“Hate that. Hate that he still has ways to get to you after everything you’ve been through.”
“Lawson said the guards are keeping a closer eye. Maybe they’ll catch something,” Aspen said hopefully.
I tugged her closer to me. “Always looking on the bright side.”
“It’s better than the alternative, don’t you think?”
I shrugged. “I think it’s good to be prepared for what might come. And it’s not just John. I went to the site Oren’s been posting on. Read the comments section of Steven and Tyson’s podcast. There are some seriously messed-up people out there.”
Aspen was quiet for a moment. “People who think I lied about John.”
That grinding sensation was back in my chest. “I know what can happen when people get stuck on a wrong idea. You could get hurt—”
“I’ve already been hurt,” Aspen said, cutting me off. She pressed her hand over her scar. “I was almost killed.” Her green eyes bored into mine. “I’ve been harassed and attacked. And guess what? I’m still here.”
Fear dug in its ugly claws. “Nothing can happen to you,” I whispered, my voice turning gruff.
Aspen reached up, her hands framing my face again. “It already has. I was alone and made it through. I have no doubt that I’ll make it through again with you at my side.”
Fire lit in my veins. “How do you have that kind of belief in me?”
“Because I see you, Roan. After you almost scared me to death coming out of a blizzard like the abominable snowman, I realized that all that gruff exterior was just trying to hide the most gentle core.”
“Tender Heart…”
“It’s true. I hate that you hide your true self from everyone around you. It’s time you let them see.”
My ribs tightened around my lungs, making it hard to breathe.
Aspen’s thumbs stroked across my cheeks. “Stop hiding. There’s no reason for it. You’re the most amazing man I’ve ever known.”
Those three little words teased my tongue, but fear kept me from setting them free. “Don’t know what I did to deserve you.”
A smile pulled at her lips. “I am a pretty awesome catch.”
I chuckled, and a bit of the pressure in my chest released. My lips brushed against hers. “You are.”
The kiss deepened. My tongue stroked in, teasing and toying. I’d never get tired of that taste. It burned through me. Made every nerve ending stand at attention.
Aspen moaned into my mouth, and my dick twitched.
Her pull was so strong, so fierce. I’d never fight it off. And I didn’t want to.
I moved then, hauling Aspen so she sat on my lap facing the fields.
“Wha—？”
I cut her off with a nip to her ear. “Stay still. Think you can do that for me?”
She squirmed on my lap, and I groaned.
“Don’t make me spank you.”
She squirmed again.
I chuckled, but the tone was darker. “Like that idea?”
“Maybe.”
I grinned and trailed my lips down her neck. “Want to feel you come on my fingers, but you have to be very quiet.”
Aspen’s breaths turned to short pants, punctuating the air. “Yes.”
My grin widened. I unzipped her coat. The sound echoed like a cannon in the quiet night.
I slipped a hand beneath the waistband of her sweats, then into her panties. The groan was back on my lips. “This heat could give third-degree burns.”
I cupped her, and Aspen pressed into my hand with a whimper.
“Still,” I commanded.
She listened.
That ready acceptance had my dick straining against her ass.
My fingers slid inside, and Aspen’s mouth fell open on a pant.
“You feel like heaven.”
I pumped my fingers in and out, stretching and twisting, relishing every flutter of her core. It was like figuring out all the colors you could paint with. Which twist and flick brought her higher. What tempo made her quiver.
A third finger slid inside, and Aspen let another whimper free. The sound wrapped around my cock and squeezed.
I thrust in and out, faster and faster, as Aspen’s legs started to shake. My thumb found her clit and pressed.
She bit back her cry as she clamped down so hard on my fingers that I’d likely have bruises. “That’s it. Give it all to me.”
Her head tipped back, her lips parted, and she rode every crest and wave. I pulled each swell of pleasure, over and over, until she collapsed against me.