by Susan Stoker
Wendy looked at Casey with wide eyes, and when she began to giggle, Wendy relaxed.
“I swear to God they act like they’re twelve years old sometimes,” the other woman said with a huge smile. “Come on, you can keep me company as I get the rest of dinner ready.”
“Can I help?” Wendy asked.
“Oh no, I got this. Aspen would have my head if he came inside and saw you slaving over dinner.”
“Really, let me help. I don’t do well with just sitting around,” Wendy insisted.
Casey’s smile widened. “Okay, if you insist.”
They entered the beautiful chef’s kitchen and Wendy barely kept herself from drooling. She wasn’t the best cook, though she got by. But looking at this kitchen made her suddenly want to crack open a cookbook and try something new and different.
There was a six-burner gas stove. The appliance looked like it belonged in a fancy magazine, not in a condo. The fridge, dishwasher, and stove were all stainless steel and obviously top of the line. There were two ovens, a luxury Wendy would’ve killed for, and a gorgeous farmhouse sink.
“Fancy, isn’t it?” Casey asked.
“Uh, understatement of the year,” Wendy quipped.
“Yeah, way too hoity-toity for my brother, that’s for sure,” Casey told her. “He bought this place for a song and had it gutted and remodeled. I told him that if he was doing it, he might as well do it right. He knows if he ever wants to sell this place that the kitchen and bathrooms will make or break it. You’ve seen those house-hunting shows on TV, right? I realize they’re totally fake and the people have already bought one of the houses before the show’s filmed, but the first thing people do is bitch about the kitchen being outdated or the fact that there aren’t granite countertops. And don’t get me started on the bathrooms.”
Wendy smiled and accepted the head of lettuce the other woman was holding out to her. “If the kitchen looks like this, I can’t wait to see the bathrooms.”
“Trust me, they’re to die for,” Casey said. “Although the place needs a woman’s touch. It’s so…plain. I keep telling him he needs to paint an accent wall or throw some pillows around, but he won’t listen to me.”
The two women chatted about nothing in particular until Aspen and Beatle came back inside with a plate of steaks and a few vegetable kabobs.
Aspen put the platter on the counter then immediately came to her side. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “My sister made you her kitchen slave already?”
Flustered at the easy and nonchalant way he’d kissed her in front of his friend and sister, Wendy said, “I think I could move into this kitchen and be happy for the rest of my days.”
He chuckled. “I always figured my good looks and charming personality would win the chicks. Who knew all it would take was a fancy kitchen?”
Wendy smiled at him. “This is more than a fancy kitchen, Aspen. It’s amazing.”
“I’m glad you like it, sweetheart. Wait until you see the master bathroom.”
Feeling her tummy flip in summersaults, Wendy merely said, “I can’t wait.”
“Me either,” Aspen whispered back, then kissed the side of her head and turned to the others. “How’re your classes going, sis?”
Brother and sister talked about her work as they all helped get the food placed on the wood table in the dining area.
By the time they sat down to eat, Wendy had learned that Casey taught at Baylor University and had transferred from Florida to move in with Beatle not too long ago.
“This looks delicious,” Wendy said before they all started eating.
“I’m sorry Jackson is missing it,” Aspen said.
Wendy tried not to wince. She and her brother had agreed that he’d be “Jack” to everyone but them. It was purely a cautionary measure, and one they’d both been really good at doing for almost ten years. But she’d felt so comfortable with Aspen that she’d forgotten to be cautious and had called her brother by his real name since they’d started dating. Aspen had obviously picked that up.
“Yeah, but Jenny invited him over to her house for dinner and there was no way he was going to miss it.”
“He’s that into her?” Aspen asked.
Wendy nodded. “Yeah, I think so. She seems really sweet. They don’t have any classes together since she’s a freshman and he’s a sophomore, but they hang out at lunch and he makes sure he always waits with her after school until her mom or dad can pick her up.”
