10. Crossland

CHAPTER 10

Crossland

The past week had been one of those fast-paced weeks where the days blurred together, and I wasn’t exactly sure what day it was by the end of it.

Aspen had made the India trip more enjoyable, but it had been a non-stop string of events, business meetings, and negotiations. In the end, I’d managed to successfully invest in a growing company in the energy research and development industry. It was another asset to add to my arsenal, but something about this trip just hit different. I’d never spent so much time with one woman before, and I never knew how nice it could be to have someone to talk to throughout the ups and downs of an endless string of meetings.

And Aspen never yawned during the events, never rolled her eyes, or begged to be taken for a ride on the jet or the yacht. She engaged in the conversations with the power players in the room, not so much as flinching when speaking to some of the country’s wealthiest entrepreneurs. She was fun as hell to watch, not to mention drop-dead gorgeous, but the combination was nothing compared to the way she’d check in with me between meetings.

I’d never had that before.

Never had a partner who was invested enough to ask if I was emotionally drained or angry due to a deal going sideways. It was refreshing, and it made a little piece of me wonder if there was something to this whole monogamy epidemic that had afflicted my friends recently.

Not that Aspen and I were an official couple. On the outside? We looked like the perfect pairing—laughing, flirting, and sharing little moments of intimacy for the whole world to see. On the inside, we were simply business partners.

A business partner I genuinely couldn’t wait to see the next day.

A business partner I was growing increasingly attached to.

A business partner I’d made come on my tongue two weeks ago.

I tried to force the thoughts out of my head as I finished setting up the dinner I’d picked up for the two of us, making sure everything was set out on the dining room table I rarely used unless Bristol and her husband were in town.

Aspen would be here any minute, and if I kept thinking about her flavor bursting on my tongue, I’d answer the door sporting the hard on that plagued me every single time I thought about that night.

Hell, I’d walked around half-hard all throughout the events last week, unable to stop the red-hot thoughts I had about her every time she walked into the room. It didn’t matter if she was dressed in a ball gown or those silky pajamas she liked to wear to bed, I wanted her.

There was no denying it. We had some intense chemistry, but I hadn’t crossed that line again since the night we played the Reapers. And she hadn’t broached the subject either, so we’d kept everything PDA friendly when in public, and kept our distance when in private.

I hated to admit that it was killing me, and I didn’t know what the hell to do about it.

I wasn’t just attracted to Aspen on a physical level, even though her emerald hair and curves turned me on to the point of madness, but I found myself attracted to her personality—to the way she never tried to cover her laugh, the way she called me on my bullshit, the way she never let anyone look down their nose at her, the way she loved her sister and nearly broke herself in order to provide for her. All the little nuances that made her her had me excited every time I saw her.

I didn’t exactly know what to do with all the new sensations cropping up around her, so I was content to do what I normally do—just roll with it. She wasn’t a puzzle to solve. She was a paid-for partner, and if at the end of our contract I managed to find a friend in the process? Bonus for me.

A knock on the door jerked me out of my thoughts, and I quickly sat the last of dinner on the table before heading to open it.

Aspen grinned up at me, her smile a sweet and breathtaking thing that I wasn’t certain I’d ever get used to. I took a deep breath, inhaling that intoxicating scent that clung to her skin before motioning her inside.

“Was the drive over okay?” I asked as she followed me through the entryway, toward the dining room.

“You sent your driver,” she said. “What do you think?”

“Just checking to make sure you enjoyed it,” I said, smiling at the tease in her voice.

“Of course,” she said. “Me and Len are becoming friends at this point. Did you know his daughter just had twins?”

“I did,” I said, rounding the corner into the dining room. “I helped him set up their college funds.”

“I knew it,” she said, a sense of pride wrapping around her tone. “You’ve totally changed my opinion of billionaires for the rest of forever. You’re amazing, you know that?”

“I definitely know that,” I teased, motioning to the table.

“What’s this?” she asked, her eyes widening when she took in the table.

“They’re your favorite tacos, right? From that food truck?” Fuck, I hope I hadn’t made a mistake. Jesse assured me these were the ones when I’d texted him.

“Yes! You went and got them for me?”

Relief pooled through me, and I pulled out her chair for her, not taking mine across from her until she’d settled in it.

“I realized that I never officially apologized for buying the coffee shop without discussing it with you first,” I admitted.

She grabbed a taco from the silver container in the middle of the table and took a huge bite. Her eyes fluttered closed and she moaned.

