Page 41 of Forever Theirs

She waved me off but chewed on her lower lip, an anxious tic. “It’s probably nothing,” she said with a forced laugh that wouldn’t fool anyone.

With a low growl, I crowded her back until her spine flattened against the wall, forearms pressed on either side of her head, caging her in with no escape. Holding her unbelieving gaze, I leaned in close. “Tell me.”

“And here I thought Miles was the bossy one,” she snarked, chewing on her lip again.

“Aspen,” I demanded, my tone sharp.

She blew out a raspberry and rolled her eyes. “It’s really nothing.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.”

Eyes narrowed, she huffed. “Fine. Last night, I was headed to the main building?—”

“Aspen.” I pressed my forehead to hers. For a moment, I stood there savoring the simple contact. “Why did you leave the cabin after I dropped you off?”

Pushing me back, she crossed both arms in front of her chest, and a stubborn glint flickered in her eyes. “Why shouldn’t I have walked around the area when it was still fucking light outside, Aiden? Remember, I am an adult, fully capable of taking care of myself.”

“You are, but still, what was so important that you left the safety of your cabin to walk around alone?”

With her lips pursed and a death glare leveled right at me, I almost retreated a step at the steam practically coming out of her ears. “I needed something personal, okay? And had a wonderful glass of wine at the bar while I was there. It was fine. I was fine, but…”

“But what?”

Both hands tossed in the air, she finally relented. “But when I was walking along the path toward the main building, at one point or another, it felt like I was being followed or watched, maybe. It was probably my imagination, though.”

She mentioned the feeling of being in possible danger so nonchalantly that frustration boiled in my veins. Gazes locked in an unspoken standoff, neither of us looked away until the front door vibrated—fuck, the entire cabin shook at the pounding on the other side. Knowing full well who it was, I sidestepped around Aspen to release the deadbolt. The edge clipped my forearm before I could yank my arm back when the door burst open with enough force that it dented the opposite wall.

Miles’s large frame filled the doorway, sweeping an assessing look around the cabin. Aspen’s gaze turned glassy, her breathing picking up as she gave him a slow perusal from the tip of his boots to the beard he trimmed earlier just for the trip while I studied her reaction. Seemed someone liked intense Miles a whole lot.

A quick glance at me, then her, taking in our stiff posture and tension between us, and he arched a single dark brow in silent question.

“Find anything?” I asked, shifting out of his way for when he marched to where Aspen stood, which would certainly happen after I dropped the information bomb she shared with me before he arrived. Miles shook his head, his only movement as he waited for me to explain what he just walked into. “Oh, and interestingly enough, after I dropped Aspen off last night, she went out on a little adventure to the main building. She said she felt like she was being watched or followed at one point. Not sure if I mentioned this or not… she went alone.”

Aspen tossed up both hands and grumbled under her breath. Miles’s eyes narrowed to thin slits and locked on her, which had Aspen’s widening to the size of dinner plates. He cleared the distance between them in two quick strides and crowded her against the wall like I had seconds earlier.

With a pleased smile, I settled on the couch and stretched out both arms wide along the back to watch the show, wishing I had some popcorn to go with the inevitable entertainment.

Things were about to get spicy.

“You. Did. What?” Miles clipped, voice deceptively soft.

“You’re both acting like I tried to pet a mama moose, cuddle a damn bear, or accepted candy from a guy in a white panel van. It was a short walk to the main building to get what I needed. Nothing scary or dangerous happened.” Though the way her voice dropped with each word signaled that wasn’t exactly true. “I’m here, unharmed, after walking there and back?—”

“Did you feel eyes on you on the way back too?” Miles cut in.

“Just on the walk there,” she whispered, chin tipped up so she could meet his hard stare. “And I don’t appreciate you two making me feel like I did something wrong when I didn’t.”

Miles blinked in utter astonishment at her single finger pressed to the center of his chest.

“It wasn’t safe to go out alone at night like that,” he borderline growled. “I don’t want you taking your safety so lightly. What if there was a bear?—”

“Obviously, I’d do what you should do in that situation. Offer it honey and make it my best friend,” she sassed with an eye roll, hands going to her hips.

“Oh shit,” I snickered. “You’ve done it now, sweetheart. Hope you like hiking with a sore bottom, because that’s his favorite way to punish naughty girls like you.”

“What?” she squeaked, frantic gaze bouncing between me and Miles. “You cannot be serious right now. I did nothing wrong.”

“But you put yourself in danger, so…” I gestured to the fuming Miles. “You made the decision, and now you have to reap the consequences.”

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