“That’s fast,” Beatle observed. “Blade said they met, what, just over a week ago?”
Wendy shrugged. “Yeah, but he’s always been so into school and activities, I’m actually glad he’s showing an interest in a girl for once. Although I have no clue how he’s going to fit dating in with all his other activities…but I suppose if she’s important to him, he’ll make the time.”
Everyone agreed.
“So, Blade says that you work at the old folks’ home south of town. What do you do there?” Beatle asked.
“It’s not really an old folks’ home,” Wendy rebuked gently. “There are a lot of residents who don’t need any kind of medical care. It’s a retirement community with a rehabilitation section, as well as a full-time care section. Many of the people there don’t need any help, but they like it because they can be around others their age. Then when they need more care, they move to the assisted-living apartments. As their health needs change, they transition to more full-time care. It’s a wonderful place for people to live out their lives. It’s not like the nursing homes, where everyone is lying around waiting to die.”
“I didn’t mean to hit a nerve,” Beatle said earnestly. “You’re obviously passionate about what you do.”
“No, I’m sorry,” Wendy said, embarrassed. “I didn’t mean to go off.”
Beatle laughed. “You didn’t, Wendy. You rightly corrected me on my incorrect assumptions. If you want to see someone go off, you should be around when our commander yells at us for being slackers during PT.”
Wendy smiled back at him, happy she hadn’t put her foot in her mouth this early in the evening. The last thing she wanted was to cause conflict.
“What do you do there?” Casey asked.
“I’m an aide. Which means I’m a jack of all trades. I visit with the residents, help them change the channels on their TVs if they need it, get water, and talk to the relatives. I hold hands when it’s needed and sit with people when they’re feeling lonely at meals, that sort of thing.”
Once upon a time, Wendy had been embarrassed by her job. It wasn’t as if she was a nurse and actually helped heal anyone. She was merely there to assist with the little things. It was one of the few jobs she’d been able to get without an education. But now she loved it.
“She also gets puked on, yelled at, and ignored,” Aspen put in.
“That doesn’t sound so fun,” Casey said.
Wendy shrugged. “All part of the job.”
“When did you move here?” Beatle asked.
Wendy tried not to tense, but she couldn’t help it. She didn’t do well with questions about her past. Never had. “A few years ago,” she said and tried to smile as she spoke.
“Where were you before that?” Casey asked.
“Somewhere dark and cold,” she said dramatically. “The Texas weather suits me so much better.”
“I hear ya, sister,” Casey agreed. “I loved Florida and swore to myself that I wasn’t ever going to live somewhere it snowed. Luckily, Beatle lived in Texas, otherwise I wouldn’t have agreed to move in with him. There’s only so much a girl can deal with.”
“Hey!” Beatle griped.
Everyone chuckled.
Wendy felt Aspen’s hand move to her lap. The weight of his hand was heavy on her thigh. She looked over at him. He wasn’t smiling and was staring at her in concern.
“You all right?” he mouthed.
She nodded. She was a little discomfited that he could read her so well. Most women would be rejoicin
g in the fact that the man they were dating could tell when they were upset, but not her. The last thing she wanted was for him to ask why she wasn’t comfortable talking about her past. Jackson turning eighteen would protect him, but would do nothing to keep her from getting in trouble. It was best if no one ever found out what had happened a decade ago. What she’d done.
“Do you want to go on to be a nurse?” Casey asked. “It seems like being an aide would be a good first step toward getting your degree.”
“Oh, um…I hadn’t really thought about it.” But she had. Wendy would love to be a nurse, but it wasn’t in the cards for her. The second she tried to apply for college somewhere, she’d have to give them her social security number. It was bad enough she’d had to give it to human resources for payroll. The fewer ways she made herself trackable, the better.
“If you want information about the program at Baylor, let me know. I’m happy to set up a meeting with an academic advisor for you to talk about your choices.”
