Chapter Eleven
The rainy October morning seemed fitting. Hadley had woken to a text message from Spencer that said simply Good morning, Beautiful. Those words should have left her glowing, and in a small way, they managed to put a smile on her face. But she was concerned and not feeling at all like herself. She shuffled her way to Pajamas in her yoga pants and sweatshirt, not needing to dress for work for a couple of hours. She accepted her mocha gratefully from Autumn, who’d returned to work three days a week, juggling the kids between her schedule and Kate’s until a nanny started the following month. But Hadley was just going through the motions.
“Why isn’t Had saying anything?” Isabel asked Autumn, from across the table. “Have you noticed that Had has stopped speaking?”
“I haven’t,” Hadley said simply. But she couldn’t look them in the eye. Emotion circled and bubbled and reared its relentless head. There would be no tears. None at all. But she lost the battle the moment the thought occurred to her, and became a big blubbering mess.
“Oh no, sweetie,” Autumn said, coming around the table. “What’s going on? Why are you sad?”
She waved Autumn off as the tears pooled and fell, hot and plentiful. “I’m just being stupid and extra emotional.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Maybe I’m on a PMS kick. Ignore me. Put a plant in front of me or something. Go back to whatever you were talking about.”
“We were talking about strangers dancing in their cars when they think no one is looking,” Gia pointed out. “I think we can press pause.”
“I don’t like it when you cry,” Isabel said. Her face was pulled in and she seemed alarmed. “Tell us what’s going on. Autumn, make her tell us, so we can make it stop.”
Hadley tried to smile, but with Autumn’s comforting arms around her, it never quite manifested. What was it about someone being nice to her in the middle of a difficult time that just unleashed the emotion in one big whoosh? “I’m just having a rough couple of days. I think Spencer’s afraid of commitment, and that may never change no matter how strong my feelings grow for her. I was a wreck about it and then you guys blew me off last night when I needed someone, and the world just felt very, very big. I felt small.” She shrugged, not sure how else to categorize it.
The three of them exchanged glances and seemed to sink lower in their chairs. Isabel turned to Hadley soberly. “That was fucked up of me. No workday is more important than you.”
“Thanks, Izzy.” Hadley sniffled. The words helped.
“Same. You would have dropped everything for any one of us,” Gia said. “On a dime.”
Hadley nodded her appreciation.
Autumn stared at them sadly. “I fell asleep,” she said, as if it were the most horrific of admissions. “Kate watched the kids, and I just passed out and missed the text entirely. I’m an awful friend,” she said in horror.
It was Hadley’s turn to put her arms around Autumn. “You are not. Do you hear me? You are an exhausted friend.” Still holding Autumn, she glanced across the table at Isabel and Gia. “Just hearing you care is enough for me, okay? Everyone is forgiven automatically.”
“Shouldn’t we at least get more of a lecture?” Isabel asked. “I don’t feel properly punished.”
“Yeah,” Gia said. “Call us a few names.”
Isabel nodded. “Slam your fist on the table. Take away Ms. Pac-Man.”
“Malign our families.”
Hadley winced. “That seems extreme. I don’t want to do any of that.”
Autumn sat up, regaining her composure. “Well, at the very least, tell us about the trouble with Spencer. Let us weigh in and help.”
“I can do that.” Hadley obliged and recounted the events of the prior morning. Hearing it all played back made her feel slightly ill and embarrassed all over again. “Did I overreact?”
“Your emotions are yours, which makes them valid,” Isabel said.
“That sounds like code for I’m a crazy person.”
“You’re not crazy,” Autumn said. “You were completely in the right to feel slighted. You’re someone who places a high value on your relationships, and it makes perfect sense that you’d want the same back from someone you were falling for. You are falling for her, aren’t you?”
“You wouldn’t be crying if you weren’t,” Isabel pointed out.
Hadley blinked back the returning tears. “I am. I feel it happening more and more with each moment we spend together. We’re so different, but that’s what has me so enraptured.”
“Then don’t you dare discount what’s happening,” Gia said, speaking with an intensity Hadley was not used to. “You always shove your own feelings aside for everyone else’s. You go out of your way to do nice things for others and to make the world a better place. You take the burnt piece of toast or the bad seat just to ensure others are happy. Do not compromise.”
