Page 26 of The Road to Finding Us

I can get out of here and pretend none of this ever happened. But I can’t. For some reason my body is betraying me, and it doesn’t move. My feet stay rooted as his hand starts at my hip and slowly brushes its way up my body. It caresses my hip bone, my rib, my collar bone, only stopping when his fingers find the space between my chin and neck. His fingers are hot against me, branding the same spot Blaine had touched minutes ago.

“Aspen,” I breathe.

“Hmm?” he asks, staring at the spot where his thumb currently rests next to my mouth.

I want his lips to caress the spot his thumb is brushing over. I want to lean in and kiss each dimple on his cheek, memorize the little dips using my tongue. All of a sudden, I have all these wants for Aspen, and it disarms me.

“Why do you want me to regret going?” I need to know. Aspen’s favorite thing is talking in riddles. As someone who’s always suggestively straightforward, he’s making no sense right now.

He stares at my lips, his emerald eyes unwavering. “Do you really want me to answer that?” He moves his gaze from my lips and looks me in the eyes. His eyebrows raise in suggestion, waiting for me to reply.

All I can do is nod, too enthralled in the moment with him.

His grip tightens on my neck, bringing me a fraction of an inch toward him in the process. His head inches closer and closer until his breath peppers my lips. “I wanted you to regret going because—”

The sound of the front door flying open reaches our ears and stops his words.

“Lily, hi!” Selma says from down the hallway.

Aspen and I jump away from each other so fast it has my head spinning. Or maybe it’s Aspen’s sudden change in demeanor.

“I just saw your text,” Selma says, finally looking at the two of us. “Hey, Aspen.” Her eyes travel between us, her thick eyebrows pulling together in momentary confusion.

Maverick walks in behind her, a smile on his face. “Lily, Aspen. How are you tonight?”

“Got my bag!” I blurt, holding it up to prove to everyone I have a true purpose for being here. “Look,” I reach my hand out like the models on The Price is Right, “bag.”

Aspen laughs next to me. My eyes dart to him, narrowing. He’s the reason I’m feeling the need to model my bag like it’s going to the highest bidder, seeing as my twin and best friend just walked in on a weird moment between the two of us.

I think I was about to kiss Aspen. I’m in sudden panic mode.

“Riiiightt…” Mav says, staring inquisitively between me and Aspen. He gives Selma a look, one she returns with a nod.

“All right, well,” I glance at Aspen, finding him staring right at me—an expectant look on his face, “I’ve got places to be. Toodles!” I refuse to look at Aspen on my way out, moving as fast as I can manage. “Bye, Mav. Love ya.” I give my brother a swift hug, adjust the bag on my shoulder, and fly out of the house.

As soon as I get in my car, I let out a shaky breath, hands gripping the steering wheel in front of me before I let my forehead fall against the top of it.

I think Aspen almost just kissed me.

And I think I wanted him to.

14

Lily

Present

“Well, this is not what I expected,” Aspen grumbles next to me, his arm brushing against mine as he strokes his chin in thought.

“Ya think?” My eyes take in the scene before me. My fingers stroke the soft cotton of the robe the bath attendant handed to me five minutes ago.

“The website said they were hot springs,” he states, his voice hitching at the end. “I guess they did mention something about the bathhouse…”

I give him a scowl. He looks almost comical wrapped in a huge white fluffy robe. The bewildered look on his face is even more humorous. “And you didn’t think about looking at what hot springs meant exactly? Or the fact that they said bathhouse?”

“I thought hot springs meant hot springs. Like natural hot tubs in the middle of cliffs or some shit.”

“It appears you were wrong,” I snap back.

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