Wendy cleared her throat twice, trying to keep the tears threatening from becoming a real thing. “Thanks. I appreciate it.” She could’ve used a friend like this ten years ago. But back then, all her so-called friends seemed to disappear when she’d needed them the most.
“How are you doing, Case?” Aspen asked, taking the spotlight from her to his sister.
Wendy didn’t know if he’d done it on purpose or if he was just moving the conversation along to something more interesting. But when his thumb began to brush back and forth on the outside of her thigh, she had a feeling he’d deflected the conversation to give her a break.
She tried to add up in her head how long it had been since that fateful evening when she’d gone to meet Aspen for the first time in that bar and was surprised to realize that it had only been about two weeks. It felt as if she’d known him forever, although she supposed that was because of all their phone calls and texts before that night, and the fact that they’d spoken every night on the phone since he’d been at her house a week and a half ago.
She connected with Aspen like she’d never done to anyone before in her life. It was weird and scary…and right.
“Are you still seeing Doctor Martin?” Aspen asked Casey.
Wendy’s attention was jerked back to the conversation going on around her.
“Yeah, but only once every two weeks or so now. I’m getting better with the dark too, aren’t I, Beatle?” Casey asked.
Wendy frowned.
Casey saw her expression and asked, “Aspen didn’t tell you what happened to me?”
“Not really. I mean, I know the basics, but not everything.”
“I was kidnapped in Costa Rica and thrown into a hole in the ground for over a week with nothing to eat and only a trickle of water from a hose to keep me alive.”
Wendy stared at the other woman in disbelief. She’d said that as if she was recounting a trip she’d made down the street to the grocery store.
“Holy crap.”
Casey looked at the man next to her. He didn’t look happy, but it was obvious he was trying to keep his cool. Then she looked back at Wendy. “Turns out a woman I worked with at the university in Florida wanted research on how having a positive attitude during a traumatic situation could help keep a person alive. Of course, when I was rescued by Beatle, my brother, and their team, she got nervous and didn’t want me to remember anything I might’ve seen or heard during my ordeal. When I was back in the States, she drugged me, and I almost jumped out a window when I was on one hell of a bad trip.”
Wendy could only continue to stare at the other woman in horror.
“She’s okay now, sweetheart,” Aspen said in her ear. He’d leaned in and had his arm around her shoulders.
Wendy realized she was holding her fork and knife in midair. She slowly put down the utensils and asked, “Are you really okay?”
Casey smiled a huge smile and gestured to herself. “As you can see, I’m good. I’m a bit afraid of the dark now, but I’m working on it.”
Wendy’s thoughts were all over the place. “But…did they catch the person who did that to you?”
“Yup,” Casey said brightly. “She was in custody, but died.”
“Thank fuck,” Beatle grumbled under his breath.
At the same time, Aspen said, “Fucking bitch.”
Wendy’s gaze met Casey’s—and suddenly they were both giggling.
When she had herself under control, Wendy said, “If anyone did something like that to my brother, I’d kill them myself.”
“Don’t think that didn’t go through my mind,” Aspen said then asked Beatle a question about something related to their friend, Fish, and Wendy was drawn into a conversation about the man and his wife.
Twenty minutes later, after she’d eaten every morsel of food on her plate, and after her stomach hurt from hearing stories about little Annie and her handmade tank, Wendy sat back as Aspen and Beatle carried their used dishes into the kitchen and put them in the sink.
“You want me to take care of those?” she asked when Aspen came back into the dining room.
He looked appalled. “No. I’ll take care of them after everyone leaves.”
“It’s no trouble,” she insisted.
Aspen leaned over and kissed her, the warmth of his lips making her want to open under them, to encourage him to kiss her the way he had when they were standing in her kitchen.
“I said no,” he replied as he hovered over her. “You aren’t going to do the dishes the first time you’re at my house. Not gonna happen.”
“But maybe the second time?” she teased.
Aspen was still leaning over her, one hand on the table and the other on the back of her chair. She was half turned so she was facing him and felt totally encompassed by the man.