Isabel nodded. “You’re deserving of so much, Had.”
“Is she falling for you?” Autumn asked gently.
Hadley asked herself the question honestly. “I think she is. I also think the concept terrifies her. For example, she seems to do much better when we stay at my place. She relaxes, but when I come too far into hers, the walls go up. I dropped by out of the blue one afternoon when she was working, and you’d have thought I’d stolen her cat.” Hadley shook her head. “You should have seen how out of sorts she looked. She always recovers. But it’s there.”
Her friends exchanged a concerned look, which only validated her worry.
“I felt like I had intruded, which is how I felt yesterday morning, too. I don’t want to intrude on anyone’s life. I want to share in it.” She sighed. “Why in the world did I think falling in love would be amazing?”
“It can be,” Gia said. “You just have to sort out the issues first.”
“Does Spencer know how you feel about her?” Autumn asked. “That you’re falling in love with her?”
Hadley shook her head. “We haven’t discussed love. I don’t want her bolting on me.”
“Bolting or not, maybe it’s time to show your cards,” Autumn said, and squeezed her hand. “Then Spencer knows exactly what she’s responding to.”
Isabel slowly raised her hand.
“You, there,” Autumn said, calling on her. “With the dark hair and pale, pale skin. What say you?”
“Thanks, formerly pregnant lady.” She turned to Hadley. “I remember what that’s like, to be Spencer. When Taylor and I first started up, I was scared out of my mind. I was so careful about every little thing, and always waiting for the other shoe to drop, that it was hard for me to fully let go of myself and allow her in. I panicked. Couldn’t believe what we had wasn’t going to just disappear and crush me. To this day, I can’t imagine what made her stick around and wait out my neurotic bullshit, but she did. She waited me out. Maybe that’s what Spencer needs. A little bit of patience.”
It made sense, and it had worked for Taylor. She’d be thrilled if she and Spencer found their way to being their own version of Isabel and Taylor, who were so in love it radiated off them wherever they went.
“Or just leave every damn item you own all over her place and indoctrinate her by fire,” Gia said, smoothly. “Or there’s always kneecaps. Just say the word.”
Autumn turned to Hadley. “Talk to her.”
“I will.” Hadley smiled at her friends. “Thanks, guys. Very good advice. All of it.” She turned to Gia. “Maybe not the kneecaps.”
“Just file it away,” Gia said. “It’s here if you need it.”
* * *
Spencer couldn’t work. She couldn’t think. She couldn’t function. She’d tried many times over, to no avail. All she knew was that she’d inadvertently hurt Hadley and hadn’t been able to concentrate on anything else since. She’d sent her that good morning message hours ago, only to receive nothing back. The memory of the look in Hadley’s eyes when she’d walked in on Spencer discovering her stored belongings haunted her. She never wanted to see her look that way again, which meant something had to give. She had to be forthcoming with Hadley. Honesty was the only way to go, she told herself, as she paid the exorbitant parking fee at the lot near Silhouette. Even if that meant revealing every vulnerability she had, every hang up, and each conflict of emotion, because there were many.
She opened the door to Silhouette and found a rather posh, serious-looking girl with a red updo adjusting the dress on a mannequin wearing sunglasses. She turned regally to Spencer and regarded her as if trying to sum up her purpose on Earth. “Hello,” she said, breaking into a languid smile. “Please come in.”
“Thank you,” Spencer said.
“I’m Miranda. What can I help you find today?” the woman said.
“Spencer. And Hadley.”
“I’m sorry?”
“I was looking for Hadley Cooper?”
“Spencer Adair,” she heard another voice whisper behind her. This voice carried excitement and seemed a great deal friendlier. She turned to see a second woman, with shorter brown hair and a contagious smile, approach. “Hi, I’m Daisy. Big fan of your designs and thrilled to know you’ll be one of our designers soon.”
“Thank you,” Spencer said. “Me, too.”
Suddenly the Miranda chick seemed a great deal warmer. “How lovely,” she said, beaming at Spencer. “Can I get you a refreshment? A glass of Chardonnay, perhaps?”
“Just point me to Hadley if she’s around?”
