Chapter 29
29
AIDEN
T he wind and pelting snow sliced across my cheeks, burning the exposed skin as we carefully made our way along the trail. The tightness in my chest had nothing to do with the below-freezing temperature. We didn’t expect the storm to shift south, so I doubted she packed anything warm enough for the sudden wintry weather. Though this was Alaska, and the weather was fickle. We could even experience all four seasons in a single day. It was that crazy.
Again and again, I called out her name, my desperate voice disappearing into the whipping wind. With every step, fear grew, making my stomach sink. Jubie trotted beside Miles, leaping and diving into the snow mounds, happy as a dog with that much fur could be in the snow. Which was why I snapped my attention her way, heart leaping with hope, when Jubie’s loud, alerting bark rumbled through the area and she darted past me. Miles and I exchanged a quick glance before taking off after her.
The air bit in my lungs with every breath, but I didn’t give a fuck about the discomfort as I followed Jubie’s tracks toward the small mountain lake at the trail’s end. Barely seeing the tip of her tail wagging above a large rock, I raced that way. Slapping a hot palm to the snow-covered stone to stop the momentum that would send me tumbling over the rock, I peered over to the opposite side.
“She’s here,” I bellowed over my shoulder, though I knew Miles was only a few feet behind me. Snow crunched under my boots as I rounded the boulder, allowing myself a second to check her for any obvious injuries. Aspen’s movements were sluggish as she batted Jubie’s swiping tongue away from her face.
Squatting low, I brushed wild, wind-tossed hair off her forehead and cursed at the icy feel of her skin. “Aspen, sweetheart, we’re here. We’ve got you.”
Cracked lips pulled up into a trembling smile as her dark eyes met mine. “Fucking finally.”
I huffed a laugh at her words and reached out to give Jubie a thankful head pat. “Ready to get out of here?”
“I’m not sure I can,” she said, voice trembling with the chatter of her teeth. “I’ve been sitting like this, turning into a human popsicle, for a while. I think my muscles are frozen this way.”
“I found her pack. Looks like a bear went through it.” I swiveled on the balls of my feet to inspect the bag Miles held up. “How did she not get mauled in the process?”
“Sacrificial lamb,” she muttered, snow-covered lashes fluttering closed.
“We need to get her warm now,” I barked, looping my arms behind her back and legs and hauling her against my chest as I stood. “Take her camera.” I inclined my head to the piece of equipment still cradled to her chest.
Carefully pulling her stiff fingers away, he tucked it into what was left of her pack, securing it all together before looping the still-functioning strap over his shoulder.
I eyed the way back down the mountain. “She won’t make it with as slow as we’ll need to go with the snow and one of us carrying her.”
Miles nodded in agreement, hazel eyes scanning our surroundings. “I studied the map while you were packing up the last of the supplies. We’re about a mile from an emergency shelter that Brandon built last year. That will get us out of the elements, and it has a wood-burning furnace for situations like this one. It’s closer than making our way down to the trailhead.”
I followed him with Aspen in my arms, Jubie trotting beside me, knowing he had the details covered. All I needed to do was stick close and step where he stepped.
I studied the shredded and tied pack swinging along Miles’ back. “Fuck, how did the bear not get her too?”
“Because she’s smart and probably left it out in the open while she hid.” Miles’s barked laugh echoed through the area. “That’s what she meant by sacrificial lamb. Funny girl. Though if she would’ve listened to me?—”
“We can discuss that later,” I yelled for him to hear me over the wind. “She’s fucking freezing to death in my arms, Miles. Get us to the shelter before we lose her for good.”
With a confirming grunt, he picked up his pace, every so often pulling out his compass and slightly adjusting course. “We’ll take turns carrying her while the other leads to ensure the path we’re walking is stable and not an ice shelf or something worse.”
“I’ve got her a little longer. You just get us there quick, brother.”
Despite our urgency and desperation to get Aspen somewhere warm, our pace was slow to make sure we all made it to the emergency shelter in one piece. Ice shelves up this high were a genuine concern and had injured or killed many hikers in the past.
