I barked out a laugh, and he grinned at me. I liked this less serious version of him that I only got to see when we’d been working too long doing something we both enjoyed. “Ye know, we haven’t been awake this way for the job in years.”
He nodded. “I know. Normally we have people to sit with the guys. At some point we became the bosses. How did that happen?”
“I kinda like going old school.” I knocked my shoulder against his, and he shoved me back, but somehow by the time we were finished scuffling his arm was around my shoulders.
“Me too.” He rested his head against mine, and we stared at the water for a while longer.
“This is good.”
“Except for the fact that we burned two fucking days on this guy.” He sighed. “Normally we do better.”
“T’was talking about being here with ye.”
He glanced at me and moved back so he could stare into my face. “You okay?”
Flipping him off, I shrugged. “It happens, don’t it?” I decided to ignore his question and the stupid shite that had just come out of my mouth. “We’ll have to grab someone else. It’s rare a man won’t talk, but it isn’t a first.”
“We need sleep before we get into that bullshit,” he said with a groan. “I’m not in my twenties anymore.”
It was my turn to roll my eyes. “Don’t pretend ye’re an old man. I’ve seen ye fuck. Ye can almost keep up with me.” I stuck my tongue out at him, and he swiped toward my face like he was going to try to snag it, so I danced out of his embrace and gave him a shove.
He came after me and slid his arm around my waist again, and I glanced at his face. He didn’t say a word as we stopped so he could grab his knife case, then walked out of the secluded area to the spot where we’d parked the van we’d used to snatch the man. The poor bastard would forever remain nameless—until someone reported him missing. We could’ve done this torture business at the mansion, but in a strange way, this adventure near the ocean had been our own type of holiday, with the water pounding close by. We’d taken breathers between beating the man, and we were able to step out and watch the ocean together.
It had been good. We’d never done anything like this.
I was so tired that I didn’t say a word when Aspen shoved me toward the passenger seat of the van. He gave me a look as if to ask if I was really that exhausted, and I started chuckling.
He shook his head at me. “You’re as bad as Fallon right now. No one will believe this when we go home if I tell them.”
“So don’t,” I said, but I was too fecked up to care much. I got in the passenger side without another word on the matter, and Aspen drove us back to the mansion. Our arrival was a blur. We ate standing over the kitchen sink while one of the night shift maids fussed at us and told us she would make us a proper meal, but Aspen quietly said something to her that had her smiling and scurrying off.
I glared at him when he came back to my side to finish the sandwich he’d thrown together, and he shook his head at me without commenting.
When we were done eating, we ended up in his soothing blue room, which had an astronomy theme. All the photos on the walls were of a full moon and twinkling stars over the water, and there was a large star chart next to a telescope facing the window. I’d meant to go to my room and sleep alone, so I wasn’t relying too much on him, but he’d grabbed my hand and tugged me along until I found myself bouncing on his bed.
“We should shower,” Aspen said as he flung his knife case on the dresser, and the fact that he didn’t immediately make a beeline to the sink to scrub up his precious babies let me know exactly how done in he was.
I stood and stripped my clothing—all of it—then wriggled under the blankets. “Nope. Too tired. Don’t care.”
He hummed. “Don’t flash something you don’t intend to hand over.”
I couldn’t dredge up the energy to glare at him. “Och, if ye have the power to do anything right now, have at it.”
“Oh yeah?” His tone held a threat, but I was too bloody comfortable to move. My eyelids slid shut and the pillows smelled like Aspen. I turned my face into one and inhaled, and my stomach swirled with heat. I’d had a semi forever and it still hadn’t gone down. The sound of water running in the bathroom lulled me almost to sleep. Maybe Aspen was cleaning his knives after all. A short while later someone pulled the blankets off me, and I grunted, but I didn’t bother to do anything about it.
“Aspen, what are ye doing?”
“Looking.”
I grunted. “Well, I’m sleeping.”
“Go ahead and do it then. You said if I had the energy, I could do what I want. Trust me, I’m always going to find it with an offer like that.”
Rolling my eyes, I glanced over my shoulder. He had a red towel wrapped around his solid waist and water droplets on his muscular chest made it glisten. His nipples were a deeper umber than the rest of his skin and I wanted to touch them. I hadn’t noticed him showering, but I licked my lips. He looked good. “And ye’re choosing to stare at me arse?” My breath caught in my throat. He tossed a lube bottle on the bed, then crawled up between my legs. “Ye said—”
“Go back to sleep. I know you won’t let me fuck you.”
I turned around and buried my face in the crisp white pillow. “What are ye doing, then?” I couldn’t hold in a moan when his warm breath gusted across my arsecheeks. “This was all right last time.”
