Chapter Seventeen - Aspen

My car sputtered as I pulled in next to Owen's fancy sports car. He tried to explain the vehicle to me a dozen times, but it went in one ear and out the other. I left the keys in the cup holder, because I knew not a single soul was going to try to take the rust bucket, and exited the car.

Off in the distance, past the banner proclaiming the area Owen Ramsey Field, the man of the hour stood proudly surrounded by a group of boys, all of various heights and ages. I picked out little Roman immediately. He anxiously swayed back and forth with his bat in one hand as he looked up at his idol. It was the cutest thing I'd ever seen. All the kids and teens hung onto Owen's every word. Reaching into my pocket, I grabbed my phone and snapped a few pictures.

As I slipped my cell back into my pocket, Owen's eyes caught mine, and his grin doubled in size. He mentioned something to the kids, and they scurried off in pairs as he jogged over toward me. Before I could even get a word in, he cupped both of my cheeks while pressing his lips against mine.

"You made it," he said in awe.

Laughing, I replied, "I literally told you thirty minutes ago I was on my way."

He shrugged, but his enthusiasm didn't diminish in the slightest. I wondered how many times growing up he'd been promised something and then it didn't happen.

"How is the camp going?" I asked as he grasped my hand and tugged me into step with him.

"Good. The kids are really eager to learn."

"Have your fans shown up yet?"

Owen chuckled and explained that Coach Rudicell rushed them out of the park, claiming he was going to call the cops since it was a private event.

"I don't have anyone to pair you with, so you're playing with me," he informed me, and he winked as we reached a bag with about ten bats inside.

"Owen. No. I didn't sign up for this. I'm just here to watch."

"Ah, come on," he said with a boyish grin I couldn't say no to. "It'll be fun."

His blue-gray eyes twinkled, and I found myself agreeing but reminded him about my lack of hand-eye coordination.

"This isn't some new competition for you to prove you're better at something else, is it? I am well aware you're better at baseball."

Leaning down, hovering his lips over my ear as he gently slipped a bat into my grasp, he teased, "Maybe I just want to see you handling my big, long stick."

"I have a big stick too!" an innocent voice called out, and Owen and I jumped apart to find Roman standing close by. Thankfully, it was clear the young boy was referring to his actual baseball bat.

"Hey, kiddo. What's up? Shouldn't you be over there with Johnny, practicing your hits?"

"Yeah, but I wanted to come say hi to Miss Aspen." He turned to face me. "Hi!"

"Hi, Roman. When your mom picks you up, please tell her I said hi to her too."

"Okay." He looked back and forth between me and Owen before he scurried off to his partner.

"All right, we probably only have a few minutes before we're interrupted again."

I tried to assure Owen that I was more than content watching him coach for the afternoon, but he wasn't hearing any of it. He set up an area away from the kids for their own safety. Stepping behind me, he pressed his hips against my backside as he adjusted my grip around the bat and then directed me on my stance. I felt ridiculous as I stood there in the grass, watching Owen walk away while he grabbed a ball from his cargo shorts.

"Just try to hit it, okay?" he called out as he positioned himself across from me.

Nodding, I narrowed my stare, hoping it would help me focus. Owen threw the ball much slower than I'd seen in person or on TV. I forced my eyes to stay open, fighting every intuition to close them. Even though I had no idea what I was doing, the ball made contact with my bat with just enough force to bounce it back toward Owen.

"I did it!"

"Great job, baby!" he exclaimed as he collected the ball. "Let's see if we can get one more." He called over one of the older kids to pitch, while Owen came and stood behind me again. The ridge of his cock was pressed against my ass again, and I could barely concentrate.

"You're going to make me miss it with you standing behind me like this," I told him.

"Naw. We got it."

Owen adjusted his grip on the bat around my hands. The moment our hands touched, I felt… powerful. Like I could actually get a grand slam.

"You're controlling it. I'm just the added muscle."

The pitcher wound and then released the ball. Taking a deep breath, I swung the bat with every ounce of strength I had. Not expecting to hit anything, the thunk of the bat hitting the ball startled me. A flash of white soared through the sky, landing on the other side of the park.

"Oh my gosh! We did it!" I dropped the bat as I twisted around and jumped into Owen's arms.

"You did it. I just gave you a little extra strength."

"Wow. That was… so cool."

"It is pretty cool."

I peered over Owen's shoulder and saw his camp had formed a little crowd, watching us. "I think you're wanted over there. I'm going to go sit by the lake and watch. Okay?"

"All right," he said, then pressed a chaste kiss to my lips.

