11. Aspen
Chapter 11
Aspen
“ A re you going to Jimmy and Blaire’s house this weekend?”
I lean against the doorframe, a hopeless smile on my face. “Is that why you came over—to ask me a simple question you could have texted?”
“Yeah.” He grabs the door with one hand, pushing it open as he steps over my threshold. “That’s exactly why I came over.” The smirk threatening to appear on his lips says otherwise. “But there’s always other reasons I’d stop by.”
The tension between us is instantly thick, a low hum practically buzzing through the room. “Like?” I walk around the kitchen island and he follows me. I pull out two bottles of water, handing him one.
“Making sure you’re safe.” His fingers graze mine when he takes the bottle from me but first, they linger just a second longer than usual. “And that you’ve eaten something?” He questions me and I nod. “Good.” He winks, bringing the bottle of water to his lips and draining it in seconds. His hand dwarfs the size of the regular bottle. I glance down at the one in my hand for comparison and remember I struggled to stretch mine around just two of his fingers.
“What?” He cocks his head, a funny smile on his face.
“Nothing.” I start to turn away but he doesn’t let me.
“Why are you blushing, then?” He leans against the counter, his long legs outstretched in front of him. “Hey.” He pulls me closer to him until I’m between his legs, the intimate gesture not feeling weird or out of place between us. It’s something that should scare me, the way I so easily have fallen into a trusting relationship with a man I don’t really know… but it doesn’t, not with him. “I want you to feel comfortable sharing with me what’s on your mind, especially if it has something to do with us.”
Us.
My stomach flip-flops. He says it so effortlessly, but then I quickly remind myself we are pretending to be a couple. Sure, not behind closed doors, but it’s easy to cross the lines, mix the signals when the night before his tongue was inside me. My face grows even redder.
“I just noticed how big your hands are is all.”
“That was it?” He glances down at his hand. “Why’d you blush then?”
“You know why,” I say a little petulantly. “Because you have big fingers and it hurt when you—you know, last night.”
He chuckles. “Someone doesn’t like having to say naughty things, does she?” He tickles my side, making me squirm. “But you had no problem asking me to tell you what I was going to do with your panties,” he teases, making me laugh. “But…” His tenor changes slightly. “I like hearing you saying naughty things.” He runs his thumb back and forth over my jaw. “It does things to me.”
“Me too,” I confess, just above a whisper as we both lean in toward one another. I sigh, sinking into him just as our lips are about to touch when there’s a banging on my door. Startled, I jump back but Harvey only tightens his grasp on me.
“Expecting someone?”
“No.” I push away from him and tiptoe to the door, reaching up on my tiptoes to look through the peephole. I gasp and step back. “It’s Mr. Blake.” He knocks again, only this time louder.
“Do me a favor and let him in. I’m going to step back into your bedroom for a minute.” I’m about to protest when he reaches down and pulls his pant leg up, revealing a gun strapped to his calf. He pulls it free, checking the safety before nodding toward me.
I let out a long breath before slowly opening the door. “Good evening, Mr. Blake.” I try to sound casual but with just enough of a question in my voice. “What are you doing here?”
“I think you know exactly why I’m here,” he says, his hand shooting forward until it’s flat against my door. “It’s time we had a talk.”
“Ab-about what exactly?” I stumble backward slightly as he pushes into my apartment, closing the door behind him.
“You know”—he shakes his head with a calculated sounding laugh—“if I had known you were going to be this much trouble, I would have never given you the time of day.” He removes his suit coat, methodically folding it and hanging it over the back of my barstool. “Guess I should have stuck with the dumb but pretty ones, huh?”
“Trouble? Mr. Blake, I haven’t done anything to give you any trouble with all of this.” I shake my head in confusion but also fear. I don’t want him saying anything that will have Harvey asking deeper questions. “I agreed I would help you with this—this financial issue you’re having. But after that, it’s done, right? I can move on with my life and my career?” I know I probably sound beyond naive, the pathetic young woman begging and pleading as if that will make a difference to a narcissist like Connor Blake.
“No?” He lunges forward, grabbing my wrist and tugging me toward him. “You mean it’s just a coincidence that your ‘boyfriend’ so happens to be the man who owns Four Forces, the firm I just hired for my private security?”
“Yes! I had no idea you were hiring anyone for security, Mr. Blake. How would I?” He studies me, then releases my wrist. I grab it, rubbing at the red welt he left behind.
“I want it to be clear that I don’t believe you, but don’t you dare think that this will have any impact on the favor you owe me. Which brings me to why I’m here.” He grabs the barstool now and pulls it out a few feet so that he can take a seat on it.
My back is toward my bedroom but I don’t have to hear or see Harvey to know that he’s made his entrance. The evil snarl on Mr. Blake’s face quickly withers into a pathetic frown.
