My mind drifted to memories of my hand striking Aspen’s plump flesh, leaving behind a raised imprint of my palm, before soothing the burn. Her moans of pleasure haunted me, stirring my cock.
“Damnit,” Rose swore, her face crumbling. “This had to be perfect.”
“Rose,” Corbin soothed. “Not everything has to b?—”
“It does,” she cut him off. “I designed this for the executives at Midnight Orchard, and if it’s not perfect, then they won’t want to partner with my club.”
My brows rose.
“As in…” Aspen started.
“The premier company for erotic toys,” I finished her sentence with a nod. Partnering with them would be a massive opportunity for The Berkshire.
“Oh, shit,” Aspen murmured.
Corbin shook his head. “You didn’t tell me that was tonight. You said you were still in the talking phase of that deal.”
“I didn’t want to tell anyone in case it failed. Like it is now.” Rose tossed her hands, leaving them to slap back to her lap as her eyes glossed over.
Corbin lifted defeated eyes to mine, and I hated it.
Sensing the mood, Aspen scooted closer to me, searching for her own comfort in the tense situation.
I fought the urge to tuck her into my chest. My muscles twitched, reaching for her. One week of forcing myself to stay away, and I was already breaking my rules. One week, and my walls trembled, ready to fall.
Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
My pulse raced, pumping me full of the same fight or flight adrenaline that screamed at me to run. My lungs spasmed, and I couldn’t—I couldn’t…
I opened my mouth, desperate for my mind to formulate any words that would save me from falling back into vulnerability. I didn’t even know what I would say, just relying on the instinct that had protected me for years.
“I’ll do it.”
“What?” Rose said at the same time as Aspen.
Rose’s eyes flicked between us, but as soon as the offer burst free, I knew it was the perfect way to create space between Aspen and me. Both physically and, more importantly, emotionally. It didn’t matter that I couldn’t look at her after I said it. It didn’t matter that my chest sank in on itself at the thought of performing the demonstration. It didn’t matter that my skin chilled when she shifted away.
None of it mattered because it was what I needed to be safe.
“Are you serious, man?” Corbin asked, smiling, oblivious to the turmoil my offer created when it provided a perfect solution to Rose’s problems. “Because that would be great.”
I focused on Corbin’s grateful smile. My friends were in need, and I could help them. I wasn’t the kind of man who let a woman interfere with my friendships—not since Daria fucked my best friend. I wouldn’t let Aspen stop me from helping my friends just because she formed unwarranted feelings I swore would never happen.
“Corbin…” Rose said softly.
“This is perfect. Who better to demonstrate than the man who taught me?” Corbin beamed at Rose and gripped her cheeks. He smacked a quick kiss on her lips and stood. “I’ll let them know.”
“Wait. Corbin.” Rose stood but paused, looking back between us. “Make sure you’re both okay with this decision,” she said before following her fiancé.
Despite my firm affirmations, the look on Aspen’s face when I finally turned to her hit me like a wrecking ball. Unlike the last time I’d used a situation at the club to put distance between us, she didn’t mask her emotions.
She wore the shock in her slack jaw.
She wore the confusion in the pinch between her brows.
She wore the disbelief with each rapid rise and fall of her chest.
She wore the hurt…everywhere. It dripped from her like uncontrolled tears. It painted her eyes with a dimming shadow. It hung heavy from her shoulders, pulling them down in on herself.