“Right this way!” Daisy said, and marched Spencer toward the back of the store and up the handful of stairs to the sitting area. There she saw Hadley working with what appeared to be a mother / daughter combo. “Thanks,” Spencer whispered to Daisy. “I can take it from here.” Daisy nodded and returned to the retail space below. Spencer watched Hadley from a distance, a little nervous, but also fascinated to see her in her element.
“I’m thinking if you went with the blue and added a jacket, something casual, and a pair of killer shoes, then this outfit is going to slay,” Hadley told them. The mother looked on, dubious, as the daughter turned to the side and studied herself in the mirror.
“I think I’m down for slaying.”
“Sophia, I’m just not sure about all the skin showing. The neckline and the shoulder glimpses don’t sit well with me.”
Hadley pointed at the mom. “I know exactly where you’re coming from. Why don’t we give that jacket a try now and see?” She shuffled through a nearby rack of clothes she’d likely pulled for the fitting. That’s about the time her eyes landed on Spencer. “Oh. I didn’t see you there. Hi.”
The mother and daughter turned. Spencer smiled. “Hi, everyone. I don’t mean to interrupt.”
“Friend of yours?” the mother asked, nodding to Spencer.
“Yes,” Hadley said. “This is Spencer Adair. She’s actually an up-and-coming designer. You’ll be seeing her line in the store soon.”
“Impressive,” the obviously rich woman said.
“What’s less impressive is what an ass I can sometimes be,” Spencer said pointedly.
The woman squinted, intrigued by the bold comment. “Is that so?”
“It is.” Spencer walked farther into the room. “I have the best of intentions and then they fly right out the door anytime anything scary happens. Can you identify with that?” she asked the daughter, who stared at herself in the three-way mirror.
“All the time,” she said. “You should see me on the first day of each semester. I’m a lunatic with no direction.”
Hadley looked at her clients in hesitation and back to Spencer. “Spencer, you don’t have to—”
“I’m actually here because I did just that. I acted like a lunatic to Hadley here, who didn’t deserve it.” Both mother and daughter swiveled to Hadley, who smiled at them nervously. “She’s pretty great.”
“We love her,” the daughter said.
“Not a hard thing to do.” She met Hadley’s eyes and watched as she softened. “I’m finding that out firsthand.” She pulled herself from the weighted moment. “I vote yes on the outfit and the jacket, by the way.”
“That’s three votes. We’ll take all of it,” the mother said, standing.
Hadley grinned. “I’ll have Daisy ring you up at the desk, and I’ll meet you down there with boxed packages shortly.”
As the mother passed Spencer, she waggled her finger just shy of her face. “You be good from now on. Understand?”
“That’s the plan.”
When the daughter disappeared into the changing room, Spencer walked slowly to Hadley. “I’m sorry I crashed your fitting.”
“You seem to have won some fans in the process,” Hadley said conservatively.
Spencer still couldn’t tell where her head was. “No, I’d say those are your fans. I’m just a supporting player, who happens to be very, very sorry.”
Hadley allowed Spencer to take her hand.
“I want you to have a drawer.”
“You don’t have to say that.”
“And if you outgrow it, I will clear space in my closet.”
A pause. “But that petrifies you. Can we just admit that?”
Spencer sighed, not wanting to lie to Hadley, ever, if she could help it. “You’re not wrong. It turns out that maybe I have a few more issues to sort through than I’d planned on. But I’m working through them. I want to.”
Hadley didn’t say anything, making it feel like the jury was about to deliver a verdict on the most important of cases. “Okay. That’s important to know.”
“I should have been more open with you about all of it. I promise to communicate more, even when it’s hard.” They paused for the daughter to pass through the room. Hadley smiled at her. “Be right down.”
“Take your time,” she said, allowing her arm to trail along the railing as she descended the stairs, smiling back at the both of them knowingly. Hadley laughed. Once the girl turned and they were fully alone, Spencer didn’t hesitate. She kissed Hadley, willing everything she felt for her to flow into their connection. Hadley murmured pleasantly, and relaxed into the kiss, holding Spencer in place with a hand to the back of her head.
“My toes are wiggling,” Hadley said, coming up for air. “Dammit. I love it when my toes wiggle, but I have to finish that sale. Then maybe there can be more wiggling. Later.”
“I’ll live with later.” She cradled Hadley’s cheek. “I’ll let you get back to work, then. As for tonight, don’t make plans.” She stole another long, lingering, hot as hell kiss that she could carry with her throughout her afternoon. “I’ll call you later.”
