of Aspen’s belt loops to draw her closer. “And what’s that?”
Aspen’s heart leapt at Eve’s playfulness. Eve had been quiet ever since their hike, and it was so nice to see some of her spark return.
“Well, you see—” She dragged her hands up Eve’s sides and nuzzled her cheek as she dipped a finger beneath the towel wrapped across her chest. She ran her tongue over Eve’s lips as she lightly caressed the tops of her breasts, and smiled at the way her lashes fluttered as she lifted her chest toward her hand.
God, I could do this forever , she thought as she drank in the way Eve’s cheeks pinked and her mouth fell open with a sharp, silent breath.
“What do I see?” Eve wrapped a hand around the back of Aspen’s neck to hold her close.
Aspen ignored the arousal that rippled low in her belly and kissed Eve softly as she angled her hand to curl her finger around the seam of the towel nestled in Eve’s cleavage. “That we need to get you out of this,” she murmured as she deftly untwisted the towel and sent it fluttering to the floor. “So you can get dressed.”
She tracked its fall with her eyes, and although she knew they didn’t have time right now to follow through with this little tease she’d begun, she couldn’t resist dragging the backs of her fingers around the full, perfect shape of Eve’s breasts. A rush of arousal flooded her boxers when Eve swayed into her with a whimper, chest thrust forward pleadingly with pert, stiff nipples that begged to be touched, stroked, and sucked, and she groaned against Eve’s lips as she palmed her breasts and rolled them firmly beneath her hands. “Fuck, we do not have time for this.”
Eve laughed softly and made no effort to pull away. “You’re the one who started it.”
“Oh? So do you want me to stop?” Aspen teased, knowing that they actually did need to stop but reluctant to surrender this golden moment of joy quite yet.
Eve clearly felt the same, as she immediately replied, “’Not at all,” and pressed onto her toes to capture Aspen’s lips in a slow, deep kiss.
Aspen moaned into the kiss as Eve’s free hand lifted to clutch at the open edge of her collar, and shifted her grip to thumb Eve’s nipples in time with their languidly stroking tongues. While she wished she could feel the silky softness of Eve’s skin against her own, there was something about being dressed when Eve wasn’t that was equally exciting, and she raked the tip of her tongue across the roof of Eve’s mouth as she let her left hand drift down the curve of Eve’s ribs and over her hip to grab her ass and pull her closer. Her pulse spiked at the taste of Eve’s sharp gasp of pleasure, and she fondled her ass as she slanted her head to deepen their connection.
They absolutely did not have time for this, but that didn’t stop them from falling into another endless string of hot, deep, underwear-ruining, absolutely perfect kisses that made her toes curl.
“Jesus, Eve,” Aspen whimpered against Eve’s mouth as she struggled against the urge to push her back onto the bed and ravage her. “We really do need to go soon.”
“I know,” Eve murmured as she chased after Aspen’s lips. “But we can do this a little longer.”
Aspen choked on a laugh. “Baby, if we do this much longer, we will not be leaving this bedroom for at least the next twelve hours.”
“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea…”
“It really doesn’t. But we probably shouldn’t skip two nights in a row. And, besides, we told Lyds, Kit, and Jack that we’d sit with them tonight.” Aspen caressed Eve’s behind as she kissed away her little pout. “You need to get dressed.”
Eve purred and rubbed herself against Aspen “You need to stop touching me.”
“I’m gonna need a little help with that,” Aspen admitted as she nosed after Eve’s lips. “I am so fucking turned on right now.”
“God, Aspen,” Eve groaned as her hips bucked needfully. “That’s not helping.”
“It’s really not,” Aspen concurred, surrendering her quest for another kiss with a sigh as she dropped her forehead to Eve’s. “I’m sorry.”
Eve hummed and gazed up at Aspen with a warm smile. “I’m not.” A flicker of something shadowed her eyes for the briefest of moments, but it was gone so quickly that Aspen couldn’t even begin to decipher what it might have been, and Eve’s smile dimmed by a fraction as she dragged her hand from Aspen’s collar to run a tender thumb over her lips. “I am so glad I met you.”
Aspen’s chest tightened at the emotion that thickened Eve’s voice, and she cradled Eve against her as she whispered just as ardently, “I am so glad I met you.”