Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

" G o potty, Rexy!"

As she watched the large dog wander around the backyard to find the perfect spot, Aspen couldn't keep her mind from wandering to the pleasure her daddy had lavished on her last night. When Rexy took off after a chattering bird, it took her a second to realize what was happening.

"Come back here, you beast," she called. "Rexy!"

The sweet dog immediately turned and woofed one last time at the annoying raven before loping back to her. Rexy's enthusiasm at being the center of her attention almost knocked her over.

"You goofball!" she chided him as she scratched his soft coat. "Now, go potty. I have to go to work."

With his deposit scooped up in a doggie doo bag, Aspen herded Rexy back into the house. Tossing the baggie into the bin in the garage, she stretched before heading back into the house to wash her hands. She couldn't remember ever feeling so good. Maybe her daddy was right, and she needed more sleep.

Maybe it was the orgasms.

Grinning, she walked back inside and cleaned her hands before picking up the lunch Jerico had made for her. He'd even written her name on it. Men shouldn't have such pretty handwriting. She'd be happy to see her name in his script for years to come. How sappy was that?

She headed out the door to her car, after checking to make sure Rexy had settled in his normal spot for the day. He opened one eye from his position upside down on the bed. It looked like he wouldn't miss her at all.

It was a short drive to the base. Aspen showed her new badge to the soldiers at the gate and drove to the parking lot where they'd instructed her to put her car. After storing her lunch in the fridge in the break room, Aspen stopped to fill up her water bottle. When she was clocked in, she gathered her supplies and headed out to start her day.

People on different floors greeted her warmly. She couldn't believe they already knew her name. As she cleaned one office, Aspen noticed a group of soldiers heading out with large packs on their backs. They jogged in perfect formation.

The scenery's not bad here.

One thrust his hand through his hair in a familiar gesture that caught her eye… Aspen leaned closer to the glass and realized it was Jerico. With him identified, it was easy to pick out the others who she'd met when they'd moved her furniture. She grinned as they moved in perfect unison. She'd enjoy the eye candy at the barbecue.

A laugh burst from her lips as she realized she couldn't be attracted to the other handsome men. Others would kill to be in her position, but Aspen had already found her perfect man. Who could be more attractive than Jerico?

Continuing to smile at that thought, she turned back to her duties. As she moved from room to room, she kept an eye out for the team's return.

At lunch, she opted to go outdoors to sit at the picnic table under a gigantic oak tree. It looked like a wonderful day.

As she walked outside, she saw the last guy of a group wearing cumbersome backpacks walk into a large building. Was that Jerico's group? She jogged after them and hesitated at the door. Even after a day and a half working on the base, she knew better than to waltz in anywhere.

There were five men shrugging out of their packs. Didn't Jerico's team have six guys? As she eased backward to leave, Aspen saw one lower a water bottle, revealing his face. Jerico! Did she call his name? Or should she leave?

"Young lady, what are you doing here?" a deep voice asked from behind with stiff military authority.

Whirling around, she saw a huge man right behind her and took a couple of steps backward, looking down toward the floor in the hope it would open up and swallow her. "Sorry. I know one of those guys. I was just going to say hello."

She wanted to dart around the man and escape, but his bulk filled the doorway. Because of her instinctive move away from him, Aspen was now inside whether or not she wanted to be. "If you could move just a bit to the side, I'll leave."

"Aspen, right?" he asked, his tone gentler.

"Yes, I'm Aspen. I'm not totally in the wrong place. I work here on the base—on the custodial staff." She peeked up to check his expression and relaxed a bit. He didn't look as scary.

"I thought I recognized you." He looked past her. "Jerico. Aspen's here," the man announced in a voice that reached the far edges of the vast interior of the building.

Aspen turned to see heads and bodies popping up all over what she had thought was an almost empty place. Her face heated, and she knew she was blushing furiously. The only thing that saved her was the priceless look of happiness that appeared on Jerico's face. Immediately, he jogged over to see her.

"Hi!" he greeted her as he wrapped his arms around her before pressing a kiss to her lips.

"Hi," she returned the greeting before realizing that she was getting wet and stepping back automatically. "You are soaked!"

"Completely," he agreed. "The sprinklers were on in front of the building. Koa broke ranks and ran through. I couldn't let him take all the blame."

"So, you joined him," she said, laughing. "Thank goodness this isn't all sweat."

"A lot of it is," the deep voice behind her said.

"Aspen, you might remember Max." Jerico introduced her to the bear-like man who'd scared her.

"Oh, sorry." She'd never even looked at his face because of her fright. Her attention had focused on Jerico and then on the floor.

"Hi, Aspen. I'm glad to see you again. Do you like brownies or cupcakes better?" he asked.

Startled by the question, she answered honestly, "Brownies."

"With nuts?"

She shook her head. "Yuck. With chocolate chips."

"Of course. Thank you. Good to see you, Aspen," he said and wandered off.

When she looked back at Jerico, she knew she looked totally befuddled. "What…?" She didn't even know what to ask.

"I think you just picked the dessert for the barbecue," Jerico told her.

"Oh, he doesn't have to bring what I like," Aspen said quickly.