Jesus, that sound was going to end me. I wanted to hear her make that sound while my cock was in her mouth or when I was bottoming out in her sweet pussy.

I cleared my throat, forcing the thoughts from my head as I reached for a taco in an attempt to hide that even the way the woman ate turned me on.

“The. Best. Apology. Ever,” she said after swallowing. “Seriously, I didn’t even think you remembered this.”

“I try,” I said, taking a bite myself. She wasn’t wrong, they were absolute fire.

“Also,” she said after finishing her first taco and moving onto her second. “You know I was kidding about the whole being mad at you thing. I wanted to be angry with you, but with your explanation, you made it kind of impossible.”

I blew out a breath, nodding. “I’m glad to hear it. As I’m sure you’ve learned, I’m impulsive. I react to my instincts because they’ve never let me down before, but the last thing I wanted to do was cross a line.”

“I get that,” she said. “Even though I’ve never had to think about something like this before. It’s not like someone purchases my place of work every other day just so we can go on unlimited dates.” She chuckled softly, shaking her head with this surreal look on her face.

“You’re not the only one in uncharted territory,” I said.

She arched a brow at me.

“You’re not,” I said between bites. “I’ve never been with a woman longer than a weekend, so everything about this is new.” I motioned between us. “Even if it’s fabricated, it’s the closest thing to the real deal that I’ve ever had. Bear with me if I continue to make missteps.”

Aspen caught my gaze across the table, something like understanding and pity in those irresistible eyes of hers.

“Can I be honest with you?” she asked, finishing the food on her plate before pushing it aside.

“I would appreciate that,” I said, swallowing my last bite a little harder than necessary.

She took a few sips of the soda water I’d set out for her, collecting her thoughts. “I know this is a ruse,” she said. “I know that we have a contractual obligation to each other and that this is just another business deal for you, but I genuinely enjoy being around you, Crossland.”

Something tightened in my chest.

“You’re fun personified, even if you are a cocky prick,” she said, smiling at me. “And you’re kind, perceptive. Your world is a lot sometimes, no doubt, but you’re worth spending time with. And it has nothing to do with your money or the NHL team you own.” She shrugged, reaching for her soda water again. “I just…wanted you to know that. In case the weekend partners you had before never told you.”

Fuck me.

I felt like I’d been nailed to the chair. I could do nothing but stare at her and wonder what the hell was happening inside my body right now. I couldn’t tell if I wanted to pull her into my lap and kiss the hell out of her or wrap her in my arms and fucking cry. Jesus, what the hell was happening to me?

I swallowed hard, honestly not sure what to say to that.

“Sorry,” she quickly added, shaking her head at herself. “That probably has more to do with my own bullshit,” she continued. “I’ve had countless people bail on me because of the baggage I carry, and I always told myself I’d never take the people in my life for granted. I know you’re here because of the deal, but still…I don’t hold things like that in.”

“I love that about you,” I said.

“Really?” She laughed. “I used to get punished for speaking freely like that.”

“Your parents?” I asked. She’d mentioned them before, in our initial one-on-one, and I knew they were estranged, but she hadn’t gone into full details on her upbringing.

“Yeah,” she said. “For the longest time, I was afraid to speak, even after I’d moved myself and Brecken out of the house. It took a shit-ton of therapy for me to understand that not everyone would punish me for having an opinion.” She tilted her head. “Of course, the few relationships I did have in those early days of healing didn’t help. I attracted men who made me feel small, men who said I embarrassed them if I colored my hair or said something sassy in public.” She rolled her eyes. “I was stuck in a pattern, I guess. At least that’s what my therapist said.” She shrugged. “Anyway, that’s why I haven’t had a relationship in years and why I never hold anything back anymore.”

“I’m sorry that happened to you,” I said, having to clamp down on the instinct to track her family down and make them pay for what they’d done to her, then the ex-boyfriends. That wouldn’t be helpful to her.

“It’s fine,” she said, even though I knew it was anything but. “I bet you’re so glad you plucked me out of the crowd, huh?” she laughed, pushing away from the table and gathering our plates.

I quickly hopped up, gathering the leftovers to store them in the fridge. “I am,” I said as we made it to the kitchen.

She didn’t turn to look at me as she rinsed the plates before putting them in the dishwasher. She remained not looking at me after she was finished and I’d put the leftovers away, instead electing to look out of the glass doors that led to my balcony that overlooked the city. We were fifty flights up, with nothing but the sparkling city stretching out toward the horizon.