When Miles estimated we were halfway, we switched responsibilities. He carefully seized Aspen from my arms, and I took the lead. When the small shed-type shelter came into view, my footsteps stumbled at the tsunami of relief that flooded through me. I wasn’t nearly as frozen as Aspen, but carrying her with her wet clothes seeping into my dry ones had dropped my body temperature, and I knew Miles was in the same boat.
Fingers wrapped around the thick wooden latch, I lifted the makeshift lock and jerked the door open. The inside was as basic as the outside. Rough wooden planks for a floor, unfinished walls exposing the insulation, an old-school furnace in the corner, and a few sealed tubs tucked in the back corner that I knew held several blankets.
Miles stepped in after me and squeezed around to the side, the shelter not giving us much room to move around. After making sure Jubie was okay—she was smiling while rolling around in the snow, so I took that as a yes—I closed the door to keep out the wind and swirling snow. When I turned, Miles placed a firm kiss to Aspen’s damp forehead and laid her trembling in my outstretched arms, then kneeled in front of the furnace.
After pulling open the small iron door, he peered inside. “There are a few scraps of wood in here.” Unbuckling his pack straps, he pulled it around and unzipped a side pocket, taking out a fire starter bundle and lighter. “I’ll get what’s inside started, then head out for more wood. Hopefully, I can find something not too wet.”
It only took a minute for him to get a flame going, the fire starter and old wood catching quickly. With a satisfied nod, Miles stood, dusting both hands on his waterproof trail pants, and turned, quickly surveying the shaking woman in my arms.
“We need to get her wet clothes off and her wrapped up in the dry blankets. It won’t take long for the fire to warm this small space.” Without a second look back, he pulled open the door and stepped out into the snowstorm. Jubie’s joyous barks sounded from the other side, followed by Miles’s voice calling her name.
“Is he mad?” Aspen asked, her teeth chattering, words slightly slurred. “At me?”
I shook my head and carefully lowered her to the worn floor. “He’s not mad, just very focused on that fire to get you warm. Let’s get these wet clothes off you.” Knowing her muscles were stiff from the cold, I carefully maneuvered the sweater and T-shirt over her head, leaving the dry sports bra on for now. My own fingers slightly numb, it took several tries to untie her hiking boots, but when I did, I cursed under my breath. “Fuck, Aspen, your socks are soaked through. I thought your boots were waterproof.”
Yanking both off, I tossed them aside and held up a single foot to assess the damage. A relieved breath brushed past my lips at finding her toes bright red and cold but no signs of frostbite. I made quick work of undoing her pants and tugging the damp material down her very pale legs.
“Let’s find those blankets and get you wrapped up. Can you scoot a little closer to the fire for me?” Without waiting for her response, I turned to the stack of tubs and ripped off the lid of the one on top. Coarse material bunched beneath my firm grasp as I hauled one blanket out, then another. “These aren’t soft but are no doubt effective.” Flapping one open, I wrapped it around her shoulders and helped her sit up to tuck the ends under her ass. I put the other one around her legs, securing the opening around her feet to keep out the chilly air.
The whole time, Aspen stayed quiet, watching me move about the space. Ripping off my coat, I hung it up on a loose nail and started draping her clothes over any available surface to help them dry.
“Aiden.”
Spinning on the balls of my feet, I faced the little Aspen burrito, fighting a grin at how cute she looked. “Yeah? You okay? Warming up?”
The blanket bobbed with her slight nod. “I’m sorry.” Tears welled in her lower lids. “I’m really, really sorry. I should’ve listened, but I thought…”
Forgetting the clothes, I moved to sit behind her, tugging her swaddled form between my legs and helping her lean back against my chest. Both arms wrapped tight around her, I rested my chin on her shoulder.
“You thought you could do the hike because you can, sweetheart.” Her body shook with a silent sob. “I’m not mad or frustrated or disappointed in you. Neither is Miles. But do you want to know what we are?” She shifted just enough to face me. “Fucking relieved. We didn’t know where you were or if you were hurt, and we freaked the hell out.”
She snorted. “Even Miles?”
I huffed and nodded. “Especially Miles. He almost killed us and a few unsuspecting pedestrians, driving like a maniac while we searched for you.”
