Festive Faking (Rust Canyon #1)

12. Aspen

Chapter 12

Aspen

Questions about Mac’s involvement in the church’s holiday gift outreach program plagued me for the rest of the day, but I wasn’t brave enough to ask a single one of them in the light of day.

When night fell, we retreated to the cabin, and Mac declared he was going to take a quick shower before bed.

That’s when I saw my opportunity.

Last night, we’d been able to speak freely, without fear of judgment, as we lay shrouded in darkness. If I moved quickly, I could be tucked into bed before he made it out of the bathroom and finally get the answers I craved.

Rushing around the room, I tossed on my flannel pajama set and had one knee on the bed, ready to crawl in, when I cursed under my breath.

I needed to brush my teeth.

And where was my toothbrush? In the bathroom, of course.

My courage to have this conversation was waning by the second, and I knew I might abandon the whole thing if I didn’t beat him to bed, left forever wondering why he agreed to be a silent benefactor for people he’d never met.

Pressing my ear to the door, I heard rushing water on the other side. My hand hovered over the knob; I was seconds away from chickening out.

I wasted precious time giving myself a mental pep talk.

It’s steamy as hell. He won’t even notice you’re in there.

Go in, grab what you need, and beat it out of there. Then, you can brush your teeth at the kitchen sink.

Just do it already! The longer you wait, the more likely he is to finish.

Fuck it.

Holding my breath, I tested the door to see if it was even locked. When it pushed open easily, my heart rate accelerated and sweat gathered beneath my armpits.

I determined I would make a terrible spy. My shaky legs threatened to give out as I moved quickly to the sink, wrapping my fingers around the items I’d come to collect.

Standing before the mirror, that’s when I realized something seemed off.

Staring at my reflection, that’s when it hit me. I shouldn’t have been able to see my reflection with the shower running.

My eyes widened when my gaze shifted and I could see straight through the glass door to the naked man standing within.

Oh. My. God.

WHERE WAS ALL THE STEAM?

Mac’s profile was on full display, and I greedily drank in the sight of bronzed skin pulled taut over muscle.

A throaty groan drew my attention, and motion caught the corner of my eye. The tiniest squeak flew past my lips when I realized he was not only naked but hard, his hand tugging on his erection with firm strokes.

I needed to get out of here. Now.

But I couldn’t make my feet move. It was as if they were glued to the floor.

The urge to watch grew overwhelming, as did the throbbing between my thighs. It was like we were connected in this moment. The faster his hand moved and the louder he became as he drew closer to climax, the more I wanted to shove my hand inside my panties to seek relief.

I yelped when Mac’s free hand slammed against the tile a split second before he roared his release, ropes of cum shooting from his cock and down the drain until he was empty.

My toothbrush clattered to the ground, my hold loosening as I lost myself in the erotic display. It barely registered because Mac’s head snapped up, and he pinned me with that dark brown stare, so full of heat that my breath caught in my throat.

“Aspen.”

The hoarse rasp of my name was enough to jolt me back to reality, and I bolted, diving under the covers and turning off the lights.

What the hell was I thinking, watching him like that?

Turning over, I buried my face in the pillow and let out a groan. At the tail end of it, the water turned off, and I froze.

Oh God.

The door creaked open a few minutes later, and I held my breath.

Please let him think I’m asleep. Please let him think I’m asleep.

Moving around the foot of the bed, Mac settled onto his makeshift bundle of blankets.

I had half a mind to offer a swap for the night as an apology for completely disregarding his right to privacy, but if I spoke, he’d know I was awake.

“Aspen?”

I squeezed my eyes shut tight, praying he would give up if I kept quiet.

His heavy sigh reached my ears. “Aspen, I know you’re awake.”

Fuck.

“What’s up, Mac?” Maniacal laughter threatened to claw up my throat, so I slapped a hand over my mouth to keep it contained.

Way to play it cool.

What’s up, you ask? His dick, Aspen. His dick was up.

But not anymore, which you already know because you were watching him jerk off like a pervert!

“I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

Umm . . .

My brain short-circuited, trying to make sense of his words.

He was apologizing to me? That wasn’t right. I was the one acting as a voyeur, practically getting off watching him pleasure himself.

Because I wasn’t thinking straight, I blurted, “The only thing that made me uncomfortable was getting caught.”

My shocked gasp split the air.

This whole situation just went from bad to worse.

“You like to watch, Freckles?”

The amusement lacing his tone had me considering the barn as a sleeping location tonight. There was no doubt in my mind I’d just given him the fuel to torment me until the end of the spring semester.

“In my defense, the door wasn’t locked,” I mumbled under my breath.

“Maybe I like being watched,” Mac shot back.

My face flamed. Never in my life had I considered watching a man bring himself to climax by his own hand, but now, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. And the idea that maybe it helped get him off too? It was too much.

“Look.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I was in the wrong. I knew you were in the shower. The least I could have done was knock before entering to warn you that I was popping in for my toothbrush. I’m sorry.”

I could practically feel the hum that vibrated through his chest. “I’ll accept your apology on one condition.”

The urge to peek over the edge of the mattress was strong, but I held steady, not moving a muscle.

When I remained silent, he said, “Promise me you’ll still be here in the morning. My heart can’t handle waking up alone for a third straight day, knowing I’m the reason you’re running.”

A rush of air flew past my lips, and my mind raced a million miles per hour, processing those words.

Did it actually bother him that I kept sneaking out? And what did his heart have anything to do with it? Weren’t we both simply trying to survive this week before going our separate ways?

My throat closed up, but I managed to force out a weak, “Okay.”

“Good,” his rich baritone came in reply. “Night, Aspen.”

“Night,” I whispered back.

When I turned over, exhaustion pulled me under, only to have visions of Mac in the shower dance through my dreams for the rest of the night.