“Okay,” Hadley said with a small smile.
Good. Yes. She needed to see that smile. They were going to be okay.
At least it felt like they might be.
* * *
Isabel sashayed into the courtyard wearing Winnie-the-Pooh ears, a red crop top, and Wonder Woman bikini bottoms. Hadley squinted at her mid-punch pour. “Izzy! What in the world?” She scurried over to her.
“What?” Isabel asked casually, hands on her mostly bare hips.
Hadley pointed at her. “You’re half dressed!”
Isabel scoffed. “I’m Pooh. You said we should embrace the theme, and I’m embracing it. Actual Pooh wore no pants, if you remember, so you should consider yourself lucky. Sexy-Wonder-Woman-Pooh is better than Naked-Pooh. I’m confident you’ll agree.”
“Oh, dear,” Hadley said, grateful that the twins were too young to be scarred.
“I dig your Tigger outfit, though!” Isabel said.
Hadley grinned. “Really? I put most of it together myself. Rented the feet and tail, though!” She turned in a circle to showcase her orange and black ensemble.
Isabel offered her applause. “Rockin’ it as always, Had. Gonna steal some grub and camp out on the couch.”
“Enjoy!” Hadley sang after her and continued to organize the snacks.
Outside of Sexy-Pooh, Hadley’s Winnie-the-Pooh theme party was off to a promising start. Not only had most of the Seven Shores dwellers chosen to attend, but they’d contributed gifts for the twins’ room and decorations to Hadley’s already detailed party. Bonus! Because the weather was crisp and cool and sunny for fall, she’d chosen to stage the gathering in the courtyard, stealing what time she could before the sun went down. The snack table overflowed with cozy baked goods and a variety of punch flavors all geared around her theme.
“What do you think of all this?” she asked Will, who wore his Winnie onesie. He smiled at the colors as she bounced him from one attendee to another to say hello. “Hey, buddy, those are my whiskers,” she told him, when he got a little handsy. “Tigger needs his whiskers.”
She surveyed the space and her variety of guests. Gia, Autumn, and Isabel drank the “honey flavored” punch, as Kate whisked Carrie around to the different interactive stations. There was Pin-the-Tail-on-Tigger, Help Pooh Find His Pants, and her own personal favorite, cupcake decorating, manned by Larry Herman himself. If only he would quit demanding that people stay realistic in their frosting designs. Barney had already quit the activity altogether and stolen two handfuls of unfrosted cupcakes in artistic protest of Larry’s rules. Conversely, Elle’s Pin-the-Tail-on-Tigger station consistently held a steady line. But then, everyone lined up for time with Elle.
“My, my, my! Just look at this!” a new voice said loudly, from the gated entryway.
She turned and beamed at the sight of Sonora entering the courtyard with Spencer. She wore Kanga ears and a fluffy apron which was perfectly coordinated to Spencer’s subtle nods to Roo, including ears, whiskers, and a blue shirt! They’d made such an effort that Hadley almost couldn’t contain herself.
“You came,” she said, rushing over to Sonny, who gave her a hearty squeeze.
“Told you I wouldn’t miss it. It’s too fantastic an idea! I don’t know why we don’t have more parties just because. Makes the world brighter.”
“I agree,” Hadley said.
“Wait! I’m here, too!” Kendra yelled, racing in behind them. “I suck at parallel parking.” She wore a Tigger T-shirt and an “Oh, Bother” baseball cap.
“You look fabulous,” Hadley said, and hugged her promptly before directing her immediately to Autumn, Kate, and the twins for a lively reunion. Sonny headed off for refreshments, which left Hadley and Spencer on their own, making eyes at each other. They were still finding their footing after the other morning, but with Spencer close by, Hadley was pretty much putty.
“Babe, you did an outstanding job. Just look at this place,” Spencer said, looking around. “It’s the best kind of fall festival.”
“Just you wait for next month. A Monster Mash! I’ve already picked up a few scary props.”
“But isn’t Halloween this month?” Spencer asked, quirking her head.
Hadley widened her eyes. “My creative whims cannot be controlled by a calendar.”
Spencer laughed and held up her hands. “I should have anticipated that.”