The remainder of the camp lasted another two hours. I spent my time listening to music on my phone and watching the kids play. A couple of young families came and went on the playground while the town's walking group made a few laps around the lake.

It was the most relaxing day I'd ever had.

When camp was over, Owen and I agreed to meet back up at his house. He needed to run back by the school to drop off the equipment, and I was tasked with grabbing dinner from the local Chinese restaurant.

We arrived at the rental around the same time, and he helped me carry in the bags of food.

"What all did you get?" he joked as I sorted through the five bags on the kitchen counter.

"I wasn't sure what you wanted. I got beef and vegetables, pork fried rice, General Tso's chicken, shrimp lo mein, egg rolls, and crab ragoon."

"We will never eat all of this."

He underestimated my love of Chinese food.

We sat on the couch, watching a movie that was already playing. It was an action flick I wasn't overly interested in, but with Owen's thigh pressed against mine, I don't think even Hidden in Plain Sight could have kept my attention.

"Everything okay? You seem a bit quiet."

"Yeah. Just thinking about something Andrew said this morning." The lie slipped out of my mouth with ease. I'd been thinking about Owen and my pesky virginity.

"Oh. Anything important?"

"No. Just work stuff. Speaking of, how is the therapist?"

"Good. She thinks my shoulder will be good as new before the season. Coach says he'll need me back before long, so she's going to transfer all the documentation to the team's official therapist."

"Are you…? I mean…," I stuttered, unsure how to voice what I was feeling. Owen reached over, took my plate from my hands, and set it on the table.

"Hey, I wish I could stay longer. At first, when I came back, I was dreading having to be here for five or six months. Now, the thought of going back after just two kills me. If it wasn't my job, I'd tell him where he could shove his sponsorships."

"It's okay. I understand."

Owen leaned forward, capturing my lips with his. These were not the soft kisses from earlier in the day. These were demanding, punishing, addictive. Our tongues dueled and danced while our hands explored. Gently, Owen guided me down onto the couch. The soft material felt like heaven against my heated skin.

Within his large hand, Owen gathered my wrists and pinned them above my head and against the arm of the sofa while his mouth assaulted my neck.

"I love your skin, cricket. It's so soft."

"Owen," I whimpered, squirming underneath him. His strong hips nestled between my legs, pinning my hips in place.

"What do you need, sweet girl?"

"I… I need your mouth on my breasts… and your hand between my legs."

Before I could blink, Owen had ripped down the skin-tight athletic pants, leaving me bare before him and the material ruined.

"Take off the top," he commanded, while his feral gaze stayed glued to my aching center. He placed his hands on my thighs, holding my legs apart as I sat up to remove my top.

My breasts bounced as they popped free of the sports bra and crop top. I tossed the material carelessly onto the floor.

Owen's eyes darted up from my pussy to my breasts, triggering a growl from deep in his chest.

"Fuck. Baby, I'm so hungry for you. I… I can't promise I'll be gentle with you."

Lifting my hand, I softly ran my fingers through his brown hair. Like a kingly feline, he purred at the contact.

"I don't want gentle, Owen."

With his eyes closed, he mumbled, "Yeah, but you deserve it. Lay back, baby."

Swiftly, I followed his command and watched as he opened his eyes and ran a steady gaze over my body.

"Shit, I don't deserve you," he confessed as he bent forward and latched onto a nipple while one of his hands slipped between my legs.

Quickly, my body went up in flames as he paid special attention to my most sensitive areas. I'd never given much thought to the skin behind my knees, but as he nipped and sucked, the sensation sent a spark right between my legs. I was growing needier with each passing second. His name was an unrecognizable groan from my lips.

His mouth climbed up my thigh toward my sex as I quivered against his lips.

"I'm aching, Owen."

"What do you need?"

"I… I…." It was a struggle to get the words out.

Owen sat up and rested back on his heels. Those strong hands that wrapped around my legs now held my ankles, and his thumbs brushed small circles along my ankles. The motion was soothing. Immediately, my thumping heart slowed to a steady beat.

"Tell me what you're thinking."

"I've been thinking… I mean, I know what I want. I just…."

"Come on, cricket. You can tell me."

"I want to have sex."

Owen's eyes darkened as his hands tightened around my feet.

"I know you probably have more experience and know what you're doing, but I—"

"It's okay, baby," he inserted softly, and I had to remind myself this couldn't be anything more than it was. Owen wasn't ever going to stay here, and I was going to have to move on eventually.

"This is just sex, Owen. No feelings."

The corners of his eyes creased, and his lips pursed.

