16. Aspen
With Lily finally asleep, I tiptoe out of her bedroom and into the hallway of the second floor for the dozenth time today. My heart stops as I hear Flint’s voice below. Slowly, cautiously, I edge toward the railing and peer over to see what’s going on for the first time since hearing the dreaded words from the main floor earlier.
“I’m Cousin Raya! Gimme a hug! I’m finally here to see my little Lily!”
It was a blessing and a curse that we were still upstairs when Raya and her companion arrived earlier. I had just stepped out of Lily’s room, when the voices floated up to me from the foyer. I’d heard the doorbell but had thought nothing of it until venturing into the hall.
My maternal instincts kicked in immediately, and I ushered Lily back into the bedroom, my heart in my throat as she stared at me questioningly.
“Aren’t we going for ice cream, Aspen?” Lily asked as I closed the door, silently willing her to keep her voice down. And it had been all downhill from there.
For the rest of the day, I kept the little girl distracted as I waited for someone, anyone, to tell me what was going on.
I’d got through to Flint, and knowing that he was coming home had given me some comfort, but several times, I’d heard the voices downstairs getting louder, almost to violent proportions, and I feared for Caden and Pike, whom I’d finally reached about five minutes after speaking with Flint.
They can take care of themselves. I need to take care of Lily.
Intuitively and instinctively, I did exactly that, keeping the child upstairs and out of harm’s way—whatever the trouble was brewing below. I can cut the tension with a knife even now, although the sugar-voiced Raya seems to have left the house.
I glance back at the ajar bedroom door, ensuring that Lily is down for her nap as I listen to the men talking below.
“Why did you let it get this far?” Flint demands. “I know I told you I wanted to get answers, but you should have used your judgment! I didn’t realize it was getting so hostile!”
“I wanted to force her out, but this one wouldn’t let me,” Caden says.
I shake my head, imagining what would have happened if they had resorted to a physical altercation.
“With Lily right upstairs? You wanted to get into a goddamn fight with that punk?” Pike yells. It’s the first time I’ve ever heard him raise his voice, and it chills me to my core. “I told you, I’m sure he was armed.”
I strain forward to get a better look at them in the foyer, but my vision is limited if I don’t want them to see me.
“He wasn’t. That little shit can’t find his ass with both hands,” Caden retorts, his voice just as harsh.
I purse my lips and settle back, wringing my hands nervously.
“Stop it! Both of you!” Flint interjects. “I can’t believe I can’t leave you two alone for a few hours without this place falling to pieces?—”
“That’s just it, though, isn’t it?” Pike whiplashes. “You’re always gone. You’re not here. I’m the one left to keep everything together.”
Someone stomps away, and again, I crane my neck to look, but I can see little other than Caden’s head.
“You?!” Caden remarks. “What am I? Invisible?”
“You’re too busy racing bikes or parasailing or whatever bullshit you’re up to these days!” Pike fires back. “I’m the only responsible one in this house, the only consistent one. I should have been the one who adopted Lily.”
A dead silence falls between them, and goosebumps erupt all over my body.
“What?” Flint finally breaks the quiet, his single-worded question packing a punch that even I can feel from where I’m standing.
“Never mind,” Pike mutters.
“No. You said it. It’s obviously been grinding on you. Now spit it out,” Caden barks.
Pike glares at Flint. “You’re never here. It makes little sense that you’re the one who’s responsible for Lily’s adoption. Don’t tell me you haven’t thought the same thing.”
“This is about Lily’s security!” Flint storms, ire lacing every word. “Your minds might be on other things, but I’m only thinking about Lily.”
“Really?” Pike challenges. “How can that be when you haven’t been here to tuck her in once in the past three weeks?”
“That’s not true!” The hurt in Flint’s voice hurts me, too.
I want to put an end to this, to stop their bickering, but I know it’s not my place. They need to air their grievances with one another, and I shouldn’t be eavesdropping, but I can’t help but feel like I’m a part of this.
“You may as well just move to New York permanently,” Caden agrees. “You look like shit. All this back and forth is going to give you a coronary.”
“How the hell am I supposed to do that? The state will come to do interviews about the adoption soon! I have to be here.”
There’s another stomping sound, and I realize Pike is pacing around.
“You should have thought about that before you committed to all this, shouldn’t you?” Caden says sarcastically. “Now you’re going to fuck it all up.”
“And what exactly do you contribute day to day, Caden?” Flint retorts. “You’re barely even seeing patients anymore.”
“I get by,” Caden answers cockily. “At least I’m around.”
Someone scoffs loudly. “Yeah, you get by living off your trust fund. That must be very rewarding after putting in all that effort for a medical degree,” Flint fires back.
“Fighting isn’t going to solve this. Flint, what are you going to do about your back and forth?” Pike interrupts.
“I’m trying to run a business, Pike. It’s not like I’m off painting in the woods.”
I grimace. They’re just firing shots at one another, and no one is going to win at this rate.
“I’ve spent every damn day with Lily and Aspen.”
Another pregnant quiet befalls the entranceway.
