Page 51 of The Story We Wrote

“Hot,” Theo muttered, covering her mouth to hide her smile.

Desperate to change the subject, I asked, “What did you need, Boone?”

“I heard you talking and came by to check it out,” Boone replied.

“I’m hanging up now,” I said to my friends. “You two are on my shit list.” I pressed the end button before they could reply. Turning to Boone, I scowled and barked, “You are too!”

Boone put his arms up in defense, “Me? You were the one talking to your friends about us having sex. I just showed up at the wrong time.” Huffing, I gathered my stuff and Boone grinned as he helped me back up.

“I know!” I said. “I had to tell someone!” My phone started to ding; texts were firing in quick succession.

Penny: Aspen, I hope you’re getting railed right now.

Theo: Boone without a shirt ?? did anyone else see him dripping with sweat?

Penny: How could I not? I’m adding that to my spank bank.

Theo: Suddenly, I feel better. Who would have thought all I needed was a little dose of shirtless cowboy?

“I regret telling these two anything,” I confessed, showing Boone the thread of texts that were rolling in. Boone took my phone, typing out a response.

Aspen: This is Boone. I’d be “railing her,” but herphone is distracting.

Sooner or later I was going to have to face the fact I was falling in love with Boone. Right now, it felt like we were avoiding the depth of our feelings and acting on the surface. I knew he liked me and he knew I liked him, but the more of myself I gave, the more he was going to take. Scared was an understatement when I thought about giving all of myself to Boone Cassidy.

Boone

Nothing beats a shower after a day on the ranch. Working outside during the summer months could be brutal between the heat and the labor. Most nights my muscles ached and I craved downtime. Before Aspen, downtime looked like sitting on the couch with a beer or having a fire with my friends. Now, I looked forward to sitting with the same woman on the same front porch swing while we talked about anything and everything.

After I caught Aspen talking to her friends, I walked with her back home. I knew she enjoyed it, but hearing her say it when she didn’t know I was around inflated my ego.

Aspen told me she had a lot of writing and plotting she wanted to get done, which meant I was relaxing a little differently tonight. After getting out of the shower, I got dressed and decided to put my phone away for the night. It was something I had to do because I didn’t trust myself to leave Aspen alone to write in peace.

I walked over to my nightstand and reached for my charger. Movement out my window caught my eye, and when I looked up, I saw it was coming from Aspen’s bedroom. Normally, the curtain in her bedroom was closed. I knew that because it had been that way since I moved in. Now that it was open, I could see her clearly through the panes. She must’ve been getting outof the shower because a fluffy green towel was wrapped around her curvy body. The gentleman in me wanted to look away and let her have her privacy, but the caveman in me took charge.

I watched her move towards the dresser and pick out a pair of matching pajamas. Aspen was perfectly framed in the window when she dropped the towel. The view of her bare ass pushed me over the edge. I wanted her to turn around so I could see all of her.

I was a fucking creep, watching from my window without her knowing. Finally, the gentleman in me shoved the caveman down and I was able to step away. There was no way I was going to be able to focus on anything else tonight. Since our date in my truck bed, getting her naked was at the top of my list of priorities. I needed to have another taste.

Pacing up and down my hallway, I contemplated going over there and indulging myself. She wanted to write and I didn’t want to come between that, but she said she needed all the inspiration she could get.

Running my hands through my hair, I thought it through for a little while longer. Would she be mad if I stormed over there? Maybe she knew I could see in her bedroom and was doing it to tease me.

“Fuck it,” I muttered, grabbing my shoes and deciding to take a chance.

Twenty Four

Aspen

Was I a bad person? I knew exactly what I was doing when I got out of the shower tonight. My main goal was to drive Boone a little crazy by taking a chance he would notice my bedroom curtain was open.

After he dropped me off looking likethat,I couldn’t resist giving him a taste of his own medicine. Every move I did was calculated: leaving the curtain open, standing right where I knew he would be, and bending over to expose myself completely. If my master plan worked, Boone would knock on my door any second. I was banking on the fact he would let his desire take over.

Like clockwork, there was a heavy thud at my front door. Smiling to myself, I slowly walked over, hopefully building up his anticipation. It was game time. I relaxed my face and opened the door to see Boone pacing on my porch.

“Boone? Is everything okay?” I asked, acting completely oblivious. He wasted no time and didn’t answer my questionbefore pushing his way into my living room. “Boone?” I repeated.

“Please tell me you didthaton purpose!” He shouted, pointing towards the bedroom down the hallway. He knew, and I should’ve guessed he’d see right through my plan.

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