“A little. She’s quite beautiful.”

Leaving her hips, I rested my hands on both sides of her face, drawing her attention to me. I waited for her eyes to meet mine. “You’re the only one I see, Aspen. I told you the other night that this thing between us didn’t feel fake anymore. I meant every word. This is as real as it gets for me. Understand?”

“Yeah,” she whispered. “It feels real for me too, and that… scares me.”

“Why?”

“Because then it makes everything I’m feeling real. It makes the hurt real.”

“I won’t hurt you, cricket. Not intentionally. I can promise you that.”

It was clear she didn’t quite believe me, and not because she’d been hurt before, but because she didn’t trust the idea of relying on someone else.

Her hands lingered around the waistband of my jeans, and when a single finger dipped just inside the elastic of my boxer briefs, my cock jumped in anticipation.

“You know what I find interesting?” she prompted, nuzzling her nose against my jaw. I’d never felt so weak in the knees as I did when she sensually ran any part of her body against mine.

“What’s that?” My breath caught when her teeth nipped at my stubble-covered chin as her fingertip ran across the head of my cock.

“Even with the girls flocking around you when you’re in town, and the social media posts that have shown our pictures—”

I interrupted her immediately. “Grainy pictures in which no one could tell who you and I were.”

“Regardless, the articles say I’m just a fling and a way to get back at Vanessa. But you know what?”

Her sultry voice wafted over me in waves of lust, and I was drunk on her words.

“What?” I growled.

Her mouth moved over to the other side of my face, nipping the skin. “I wasn’t jealous of any of that. Not a single woman or picture made me jealous… until today.”

“Kelsey?”

“Yes. Kelsey. I’d never felt that before.”

“Yeah? And what does that mean?” I could barely hold my eyes open as she lightly stroked the mushroom head of my cock.

“I don’t know. Maybe I need to mark you somehow.”

The thought of Aspen branding me as hers turned me inside out. I was itching to feel her on me and me in her.

“Mark me, cricket, and I’ll put it on my skin permanently.”

“Hmm…”

My brain had entered a lustful haze at this point, but I was doing what I could to pay attention to Aspen as she stroked my cock inside my pants.

“So, if I… let's say, left a bite mark on your cock, you’d get it tattooed on your skin?”

“Um… probably not, but if you bit anywhere else… 100 percent. I’d add it to the others that mean so much to me.”

Aspen grew quiet but never stopped her explorations of my dick. After an hour—I swear that’s what it felt like—Aspen unbuttoned my pants and pulled down the zipper before tugging my cock free from the confines of my boxer briefs.

“I’ve been thinking about having your cock in my mouth all day,” she mumbled as she stroked my rock-hard dick.

My brain shouted hundreds of questions and ran multiple scenarios as she stroked me, but the moment her delectable mouth opened and slurped me like a melting popsicle on a hot day, I was a goner. All thoughts and cognitive thinking left my mind.

“Fuck,” I groaned as I watched my erection slide effortlessly into Aspen’s mouth to the back of her throat, then back out. She repeated the motion until I was forced to close my eyes and roll my head back.

As one of her hands cupped my heavy, sensitive balls, I felt the tingling at the base of my spine.

Immediately, I dove my hand into her hair, tossing it to one side so I could see her face when I opened my eyes. “I’m going to come, baby.”

I thought she’d retreat, but as she continued on, her hand at the root of my cock started increasing its pressure and strokes.

“Yes,” I groaned as I pumped into her mouth, and within seconds, streams of my cum shot down her throat, and Aspen swallowed it up with a smile in her eyes.

When she pulled back, my cock popping free from her mouth, she wiped at her lips and a smudge of my cum from her chin with the back of her hand.

“That was…,” I started, but I couldn’t find the words to explain what her form of branding meant to me. I’d never be able to be with another woman without thinking of Aspen ever again. Not that I could before. I’d always had her with me in some form since I met her.

“Good?” she added as she moved up from her knees to stand in front of me.

“Amazing,” I told her. There was no hesitation on my part to kiss her, and it lingered as we stood in the third-floor room. The sun was bright and shining through the window, and I felt like I was on cloud nine.

Slowly, Aspen pulled back, a blissful smile on her lips as she glanced up at me. “Now, I really need to head back to the farm. We’re just about done, and then we start cleanup. Carrie is most excited.”

Her mention of the cow got a chuckle out of me. I hadn’t been back to see the heifer, but Aspen told me she’d been on her best behavior recently. The stitches on Aspen’s arm dissolved, and now there was a faint line in its place that would eventually fade. I hated that the cow caused her harm, but the injury brought us closer than we would have been otherwise.

“I’m sure the therapist will want me to test my shoulder tomorrow, but can I see you Saturday?”

“I thought you have the camp. Remember, all those fans are coming to get your autograph and number?” She giggled wickedly.

My body shivered at the thought of all those girls showing up.

“Yes, I remember. Can you come in the afternoon, and we can do something after?” I pleaded with puppy-dog eyes that my mom used to say would get me anything I wanted. It may have only worked as a kid, but I was willing to try now too. I could sense Aspen was slowly coming around. I threw out a persuasive “pleeease,” then smiled triumphantly when she agreed.

I followed her down the narrow steps that returned us to the main floor and then out the back of the house, where her UTV waited. With a chaste kiss, she was on her way, her hair flapping in the breeze. Her faithful hat was still on the back deck table where we left it. Now I had an excuse to drop it by her house tonight. Just thinking about the taste of her pussy had me adjusting my bulge as I made my way back inside.

Tonight could not come soon enough.

Chapter Sixteen – Aspen

For the first Friday night in years, I was going to spend the entire evening with Jenna. She demanded some girl time and wouldn’t take no for an answer. I desperately needed some advice, so I wasn’t overly upset to spend my free night away from my own couch.

On my way to pick up snacks for our girls’ night, I ran into Tryston. He was busy comparing two different ice-cream brands and just happened to be standing right in front of the black cherry that was my favorite.

I waited patiently for a minute, but then the basket on my arm filled with cookies, candies, and wine started to grow heavy. Switching the shopping basket to my other hand, I took a step closer to Tryston.