Her bottom lip quivered, but this time, I knew it wasn’t because of the cold. “I should’ve left a note at your place or mine, but I really thought I’d be home before you were back.” A sliver of the earlier worry dissipated at her normal speech pattern, no more slurring from her numb lips.
“What happened? We found your pack ripped to shreds and everything in it.”
Panic filled her face, and she struggled against me. “My camera! I had it with me?—”
“It’s fine, sweetheart. We peeled it from your death grip and wrapped it up tight in your pack to keep it from getting damaged. You can check to make sure it’s all good once you’ve warmed up.”
With a reluctant nod, she relaxed against me and began explaining everything, from the time she left our place to when we showed up. My hold tightened, making her shift in discomfort, at the mention of Jasper. And to top it off, fucking Charles, and then the worst threat of them all: the bear.
“Pretty sure you described a teenage brown bear, Aspen.”
The door swung open, letting in a burst of icy wind and showering of snow before Miles kicked it shut behind him. He eyed us before stomping over to the stove and dropping the armful of wood onto the floor.
“You really think it was a brown bear?” she whispered, gaze locked on Miles, who stiffened at her words.
After shoving several thick limbs and branches into the fire, he shut the metal door and spun around to face us. “What did you just say?”
It wasn’t a question but more of a Did I hear you correctly? based on his stern tone.
“Um, that’s what Aiden thinks ripped into my pack. I only got a few glimpses of it before I hid.” A muscle along Miles’s jaw pulsed with how tight he clenched his teeth. “I was about to head back down because of the snow when he came around a boulder and blocked the trail. Instead of scaling the cliffs, which I knew I couldn’t do, I left my pack with the snacks and hid around another set of rocks.” Her lips tugged down. “What I didn’t expect was for part of the lake’s edge to be there, so my pants and boots got soaked while I waited for the bear to finish going through my stuff.”
“It could’ve been you,” Miles hissed. “That could’ve been you, Aspen.” He stood and paced from one side of the shelter to the other, which was about two of his long strides, before turning around and doing it again. “It’s why I wanted you to wait for us. Alaska differs from anywhere else. It’s wild and dangerous. Look at the weather today. No one expected this, and it almost killed you.”
I shot Miles a glare when Aspen shrank back against me.
He sighed and hung his head, looking utterly defeated. “Don’t you get it, baby girl?” He looked up through his lashes, allowing Aspen to see how absolutely wrecked he was. “You’re too precious to risk yourself like this. If anything happened to you—” His deep voice cracked. “I said what I said not to control you but because nothing would matter in life if something happened to you, if you were taken from us after we just found you.” He dropped to his knees, the shelter shaking with the impact, and cupped her cheeks between his large hands. “Living wouldn’t exist if you weren’t here with me, with us.”
Leaning forward, he sealed his lips to hers. A soft laugh escaped me when he pulled back and Aspen leaned forward, not wanting to break the connection.
“I’m relieved that you’re okay.” He arched a single dark brow. “But you’ll still get that punishment I promised.” At his dark chuckle, I tilted Aspen’s face my way to see what was so funny. A crimson blush stained her cheeks, which were deathly pale minutes earlier. He hummed and rubbed a hand over his thick dark beard. “I’m wondering if you came up here just so I would follow through.”
“And what was that?” I asked, brushing my thumb along her lower lip. “The punishment you promised.”
When no one responded, Miles hitched his chin at her. “Tell him, Aspen.”
“Taking both of you at the same time while he spanked me,” she whispered, breaths growing shallow and fast.
A slow smile pulled at the corners of my lips as I searched her face. “Is that so?” She nodded. “And would that be my cock fucking your perfect mouth and Miles stretching your tight cunt with his dick?”
Wet hair swung from side to side with her quick headshake, her cheeks darkening even more. Those wide brown eyes flicked to Miles, who waited like he had all the time in the world to allow her to explain.
“Or one of us in your pussy and the other filling your ass?” I mused, loving the way she squirmed against me. Aspen released a faint whimper and nodded. “Hmm, that sounds like a perfect punishment for you putting your life in danger. Though I’m disappointed to say, when we gathered all the supplies, I didn’t pack the lube.”
A frustrated groan escaped as her lids squeezed shut.
“I think she’s disappointed,” Miles said with a chuckle, the emotionless mask from earlier gone with his faint smirk.