“Where is Aspen?” Flint asks.
“Upstairs with Lily.” Pike sounds defeated.
“Did Raya see Lily at all?” Flint demands.
“No. Aspen was sure to keep her upstairs and out of the way.”
“She’s smart. Lily’s lucky to have her,” Flint sighs.
“We’re all lucky to have her,” Caden growls. “Especially with you AWOL.”
“I don’t have to listen to this. I’ve explained it to you as many times as I’m going to.”
Flint’s footsteps on the stairs drive me back, my heart in my throat as he sprints into view. He freezes when he sees me. He blinks once, and I part my lips to say something.
“Flint…” He doesn’t stop, his arms coming out of his jacket as he moves toward his closed bedroom doors. “Flint, please talk to me.”
He barely glances at me as he enters his room. “Thanks for keeping Lily upstairs,” he mutters. “And for being here.”
I follow him toward his room, even though I wasn’t invited, but he doesn’t stop me. “Flint?—”
“I’m really exhausted, Aspen,” he says shortly as I cross the threshold. “But I really appreciate you keeping Lily distracted. She didn’t need to see any of that.”
I close the door behind me as he flops into the tan armchair, rubbing his temples at the hairline. Uncertainly, I linger. A part of me wants to give him space, but another part forces me to stay.
“I’m a part of this, too,” I remind him. “And I’m in it with you guys, remember?”
He barely lifts his head to give me some semblance of a smile, but it’s weak and does nothing for me.
“They were scared,” I add. “They didn’t know how to handle Raya.”
“Of course they didn’t,” he snaps. “Pike’s too mild-mannered, and Caden’s too much of a hothead.”
I gulp back my impulse to defend them, knowing his emotions are running high, too. “They did their best in the moment,” I say. “And it could have turned out a lot worse.”
“I’m going to sit down with the sheriff and ensure that they stay away from us. Mike will keep them at bay.”
“Maybe that’s something one of us can handle,” I suggest softly, ambling closer to crouch at his legs. “It seems like you’ve got more than enough on your plate right now, Flint. I could talk to the sheriff. Or maybe Pike?”
He snorts humorlessly. “That’s putting it lightly. But if I ask Pike or Caden to do it, they’ll drop the ball.”
I fall back on my haunches and peer at him. “You really believe that?”
He tenses, his shoulders stiffening. “No. No, of course not,” he mutters. “I…” Drawing in a deep breath, he looks at me, biting on his lower lip. “I’m so used to cleaning up other people’s messes, I guess I’m just getting a little tired of it.”
“They didn’t make a mess,” I remind him. “They did nothing wrong.”
He exhales. “I know. I… I’m pissed at my brother,” he confesses, taking me aback. “He’s made a colossal mess of things at Sterling Group, I’m not even sure if I can fix it—and that’s on top of everything else that’s going wrong.”
My hands rest softly on his knees as I listen, and the words spill out of him, the weight of his stress pouring forward as if I’d opened a tap.
“My grandfather started this business eighty years ago, basically as a landlord. Now, Sterling Group has a net worth of twenty billion dollars.”
I swallow, the amount stunning me. It shouldn’t. Everyone knows about the Sterling Group, but all the same, it’s daunting.
He chuckles lightly. “You see? I’ve already lost you. You’re zoning out.”
“I’m not. I… I just can’t relate to any of that, I guess.”
His face shadows as if he realizes we’re worlds apart on some issues. “I’m being insensitive.”
I wave my head vehemently, rocking on my haunches with a small smile on my lips. “Not at all,” I promise. “My time in foster care was… educational. Not in the same way your boarding school was, of course, but it taught me things you would never learn in your high-end institutions.”
He cocks his head and studies me curiously. “Oh, yeah? Like what?”
“Like how important family and community are. I guess you don’t know what you don’t have until you have it… if that makes sense,” I titter, hoping I don’t sound foolish.
A sad smile touches his lips. “I get that,” he replies. “Our family wasn’t exactly close. In fact, when my father died, I felt a sense of relief. I had no idea how good I had it when he was alive and running the company.”
My head nods. “It was like that with my ex-fiancé. I thought it was so great finally having someone who cared for me, who loved me, and was always there at the end of a long day. I overlooked his flaws because it had to be better than being alone.” The shame of Sean sweeps over me. “But then I realized he wasn’t really family.”
Flint’s hand cups my face. “No. It doesn’t sound that way. Family, proper family, the ones who love you unconditionally, don’t hurt you. They don’t make you want to get out.”
He leans forward and captures my hands in his, bringing my fingers to his lips. “I’m talking too much,” he mumbles, dipping one of my fingers inside his full mouth. I shake my head, but he pulls me forward into a kiss.
“Shh,” he warns. “I don’t think we have much time before Lily wakes up, and I believe I owe you something I haven’t given you yet.”
Oh. Now he has me conflicted, wanting him and wanting him to tell me more. The dampness forming between my legs wins out, his brawny arms pulling me closer before I can even manufacture a protest.