It was a hell of a view, for sure, but I had a feeling she wasn’t looking at me for a reason.

“Hey,” I said, standing next to her and gliding my hand comfortingly along her arm. “I am glad, Aspen.”

She finally looked away from the view, glancing up at me with shining eyes. “How is that possible?” she asked, her voice almost a whisper. “You could’ve picked anyone, but you somehow managed to find the most baggage-ridden and furthest economical person from your world.”

I furrowed my brow. “And you say I sell myself short? Come on, Aspen, you know better than that.”

“Do I?” she asked, blowing out a breath. “Everything with you is surreal and complicated and extraordinary. I ask myself at least twice a day why I’m here, how I ended up here.”

“I’ve always been honest with you,” I said. “I know we struck a deal, but do you think I did that lightly? I was drawn to you from the very first moment I laid eyes on you. And everything since has just gone in my favor, because the person I made a deal with to be my fake girlfriend happened to be pretty fucking awesome.”

She laughed roughly, shaking her head. “There’s that cocky charm again.”

I grinned down at her. “Not charm, just facts.”

She nodded, accepting the compliment even though it looked like a struggle for her, and then she schooled her features. “Okay, then,” she said. “What’s on the agenda for tonight? A club opening? A charity gala? A⁠—”

“I just wanted to see you,” I admitted, reaching up to smooth my hand over her cheek.

Her lips parted, and she leaned into the touch.

“Is that okay?” I asked, shifting closer to her like a magnet pulled us together.

“Why wouldn’t it be okay?” she whispered.

“I don’t know,” I said. “Everything is getting blurry for me, Aspen.”

“Why?”

“I want you on a level that has nothing to do with the deal we made,” I said, the confession rolling off of my tongue easily, and I knew that was all because of her. She was just so damn easy to be myself with.

“But you haven’t…we were in the same suite all week and you didn’t try…”

“Like I said....” I shifted closer, her body moving with mine as she turned, her back pressed against the glass. “I don’t want to cross any lines you don’t want me to.”

“I’m pretty sure we erased those lines the moment I came on your face, Crossland.”

“Fuck, Aspen,” I groaned. “That mouth.” I dragged my thumb over her bottom lip, doing my best to keep from bringing her body flush against mine.

Her hands lightly grazed my chest, her eyes never leaving mine.

“Did you want me to try something, then?” I asked. “When we were in India?”

She visibly swallowed. “Honestly?”

“Always.”

“I’ve wanted you to try something since the moment you left me in that bed in Charleston.”

I shuddered, liquid fire pumping through my veins.

“And it has nothing to do with our contract,” I said. “Correct?”

She shook her head.

“You don’t feel obligated to say that?”

“No,” she said. “It’s you. Just you.”

“So whatever happens next, it’s just between us. Not as business partners, but as…” Fuck, what were we? What would taking this to the next level make us? Panic crept up my throat at the unknown⁠—

“Friends,” she offered. “Right? We’re friends?”

I breathed out a sweet sigh of relief.

“Friends,” I said. Yes, that made perfect sense. I loved spending time with her, loved talking and laughing with her, loved challenging and joking with her. Of course, we were friends.

“You want this?” I asked one last time for clarification. “Because I want to be very clear,” I continued. “You’ll always be in control, Aspen. Just because we do this tonight doesn’t mean we have to continue doing it. But if you let me, I’m going to spend the next two months worshiping that goddamn irresistible body of yours so much that you’ll feel me long after you move on.”

Because she would move on.

We both would.

Neither one of us was built for the long term, we’d already established that, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t thoroughly enjoy each other.

“If any of that makes you uncomfortable⁠—”

“It doesn’t,” she said, her hands fisting my shirt. “I’m in. I want you.”

“Thank fuck,” I said, dipping down to capture her mouth in mine.

She met me with equal hunger, parting her lips to let me in, our tongues rubbing and exploring and claiming. Fuck, kissing her sent lightning streaking through my veins. Each stroke, each nip, each suck wound me up, my thoughts emptying except for the primal need to devour her.

I broke our kiss, grinning down at her as I moved to the line of her jaw, then the spot behind her ear, and lower. I quickly tugged at the hem of her shirt, pleasure rippling through me when she lifted her arms, more than eager to be rid of the barriers separating us. She made quick work of her pants, and I did the same until I was just in my boxer-briefs.