“And what is this favor exactly that you need from my girlfriend?” Harvey casually places his foot on the low bar of the other stool, leaning onto his knee as he levels his gaze at Connor.
“Afraid that’s none of your business.”
“I’m pretty damn confident it is my business when you walk into the apartment of the woman I love.” He pushes off with his foot and stands next to me, his arm snaking around my body as his hand settles against my waist. “And demand her time and attention. Well, you’ve got it, Connor, so whatever it is you need to say to her, you can say to me.”
My heart feels as if it’s trying to beat out of my chest. The anxiety that would normally be burning through my stomach right now has been replaced with adrenaline and excitement.
The woman I love.
The statement repeats over and over in my brain, followed by the reminder that this isn’t actually my life.
He stands up from the barstool, grabbing his suit coat and hastily pulling it on. “I don’t have to explain to you about NDAs and confidential company information, Mr. Ransom, now do I?” It’s clear he’s trying to send a message to Harvey.
“Call me crazy, but I can’t recall a single time when it was necessary for a CEO to come to the private residence of his senior security analyst for a favor. Sorry”—he smirks—“to discuss confidential company information.”
“The around-the-clock protection starts tomorrow, right?” Connor says after pulling open my front door. “Looks like you better get an early night.”
“Starts Monday actually,” Harvey adds. He freezes, the door halfway closed. His spine stiffens, anger radiating off him as he turns to look back at him. “We have a party tomorrow, can’t miss it.” Without another word, he slams the door behind him.
“That’s not good.”
“The around-the-clock thing? Don’t worry about it. We’re all working shifts. It won’t be just me.”
“Not that,” I say, shaking my head. “The fact that he just let you win like that and walked out. He never does that and I mean never, not even with the board of directors. He always gets his way.”
“Well.” Harvey releases my waist and steps back from me. “It’s a little late in life to finally learn the word no, but I think it’s about time he learns another valuable lesson; there are consequences to always getting your way.”
The second I look back at Harvey and see the relaxed confidence of a man whom I know will protect me, my shoulders relax and I let out a sigh of relief.
“Thank you, for being here.”
“You’re welcome.” He comes to stand right in front of me, and I tilt my head, looking up at him. “It’s late and you’re tired. But if that ever happens again, him coming by when I’m not here, don’t answer it.”
“I won’t.”
Please stay.
I want to beg him but he wasn’t hired to protect me. He was hired to do a job that I’m already interfering in by telling him about the planned financial fraud Connor has involved me in and his attempt to blackmail me.
“And if you are scared or can’t sleep, I’ll just be right next door. You can always call me if you can’t sleep.”
“Can you stay?” I finally ask.
“I can,” he says calmly, “but we both know that wouldn’t be a good idea.”
“Why not?”
He laughs, shaking his head and stepping away from me. “You’re something else, you know that? So sweet,” he mutters, his eyes lazily drifting down my body, “so disarmingly tempting.” He’s second-guessing his decision; I can see it written all over his face as he runs his hand along his jaw.
“What did you mean when you said a man like you? You said I wasn’t ready for a man like you.”
His eyes are heavy-lidded, his expression no longer laughing or smiling.
“Sleep well and I mean it. Call me if you can’t sleep.” He turns and grabs the door handle.
“Tell me,” I demand. He doesn’t flinch or hesitate.
“Because I’ve got a big cock and a voracious appetite, sweetheart.” He winks at me. “Good night, Aspen.”
I float back to my bedroom, falling back against the mattress. I stare up at the ceiling, Harvey’s crass words stirring something inside me. My body aches from the inside where his fingers were the night before. I close my eyes, sliding my hand down my body and up beneath my dress. My fingers dance across my panties, teasing me through them like he did. I try to touch myself the way that he did, teasing my clit in small circular motions but it only increases my frustration.
Giving up, I head to the shower. I try to distract myself with taking extra long, scrubbing every inch of my body, shaving, applying a hair mask and letting it marinate for twice the five-minute recommendation… but it’s no use.
My thoughts are consumed by him.
My body aches for his touch.
Aches for a release that only he can provide.
No amount of cold showers or self-pampering are going to take my mind off of the fact that I’m beyond turned on and frustrated to the highest degree.
I light a candle, turning the lights down and flipping my music app to a smooth jazz setting. I slide my silky robe around my freshly lotioned and naked body. I sink back into bed, allowing my hands to explore myself as I try to remember every single little breath, touch, kiss, and lick that Harvey’s mouth traced against my body.
My back arches, my legs thrash, and I struggle to find release. I open my robe, a thin sheen of sweat breaking across my forehead. I readjust myself, trying to will myself to relax as my hand begins to try and replicate the way he had me slick within seconds. After multiple close calls, I sit up with a huff and glance at the clock. The orange letters of my alarm clock glow brightly back at me: 11:28.
