Chapter 18—Aspen
He continued to keep things, some things, close to the vest.
Wolfe didn’t owe her anything, and she should be satisfied with the incredible sex they shared.
Physically, satisfaction pulsed through her body in delicious tingles.
Maybe it was because of the intimacy of their connection last night and the days leading up to it that compelled Aspen to learn more about Connor.
To help him with the amount of kindness he offered others, albeit covered in grouchiness, but kindness, nonetheless.
“And up into Downward Dog,” the soft voice of her yoga instructor soothed the class, prompting Aspen to rest her weight against her hands and heels as she pointed her bum toward the ceiling.
Generosity lived at his core as evidence by the countless hours spent at her shop to fix all things big and small at her bakery over the summer.
That same generosity extended to sex. She’d live to be one hundred and still replay the images in her mind, in full technicolor, thank you very much.
Connor, nestled between her legs, decadently, perfectly brought her to climax with his tongue and fingers.
.. multiple times before sliding his thick cock into her waiting heat, his girth offering Aspen a fullness she’d never known.
As a lifelong observer of people and now exploring different facets of Connor, Aspen knew he concealed his full self from those around him.
She had the sense that he worked hard to hide something very deep, possibly lifechanging from his teammates, and even his friends that he considered family like Mia and Dante.
How did she know? It was just a feeling, really, but the Connor she spent time with alone from the bakery seemed more open than the Connor shared with friends.
Aspen wasn’t looking to turn psychologist on him, but with every day that passed, she found herself wanting to be part of his world. To help him.
“...Down to plank, and hold...” her instructor guided the class.
Aspen slowly lowered herself toward the floor, suspending herself by the palms of her hands and toes, just a few inches above her mat.
Who was Aspen kidding? Part of his world?
For all of the pep talks she’d given herself over the past months, years really, about not having time for anything but her business, she knew in her heart she wanted Connor in her life as much as she needed her business to succeed.
It was odd, really. She dated at times, but nothing serious. So why did this massive man with his untamed, feral personality to match his wild hair and powerful body have Aspen longing for something other than her nighttime gameshow routine?
Although she would address Mia’s sneakiness to attend the ruse of a girls’ night out, Aspen loved every single moment of the evening. The easy banter among teammates and friends brought delight to Aspen’s heart to have the opportunity to join them.
Wolfe’s under-the-table ministrations revved her body like a racecar engine before the start of the Daytona 500. Aspen’s inner self welcomed the opportunity for evenings like that in the future.
While she relished spending time with the group, Connor especially, she’d keep the gem of her own personal discovery hidden behind her own curtain, a la The Wizard of Oz. While the pieces of her Connor-puzzle were slowly coming together, she had no clue how he was trekking at the moment.
Sure, their physical connection was explosive. Their endless banter and the genuine fun they shared in each other’s presence was something unique in Aspen’s experience. Amazing.
So where did they stand? Were they on the precipice of embarking on a potential relationship? Was it just sex or were they peeling back the layers of emotions like the proverbial onion together?
That thought brought Aspen back to her earlier conundrum.
“Now Cobra...”
Aspen released the plank position to rest on the floor, then slowly arched her back and pushed up on her hands while her hips and legs pressed flush against her yoga mat.
What a whirlwind her life had become this summer. If someone would have told Aspen that she would have landed a big catering gig, had dinner with an entirely new group of people, and experienced multiple orgasms via Connor’s beyond capable body, she would have called them all kinds of crazy.
Aspen’s life never felt dull, that was certain.
But if all went well over the course of the next several months, she’d increase her revenue stream, have some flexibility to make a dent in the loan, and create opportunities to invest in her bakery’s future so her shop would truly feel like her own.
Aspen thought she’d develop to the point she could tell her parents to enjoy their retirement and quit attempting to operate the bakery from afar.
Maybe she’d continue to grow this effervescent connection she seemed to be building with Connor.
She smiled at that thought as she turned on her back for her favorite part of yoga: Savasana.
In this pose, she literally rested on the mat while focusing on her breathing and completely relaxing her body.
The icing on the cupcake? The instructor worked her way around the class and performed some energy-moving-voodoo with her fingertips across the faces and shoulders of the class.
