Page 37 of Forbidden Dreams
There was no way I could pursue anything with her. Not if I wanted to keep my relationship with the Sterlings.
I got in the shower to wash off the sweat and the smell of sex. I needed to get Aspen's sweet scent out of my nose. She was driving me crazy.
I hoped the workout would help me fall asleep, but I was awake for hours, running the events of the night through my head.
I couldn't go back and change it, and I wasn't sure I would even if I could. Being with Aspen Sterling was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. I couldn't repeat it.
Not unless I wanted to sever ties with the Sterling family and the business. It was an impossible situation, and I wasn't sure I could resist her pull.
I punched my pillow in an effort to make it fluff and rolled onto my side. Sleep was going to be impossible.
The next day, I woke up after a few hours of restless sleep and got ready for work. The timeline was short for the bathroom project, and I couldn't let the town down.
If I buried myself in work, I wouldn't think about how I'd slept with Aspen Sterling in her office last night.
I scheduled the crews and got one to meet me on location to start the demolition. The ballroom didn't have any events for the next few weeks, so we were free to start.
There was nothing I loved more than demolition work when I needed to forget something or punish myself. It was hard, grueling work, and I was all for it.
I wanted to forget Aspen's name, and the memory of being inside of her.
At the end of the day, I sent the crew home, but I kept working. There was something about the swing of the sledgehammer and hauling the porcelain and tile away that was satisfying. The room was clearing, even if my brain was a mess.
"What are you doing?" Morgan asked.
I wiped the sweat from my brow. "What does it look like I'm doing?"
I felt like a surly teenager, just daring someone to say anything so I could lash out.
"Why are you working without a crew? You could get hurt. You know that goes against our protocols."
"I wrote the protocols." That didn't mean I had to follow him.
"You're entitled to be an idiot. But what if you get hurt, and there's no one here to help you?"
"You're here," I said simply.
He shook his head. "You know what I mean."
"Why are you here?" It was rare for one of the brothers to check on me. They only came around if they needed something, and we saw each other so often around town; a text usually sufficed.
"You didn't come out with us last night."
"Is that a crime?"
His eyes widened at my sharp tone. "Did something happen?"
"Nope." There was no way I was going to tell him about how I had sex with his sister.
"You need help with this project?" he asked.
"I've got it." I didn't need the brothers hanging around and figuring out what happened. I hoped to get my head on straight before I was forced to be around everyone.
He sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Then what is it? Your family? Work? A woman?"
I blanched at the mention of a woman. "My mom and Emery are fine. Work is great."
"So it's a woman?"