Finally, I give up, hanging my robe on my closet door, blowing out my candle, and climbing beneath the cold sheets that glide over my naked body. But no matter how many times I flip my pillow to the cold side or rearrange my body, I can’t relax.
I grab my phone, remembering that Harvey told me to call him if I can’t sleep. Instead, I type out a text to him, hoping that if his phone is on silent, he won’t even see it till the morning.
Me: Surprise. I can’t sleep.
I place the phone back onto the nightstand and lie down, but just as my head hits the pillow, my screen lights up. I bolt up, grabbing my phone, expecting to see a text, but it’s his name flashing across the phone.
“Hello?” I say sheepishly, suddenly feeling guilty in case I woke him up. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”
“You didn’t.” His voice is thick with sleep, gravelly and delicious, and I’m sure he’s lying. “Why can’t you sleep?” I hear what is probably him rearranging the pillows on his bed.
I get a sudden urge of confidence most likely brought on by the mostly dark room and complete lack of blood flow to my brain that has been currently redirected to the throbbing desire between my thighs.
“Did you—do that thing with my panties?” The phone goes completely silent and I worry that he’s going to be annoyed. Maybe what I thought was continued flirting tonight was just him letting me down easy. But then he groans.
“Fuck, that’s what you’re thinking about?”
“Yeah.” I almost don’t recognize my voice, it sounds so sultry.
“Fuck,” he groans again, “now why is an innocent little thing like you thinking about me stroking my cock?”
I don’t mean to but I let out a breathy moan, my hand sliding down between my thighs. “Tell me, please.”
“Yes,” he admits, “I did jerk off last night with your panties.”
“How was it?”
“Jesus.” His voice sounds strained. “It was good, fast.” I sigh and it gives me away. “Aspen, are you touching yourself?”
“Yes.” I roll onto my back, my legs falling open.
“Mmm, I like the thought of that. What are you wearing?”
“Nothing.”
“Is that why you called? Do you need me to talk you through it, baby?”
It’s like a flood of pure lust surges through me when he says that. The way baby drips from his lips for the second time tonight.
“I want to hear you…”
“What do you want to hear, Aspen? Tell me how I can get you there.”
“You jerking off.” My voice dips, my tone hushed.
“How’s your pussy? Are you dripping yet?” His voice is thick. “You’ve already got me rock-hard just hearing your voice,” he groans.
“Yes.”
“I want you throbbing and soaked on my tongue right now.”
“Tell me how you’re touching yourself,” I say. “What feels good?”
“I’m fisting my cock right now, wishing it was your tight little cunt gripping me.” My body clenches in excitement. “Goddamn, you milk me good.” His words stretch into groans. “If I had you in my bed right now, it would take both of your hands to wrap around me, gripping me, sliding up and down my length while you tease me with that tongue of yours.”
“More, please.”
“I’m not sure I could stop at that, though. I’m selfish.” He pants. “Greedy. I’d want more.”
“How much more?” My back arches from the bed as my fingers tease my clit.
“I want to watch my cock disappear inside you. I want to fill you so full, so fucking deep. Ohhh fuck, I’m close.” His breaths grow labored.
“Yes, yes, oh please.”
“With long, deep strokes. Goddamn, I’m close,” he says again, the agony in his voice as he approaches release pushing me toward mine. “I know your cunt is going to wreck me. So tight,” he groans, “so perfect.”
“Harvey.”
His name falls from my lips in a whispered groan just as my body finds release. I’m trembling, shaking, a bolt of what can only be described as white-hot ecstasy shoots from my head down to my toes.
“I’m gonna come, Aspen. Open your mouth for me and take it like a good girl.”
The sound of his animalistic growls and guttural groans is the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard. I blush into my pillow, covering my face once I’ve come down from my orgasm.
“Mmm,” he moans, “that was a helluva lot better than last night on my own.” I giggle and it makes him laugh. “I’m a mess over here. I need to clean up.”
“Thank you. Sorry I kept you up later.”
“Don’t ever fucking apologize for that. Good night, Aspen. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Oh shit, I completely forgot about the party at our friends’ house tomorrow. I’m sure this will amp up my embarrassment once I see the light of day in the morning.
“Right, forgot about that for a second.”
“I’ll give you a ride.”
“You don’t think that will seem weird—to our friends?”
The line goes silent for a few seconds.
“I don’t think so. Pretty sure they know we’re neighbors, right? Won’t seem that weird. But don’t worry, I won’t make things awkward or uncomfortable around them. As far as they know, it’s same old, same old, right?”
I could be wrong but it almost sounds like annoyance in his voice or maybe I’m just reading into it. It is late after all and the man is lying there cold and covered in… “Yeah, perfect. Thanks. Have a good night.”
“Good night.”