“Mm, it’s okay, bug. We all have things to do. And delete that picture Aspen sent to Fallon. I know he gave it to ye. Don’t ye dare show anyone else.”
His face went red.
I sighed. “Who did ye show?”
“Oh, no one.” His voice was too high, though. Vail didn’t lie well.
“Bug!”
“Rowen,” he whispered and snickered. I couldn’t bring myself to yell at him when he was so happy with himself.
Groaning, I shook my head. “Ye know, ye’re too cute for yer own good.” I sighed and ended the call on his amused laughter.
My cock was still hard, and I could perhaps roll to the side and give it a quick tug session, but I hurt all over. I rubbed against the blanket and let my mind go where it would, but thoughts of Vail and Fallon weren’t quite enough without my hand. I stopped and rested my forehead on my crossed arms while I panted and shoved my hips forward. The pleasant wave of heat that gathered in my groin was a tease that wasn’t going to finish me anytime soon. I missed Vail’s eager mouth and the way he gave in to me with so much enthusiasm, and Fallon’s muscles straining underneath mine while I used his hole.
And even though Aspen was here, I missed him, too, and that was worse. Sometimes at night when everyone else had already picked spots in the bed at home and I got there after they were settled, I cuddled up against his back. Held him. I’d only jerked him off the one time—though, I’d thought about it often.
“Feck this,” I grumped, punching the bed. “I’m a man, and men don’t need coddling.” In the back of my head, I could hear my da saying the same shite he always had when I was pitching a fit or felt bad as a child.“What will the neighbors think? I’ve got two daughters, that’s what. Act right.”
As I got older, he started saying worse shite.
Rowen and Eamon were always the good ones and avoided most of his sharp tongue. I never knew when enough was enough. Every bloody time I was upset, some version of his shite had poured out of his mouth. I knew he’d beaten some stupid shite into my head, and the longer I was around Vail and Fallon, the more I realized most of what he’d said wasn’t right, but I had a hard time knocking it out of my skull.
I would be damned if I would let anyone say nasty shite to them, but I couldn’t stop beating myself up.
I hadn’t seen my da in years and I still let him get to me. Punching the bed one more time, I carefully got to my knees, which hurt like a thousand birds were pecking my back, then turned and eased onto my arse. Pure fire raced across my tender skin. Groaning, I laughed again. My phone vibrated, and I half expected a cute photo from my bug, or maybe one from Fallon since I hadn’t talked to him.
Jamie: Be ready to go in an hour, boys. We have some fun planned today. ;)
“Bloody fecking hell, of course.” I slapped down the phone. He was always a joker, that Jamie, and I liked him well enough that I smiled as I shook my head. We’d been doing enough sitting on our arses. Just my luck something good would turn up when I wasn’t at the top of my game. I glared at the framed seascape of a rolling ocean wave stuck on the spring green wall across the room.
My face heated as I thought about Aspen running his hands up and down the length of me yesterday. My cock, which had settled, plumped again. Having all his attention on me had been so odd and yet so right. My stomach went cold while my cock stretched to kiss my abs. My foreskin opened up, and I ran my thumb over my cockhead, shivering at the sensation—not bad, though not quite good.
It would be nice to have Aspen’s hands on me again. Everything hurt, and I would like some of that aloe to cool my hot skin. For a few minutes I sat with my phone in my hand. I had the nerve to take a bullet for the boss but not text Aspen and ask for him to come to my room. I tossed the phone down on the bed and stood, hissing as I did so.
Snatching up the bottle of ibuprofen, I considered my options and finally hobbled into the bathroom. I popped two tablets dry and twisted to look in the mirror while I winced as I forced them down. My backside was redder today than it had been last night, but that probably meant the worst of it had come out. Sighing, I went and had a cold shower, each drop of water stinging like pins and needles. As punishment for being abuckeejit, I forced myself to wash thoroughly—even though sometimes I just ran a bar of soap over my hair at home.
Once I was done in the bathroom and had gone through the agony of drying off, I dressed and ignored the few tears that slipped out of my eyes as the cloth rubbed against my skin. After a minute or two, I got used to the terrible sensation. The light summer suit I had for Miami was a pale cream I didn’t love nor hate—it would simply allow me to survive the heat.
As I opened my bedroom door I could smell breakfast already, something with a rich, spicy aroma that let me know we weren’t in the Hamptons. The change was nice, but as I made my way down the shiny wooden stairs and through an archway directly to the long dining room table, which could easily fit ten, it had me missing Rowen, Vail, and Fallon all the more. Vail would love a trip like this. Fallon had never been to Miami, as far as I knew.
My heart ached a little and I felt stupid as I sat beside Aspen. Sunlight streamed through the wide windows, making the room too bright. I held in a whimper as I settled onto the wooden chair, and Aspen stopped scrolling on his phone to glance at me with his eyebrows lifted. The freckles on his umber cheeks and nose were more apparent as he tilted his chin and quirked his lips in a small smile. His tan suit jacket hugged his shoulders just right.Why am I staring at him so much?I realized his bowl was empty, as was his small coffee cup.
“What is this?” I asked, glancing down into my bowl, which appeared to have something like quiche in it.
“Huevos habaneros,” he said with a wink. “Careful, it’s spicy.”
I bared my teeth at him. “I’m just fine eating spices.”
“Mm-hm,” he said, grinning. The morning light glinted on his short black hair and beard and made it difficult to look away from him. I spent too long staring into his deep brown eyes and my face heated.
Rolling my eyes, I picked up my fork and shoveled a large bite of food into my mouth to prove a point, and immediately I wished I hadn’t. My tongue burned and I reached for a bright purple smoothie sitting in a tall glass above my plate. I downed the frozen drink in three swallows and it tasted a bit like raspberries.
“Good,” I said, raising the cup. “Did the maid say what it is?”
“Dragon fruit,” he murmured with a smirk that had me fixating on his plush lips. He quirked an eyebrow at me. “You should ask Rowen to make them when we get home.”
“Shut it. Ye ask him yerself. He’s more likely to do it. He’d die of shock if I did, then where would we be? Right back to takeaway for every meal.”