“Maybe.”
She gazed up at him and forgot for a moment they weren’t alone. Her eyes went to Aspen’s lips and she licked her own, wanting him to kiss her once again. He groaned quietly, and just as she lifted her chin to make the first move, Casey said, “Why don’t you give her the grand tour, bro? Me and Beatle have to get going anyway.”
“We do? I thought we—”
Wendy heard his grunt as if his words were cut off because of an elbow to his stomach. When she turned to look, he was rubbing his belly, so she knew she’d been right.
Embarrassed, and knowing she was probably beet red, as Casey wasn’t exactly being subtle, Wendy opened her mouth to protest. To say she wouldn’t mind if they stayed longer, but Aspen beat her to it.
“That’s a great idea. It was great to see you guys. I’ll see you tomorrow, Beatle. And Casey, don’t be a stranger.” And with that, he took hold of Wendy’s hand and hauled her to her feet.
She stumbled into him and his arm went around her waist to hold her steady. She could feel the bulge of his erection against her belly, but she didn’t pull away. It was a relief to know he was as affected by her as she was by him.
With effort, she turned from Aspen’s intense gaze to his sister and Beatle. “It was wonderful to meet you.”
“Same,” Casey said. “I can’t wait to meet your brother. He sounds amazing.”
“He is,” Wendy replied, beaming.
Beatle came forward and, ignoring the way Aspen was scowling at him, tugged Wendy out of his arms and gave her a hug. “It was good to meet you, Wendy. Welcome to the family.”
“Oh, um. Thanks,” Wendy stammered as she awkwardly patted the other man on the back.
Casey laughed and pulled at her boyfriend. “Come on, Romeo, you’re freaking her out.”
The second Beatle let go of her, Aspen claimed her again, pulling her against his side. “Drive safe,” Aspen told the couple as they walked toward the front door.
“Always do,” Beatle returned.
Then Wendy was alone with Aspen. Without a word, he moved her until she was in front of him once again then leaned down.
Eager for his lips on hers, Wendy didn’t protest and
went up on her tiptoes to meet him.
As in her kitchen, the kiss was immediately intense and carnal. How long they stood there, making out in his dining room, Wendy didn’t know. All she knew was, when he finally pulled back, they were both breathing hard.
She licked her lips, tasting Aspen on them, and pressed against him harder. This time the bulge in his pants was longer and thicker than before. But he didn’t make any obscene moves against her. Didn’t pick her up and throw her down on the comfortable-looking couch in the other room. He simply kissed the palm of her hand and took a step away, not letting go of the hand he’d kissed.
“Want the grand tour?”
Swallowing her disappointment, Wendy nodded.
A hand came up to brush her hair behind her ear. “Don’t look at me like that, sweetheart.”
“Like what?”
“Like you’re wondering why I stopped. Or if I really want you. Because I do. Badly. But I want more than a fling, Wendy. I want to slay all those dragons I see behind your eyes. I want to be the kind of man your brother can be proud to introduce to his friends. I want you to trust me with all your secrets—and to trust that I’ll never betray you.”
She looked up at him in shock. She’d thought maybe she’d deflected his questions successfully before tonight when he never pressed and had gotten away with changing the subject when it had gotten too close for comfort. Obviously, she’d drastically underestimated this man.
He smiled ruefully. “Yeah, I know you’ve got secrets, but I won’t push. We’re still getting to know each other. But you should know, I do want you. I want you spread out naked as the day you were born on my bed. I want to see you squirming under me as I find out how delicious you taste. I want you to come apart under and around me as I lose myself inside your body. But I want all of you, Wendy. The good, bad, and ugly. Not just your body. Until you can give that to me, I’m going to try to control myself and be good.”
The dream she’d had the other morning rushed back into her brain. But his words scared her. She couldn’t tell anyone about her past. About Jackson’s. Couldn’t risk it.