My finger falls out of his mouth, and he bounds onto me, pinning me to the floor, my back pressing into the thick carpet of the sitting room, head inches from the stone coffee table. His mouth finds mine, stealing my small, surprised gasps with his kisses, tongue darting out and reminding me how good of a kisser he is. It’s been so long since our first and only encounter, I’d almost forgotten. His teasing licks, jutting in and out of my mouth, only make me wetter.
My arms move up to encircle his neck, and his lips travel, hands beginning a new tour of my body. My nipples harden in reply to the slightest brush over my shirt, and I want him to get me naked.
Unable to wait another second, I tear away at his button-down shirt, not caring that the buttons pop off in my haste. My fingers work as he explores my neck, chin, and settles on my earlobe, his hot breath messing with my heart rhythms. His fingers hike up the A-line hem of my skirt, and I wiggle, helping him maneuver my panties off my ass and onto the floor, leaving me spread beneath him.
A shuddering sigh escapes my body, and he captures it again with my mouth. Flint’s head lifts, and he looks at me.
“I’ve been waiting to do this to you for weeks,” he mumbles, resuming his kisses.
His head travels along the front of my now exposed chest, his hands cupping along the curve of my breast. Every inch of my skin tingles beneath him.
My nipple falls into his mouth, but he barely stops to taste it, his huge, manly hands sprawled over my chest, encompassing me as he licks down my stomach to my navel. I arch upward, urging him into me again, but this time, he’ll finish what he started. I’ll make sure of it.
He nuzzles me, inhaling deeply as if smelling something that triggers nostalgia, but when he looks at me, I can tell he has something else in mind entirely. I’m on my stomach before I know what’s happening, my fingers out of his thick head of hair and curling into the floor as he spreads me wide behind him. But his kisses rain over my back and shoulders first, his finger teasing at my yearning core, the almost unperceivable scruff of his face setting my flesh on fire.
Slowly and deliberately, he ventures over every part of me, missing nothing, tasting everything until he’s between my legs again. I sigh as his tongue dips into me once, as if to ensure I’m wet and ready. Then he’s back at my face level, his eyes boring into me. The hardness of his cock makes me gasp, his size prodding at my spread legs.
Flint kisses the base of my neck, his voice whispering in my ear. “Are you ready for me, baby?”
“Yes, please,” I moan, pinned beneath him, the definition of his abs pressed to my back. I try to arch up against him, but he’s far too heavy and strong, his shaft teasing my center. Then, without warning, he plunges inside me, deep and furious. My wrists are captured in his palm and pinned over my head as a low, feral moan escapes me. I bite into my arm, distinctly aware of how close we are to the bedroom door. But Flint is relentless, his thrusts hard and boundless, slapping into me with such intensity, they steal my breath. His hands tighten around my wrists, and I buck up, taking in every inch of his giant cock, savoring the primal heaves as his breaths warm my ear.
Flint pulls me to my knees, his firm hands clutching at my waist as he falls into a deep, thrusting beat. My pussy swallows him fully, his girth shocking me. I turn my head to look at him, his gorgeous face tense in concentration as he pounds into me, each jerk harder than the last.
“You’re exactly how I imagined you,” he rasps, driving harder. I buck back, clenching my walls around him, my body quaking with his thrusting. “Oh, so tight and wet. Just like I thought.” Again, he stops, flipping me around, and dizziness overtakes me, my head spinning in all directions as he mounts me again. “I need to look at your face,” he breathes, falling back into me.
My arms wrap around his neck, drawing him against me as our lips lock and my ankles link over his broad hips. But even this way, he’s just as merciless with his movements, and I’m pinned to the ground, mewling with pleasure as he grunts over me.
I’m coming again, but I don’t have the breath to tell him, my form jolting against him as he moves harder and faster against me, each thrust growing slicker.
Flint raises himself up, his motions frenzied now, in and out of me as he swells inside me, and I bite hard on my lower lip to avoid yet another cry of passion. He explodes, his juices flooding me, one after the other, and Flint falls forward to collapse on top of me.
I struggle to breathe, to compose myself in this aftermath of sweat and desire.
“You really felt exactly how I envisioned,” he chuckles.
I untangle myself from him and study his face.
“As much as I loved that distraction,” I tell him seriously, “and I really did, Flint, I can’t help but feel that’s what it was.”
He leans back and peers at me, his blue-gray eyes amused? Annoyed? It’s still hard to tell with him.
“A distraction from what, Aspen?” he asks patiently.
“From everything that’s going on with you.” He sighs and sits up, reaching for me, and I eagerly accept the unsolicited affection.
“You don’t have to worry about all that,” he tells me reassuringly. “I’m going to be here full time from here on out. What happened today won’t happen again.”
“But—”
“No buts. You shouldn’t have had to deal with it, and the guys are right. My priority is Lily and this house. I can handle matters from home. And if we have to convince people you are a permanent part of Lily’s life, it’s a good idea if we actually start spending some time together.”
I tip my head back and look at him, recognizing the dark shadow of worry over his face, but don’t push the matter.
Remembering I’m still the new girl, I won’t overstep my boundaries.