Page 168 of Fire Fight

“You know how to ride me, right?” I winked when she whirled on me. “The concept is the same. It’s all in the hips.”

“You filthy man.”

“You love me.”

“God knows why.”

“Quit stalling and get that fine ass up there,” I said, placing a hand on the small of her back, nudging her closer to the stepsthat would get her high enough to swing onto Rascal’s back without my help.

Even I was going to use them, something I hadn’t had to do since I was a kid. I wasn’t completely healed from my ordeal, and as a tradeoff for letting me out of the house today, I had to promise Aspen I’d take it easy where I could.

Plus, my shoulder wasn’t strong enough to hoist me into the saddle without some assistance.

Standing nearby to catch her if she fell or if Rascal got spooked—though I knew he wouldn’t; I was merely humoring her—I kept my hands on Aspen’s hips to steady her as she stuck her left boot into the stirrup, one hand on the pommel and the other on the cantle, exactly as I’d shown her. Momentarily, I was distracted by her ass, the light denim of her cut-off shorts stretched tight across the globes. Her hamstrings popped along the backs of her thighs, her calves tensed above the edges of her ankle-height Lucchese boots. Her arms were bare in her flowy black tank, the sides dipping low enough to tease the side of her boob and the edges of her new tattoo. She’d been working with my artist in Boise to cover her burn scars, and they were about halfway done.

That tantalizing peek got me hard.

My little city girl was going country, and I was as obsessed with her today as I had been the first time I saw her.

“Crew?” she prompted, and I blinked furiously, shaking my head.

With a count to three and a forceful push off her right foot, Aspen swung up and landed softly in the saddle.

Her excited grin was wide and infectious as she looked down at me. “I did it!”

“Of course you did, baby.”

“Your turn,” she said, scooting forward a bit to make room for me.

Getting onto Rascal was all muscle memory for me, evenwith those muscles screaming from a month of disuse. I groaned as I settled in behind Aspen, who looked over her shoulder at me, eyes bright with worry.

“You okay?”

I wrapped my arms around her to grab the reins, and her back relaxed into my chest.

“Better than,” I assured her. “I’m with you.”

“Charmer,” she teased, anoofleaving her as I kicked Rascal in the side, urging him forward into an easy trot.

Could we have taken the truck or an ATV to reach the spot I wanted to bring Aspen? Of course, and it would’ve been a lot easier on my body. But horseback was the best way to see the ranch, and it had been too long since I’d spent any quality time with Rascal, thanks to the uproar the last few months had caused in my life.

I wanted to feel the wind against my face and the sunshine on my skin. September was right around the corner, and though the days were still hot as hell, the nights had begun to cool considerably, allowing me and Aspen to sleep with the windows open.

A month had passed since the showdown with Kelly Saunders. A month in which I’d essentially been a captive in my own home save for the occasional trips to physical therapy, mental therapy, and the ranch. Aspen and I had settled into a bit of a routine while I convalesced, but I was more than excited to be cleared for work. Hopefully sometime in the next week or so.

With my and Parker’s statements, the Prom Night Arsonist case had officially closed, providing a sense of peace to all the victim’s families. It rankled a number of them that Kelly hadn’t lived to be served justice for her crimes, but I knew Aspen considered her death a fair trade.

In the past four weeks, she’d only left my side for a total of three days, long enough to fly to Denver, pack up her office and apartment, terminate her lease, and ship everything here.

My girl was finally putting down roots—with me.

I grinned remembering the day I asked her to stay.

“What’s this?” she asked.

“A key to my house. Well…our house,” I amended. I could feel my cheeks heating as I stared at her staring at the pristine silver key dangling from the ring looped around my finger.

“Crew…”