Aspen wasn’t sure if he meant sexually, but the fact that she thought it startled her. She wanted to be on her knees in front of him. She wanted to do all sorts of things to his body until he was as out of control as she was. But that wasn’t right. His power over her was so much stronger than Chad’s. Or her grandfather’s. If she stayed, if she accepted his gift, she knew she would do anything for him. Would accept anything from him. And that scared her to death. She would be completely at his mercy and a shadow of herself. A woman seeking the approval of a man who didn’t listen to her. It wasn’t how she wanted to live her life. Nor was he the type of person she wanted to share her life with. Not again.
‘I don’t play those games, Aspen,’ he warned.
‘And I don’t play yours. Not anymore. Goodbye, Cruz. I hope you never run out of money. You’ll be awfully lost if you do.’
Thankfully the lift doors opened just as she pressed the button, but it wasn’t divine intervention finally looking out for her. Ricardo was inside. His wide smile of greeting faltered when he glimpsed her expression and a stilted silence filled the space between them as she waited for the lift doors to close.
Once they had, Ricardo turned to his brother. ‘What was that all about?’
Cruz let out a harsh laugh. ‘That was Aspen Carmichael making me feel like a fool. Again.’
CHAPTER TWELVE
EXACTLY ONE WEEK to the day later Cruz sat on the squash court beside his brother after a particularly gruelling game. Both of them were sweat-soaked and exhausted and Cruz relished the feeling of complete burnout that had turned his muscles to rubber.
His phone beeped an incoming message and since he was right there he checked it.
Frustration warred with disappointment when he saw that it was from Lauren Burnside. Well, what had he expected? Aspen Carmichael to send him a message telling him how much she missed him?
Right. She’d rejected him. How many ways did he need to be kicked before he got the message?
‘Now the woman sends me a text,’ he muttered.
‘Who?’
‘My lawyer.’
Maybe if she’d dropped in he would have taken her up on her offer to get up close and personal with his abs. He wouldn’t mind losing himself in a woman right now. Smelling her sweet floral scent with a touch of vanilla. Winding his hands through her tumble of wild curls. Hearing her laugh.
‘You’re muttering,’ Ricardo said unhelpfully.
That was because he needed to visit a loony bin so that he could undergo electroshock therapy and once and for all convince his body that Aspen Carmichael was not the woman to end all women. Bad enough that he’d thought he had been in love with her. That he’d told her.
He clamped down on the unwanted memory. It had been a foolish thought that had died as soon as she’d walked out through the door. A foolish thought brought on by an adrenaline rush after the polo match.
Feeling spent, he scrolled through Lauren’s text. ‘Idiot woman.’
‘I thought she looked quite smart.’
‘Not Lauren. Aspen.’
‘Ah.’
Cruz scowled. ‘This is not a dentist, amigo. Close your mouth.’
Ricardo smiled. ‘Are you going to tell me what she’d done now?’
‘According to Lauren, she’s signed Ocean Haven over to me.’
‘Shouldn’t you be happy about that? I mean, isn’t that what you wanted?’
‘No.’ He ignored the interested expression on his brother’s face. ‘I don’t want anything to do with that property ever again.’ Scowling, he punched a number into his phone. ‘Maria, get the jet fuelled up and cancel any meetings I have later today.’
‘I thought you just said you didn’t want anything to do with that property ever again?’
‘I won’t after I handle this.’
‘Ah, hermano, I hate to point out the obvious, but this didn’t end so well for you last week.’
Cruz picked up his bag and shoved his racquet inside. ‘Last week I was too attached to the outcome. I’m not now.’
* * *
Aspen was in a wonderful mood. Super, in fact. Her chores were almost done for the day and all that was left was to bed Delta down in her stall. Now that the polo season was over there was less pressure on her and Donny to have the place ready for Wednesday night chukkas and there were fewer students. That was a slight downside, but Aspen found that as winter rolled around the lessons veered more towards dressage, with her students preferring to practise in the indoor arena rather than get frostbite in the snow.