“I know I fucking am,” I grumbled. “Just something to look forward to when we get home. Plus, we have to prep you to take us like that.” I leaned close and brushed my lips against her cheek. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. Prepping your ass is half the fun.”
Soft, most importantly, warm breaths brushed across my face. “I think I’m good now,” she said. “I’m kind of sweating after all this talk.”
“Not even close.” I shifted to face Miles as he stood and started for the door. “I’ll get more firewood just in case. Keep her warm any way you need to, Aiden.”
A barked laugh escaped at the smirk he shot over his shoulder before leaving the shelter. Pretty sure that was his way of telling me to get creative with warming our girl up.
Hell fucking yes.
Her ass brushed against my cock when she turned to look up at me through wet lashes. Keeping our gazes locked, I worked a hand beneath the blanket wrapped around her until my hot palm rested against the cool skin of her lower stomach, pausing just above her mound. Her lips parted with a gasp as my fingers splayed wide.
“Aspen, are you on birth control?” I whispered while tracing around her belly button.
“Yes, I use the shot kind. Why are you asking me? If it’s about condoms, I don’t mind?—”
“Do you want to be?” I watched her expression shift to confusion. “On birth control.”
She frowned. “What are you talking about, Aiden?”
“I’m talking about…” I swallowed to steady my shaking voice. This was the worst damn time to bring it up, but I had to know where she stood on the subject. After the family conversation with Miles in the truck, the fear of losing her pushed the urgency to know her thoughts about a family and kids to the forefront. “Do you want to be on birth control, or would you be open to letting it wear off someday in the future to see what happens?”
Her stomach tensed under my fingers, and I froze.
Damnit, me and my big-ass mouth. In my need for answers, for the hope of a family with this amazing woman, I’d pressed too hard and faced making her uncomfortable.
Before I could divert the conversation to a safer subject, she answered.
“I’m not sure what you’re asking me, Aiden.”
My gaze flicked between her dark eyes, finding open curiosity, not caution. I licked my lips and cleared my throat. “I’m asking if, in the future—not now, but someday—you would want a family. Do you see yourself having kids with someone like me? You mentioned wanting someone who wouldn’t hold you back and would let you live your life, and I—we—could be that for you.” Her jaw went slack as she stared up at me. “I’ve mentioned that I want a family, and I was wondering if you did, too, with the right people.”
Tense silence stretched between us. Worry swelled in my chest, making it hard to breathe under the pressure, until she spoke, silencing my anxious thoughts.
“Not right now while I’m figuring out life, but I want a family with someone who wouldn’t try to cage me into the mother role and nothing else. I know you and Miles wouldn’t do that to me. You’ve proven that over and over in just the past few days. I’ve never been against having kids, just the idea of that being my entire identity, giving up everything else to only be a mother.” She rolled her eyes. “You can guess why that’s a fear of mine after everything I’ve shared about my own mother.”
My smile grew wide, and a dull ache bloomed in my cheeks. “Really? You’re open to kids one day?”
She nodded, her own lips splitting into a grin.
“When I have my life more figured out, yeah. Like I said, it’s never been about not wanting a family. I’ve just never met someone, or two someones, who I could see myself doing it with. But then you and Miles barreled into my life, and…” Her smile turned soft. “The idea of making a family with you two sounds just about perfect, now that I think about it.”
A cheerful hum vibrated in my throat. Heart racing with the flood of excitement and desire her words created, I dipped my hand lower, fingers slipping beneath the top of her panties. “Hearing you say that is such a damn turn-on. The idea of you pregnant with my kid, or Miles’s.” My cock twitched against her backside. “I’m hard as fuck imagining your round belly and knowing we did that.” Lifting my hips, I ground against her. Her startled gasp turned into a guttural moan, making me harden even more. “How about we practice now?”
Aspen tracked my every move as I shifted to kneel in front of her. Hands on top of her bent knees, I gazed down at her flushed face, waiting for her answer.
“Practice,” she said breathlessly. “Practice to get me pregnant?”
