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Chapter Twenty-Three

Ridge

Their heartbreak makes no sense to me. I don’t understand how you can feel something so strong after knowing someone for such a short time. Would I be heartbroken if Zeland left me? I’m sure I would. Aspen, maybe, but not enough that I would need to take time off work. It’s why I’m here in the office, and have been all week, while Zeland and Aspen have been home.

I called Theo and told him Arlo would be away for the week. While I know I shouldn’t have hacked into his phone and tracked his whereabouts, I did. I don’t even know why I fucking care so much .

“Sir, you have a call on line two,” my executive assistant tells me.

As I pick up the phone, I already know it’s Zeland. “I swear to god this better be important.”

Switching on my screen, I pull up the home security system and see Aspen riding Zee. He has the phone tucked between his shoulder and ear as he holds her tits.

“It is very important. Did he come into work today?”

I sigh. “No, he did not,” I lie.

Honestly, I haven’t checked yet, and even if he does come in, he deserves one day of peace before they start stalking him. They promised not to contact him, to give him the week, but today their promises end.

I watch the screen as he shakes his head, and Aspen stops riding him, curling up flat against his pecs. Maybe the ache in my own chest right now means something—I hate seeing them upset.

“I will deal with it. Just keep fucking our girl and I’ll see you tonight.” With another sigh, I end the call.

I told them I’d given him a week off, but the week has come and gone. I pick up my phone and dial Theo.

“Mr. Ellington, what can I do for you?”

“Did Mr. Kross come into the office today?”

“Actually, he did. He just walked in. Would you like me to send him up to see you?”

“If you wouldn’t mind.” I end the call and wait. After about fifteen minutes, there is a knock on my door. “Come in.”

The door swings open and Arlo steps inside. I see the appeal, not that he’s my type, but I can see what they like about him. He avoids eye contact as he moves further into my office.

“I’m glad you’re back,” I say, and he looks up at me, nervously picking at the hem of his shirt.

“Thanks,” he says and looks around my office.

“They are not here today. I told them you didn’t come in, but you know I can’t keep them away forever.”

He looks over at me, wide-eyed. “What do you mean, keep them away forever?”

I sigh for what feels like the umpteenth time this morning. “I asked them to give you space and time to process this on your own. If it were up to Zee, he would have been on your doorstep that first night, forcing you to hear him out. And Aspen sits in the game room holding the headset in her hands. It’s actually a little pathetic if you ask me.”

“They wanted to contact me?”

“Kidnap you would be more accurate. Please sit.”

He flops casually into the chair opposite my desk, and I clench my jaw. What is it with these people Zee gets attached to and their lack of respect? No one else would dare come to my office dressed the way he is and just slouch like that.

“I want to apologize for the part I played in all of this. I let it go on for far too long. I baby Zee sometimes—his happiness makes me feel like I’m actually happy. Since Aspen came into our lives, we have both been happier, and I let my guard down.”

“Why didn’t you touch me... when the masks were on? ”

Maybe I should give the kid some credit—he has some balls on him. “You’re not my type. But don’t take offense, few are. I don’t have time for any more distractions either, and those two create enough chaos for me.”

“I miss them,” Arlo murmurs, “but I’m still so angry. It confuses me.”

“Maybe you need to hear them out. At the very least, it could give you some closure. Their intention was never to hurt or deceive you, even if it ended up that way. Just know that the first time was before they really knew you, the second was because they did, and the third was so they could touch you one last time in case this happened.”

He nods and gets up from his chair. “Thank you. I didn’t think you gave me this job because of me.”

“If I’m being frank, at first I didn’t. And before you get the wrong idea, it was because your resume is a mess. It wasn’t until I looked into you, I saw your name was in our system, and when I actually looked, I was impressed. Your resume didn’t stand out among the hundreds and hundreds of applicants, but your work speaks for itself. You are a valuable part of the team.”

“Thank you. That means a lot coming from you.”

I nod, and he walks toward the door.

“Hey, Arlo.” He turns back as he places his hand on the doorknob. “I want you to know they are worth it, both of them. They might be a lot, and they will both probably screw up so many times. They are both so impulsive—Aspen with the crazy shit that comes out of her mouth, and Zee with his flirty nature. But they are worth it.”

He walks out after that, and I don’t bother telling Zee or Aspen that he is here. I’m hoping he goes to them on his own.

It was a long day and I’m grateful when I finally walk into the house. It’s quiet and I wonder if they are still in bed. I should have checked, but I am trying to give them some space. If I have learned anything from this, it’s that they need to do this on their own. This is one problem I can’t fix for them or make go away, though seeing them sad makes me want to, but I have interfered enough.

I hear faint laughter, and I follow the sound until I get to the game room. As I open the door, Zeland turns his head and smiles, then he pushes up from the beanbag and meets me at the door.

“What’s going on here?”

