Chapter Sixteen

Brick watched her sleep and wondered what was happening with him.

He'd almost lost control last night. It was as if a strange, possessive frenzy came over him until he was helpless against the drive to claim Aspen in all ways possible.

It had never been like that before. After Anastasia, there was always a distance inside him, a veiled, invisible wall surrounding his emotions and heart. He'd figured he'd open up again after he healed from the heartbreak, but it had never happened. Brick wondered if it was just how he was built now, where he could enjoy sex and the comfort of physical touch but nothing beyond that. This past year, being so focused on work and saving his grandfather's business, it'd become easier to stay away from any relationships or dating.

But now? Watching Aspen after reaching for her multiple times last night, everything seemed different.

His insides ached with longing, and Brick didn't know what to do about it.

On cue, her eyes flew open.

He watched her face as her brain clicked on and followed the night's events through to now. Her adorable frown and flushed cheeks once again confirmed her innocence. He enjoyed Aspen's slight awkwardness and blushes when things turned intimate, but he hadn't known she was inexperienced when it came to lovemaking.

Was it fucked up that it made him want to howl with masculine satisfaction?

Oh, he loved the way she screamed his name and melted under his touch. But it was the naked wonder on her face and the hunger in her eyes that moved him. With Aspen, she said what she thought and brought that same honesty into the bedroom. When she apologized because the first touch of his fingers inside her brought her to orgasm?

Brick swore to drown her in pure pleasure until she couldn't walk.

He waited for her to come fully awake, blinking in the morning light. She sat up, pressing the sheets against her naked breasts, and stared back at him.

"I figured you'd have left."

He blinked. She always managed to surprise him. "Did you want me to?"

A smile curved her lips, and his breath released from his lungs. "No. That would've sucked."

Brick laughed. Lightness flowed through him at the sight of her. Cocoa-brown strands of hair sprang into wild curls around her face. Her skin showed marks from last night, and her mouth was swollen when she licked her lips. A crease cut across her cheek from the blanket. One foot peeked out from under the covers. The silvery chain clasped around her delicate ankle winked in the sun.

His cock rose to full staff, and Brick wanted nothing more than to climb back into bed and spend the next few hours hearing her moan his name. Instead, he kept his distance and gave her space. "Good, because I didn't want to leave, and I'm glad you're not disappointed. I made coffee. How do you take it?"

"Cream, no sugar."

"I'll bring it in. Relax for a bit."

He made the coffee and carried it back, handing her the mug. She sat up more, back against the headboard, sheet still covering those magnificent breasts. "Thank you. I'm sorry—it must be a mess in the kitchen. I never cleaned up."

"I distracted you, so I took care of it."

She cocked her head in question. "Huh?"

"I cleared the table and did the dishes. I was up earlier than you."

"Oh." Worry danced on her face. She focused on her coffee. "Um, you didn't find anything unusual, did you?"

Brick tamped down his laughter, refusing to let her know he'd discovered her secret. The bags and plastic cartons from North Bank Restaurant had been neatly stacked on the top of the garbage. Of course, he'd known it last night. He was a regular patron there, and the halibut was his favorite dish. But he'd had too much fun hearing her explanations for how she cooked dinner, so he hadn't let on. "Nope. Should I have found something? You didn't spike my wine so you could take advantage of me, did you?"

"No! That was really nice of you. To clean up. I feel bad."

Brick shrugged. "No reason to. If you cooked, I should clean."

"Brick?"

"Yeah?"

Aspen looked up from her coffee with such a miserable expression that his heart squeezed. "I have to tell you something. I lied."

The woman couldn't even handle twenty-four hours of an untruth. "You can tell me anything, Aspen," he said gently. "I don't want either of us to be afraid of saying our truths."

"I didn't cook dinner. I bought it from North Banks and pretended I cooked it."

Brick couldn't stand how adorable she was. He plucked the mug from her hand and placed it on the night table. Then sat on the bed next to her. "I know."