“Shit,” she said, cringing as she glanced down at herself. “I didn’t think we’d….ugh. I’m mismatched.”

I had to blink a few times before I realized what the hell she was talking about. She wore a sexy pink bra, but her underwear was a bright shade of blue. The notion that her underwear being mismatched was cringeworthy made me laugh out loud.

She gaped up at me. “You are not laughing!”

I couldn’t reel it in, so I spoke with it. “Aspen⁠—”

“I can’t believe you’re laughing. I’m so mortified.” She tried to cover herself, but I gently gripped her wrists and pinned them above her head with one hand.

“You,” I said, dragging my free hand down the center of her cleavage, over her soft stomach, and then between her thighs. “Would be sexy in any and all colors, kitten.” I kissed her, hard and quick, before pulling away. “I only laughed because you thought it was an issue. It’s not. You’re so fucking beautiful, Aspen. You literally bring me to my knees.”

I released her wrists, kissing down her neck and over the globes of her breasts that threatened to spill from the cups of her bra, and lower, until I was on my knees looking up at her.

“Understand?”

Her entire body trembled, but she nodded as she looked down at me.

“Good,” I said, then hooked my fingers in the sides of her underwear and dragged them down her legs. She quickly stepped out of them, and I tossed them to the side, groaning at the sight of her before me.

I wasted no time teasing her, instead licking up her slit like the starved man I was. Fuck, she tasted as good as I remembered, and I was certain I could live and die here.

“Cross,” she gasped, and I groaned.

“Fucking love it when you say my name like that,” I said against her warmth, using my fingers to part her slick flesh so I could lick her properly. “Mmm,” I murmured against her. “Hold on to me,” I said, and her hands instantly flew to my shoulders.

I shifted her right leg over my shoulder, giving me all the access I needed to properly eat at her. “Been thinking about doing this since the last time,” I said, lapping up her flavor and relishing each of her little whimpers when I lingered on her swollen clit. “Look at you,” I continued. “All slick and needy for me.” I glided two fingers through her wetness for emphasis, my cock rock hard with the knowledge that she wanted me as badly as I wanted her.

One of her hands flew to my hair, her fingers tangling there as she arched against me.

“Eager little thing, aren’t you?” I teased, pulling my fingers away and replacing them with my tongue for a few pumps before pulling back. “What happened to my slow-to-pop-off girl?”

Frustration lined the features of her face when I looked up at her, and it was sexy as hell when her eyes met mine.

“Not with you,” she breathed the words, the strain in her voice like a string ready to snap.

Fuck, she was going to be the end of me. All eager and needy. For me. All for me.

“No,” I said. “Not with me. Never with me, kitten.” I speared my tongue inside her, plunging it in her heat over and over again before pulling back and circling her clit with my tongue, alternating back and forth so rapidly she couldn’t predict my next move. She rocked against my face, chasing her pleasure as I ate at her, savoring every moan, every tremble, every frantic grip.

And then I sucked her swollen, needy little clit into my mouth, and she cried out my name, coming on my tongue in a burst of flavor that I drank down like my favorite cocktail.

Her breaths came in heaved rushes, her thighs trembling as I gently shifted her leg off my shoulder, keeping a good hold on her as I stood up to grin proudly down at her.

“That was quicker than five minutes too,” I teased.

She laughed, her skin glowing with post-orgasm bliss. “Are you always going to keep count?”

“No,” I said, sweeping an arm beneath her legs and cradling her to my chest. “But I can tell you that what I’m about to do to you will take way longer.”

Aspen’s eyes flared in anticipation, and I smirked down at her, using a hand to open the glass door before I took her out to the balcony.

She gasped at the brisk air that coated our already flushed bodies, and I groaned at the sight of her nipples peaking from beneath the pink lace of her bra.

“This has to go,” I said, quickly unclasping it and dropping it to the side before laying her on the oversized couch on my balcony.

“Is there a chance anyone could see?” she asked, glancing around at the concrete borders of the balcony.

“No,” I assured her. I’d made double sure before I purchased the place for this very reason, not that I’d ever fucked someone in my apartment.

Holy shit.

I’d never fucked anyone here before. It had always been at their place or while traveling.

Damn.

A shot of nerves tingled up my spine, but I forced the sensation away, distracting myself with the absolute stunning way Aspen looked splayed out beneath me, all naked and flushed.

