23. Aspen

Twenty Three

Aspen

It was another beautiful Sunday on the ranch. Texas weather in June was hot; a part of me thrived most when the UV index was above a seven. Sitting in a lounge chair behind my cabin, I called Theo and Penny for a two-way FaceTime. I hadn’t seen or spoken to them since having sex with Boone, outside of a few texts. Theo had been sick as a dog and Penny was busy with the library. As I patiently waited for one of them to answer, I closed my book and put it on the ground. I finally finished my current read, which I’d been working through for the last week or so. Between writing, working, and spending time with Boone I hadn’t been able to relax and indulge myself. Making time every day to read has always been a priority, but with the changes in my life, where I wanted to spend my time now looked much different.

On the third ring, Theo picked up quickly followed by Penny. Theo lay face down in bed, the camera propped up against something. “Ugh, I feel like garbage!” Theo yelled. Seeing her so sick made me feel bad, I wanted to make it better, I didn’t know how.

“My poor Theo!” Penny said. “How much longer does the sickness last?” I was curious, too; I knew nothing about pregnancy. Since Parker was my only sibling and he had no children, I didn’t have much exposure to pregnant people.

“My doctor said by the second trimester, I’m a little over eight weeks now. Lucky me has five more weeks of torture,” Theo groaned. “Thinking about being sick makes me sick. A, you’re the one who called us. Please give me a distraction from this personal hell!”

“I hope it’s a Boone update,” Penny squealed, clapping her hands.

Knowing my friends, they would have a million questions, so I got the biggest news out of the way. “Boone and I had sex.”

Theo asked, “First, was it good?”

“Oh yeah. Good doesn’t even describe it. I think I need to invent a new word,” I sighed, thinking about him standing above me, stroking his cock.

Screams and expletives filled my ears as Theo and Penny celebrated their excitement. “I want every detail, please, please, please!” Penny begged. Even Theo sat up in bed to give me her full attention.

“He took me stargazing in the bed of his truck with pillows and blankets. He even had strawberries and wine. It was amazing. One thing led to another, we started kissing, and it got hotter from there.” I recalled feeling the butterflies swirling in my belly. Writing it down was one thing, but sharing the events out loud made it all so real.

Sex with Boone was the best I’d ever had, not that I was well-versed in intimacy. The way he made me feel days later shows how much I was missing out on a real orgasm. Would it be wrong of me to ask him to do it again? I hoped and prayed that he would.

“Was it like, sweet and sensual or hot and hard?” Penny asked, biting her bottom lip like she was trying to recreate the image in her head.

Penny was the one I turned to when I lost my virginity. She was easy to talk to, knowledgeable, and had no filter when it came to sex. Penny lost her virginity much sooner than I did. She was flirting with boys as soon as puberty hit and her boobs came in.

“He pinned me down by my throat, and I sucked his thumb,” I confessed. To answer her question, it was hot and hard, no doubt about it. “The next day, he came over and gave me my thong back. Apparently, he found it in the field where the truck was parked.”

Theo cackled so hard her head flew back, “Shut the fuck up!” Her laughing was contagious, causing Penny and I to join. When Boone brought my underwear over, I was mortified, but thinking about it now, it made a hell of a story.

“I’m so jealous! I’d let that man split me in two,” Penny sighed, laying her head on her hand like she was daydreaming.

“Let who split you in two?” A voice boomed from behind me. I jumped, putting my hand over my heart. When I spun around, Boone towered over me enough to block the sun. He was shirtless and glistening with sweat. My mouth watered at the sight of him in his khaki hat and jeans low on his hips. Clearly, he just came from working the ranch, which sent my sex drive crazy.

Sputtering, I couldn’t find any words to explain the situation, “I – well, Penny –.” I made no sense.

“You!” Penny yelled from the phone. Theo began to giggle, obviously entertained by my torment. My head bounced back and forth between Boone and my phone waiting for someone to say something.

Boone crouched down, his face now in frame next to mine and quipped, “Why thank you, Penny. But, I think I got my hands full with this one.” As he nodded his head towards me.

“Hot,” Theo muttered, covering her mouth to hide her smile.

Desperate to change the subject, I asked, “What did you need, Boone?”

“I heard you talking and came by to check it out,” Boone replied.

“I’m hanging up now,” I said to my friends. “You two are on my shit list.” I pressed the end button before they could reply. Turning to Boone, I scowled and barked, “You are too!”

Boone put his arms up in defense, “Me? You were the one talking to your friends about us having sex. I just showed up at the wrong time.” Huffing, I gathered my stuff and Boone grinned as he helped me back up.

“I know!” I said. “I had to tell someone!” My phone started to ding; texts were firing in quick succession.

Penny: Aspen, I hope you’re getting railed right now.

Theo: Boone without a shirt ?? did anyone else see him dripping with sweat?

Penny: How could I not? I’m adding that to my spank bank.

Theo: Suddenly, I feel better. Who would have thought all I needed was a little dose of shirtless cowboy?

“I regret telling these two anything,” I confessed, showing Boone the thread of texts that were rolling in. Boone took my phone, typing out a response.

Aspen: This is Boone. I’d be “railing her,” but her phone is distracting.

Sooner or later I was going to have to face the fact I was falling in love with Boone. Right now, it felt like we were avoiding the depth of our feelings and acting on the surface. I knew he liked me and he knew I liked him, but the more of myself I gave, the more he was going to take. Scared was an understatement when I thought about giving all of myself to Boone Cassidy.

Boone

Nothing beats a shower after a day on the ranch. Working outside during the summer months could be brutal between the heat and the labor. Most nights my muscles ached and I craved downtime. Before Aspen, downtime looked like sitting on the couch with a beer or having a fire with my friends. Now, I looked forward to sitting with the same woman on the same front porch swing while we talked about anything and everything.

After I caught Aspen talking to her friends, I walked with her back home. I knew she enjoyed it, but hearing her say it when she didn’t know I was around inflated my ego.

Aspen told me she had a lot of writing and plotting she wanted to get done, which meant I was relaxing a little differently tonight. After getting out of the shower, I got dressed and decided to put my phone away for the night. It was something I had to do because I didn’t trust myself to leave Aspen alone to write in peace.

I walked over to my nightstand and reached for my charger. Movement out my window caught my eye, and when I looked up, I saw it was coming from Aspen’s bedroom. Normally, the curtain in her bedroom was closed. I knew that because it had been that way since I moved in. Now that it was open, I could see her clearly through the panes. She must’ve been getting out of the shower because a fluffy green towel was wrapped around her curvy body. The gentleman in me wanted to look away and let her have her privacy, but the caveman in me took charge.

I watched her move towards the dresser and pick out a pair of matching pajamas. Aspen was perfectly framed in the window when she dropped the towel. The view of her bare ass pushed me over the edge. I wanted her to turn around so I could see all of her.

I was a fucking creep, watching from my window without her knowing. Finally, the gentleman in me shoved the caveman down and I was able to step away. There was no way I was going to be able to focus on anything else tonight. Since our date in my truck bed, getting her naked was at the top of my list of priorities. I needed to have another taste.

Pacing up and down my hallway, I contemplated going over there and indulging myself. She wanted to write and I didn’t want to come between that, but she said she needed all the inspiration she could get.

Running my hands through my hair, I thought it through for a little while longer. Would she be mad if I stormed over there? Maybe she knew I could see in her bedroom and was doing it to tease me.

“Fuck it,” I muttered, grabbing my shoes and deciding to take a chance.