“He is playing with her. He won’t speak, but they are playing together. This means something, doesn’t it?”

I shrug. “Don’t read too much into it—maybe the guy misses his friend. They played together every single day. Aspen told us he shared a lot with her.”

“What should we do?”

I grab his arm and pull him from the room. “We shouldn’t do anything. Give him time to come to you. And let them have this moment.”

Zeland grabs my head and his mouth crashes against mine like he’s starving for me, like I’m the only thing he wants to taste .

I have missed this, missed him. The scrape of his stubble is rough against my skin, sharp enough to burn, yet soft enough to make me need more. It drags along the edges of my lips and the tip of my nose as he deepens the kiss, his hands fisting in the back of my shirt, pulling me in like he can’t get close enough. I moan into his mouth. The kiss is messy, desperate, and hot.

“I love you so fucking much,” he whispers against my lips.

Aspen might have gotten me to open up about my feelings, but I haven’t said it since. “I love you too.”

He wastes no time ripping my shirt from my slacks and tearing it open, the buttons scattering everywhere. His mouth is back on mine a second later—damn, I missed his taste. I kiss him back harder, my hands sliding beneath his T-shirt, my palms flat against his back as I shove the fabric up, desperately needing to feel his skin. He breaks the kiss only long enough to pull it over his head, and then we’re stumbling down the hallway toward my bedroom, mouths clashing and breaths heavy.

Halfway there, he pushes me back against the wall, biting at my lower lip, and I growl, grabbing his hips and dragging him forward. Every step is a tug... a kiss... the pulling off of more clothes. By the time we hit my doorframe, we’re both undressed and completely lost in each other. His hands are in my hair, mine are roaming everywhere. Neither of us kick the door closed as we step inside—we stopped doing that when Aspen joined our relationship.

I know the exact moment when this stopped being a situationship of convenience and moved to a relationship; it was the second I admitted how I felt. Even if I still don’t fully believe in love and fairy-tale endings, I know if Zeland walked away tomorrow, my entire world would crumble.

Zeland pulls back from my lips and pushes against my chest. As I fall back onto my bed, he straddles my waist, pressing kisses to my jaw.

“Fuck, you’re so hot,” he whispers as he kisses lower down my neck, sucking on my skin.

Normally I wouldn’t let him mark me, but with how desperate we are for each other, I let him suck and nip his way down my body, enjoying how he makes me feel.

“Will you let me fuck you?” he asks.

Most of the time, I am the one who tops him. I’m not a huge fan of bottoming, but in times like this—when I’m so turned on—I let him take what he needs. My nod makes him smile against my abs and he reaches over to the bedside table and pulls out the bottle of lube, squirting some onto his fingers. He leans down and licks my cock as his fingers find my ass. Slowly he pushes inside me and I moan— fuck that feels good. My lack of bottoming has less to do with not liking it and more to do with giving up control. It’s not something I have ever trusted anyone with, but right now, I trust him with my whole damn heart.

His fingers slide in and out of me, torturously slow.

“Fuck me already,” I growl, and he laughs as he pulls his fingers out.

“Needy much?” He smirks as he pulls my legs up and pushes them against my chest. He positions himself, pushing his cock against me, the burn welcome.

Zeland thrusts inside me, his tense abs making my mouth water, and every time his hips move, pleasure makes my cock leak precum. He likes to mess with me—in this position, I can’t stroke myself as he fucks me, and he knows it.

His blue eyes stare down at me, consuming me, and once their intensity used to scare me with how much love and adoration they held. In this moment, he’s not fucking me; this is the first time we’re making love, and he knows it. He moves onto his knees and pulls my legs down, bracing a hand beside my head, then he leans in and his breath brushes over my lips. I can’t look away. Those eyes have me pinned more than his weight ever could, and I feel the way he takes his time. This isn’t just about lust, but about claiming every part of me—parts I swore no one could reach.

When his lips capture mine, his movements get slower. If this is how love feels, maybe it’s not so bad. The world is left at the door and it’s only us.

“Oh fuck!” I grit out when I come, the stickiness captured between our bodies as he continues fucking me through my orgasm and into his own.

When he’s done, he pulls out and falls down beside me, and I pull him into my arms. The only thing that could make this moment better walks into the room with a smile on her face. She doesn’t say anything, just walks into my en suite and comes back out wearing one of my shirts, which keep disappearing, but I know it’s her stealing them. She climbs onto the bed and hands Zeland a warm washcloth, then slips in behind me and wraps her arm around my stomach.

“Thank you,” she whispers against my skin.

“For what?” I ask.

“You know what, and thank you.”

She means for talking to Arlo and making them give him space. I will always look out for them and have their best interests at heart, no matter what that looks like. Even if I have to be the bad guy or make them see sense. Aspen is the first one to tell me that my love language is taking care of people, and maybe she is right because there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to take care of them.