The gathering went much later than they’d anticipated, with folks getting comfortable as the stars took over for the sun. Kendra carried a sleeping Will into the apartment for Autumn, who kept the video monitor with her at all times. Spencer took on the challenge of getting Carrie to sleep and, once again, shocked them all with her speed in doing so. “Can you move in?” Kate asked, accepting the little girl delicately from Spencer.
“What if, in addition to a salary, I tossed in free coffee?”
“Incredibly tempting,” Spencer said, taking Hadley’s hand. “And it would get me closer to Hadley, which is a bonus.”
“Nicely done,” Autumn said, pointing at her. She winked at Hadley as she passed.
“This woman is a gem!” Larry Herman declared from across the courtyard, grabbing everyone’s attention. He pointed directly at Sonny, who smiled in appreciation.
“We’re going shopping next week for potential investment properties,” she informed the curious group. “I know of a few pocket listings that Mr. Herman might be interested in.”
Hadley made her way over to them. “Larry, that’s fantastic news! Did you know Ms. Sonny is Spencer’s mother?”
Larry eyed Spencer and then Sonny. “I can forgive that.” He turned abruptly and made his way back to his cupcake station, where he began to pack up the remaining few.
“Don’t bother, landlord-dude,” Barney said, and grabbed the last four cupcakes as he ambled to his apartment door on the first floor. “Rad gathering!” he called to Hadley by way of thanks. She sent him the hang ten sign, which he happily returned.
“He just stole all your cupcakes,” Kendra pointed out in confusion.
“That’s just Barney,” Gia said. “He does what he wants and dances around while he does it. We like him for his consistency, even if he’s a tool.”
“That’s all true,” Hadley said. “Plus, he’d give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. Well, maybe not Larry, but the rest of us.”
“Aww, then I like him,” Kendra said. “He must have really wanted those cupcakes.”
“I could bake him some,” Sonora said, showcasing her generosity.
Spencer came from really good parents. Hadley was now positive.
After such a laid-back, fun evening, everyone began to gather their belongings and hug their goodbyes. Gia and Elle headed out for Elle’s place, as they planned to wake up and train on Hermosa Beach before heading off to Portugal for a tournament in the coming days. The days of settling for less on tour seemed to be a thing of the past. Elle had recaptured the number one spot, and Gia temporarily embraced her number two ranking. That is, until she could overthrow Elle. The two couldn’t be stopped. Sonny and Kendra also took their leave, hugging Hadley many times over for inviting them to the event. The sleepy parents joined their kids, and Isabel, Spencer, and Hadley remained in the courtyard.
“So, what are we gonna do now? The three of us,” Izzy asked, in all her half-clad glory. She placed her hands on the hips of her superhero bikinis and looked from Spencer to Hadley. They stared back at her. “I’m just joshin’ ya.” She clapped them each on the shoulder. “I have plans with Taylor, so you two can suck as much face as you want. As you were.”
Once they were alone, Spencer didn’t hesitate. “You are the sexiest Tigger I’ve ever seen, and I have never once expected to utter that sentence.”
Hadley tugged the front of Spencer’s T-shirt. “You know how to flatter a girl.” She shrugged. “I might have been checking you out tonight. Can’t say for sure.”
“Now you’re just teasing me.”
“My place?”
“I’d give anything to stay, but I didn’t bring anything with me. I could run home and come back, or you could come to my place.”
Hadley looked skyward. She’d not stayed at Spencer’s since the unfortunate drawer incident. “You sure you want me all up in your space?”
“I will sell half of my possessions to make room for yours if it gets you over there tonight.”
Hadley laughed. “Someone is in the mood.”
“When it comes to you, I’m always in the mood. You pretty much own me in that sense. But I’d be thrilled to just watch a TV show with you, or we could sit out here and talk.”
Hadley stared at Spencer as heat flamed and flickered between them. “Your place it is. Let me change and grab a few things.”
Did she go inside and put on her sexy jeans and tight-fitting black top that made her look a little bit wanton? Heck yeah, she did. Hadley fluffed her hair, smiled at the result in the mirror, grabbed her overnight bag, and descended the outside stairs to Spencer, who waited below. Upon seeing Hadley, her lips parted and she seemed struck. Oh, yes. She’d achieved her intended effect.
“Oh, man,” Spencer said, finally.
