Page 81 of Forever Theirs

It wasn’t a question but more of aDid I hear you correctly?based on his stern tone.

“Um, that’s what Aiden thinks ripped into my pack. I only got a few glimpses of it before I hid.” A muscle along Miles’s jaw pulsed with how tight he clenched his teeth. “I was about to head back down because of the snow when he came around a boulder and blocked the trail. Instead of scaling the cliffs, which I knew I couldn’t do, I left my pack with the snacks and hid around another set of rocks.” Her lips tugged down. “What I didn’t expect was for part of the lake’s edge to be there, so my pants and boots got soaked while I waited for the bear to finish going through my stuff.”

“It could’ve been you,” Miles hissed. “That could’ve been you, Aspen.” He stood and paced from one side of the shelter to the other, which was about two of his long strides, before turning around and doing it again. “It’s why I wanted you to wait for us. Alaska differs from anywhere else. It’s wild and dangerous. Look at the weather today. No one expected this, and it almost killed you.”

I shot Miles a glare when Aspen shrank back against me.

He sighed and hung his head, looking utterly defeated. “Don’t you get it, baby girl?” He looked up through his lashes, allowing Aspen to see how absolutely wrecked he was. “You’re too precious to risk yourself like this. If anything happened to you—” His deep voice cracked. “I said what I said not to control you but because nothing would matter in life if something happened to you, if you were taken from us after we just found you.” He dropped to his knees, the shelter shaking with the impact, and cupped her cheeks between his large hands. “Living wouldn’t exist if you weren’t here with me, with us.”

Leaning forward, he sealed his lips to hers. A soft laugh escaped me when he pulled back and Aspen leaned forward, not wanting to break the connection.

“I’m relieved that you’re okay.” He arched a single dark brow. “But you’ll still get that punishment I promised.” At his dark chuckle, I tilted Aspen’s face my way to see what was so funny. A crimson blush stained her cheeks, which were deathly pale minutes earlier. He hummed and rubbed a hand over his thick dark beard. “I’m wondering if you came up here just so I would follow through.”

“And what was that?” I asked, brushing my thumb along her lower lip. “The punishment you promised.”

When no one responded, Miles hitched his chin at her. “Tell him, Aspen.”

“Taking both of you at the same time while he spanked me,” she whispered, breaths growing shallow and fast.

A slow smile pulled at the corners of my lips as I searched her face. “Is that so?” She nodded. “And would that be my cock fucking your perfect mouth and Miles stretching your tight cunt with his dick?”

Wet hair swung from side to side with her quick headshake, her cheeks darkening even more. Those wide brown eyes flicked to Miles, who waited like he had all the time in the world to allow her to explain.

“Or one of us in your pussy and the other filling your ass?” I mused, loving the way she squirmed against me. Aspen released a faint whimper and nodded. “Hmm, that sounds like a perfect punishment for you putting your life in danger. Though I’m disappointed to say, when we gathered all the supplies, I didn’t pack the lube.”

A frustrated groan escaped as her lids squeezed shut.

“I think she’s disappointed,” Miles said with a chuckle, the emotionless mask from earlier gone with his faint smirk.

“I knowIfucking am,” I grumbled. “Just something to look forward to when we get home. Plus, we have to prep you to take us like that.” I leaned close and brushed my lips against her cheek. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. Prepping your ass is half the fun.”

Soft, most importantly, warm breaths brushed across my face. “I think I’m good now,” she said. “I’m kind of sweating after all this talk.”

“Not even close.” I shifted to face Miles as he stood and started for the door. “I’ll get more firewood just in case. Keep her warm any way you need to, Aiden.”

A barked laugh escaped at the smirk he shot over his shoulder before leaving the shelter. Pretty sure that was his way of telling me to get creative with warming our girl up.

Hell fucking yes.

Her ass brushed against my cock when she turned to look up at me through wet lashes. Keeping our gazes locked, I worked a hand beneath the blanket wrapped around her until my hot palm rested against the cool skin of her lower stomach, pausing just above her mound. Her lips parted with a gasp as my fingers splayed wide.

“Aspen, are you on birth control?” I whispered while tracing around her belly button.

“Yes, I use the shot kind. Why are you asking me? If it’s about condoms, I don’t mind?—”

“Do you want to be?” I watched her expression shift to confusion. “On birth control.”

She frowned. “What are you talking about, Aiden?”

“I’m talking about…” I swallowed to steady my shaking voice. This was the worst damn time to bring it up, but I had to know where she stood on the subject. After the family conversation with Miles in the truck, the fear of losing her pushed the urgency to know her thoughts about a family and kids to the forefront. “Do you want to be on birth control, or would you be open to letting it wear off someday in the future to see what happens?”

Her stomach tensed under my fingers, and I froze.

Damnit, me and my big-ass mouth.In my need for answers, for the hope of a family with this amazing woman, I’d pressed too hard and faced making her uncomfortable.

Before I could divert the conversation to a safer subject, she answered.

“I’m not sure what you’re asking me, Aiden.”

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