Her jaw dropped. "You knew?"

His lip twitched. "I've ordered the dish before, so I suspected last night. This morning, I found the cartons."

She squeezed her eyes shut. "I am so embarrassed. That was so stupid."

He tipped up her chin, forcing her to meet his amused gaze. "Baby, I don't give a crap that you can't cook. But I have to applaud the effort. It meant you really wanted to do something nice for me."

Aspen groaned. "I did, but I'm terrible. Sierra said I'm a walking disaster in the kitchen. I guess I wanted to impress you for our first dinner together. I'm sorry."

Her sweetness drove right through his walled heart. At a loss for the words to tell her, he kissed her, slow and easy and so thoroughly that when he finally pulled back, her eyes sparked with a lustful hunger. "Don't be sorry, I loved every bite. But I appreciate you telling me."

Suddenly, a very feminine, very mischievous smile curved her full lips. "Brick?"

"Hmm?"

The sheet dropped. The sight of her raspberry-tipped nipples made him suck in a breath. They were hard, likely aching, and begging for his tongue. "I'm very good at other things," she purred.

Her finger trailed down his chest, pausing at the waistband of his briefs. Cupping his erect cock, she squeezed lightly, teasingly, and a groan ripped from his lips. Her nails raked over the soft cotton, and his entire body shuddered. Her laugh was husky as she leaned forward. Suddenly, Brick was under her power completely. "Want me to prove it?"

"Fuck, yes," he gritted out.

She licked her lips. Lowered her head.

And proved it in spectacular fashion until he was the one begging.

Brick guided the Jeep over the sand dunes as he finished up the tour with Kane. They'd been out a few hours while he went over the route, pointed out the horses, and gave him a guidebook lecture of the highlights.

Other than showing up for the tour in a Calvin Klein coral suit and looking like he'd stepped off the pages of GQ , Kane was a quick study. Brick knew the man had a photographic memory and an ability to speak smoothly enough to distract if he made any errors. It had served him well in the business industry and made him the shark he was. And it would hopefully help Brick take care of the bump in tourists without trying to bring someone in mid-season.

"I'll do all the tours the first week, and you can watch until you feel comfortable," Brick said, stopping to show him another cluster of mustangs by the shore. "The facts are important, though. Did you look over the guidebook from the Corolla Wild Horse Fund?"

"Read it last night while you were enjoying…dinner." His friend's voice danced with amusement. "How was…dinner?"

"Five stars," he said.

Kane cranked up a brow. "Michelin-rated?"

"Definitely."

His friend whistled. "Good for you, man. Can I meet her?"

Brick snorted. "Sure, Mom. Shall I have her come over tonight?"

"No, I mean it. You look happy. I know I haven't seen you in a while, but last time you were a mess."

"Shit was going down."

Kane stared at him, seeing past the bluster. "I know. I should've been there for you. When all that shit went down."

"I had to leave town, and you were dealing with your own fallout. I know if I'd needed you, you'd have been at my door."

Kane's shoulders relaxed. "Good. But now you're a different person. I like seeing you happy. You were singing when you got home this morning. "

"I don't sing, dude."

His friend barked out a laugh. "Oh, you were singing, and your voice isn't the best to share with the world. Sounded like a Disney song, too. And little birdies were hovering around you. Kinda like Cinderella."

"I hope Dug shits in your room again."

Kane threw up his hands. "Nothing to be embarrassed about. I happen to love Disney. Frozen was epic."

"I'm not having this conversation with you."

"Fine, but I saw some classics on your Disney Plus account under recently watched. You can't hide crap anymore in this day and age, man."

"You're such an asshole."

Kane laughed so hard, Brick shook his head. He waved to Judy, who was out with a few other volunteers, and she motioned him over. The moment her gaze took in Kane and all his flamingo splendor, the older woman was practically fawning. "Hi, Brick. Oh, my, who is this gentleman with you?"