“Too bad,” she said, a little mischievous grin shaping her lips that shocked the hell out of me.

I shed my boxer-briefs and parted her thighs, moving between them but not bringing us flush yet. “Do you like that idea, kitten?” I asked, bending over her to brace myself with one arm near her head. “The idea of getting caught?”

She bit that plump lip of hers. “Maybe,” she said, and fuck me, heat speared through my veins at her little admission. There was a certain level of trust in sharing that, and I sure as fuck wouldn’t take it for granted.

“Sometime,” I said. “I’ll fuck you in public and give you what you want.”

She reached up, exploring the planes of my chest and the ink I had there, then lower, until she met my aching cock and gripped it. “I just want you,” she said, and those words were my undoing.

I groaned as she stroked me, guiding the tip of my dick through her wetness, teasing us both until I pumped into her hand, my hips thrusting into her touch on instinct. I pressed my lips against hers, kissing her with a newly formed hunger that had everything to do with her playing.

“Condom,” I growled against her mouth when she’d moved me inside her an inch before pulling me out again. “Now,” I said when she didn’t let go.

“Say please,” she said, and I swear to fuck I almost came at the demand.

I lifted up enough to look down at her properly, tangling my fingers in her hair and tugging on it just enough that she gasped and arched her neck. I bent down, sucking roughly on the soft patch of skin beneath her jaw, and felt her grip on me tighten.

“You first, kitten,” I finally said when she’d arched her hips, desperately trying to get to more of me.

“Please,” she said, instantly conceding.

She released me, and I was gone and back in a matter of seconds, condom on and ready.

It took all of the willpower I possessed to not instantly sink inside her, instead ensuring I went slow. It was our first time, after all, and I wasn’t exactly average size.

“Cross,” she gasped as I sank inside inch by agonizingly slow inch until, finally, I was seated to the hilt inside her.

I held still, giving her time to adjust, and letting her take the reins even though I was on top. After a few seconds, she started to move, wrapping her legs around my back and urging me to pull out and pump back inside her.

Fuck, she felt like a goddamn dream. All searing silk and fire, her walls hugging my cock perfectly as I sank inside her again and again.

“Fucking hell, kitten,” I said, shifting above her to slide an arm beneath her lower back, hefting her up so I could fuck her deeper. “You feel amazing.”

“Cross,” she moaned. “Ohmigod,” she said, gasping as she urged me to go faster. “I’m…I’m…”

Fuck me, she pulsed around my cock, already coming again, the sensation snapping every thread of self-control I possessed. I pumped into her harder, her slickness allowing me to slide in and out so damn well.

Her nails dug into my back, the sweetest little bite of pain adding to the pleasure building beneath my skin as I slammed home again and again. I looked down at her, appreciating every inch of her, and lingered on where we connected, loving the way my cock looked gliding in and out of her pussy.

My eyes trailed back to hers, and I savored the look of pure pleasure coating her features, loved the crinkle between her brow as I pushed her to that edge again. My fucking chest filled with pride that I was the one taking her here, the one making her sigh like that, whimper all needy like that.

“Cross,” she said again. “I…I can’t…” Her words were breathless, her brow pinched and back arching as I felt her clench tighter around my cock.

“You can, kitten,” I assured her, wondering how she was already spent after just two orgasms. Who the hell had she been with before that would stop after just one? We’d have to work on those numbers, and I found myself more than delighted at the prospect of doing just that.

“Oh, God,” she said, her thighs tightening on my hips. “You…fuck,” she moaned. “You feel so damn good, Cross.”

Fuck me, that did it.

Her words, her breathy little moans, her pussy rippling around my cock sent me right over the fucking edge.

I came with her, pumping into her harder and faster, seeing fucking stars I came so hard.

When my vision cleared seconds later, I slipped my arm out from behind her back, supporting myself so I wouldn’t crush her as I slowed my strokes, both of us trembling from the aftershocks.

After quickly cleaning up inside, I returned with a blanket and wrapped her up in my arms as we laid on the couch, the brisk air raising chills on our sweat-soaked skin.

“I don’t think I can move,” she admitted a few minutes later, her back tucked against my chest as I held her.

I grinned down at her, kissing along the line of her neck. “Good,” I said. “Because I don’t want you to.”

And the reality of those words struck me dead center in the chest.

I didn’t want her to go anywhere.

I wanted her to stay.

And I didn’t have a fucking clue what to do about that.