“Fuck,” I groaned. “Yes. Letting me sink between your creamy thighs, fucking you so hard and coming inside you, then staying there, my dick stuffing you full, not allowing a single drop to escape.” With my free hand, I adjusted my dick so hopefully it wouldn’t have a zipper impression later. “And then do it again and again, pumping your pussy full of our cum.”
Brushing a single finger along her inner thigh, I pushed her panties aside to cup her shaved mound and slid a finger between her drenched slit. “Fuck, sweetheart. You’re soaked.” I held up the single glistening digit for her to see before slipping it between my lips. Her delicious flavor exploded on my tongue, making me groan as I sucked off every drop. “It seems like the thought turns you on too.”
“Of you and Miles,” she breathed. “Always. Of the pregnancy thing…” Her shoulders shook with a shiver that I knew had nothing to do with the temperature. “Never thought it would turn me on, but I want that, yes.” Keeping her gaze locked on me, she dropped her knees to the sides, pulling open the blanket and giving me an amazing view of the apex of her thighs.
My lips curled at the sliver of cloth keeping me from seeing all of her. Reaching out with both hands, I gripped the sides of the flimsy material and yanked. It stretched out, digging into her skin, her soft hiss barely reaching my ears, before the fabric snapped and fell to either side of her hips.
Eyes locked on her perfect pink pussy, I licked my lips, ready to devour her whole. The tiny taste from earlier only fanned the need burning inside me to have her flavor imprinted on my tongue. My gaze traveled up her stomach to her heaving chest.
“Take it off,” I growled, hitching my chin at the damn sports bra that kept me from seeing all of her beautiful body. Reaching down to the knife secured to my belt, I pulled it free and aimed the sharp tip between her heaving breasts. “Or I’ll cut it off.”
Her brows flicked up her forehead, a wild look flashing in her dark gaze. “Do it.”
“With pleasure,” I hummed. Careful not to nick her creamy skin, I ran the sharp edge along the tight fabric until the last few threads snapped free. The material slid along her tits and dropped to the side. “Much better,” I praised while pinching a peaked nipple between two fingers and giving it a hard tug.
Her lips parted, the gasp music to my ears.
“Now, back to the meal I was looking forward to.”
After securing the knife back in the leather sheath, I dropped to my stomach between her thighs. Using both thumbs, I spread her apart and leaned forward to lick her from hole to clit, sucking on the swollen bundle of nerves until her hips lifted off the ground.
“Stay still, sweetheart. The bit of pain I have in store for you is punishment for making us worry today.” I glanced up at her flushed face. “Don’t ever do that again, you hear me? I know you’re capable, and I love that you’re independent, but you’re not alone in this anymore, Aspen. I don’t think I could go through another day like today, worrying if my life was over just when the best chapter so far started.”
She opened her mouth, but I didn’t wait to hear her response. Instead, I sucked her between my lips once again, though this time, I grazed my teeth along the swollen flesh. Aspen cursed and shifted, attempting to wiggle away from the too-intense feeling. Gripping her hips, I held her down, keeping her in place as I sucked and nipped at her clit while licking up the sweet liquid from her entrance. Within minutes, her cries turned hysterical, switching between begging me to stop and pleading for more.
Right where I wanted her.
Absolutely desperate for me.
Without stopping the torture, I worked the buckle of my belt open and then quickly undid my pants, shoving one side down my hips before doing the same with the other. A cry of protest made me smirk as I sat back on the heels of my boots.
Aspen’s wide eyes followed my movements as I ripped the sweatshirt over my head, the small shed too fucking hot now to keep it on while I fucked her full of my cum. My fingers wrapped around my cock, tightening until the knuckles went white.
“You ready for me to fill you up, sweetheart? For me to fuck you so deep that you’ll feel every pulse of me exploding in your tight little cunt?”
She whimpered and nodded.
I hummed my approval while scanning down her flushed body, beyond happy that our time together not only made her so fucking desperate for me but warmed her up in the process. I crooked a finger, beckoning her to me.
A dark chuckle that would rival Miles’s vibrated in my chest as she scrambled to sit up and then kneeled in front of me. Her gaze was locked on my leaking cock, but I shook my head, gripping her chin when she attempted to lick off the stream of precum.