His friend reached out to take her hand. "Ma'am, I'm Kane. You must be the head of Turtle Haven. I've heard so many wonderful things about you."

Brick almost rolled his eyes, but Judy was smiling with that delighted female expression that was common with Kane. "How nice. It's lovely to meet you."

Brick spoke up. "I'm training Kane to take over a few runs when we reopen."

"If you need any help, let me know. We all try to take care of one another here," Judy said, gaze fastened on Kane.

Brick cleared his throat. "Need anything, Judy?"

"Oh! Yes, I wanted to let you know the babies will be hatching soon. We usually have a long list of people who want to be involved, along with others who just want to watch. Since you and Aspen were so nice to take a night watch, you're welcome to come. I won't know the exact schedule, of course, but I'm happy to text you when it's time and you can meet us out here."

"I think Aspen would love that. Thanks for the invite."

"Kane, you can come, too."

"I'm honored. I can't wait to learn more so I can offer help in the future."

Judy let out a deeply feminine sigh. "What a nice young man you are."

This time, Brick did roll his eyes. "Better get going. Thanks again, Judy." He took off down the beach toward the exit. "Can you leave the nice older ladies alone, please? My reputation is already shit in this town with women. I don't need any future smear campaigns."

"I love women."

"Yeah, all of them. I mean it, Kane. If you're sticking around, do not screw around with the locals, okay? Do you swear?"

"Sure. I swear. Not interested in women right now, anyway. I have a lot of crap to get together."

Brick let the subject go. When he got back to the office, a truck was pulling up with the new sign delivery. The old one had a letter missing and was so battered it was hard to read. Kane jumped out and helped install the new sign and remove the original. Staring up at the bold black letters with the bright yellow background, Ziggy's Tours announced itself open for business. A wild horse was stamped on the side in the new logo he'd adapted.

Marco strolled out of his shop, shaking hands with Kane and admiring the new sign. "Where's Aspen?" he asked.

"She's writing," Brick answered.

His expression fell, and Brick wondered if the kid had a crush. Not that he blamed him. It was easy to fall for Aspen. "Do you think you can tell her to stop by the next time she's free when you talk to her? She helped a lot with our shirts—the yellow's really selling."

"Sure. Anything I can do?"

"Nope. I need the opinion of a woman with a good business sense."

Brick pressed his lips together to keep from laughing at Marco's suddenly serious speech. "I'll tell her. What do you think of how it's shaping up?"

"Fire, man. Pure fire. Hey, if you're looking for new drivers, I think Patsy can take on some added work. He broke up with his girlfriend last week and has been depressed. May help distract him."

Marco motioned toward the giant picture window displaying a bunch of wares. Patsy stood, looking out, gaze vacant and sad. He swayed back and forth. Brick wondered how many brownies the kid had eaten. There was no way he was letting Patsy around his horses. "Oh, sorry. We're all full, but I'll keep him in mind."

"Great." Marco shook his head soulfully. "Heartbreak is a bitch, man. Glenda said he wasn't going anywhere, so she dumped him. Do you believe it? The guy's a business owner, and she wanted more."

"Awful," Brick said. "He'll find the right person."

"Yeah. At least, you did. Aspen's bitchin. See ya later. I'd better check on Patsy."

"Later."

Marco disappeared, and Kane cocked his head. "Nice kid. They own that place?"

"Yep. Trust me, he's doing better sales than me."

"Not for long." Kane clapped him on the shoulder. "Ziggy would be proud."

Satisfaction curled through him. "I think so."

Funny that a fake relationship with Aspen had brought all this to him. He was right on target with her after the night they'd spent. They'd grown closer, and real emotion was blooming. Brick was sure her writing was on fire today, but eventually, he'd have to take everything they'd built and destroy it on purpose.

For her. For the book. For the bigger picture.

It hadn't bothered him before, but Brick was afraid he was beginning to blur the lines between fact and fiction.

And that left no happy endings for either of them.