“Shall we?” Hadley asked, with a grin. She walked past her on the way to Spencer’s car, working it the whole way. Sashay, sashay, repeat. She was going to work her va va voom and enjoy every decadent minute of it.
* * *
The rules of the road took on new meaning as Spencer attempted to navigate her way back to her apartment with Hadley next to her in the passenger seat, affecting her in so many indescribable ways. She found herself breaking those traffic laws and accelerating past the speed limit simply to get them there sooner. Hadley was driving her crazy, the way she’d leaned back in the seat, crossing her legs and showcasing the black heels she’d selected for their journey of just over nine miles. Lord help her. Midway through the ride, Hadley leaned forward to retrieve her bottle of water, only to reveal a glimpse of cleavage as it pressed against the tight black shirt. She sent Spencer a knowing smile, making her wonder if it had been on purpose. Spencer swallowed and forced herself to keep her eyes on the road and ignore the blood that left her brain for other places. They’d be there soon enough, and then all bets were off. Just drive. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, tapping the steering wheel, chewing the inside of her lip as a distraction.
“You might be speeding a tad,” Hadley said quietly, pointing at the speedometer.
“Sorry,” Spencer said, easing off the gas. She tossed Hadley a look. “Apparently I feel like taking risks to get you home a little faster.”
“I could occupy your mind in other ways if you want.”
“That could be helpful. Yes. What do you have? Anything.”
Hadley tilted her head in thought. “I could tell you all the things I want you to do to me once we get there.”
“Not helping.” Spencer swallowed. “Now who’s endangering lives?”
“Not me.” Hadley shook her head. “I was just using my imagination. Trying to help alleviate yours.”
“Sure you were.” Spencer exhaled slowly. “Your imagination.”
Hadley nodded. “And let me tell you, it is going to delicious and unexpected places. I think you’d enjoy them.”
Spencer gripped the steering wheel that much harder. Eyes firmly on the road. Aching ignored. “Tell me.”
“I feel like being taken tonight. Do you think you can do that?” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hadley trail a finger down her neck as she asked the question.
Spencer nodded. “I remember the first time I wanted to do that very thing. Visualized it even. At Notes, the jazz club I took you to.”
“That was a good night. I wanted you then, too, but was too scared to do much about it. Where would you have touched first that night? If we had.”
“Your breasts. Definitely.”
“With your hands?”
“Yes, at first. Then my mouth.”
“You know what I think?”
“I have ideas.”
“We need to go back to that jazz club now that we’re acquainted.”
Spencer laughed, which broke some of the tension, but not for long. Realizing how much fun she had with Hadley, how she kept Spencer guessing and on her toes, it just made her hot all over again.
They arrived in front of her complex at long last. Mr. Wannamaker, her kindhearted upstairs neighbor, sat on his balcony looking out. She didn’t know if he could see them. She didn’t care. The second she put the car in park, she leaned across the console and crushed her mouth to Hadley’s, who moaned quietly, matching her intensity. Hands were moving in a flurry of desperation. Hers to Hadley’s breasts. Hadley’s to the back of her neck, where she held her in place and lightly sucked on Spencer’s tongue that was firmly in her mouth. Spencer readjusted, slamming her shoulder into the steering wheel. “Ow,” she mumbled. Hadley leaned across the center console but took the gearshift to the side of her ribs in the process.
“Yikes,” she yelped. She refocused, shifted a knee beneath her, and pulled Spencer forward by her shirt for another wild kiss. As they crashed back against the passenger side door in a painful tumble, Spencer sucked in air.
“This car is too damn small. Why didn’t I buy an SUV?”
“You’ll know for next time,” Hadley said, breathless. Undeterred, they separated and exited the car from opposite sides only to come together again in front of the vehicle, all hands and mouths and passion on unabashed display. “Inside,” Hadley whispered through their kissing. “Now.”
They tried to enter the building like respectable humans and backpedal from the show they just gave unsuspecting Mr. Wannamaker, but their efforts were fruitless. They took breaks on the way to Spencer’s door to kiss and grope and lose themselves in the overwhelming gratification. Spencer kissed Hadley up against the door to her apartment, smiling as Hadley gently bit her tongue, all the while fumbling to unlock the damn door. “You’re turning into a biter,” she murmured happily.