"In his opinion, he does. Come, say hello to the others."

In just a few minutes, Aspen was reacquainted with Caden, Zale, Hank, and Koa. Each of them was so different, but there was something similar between them. More than just being in amazing physical shape. They treated her as if she were special—not flirting with her, but watching out for her. Hank kept her from tripping over a backpack when she backed up. Koa grabbed a fly out of the air that was dive-bombing her face. Zale handed her a bottle of water and told her to drink. And Caden? He gave the team an extra five-minute break so Jerico could walk with her back to the picnic table.

"I like them," she told the handsome man next to her.

"I do, too. Some teams just click. I worried that I'd miss my former group, and I do, but it feels like I should be here," Jerico shared.

"I'm glad you are."

"Eat your lunch, baby. I'll see you at home."

His kiss made her cling to him until once again the water seeped against her skin. "Daddy, you're getting me wet."

"Just how I like you, little girl," he whispered in her ear before turning to jog away.

She loved his deep chuckle. Squeezing her legs together, she knew that was inevitable when she was with him.

Pulling into the driveway, Aspen knew she'd beat Jerico home. She sat in the car for a few seconds and thought. Home. That word had changed meaning for her since Jerico had come into her life. Her old place had just been where she lived and where her stuff was.

Here, everything she owned lay scattered around with the bulk of her possessions down in the basement. That should have concerned her, but sitting here, Aspen knew none of it mattered. He made it home—not the stuff. She would be happy to live wherever he did.

Woof!

The ‘what are you doing?' inquiry was muted by the barrier in front of the dog. Aspen laughed when she saw Rexy with his nose pressed against the glass of the front picture windows. She popped open her door and called, "I'm coming, Rexy."

After opening the door with her beautiful pink key, Aspen rewarded the large beast with enthusiastic pets before heading outside to give Rexy a bathroom break. It was such a nice day outside, she decided to take the energetic animal on a walk and texted Jerico.

As they walked down the street, Rexy earned a lot of attention from the kids who were playing in their yards. She waved and called hello. Aspen wasn't sure how Rexy would react to children, especially young kiddos, but he seemed very interested in joining their games.

When she reached a busy street, Aspen turned around. She must have walked further than she thought. Aspen didn't recognize any of the houses. They must not be on her normal driving route.

Crossing her fingers that she hadn't wandered too aimlessly, she continued on the same path. The sound of kids playing basketball caught her attention. At the corner, she looked down that road and recognized the teenagers. Reorienting to the right path home, Aspen lectured herself about paying attention to more than the scenery.

When she reached Jerico's block, Aspen couldn't see his driveway because of the neighbors' cars. She rose to her tiptoes to check if his truck was home yet. Feeling sad, she dropped back.

Where was he?

Once inside, she wondered if she should do something for dinner. There should be lots of leftovers from last night's dinner. Her tummy rumbled at the thought of the delicious dish.

To distract herself, Aspen fed Rexy. With that job done, she wondered what she should do. Wandering down the hall, she stopped at the special room she'd spent part of one night in. She'd been so exhausted and overwhelmed. Even then, she'd known Jerico wanted her to feel comfortable and settle into his home.

With Rexy by her side, Aspen walked into the beautiful room. She stood in the middle and turned in a circle, looking around. Her gaze flew over the changing table and all the items arranged around it. Would he really want to take care of her like this?

Aspen already knew the answer. He was already prepared to do so. There was a reason he had all the supplies. She pressed her hands against her abdomen to try to push away the heat that grew there. Her imagination already ran in overdrive as she imagined stretching out on the changing pad and having him care for her.

A wild idea popped into her brain. This was her chance. She could just see what it felt like.

"Rexy! Go stand by the door. Make some noise if Jerico gets home."

When the dog didn't move, she repeated herself, "Rexy, go wait for Jerico."

That seemed to work. Rexy yawned, obviously tired after their long walk, and ambled off toward the front of the house.

Walking to the changing table, Aspen tried to figure out how to get up there. She braced her hands on the padding and hopped up, putting one knee on the top and lifting herself up. With a bit of maneuvering, she turned to take a seat.

The cushion on top made it super comfortable, surprising her. Aspen stretched out and folded her hands on her tummy. Heat flared inside her. She trailed her fingers over her zipper as she spread her legs slightly. Rubbing her pussy, she imagined how he would care for her. It wasn't enough.

She fumbled with the button and zipper on her jeans and spread the material as widely as possible. Sliding her hand inside, she exhaled in exasperation. Damn tight jeans!

Quickly, she lifted her hips and hooked her fingers in both her panties and jeans to yank them over her knees. When her bottom touched the cool padding, Aspen closed her eyes and exhaled. Her fantasies whirled in her head as she caressed herself.

She was so wet. Imagining what her daddy would do, Aspen put herself in the erotic storylines of those books she devoured. Those magical tingles gathered between her legs. She bit her lip as she sped up her strokes. The rough feel of Jerico's hands bounced into her mind and Aspen slid one hand under her shirt to cup her breast. She was almost there.

"Little girl, freeze."

Her eyes burst open to spot Jerico in the doorway.