“That’s not for your mouth.” Taking handfuls of her round ass, I lifted her with ease and positioned her dripping core over my dick. Spreading her wide, I slipped my throbbing head into her pussy. Locking my gaze on her glassy one, I smirked. “Hold on to me, sweetheart. This will get rough.”
Then I brought her down hard while thrusting up into her. Her scream echoed in the tiny shelter, her pussy quivering around me as the orgasm I kept from her earlier shattered her. Rocking her back and forth with me balls deep, she whimpered, forehead on my shoulder as I drew out the aftershocks of the soul-altering orgasm I knew she just had.
Behind me, the door flew open. A glorious burst of cold air caressed my sweat-slicked back and fanned strands of Aspen’s hair around my face. Miles didn’t say a word as he moved about the small space, adding more wood to the fire and setting the rest aside for later. Outside, I heard Jubie’s playful barks and yips followed by the crunch of snow.
“Punishment?” Miles asked, stopping behind Aspen, gazing at her exposed ass.
A smile crept up my cheeks. “A little bit?—”
“He tortured me,” Aspen mumbled against my neck.
With a huff, I released my hold on one cheek and swatted it hard enough to sting. My lids slammed shut, and I groaned at the way her cunt tightened around my cock.
“Maybe we start the warm-up to the punishment she really deserves for today,” Miles mused.
“I think,” I rasped, the restraint to keep from pounding into her to find my own release making my voice tight, “that’s a great plan. But make sure you save everything for her hot pussy, brother. She wants us to fill her up. Both of us.”
He hummed his approval as he kneeled behind us. “Does she now?” He kissed along her spine, making Aspen wiggle and tighten around me. “Lift her up.”
With slow and controlled movements, I eased Aspen off my steel-hard cock until she hovered just over me, the heat from her pussy tempting me to push her down again. Miles’s fingers slipped between her thighs, dipping inside her. Aspen peeled her face off my shoulder and straightened enough to look down at where Miles’s two fingers filled her up.
“What are you doing?” she breathed.
“Getting you ready for a glimpse at your future punishment, baby girl.” He kissed her shoulder as he pulled his fingers free and slid them back out of our view. Aspen’s hooded lids flew open, her eyes wide. “Relax for me, baby girl, and I promise we’ll both make you feel so fucking good.” He glanced down to where I knew his fingers were working into her tight hole. “And fill you up so much that we’ll both be dripping out of you for days.”
Miles grunted a curse. “Fuck, you like the idea of that.” His gaze lifted to mine. “Your turn.”
With a shaky breath, I slowly lowered her back down, her hot pussy even tighter with Miles’s thick fingers firmly stuffing her other hole.
“Holy fuck,” I grunted, thrusting up into her. “Fuck, that’s tight.”
“Imagine how tight she’ll be when it’s my cock inside her and not just my fingers.”
I grunted in agreement, which was swallowed up by Aspen’s pleas for more. Sweat slicked my forehead and dripped down my temples as I pounded into her while simultaneously slamming her down onto my cock. Our harsh breaths mingled, desperate kisses sloppy as I spiraled higher and higher, totally consumed by the feeling of her, the moment, and the absolute fucking need to fill her.
My lids snapped open at the feel of skin against my lower stomach. Miles had snaked a hand around to settle between us. His eyes met mine, and a sinister smirk pulled at his lips. Whatever he did to Aspen had her screaming loud in my ear as her cunt strangled my cock. With a string of grunted curses, I thrust into her hard as my own orgasm ripped through me.
Thank fuck for teamwork, because Miles held on to Aspen as my muscles trembled from the mind-shattering orgasm and I almost dropped her. Soft murmurs sounded in my ears as he kissed and whispered along her shoulder, sweeping her hair away to press soft kisses on the back of her neck.
“Such a good girl,” he murmured into her ear.
She muttered something unintelligible before slumping forward and pressing her forehead to my shoulder. Miles shifted back and stood to rummage through his pack, pulling out a sanitizing wipe to clean his hands.
With careful movements to keep her safe and my cock from slipping free, I leaned forward until her back pressed to the life-saving blankets that were wrapped around her earlier. Palms pressed to the rough, wooden floor on either side of her head, I gazed down into her dark eyes.
And I knew.
Without a doubt, I was 100 percent in love with Aspen Carter.