Cooper
I jogged down the stairs, my hands shaking. I'd just fucked Aspen Sterling. The youngest daughter of the family that had included me as one of them.
There was no excuse for what happened in her office. I hadn't intended to do anything but talk to her.
But instead, she'd come around the desk, lifted that stubborn chin, and crossed her arms over her chest, pushing up her breasts. It was all I could to do to remember why I was supposed to be there.
How she'd looked so devastated the last time I was in her office. The guilt and shame I felt for making her feel that way. How I wanted to kiss that stubborn expression off her face.
I admired her and wanted to claim her at the same time. I'd never felt anything like this before. She brought out desires in me that I didn't know were possible.
I wanted to possess her.
I opened the door to the outside, reveling in the gust of wind that struck me in the face. I hadn't bothered with a jacket when I decided to run over here after getting her email.
I'd wanted to know if she'd changed her mind. Instead, I'd taken advantage of her.
I ran a hand through my hair, striding toward my truck.
My phone buzzed when I reached the driver's side, and I pulled it out, hoping it was Aspen. But how could it be when I'd left her naked on her desk and freshly fucked? I couldn't look at her before I walked out because I knew I'd want her all over again. And I needed time to figure out what the hell happened before I made another move.
Maverick: Are you up for a drink?
Maverick and Morgan went out occasionally, less so now that they were with significant others. We worked in town, and it was easy to run over to the bar most nights. But not today. I probably smelled like sex.
But I hadn't tasted her or even fingered her pussy. I'd sucked on her nipples, then slid home as if I were a teenager who didn't know how to pleasure a woman. I was lucky that she'd had an orgasm.
The second the idea had flown into my head, I was moving, kissing, and touching her. Needing her to remove her clothes so that I could slide inside her. And it had been amazing. Unlike anything I'd ever felt before.
Cooper: I'm heading home.
I should have been tired. But I was amped up. High on Aspen.
I slid into the driver's side of my truck and turned on the engine. The light was still on in Aspen's office. What was she thinking? That I was a jerk for walking out after sex?
I hadn't even been able to look at her or assure her that it wasn't a one-time thing. Because I couldn't make promises that I wasn't sure I could keep.
I pulled away from the curb, the guilt creeping in. I'd slept with my friends' and business partners' younger sister. I was supposed to look out for her, protect her, not take advantage of her.
I'd slept with her. On the desk in her office, no less. How was I ever going to be able to look any of the Sterlings in the eye again?
It was a huge error in judgment, one I couldn't repeat.
I hoped Aspen understood that it couldn't happen again. It didn't matter how good the sex was or what I was starting to feel for her. We couldn't be together.
Her brothers would never forgive me, and it would ruin our working relationship. They'd be right to fire me. I'd lose everything. My reputation, the family that took me in when I didn't have anything. The job that made me feel like I was finally someone. That I made a difference.
I'd go back to working for someone else, a family company that would only promote from within. I'd probably have to sell the house I'd recently bought because I wouldn't be making nearly the same salary. The guilt formed a pit in my stomach, refusing to dissipate.
At home, I needed to do something with the excess energy, so I changed into workout clothes and went to the garage where I kept the heavy bag.
I let my fists fly, pounding the bag. I got into a rhythm; the sting on my knuckles was punishment for the lapse in judgment.
I finally took a break, wiping the sweat from my face and downing a bottle of water. How could I work with Aspen and not want her?
It felt physically painful to walk away from her. Everything inside me was telling me to go to her, to hold her in my arms, to tell her that I wanted more. But I'd resisted. And now I was trying to work the desire out of my body.
It wasn't working. Being with her once only made me want her more. I wanted an entire night to explore her body, to figure out what she liked, to memorize every one of her sighs and whimpers. This thing with Aspen felt different. Unlike anything I'd ever experienced before. But I hadn't told her the truth about my family, and she was off-limits.