"No promises, cricket. You've already branded me."

"What does that even mean?"

"I'll tell you later. Now, be a good girl and let me make you come."

Worried he took my claims of inexperience as nothing more than having one or two partners, I reached for his wrist.

"I'm a virgin, Owen. I don't know how to do any of th—"

Before I could finish speaking, Owen crawled over my body, reached a hand under my neck, and sealed my mouth with a kiss. My body craved more when he pulled back.

"You're perfect, Aspen. You'll be perfect." He lingered over me, and we locked eyes. A softness replaced the lustful gaze from earlier, one a man would have toward someone he loved.

My stomach clenched at the thought.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

Without hesitation, I nodded, because I knew without a doubt that I wanted Owen to be my first. I wondered what sixteen-year-old me would think of this revelation.

Owen slipped off the couch and hoisted me into his arms, carrying me to the bedroom. With an unfamiliar gentleness, he laid me on the bed. His clothes fell in a heap on the floor while I laid in my birthday suit, watching in awe. I didn't think I'd ever grow tired of looking at his body. It was a work of art.

"You keep looking at me like that and this will be over too fast."

I chuckled as I leaned up on my elbows while he moved around the bed. The frame creaked as he climbed in beside me. Reaching over, Owen slid his hand through my long hair, resting his palm on the back of my head and lightly pulling my face toward his.

Our kisses grew frenzied and hands wildly stroked bare skin. It was both too much and not enough at the same time.

Owen rested on his back, tugging me on top of him. Something about the position made what I was about to do all too real, and my body began to shake.

Immediately, he sensed that something shifted. "Nervous?"

"A little."

"You'll be okay, cricket. I'll take care of you. But you know we don't have to do anything, right? I'm happy just being here with you."

"But what if I do it wrong?"

"I can tell you with 100-percent certainty that there is nothing you could do wrong. Plus, right now, I just want you to focus on you. Let me finally make you come."

Owen slipped his hand between my legs, running his finger back and forth along my wet slit. It was already coated in my arousal but grew wetter with each pass.

My breaths became pants as he continued on, swirling around my clit until I was a quivering mess. Against his lips, I cried out as I jerked, my orgasm crashing over me like a tidal wave.

"God, you're gorgeous when you come," he said as I bit my bottom lip to hold back my whimper when he pulled his hand free.

I may have been sensitive, but I wanted more. Yearned for it.

Softly, Owen rolled us on the mattress until I was on my back and his face was between my legs. He lapped at the wetness, murmuring to himself how much he enjoyed feasting on me. I could just be listening to his deep voice as he read a restaurant menu, and I'd still probably soak my panties.

Lost in my own thoughts, I hadn't noticed Owen pull back and slip a condom onto his cock. The large erection pointed toward me like a locked-in missile as he leaned over me.

My body tensed, feeling the tip of his dick poised at my entrance, but instead of pressing inside, he rocked against my pussy, spreading my wetness over his shaft.

"You're beautiful, Aspen," Owen whispered in my ear as he reached down and adjusted his rod. "It'll hurt at first, but I promise to make it go away."

Instinctively, I reached my hands around his back, holding him close. The mushroom head pushed inside my channel, and Owen came to a stop.

"You're so fucking tight, cricket." His words were clipped, as if he was hanging on by the thinnest of threads. The fullness I felt escaped as Owen rocked back. "I'm so fucking sorry."

I wondered what he meant, but then as he thrust inside, all my thoughts evaporated as I felt the first stinging pinch of pain.

Tears pooled along my lids, with a few escaping the corners of my eyes. I'm not sure what I'd been expecting, but the overwhelming bite nearing agony wasn't it.

Why did people do this to themselves?

Without moving an inch, Owen rested on his elbows by my head and swiped at my fallen tears.

"Are you okay? Do you want me to stop?" he asked so tenderly I almost started crying again.

I shook my head and told him I was fine. The agony had already subsided and was now just bordering on uncomfortable, especially as he kissed and nuzzled every inch of my skin his lips could reach without moving a single bustle below our waists. Within a couple of minutes, it was me who started wiggling beneath him, craving something I couldn't name where we were connected.

Feeling my movements, Owen pressed his lips against mine, rocked his hips back, and then surged into me. I expected the pain again, but with each thrust, I was met with more and more pleasure than the one before it.

"Oh!" I cried out in surprise as his cockhead ran across a spot I didn't know actually existed. The overfullness I felt was nothing compared to the dash of pleasure.

Raising one of my bent legs, he glided his cock over the sensitive spot again.