“Is that a problem?” Hadley asked.
“Hell no.” She glanced to her left at the sound of shuffling.
“You okay down there, Spencer?” Mr. Wannamaker yelled.
They froze, and stared at each other, eyes wide. Hadley broke into a giggle. Spencer grinned and covered her mouth. Finally, “We’re fine! Sorry about that, sir.”
“Just making sure no one got hurt,” he yelled back. “Tricky kids aren’t watching where they’re going,” she heard him mumble.
In that moment, the apartment door gave in to the click of the key and fell open behind Hadley. They spilled into Spencer’s living room, stumbling to find their footing. Hadley failed and crashed onto the floor in a fit of laughter. Spencer joined her there, the whole thing just too ridiculous. “We’re not good at car sex,” Spencer finally managed. “Now we know.”
“The worst!” Hadley couldn’t stop laughing. “That poor guy was probably so confused and then maybe alarmed.”
“It’s the most action he’s seen in weeks, I’m sure. Clumsy or not.”
Spencer crawled over to Hadley and looked down on her. “Can I say that you look just as good on this floor as you do in any car?” Hadley pulled Spencer to her so she was fully on top. She let her weight settle, knowing how much Hadley liked it. Her eyes fluttered and she shifted her hips to fit against Spencer more snugly.
“Maybe we’re good at floor sex,” Hadley offered with an innocent blink. “We honestly don’t know.”
“I hate not knowing things,” Spencer said, kissing Hadley. Savoring it.
“Would be wrong to not find out.”
She pushed Hadley’s top up and ran her nails across her smooth skin before freeing her of it altogether. Hadley nodded and bit her lower lip. Spencer shoved her bra up over her breasts so she could see them. The jeans came down past her knees. Those fantastic heels? They stayed on. Spencer didn’t delay. She knew what she was after, and pushed inside, overcome by how wet Hadley already was, how ready. She began to move, her hips propelling her hand.
Hadley moaned and turned her head to the side. “More.”
“Yeah?”
“Definitely.”
Spencer obliged and drove more firmly, pulling sounds she hadn’t heard before from Hadley. God, it inspired her own arousal in ways she couldn’t have fathomed. She kissed Hadley’s bare stomach and licked her way down to her thighs which parted further, asking for more attention. Hadley said her name over and over as Spencer pushed into her. Her hair pooled beautifully around her face as Spencer drove harder, circling her most sensitive spot with her thumb, watching Hadley’s face, reading her cues until she gasped and gave in to the climax, shuddering and bowing. She cried loudly, her hips still moving feverishly against Spencer’s hand. Spencer reached up and cupped Hadley’s breast hard as she rode out the final waves in glorious sharp thrusts.
“Are we still here?” Hadley asked, limp and smiling and so hot in those heels.
“I think so, but I’m not entirely sure.” Spencer crawled up the rug until she lay alongside Hadley, breathless and feeling satisfied.
Hadley’s eyes went wide. “Oh, no. Do you think Mr. Wanna-something heard me?”
“I’m going to go with most definitely.”
Hadley covered her mouth. “I was loud.”
“You were wonderful and fucking hot as sin. We have to have floor sex more often if it’s always like that.”
“Don’t say it like it’s over,” Hadley said. “Floor sex is merely on break.” She slipped a hand between Spencer’s legs and squeezed gently.
She resisted the urge to come right then and there through her jeans. She was already that close.
“Lucky for you we have all night.”
Spencer smiled at Hadley, flushed, beautiful and nearly naked. She removed her remaining pieces of clothing, kissing her in between. “The bed’s just around the corner, you know.”
Hadley unbuttoned Spencer’s pants.
“Oh. We’re not making it off this floor, are we?”
Hadley grinned. “Not a chance.”
After they were exhausted, fulfilled, and wrapped naked together in a blanket from the nearby couch, Spencer drifted off to the most wonderful dream. They were strolling hand in hand through an endless meadow. Hadley stopped to pick a flower and smiled up at Spencer, so full of life and kindness that Spencer’s heart was set to burst. “Have I told you today how much I love you?” Spencer asked.
Hadley looked to the sky in contemplation. “Why don’t you tell me again just in case.”
“I love you, Had.” She kissed her cheek and met her gaze. “So damn much.”