Aspen wasn’t sure what in the hell the Savasana did, all she knew was she nearly fell asleep every time the relaxation technique was performed making her as limp as an overcooked linguine noodle.
“Namaste,” the instructor’s gentle voice washed over the room.
Aspen was pretty sure she was out like a light as evidence by the little bit of drool at the corner of her mouth. She brushed the back of her hand across her lips, then held her hands together as if she were praying.
“Namaste.”
***
THIRTY MINUTES LATER, Aspen returned to her apartment and was a bit disappointed that Connor was no longer in the space. She didn’t expect him to stay while she worked and played in the morning, but the thought of him being at her apartment when she got home made her stomach clench in excitement.
It was early afternoon, and while Aspen wanted nothing more than to take a nap to complete the process she started during yoga, she had to get some things in order in the bakery before the Monday morning rush.
Solo in her bakery, the classical music on her Spotify paused momentarily to indicate she received a text message.
She didn’t think she was much of a classical music girl, but it was something Connor played while he worked around her shop.
Because he donated his time and talents, she didn’t want to dictate the music tracks.
As time went on, she found that she really began to like the soothing strings of the various composers he selected to form her playlist.
You’d think with all of his band-themed shirts that Connor would play rock all the time, but he continued to surprise her.
Aspen loved the barely-there smile he offered her when she said she liked the Tchaikovsky piece with the cannons and bells at the end of it.
Speak of the devil. Connor, not Tchaikovsky, was texting her.
Connor: Gonna make another run at getting your AC to run. You around?
Aspen nibbled at her lip, excitement coursing through her at the fact she’d get to see him again, and maybe build off of the magic they started last night.
Aspen: Yup. Come on by.
A short while later, Connor entered her bakery with his faded jeans and damn-if-it-didn’t-make-her-panties-wet, buff-colored tool belt slung around his waist that she’d grown to love. Today’s rock band t-shirt featured the patented colorful spaceship synonymous with the group Boston.
Mia had once said the Colorado Crush players wore suits for their pre-game arrivals to the arena in downtown Denver, but Aspen couldn’t imagine her wild Viking donning anything but thread-bare denim and silk-screened t-shirts.
Not that she wouldn’t pay the price of admission to see him in a suit, but she could tell Connor felt most comfortable in casualwear.
“What’s up, buttercup?”
“Buttercup, huh? So, does that just make me ‘B’ on your nickname-o-meter?” She continued replenishing the display case with a supply of ‘For Heaven’s Cake’ cupcakes. These gems featured vanilla sponge with bourbon sauce filling and whipped cream frosting, topped with toffee bits.
“Nah, BB it is,” Wolfe replied, but his focus already shifted to the clunky air conditioning unit mounted in the corner of her shop. “Nice music, by the way. Is that for me?”
“More for me, actually, I’m starting to get into classical. It’s very calming. I like the Vivaldi pieces in particular.”
Connor shifted his gaze from the project he obviously planned to tackle straight on to Aspen. He immediately turned and walked around the counter, stalking toward her until they were standing only inches apart.
Aspen was rooted in the spot, a cupcake held in each hand. She really hoped if he kissed her that she didn’t smear icing in his hair while she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Wanton much?
“There’s nothing finer than the sweet strings of Puccini’s O Mio Bambino Caro, BB. I have plans for that piece,” he rumbled in a sexy-ass tone that caused her skin to prickle in awareness and desire. He then gently kissed her lips. “With you.”
At the touch of his lips to her own, Aspen panted as if she sprinted a sixteen-hundred-meter run at a track meet.
Cupping her face, Connor leaned down and brushed his lips across hers, gently nibbling.
Before Aspen could ponder what to do with the cupcakes she still held in her hands, Connor broke their connection and laid a gentle kiss on her forehead. He then turned to grab the ladder and place it against the wall.
“I’ve been checking around with some people and doing research on this ‘little engine that couldn’t’ air conditioner of yours, BB,” Wolfe climbed up the ladder and began inspecting the unit. “I’m going to take another shot at a fix, but I’m not making any promises.”