"Owen," I whispered, clawing at his back.

"Fuck, baby, I can feel you clenching around me. You're so fucking tight. I'm not going to last much longer." He nearly growled as I shifted a hand between my legs. Now that the bite of pain was gone, all I craved was the hit of a release. "That's it. Touch yourself. Make yourself come."

As he sat up on his knees to give me more room to work my fingers, he plunged in and out of my tight sheath, beads of sweat running down the sides of his face and his chiseled chest.

"Shit, sweet girl. I can feel you," he panted as I rocked my hips against him. "Take what you need."

Suddenly, flashes of pleasure rocked through my core, and my back arched from such a powerful release. I'd never experienced one that ricocheted from the tips of my toes to the top of my head.

"Yes." Owen's moan only dragged out my orgasm further. Something about his naturally deep voice had its own way of sending me over the edge as my pleasure continued.

After a few more pumps, he grunted with his own orgasm, joining me in a well-sated heap on the bed.

I knew I was going to owe my sister a new set of sheets, as the evidence of my lost virginity was now staining these, but I didn't care in that moment, as Owen rolled my body alongside his, tucking my head against his chest.

"I'm going to draw you a bath, but I need a minute."

"You don't need to do that, Owen."

"Shh," he said as he kissed me sweetly. "I want to. Let me take care of you."

From years of school with Owen, I knew there was no point in arguing with him. Instead, I cuddled closer, listening to his heartbeat slow down. If he hadn't been running his callused fingers back and forth across my arm, I'd have thought he'd fallen asleep.

"I'll be back."

Lying in bed contemplating everything I just did and what it meant for me in the future, I watched Owen stroll in and out of the bathroom multiple times.

"Okay. It's ready," he announced with his hands on his hips in a superhero stance and a wide grin.

My first attempt at rolling off the bed left me wincing as the soreness between my legs traveled throughout my body. Owen rushed over and lifted me in his arms again, carrying me to the bathroom. I glanced up at him as I gasped.

The tub was filled, and a bowl of ice cream waited on the wooden tray set across the edges of the bathtub. When he flipped off the overhead light, that's when I saw he'd lit several candles he placed around the room.

"You did all this?"

Setting me down on my feet, he nodded.

"Thank you, Owen."

"You're welcome. I found some Epsom salts. Those will help with any pain. I use it in my therapy soaks."

Unable to help myself, I wrapped my arms around Owen's trim waist. "Aw… does superstar Owen Ramsey like wittle bitty baby baths?" I cooed at him.

"Shut up and get in the tub, cricket."

I giggled as he playfully swatted my naked butt. Taking my hand, he helped me step inside the large standalone tub, then surprised me as he slipped in behind me.

"From here on out, I'm sure I'll only truly enjoy baths that include you," he murmured as he adjusted his legs on either side of mine, making my heart flutter. "Now, hand me that ice cream."

"Maybe I don't want to share," I said sternly as I noticed Owen stocked the same black-cherry ice cream I liked so much. "This is my favorite."

"I know," he replied, reaching around me for the bowl and successfully pulling it out of my hands. "That's why I'm feeding it to you."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Oh. Now, open up," he commanded, and I dutifully followed.

"You're being awfully sweet," I mentioned around the second bite of the creamy goodness. My muscles were already loosening from the salts and hot water.

"I've always been sweet. You just preferred to argue with me."

"I did not," I claimed, earning a chuckle from the man leaning over my back. "Fine. Maybe I did. I liked that you challenged me. Where everyone else seemed to ignore me unless we were causing trouble, I liked that I had your attention. Even though you annoyed and beat me at everything. Everyone else just catered to me all the time, because I was an Easterly. You never seemed to care about that."

"Your attention was all I wanted."

The word "love" lingered in the air, but I wasn't sure Owen even knew that he used it.

Slip of the tongue, I told myself as I finished off the ice cream. We lingered in the cooling water for only a short time longer before we got out.

Owen dried every inch of my body with a towel, which only left me panting.

"I want you again, Owen."

"You're sore, cricket," he replied, tucking a damp strand of my hair behind my ear.

Slipping my arms around his neck, I silenced him with a heated kiss that quickly turned us into a tangled mess of limbs on the bed.

Owen and I only caught spurts of sleep between my greediness to feel the pleasure only he could provide and his unquenchable desire to feast on every part of my body.

By the time the sun began to rise, I'd had the best night of my life. Not a single spec of my mind went to the farm or to the fact that I should have been there hours ago. My sole thought was of Owen and how we seemed to fit perfectly together.

How quickly things change.