For the first time in his working life, Spencer was considering faking an illness just so that he could knock off work early. And it was all because of Kelly. Those shy gazes she kept throwing him every time their eyes met across the conference table had him on edge. He couldn’t wait to get her alone in a place where there was no risk of disturbance. Once he had her there, he’d start by peeling away that sexy white dress she was wearing today…
No. No. No. He’d start by initiating a conversation to establish what they were to each other. Judging by her behavior over the last ten days, he was reasonably confident that the conversation would go well. But one never knew with these things. What if she reverted to wary, guilt-ridden Kelly? What if she wasn’t ready to acknowledge and voice her obvious feelings for him? What if a talk tore down the delicate balance they’d established?
No, stop it. This wasn’t the time to lose his backbone. Though risky, the conversation was necessary. He wasn’t some kid who had all the time in the world to have flings and undefined relationships. He wanted a serious relationship. If Kelly was interested – great. If not, then he needed to know in advance so he could stop hoping for something that would never be.
“Is the D.A. really serious about going after Miller?” Angelina cut into his thoughts.
“I think so.” Spencer sighed. “And who can blame them? Miller crossed the line with that witnessed-a-kid-being-murdered call. They spent three days combing Hudson for an imaginary body because of him.”
“They’ll probably smack us with every charge in the book.” Angelina winced. “What’s our play?”
“I was thinking…” Even as he outlined his strategy for Aaron Miller’s case, Spencer’s thoughts kept wandering back to Kelly. He kept snatching glances at her, wondering if she was thinking of him too and craving some time alone with him. By the end of the day, he was practically trembling with the need to have her to himself.
He shot Kelly a text. I’m driving you home today.
It wasn’t a question. It was a demand borne from the fact that he didn’t want to give her the option to refuse. Eagerly, he awaited her response.
It came in a second later. Okay.
It was just one word yet it left him grinning like an idiot. What time?
Six? she asked.
Six, he agreed.
At exactly six p.m., he shut down his computer, grabbed his jacket and satchel, exited his office and made a beeline for the reception area. His hope was that Kelly was already there, waiting for him. As luck would have it, she was indeed waiting. But she wasn’t alone. Marie, Casper, Duke and Russell were there.
Of all the days for the reception to be crowded, it just had to be this one. Spencer sighed as his eyes swept over his colleague. None of them noticed him; they were all focused on Kelly.
“Come on,” Marie pleaded with Kelly. “You have to come with me.”
“No.” Kelly shook her head, even as her gaze swept past everyone to land on Spencer. Her eyes held a panicked ‘save me’ look, as she added, “I don’t feel like going out for Ladies Night or whatever.”
“It’s not just any Ladies Night.” Marie’s voice held a note of awe as she corrected, “It’s a Ladies Night with the girls from the fourth floor. They want to get to know you better.”
Russell made a snorting sound. “And by that she means they want to decide if they can invite you to their club.”
Kelly’s eyes widened. “There’s a club?”
“There’s a club.” Casper nodded. An amused gleam in his eyes, he helpfully explained. “If Chambers & Quinn were a high-school, the women on the fourth floor would be the popular girls, the cheerleaders.”
Kelly made a face. “If that’s supposed to encourage me to go for a drink with them, then it’s not working. I was the kid who spray-painted cheerleaders’ cars.”
“If she doesn’t want to go,” Spencer finally cut into the conversation. “You shouldn’t force her.”
Besides, if Kelly chose to go out with those ladies, then that meant his night was ruined too.
“She has to go,” Duke piped in. “No one on our floor has ever been invited before.”
“We want to know what they discuss at those meetings,” Russell explained.
“Yeah, she has to go,” Casper agreed. “This could affect our relationship with the other departments.”
“I would go alone but they won’t allow me in without you.” Marie offered Kelly puppy-dog eyes. “Pwetty pwease.”
“I don’t want to,” Kelly whined.
“Don’t want to what?” Angelina, who was carrying her purse and coat, came up behind Spencer.
“Fourth floor invited her for a Ladies Night,” Marie explained. “And she doesn’t want to go.”
Spencer added, “And I said that if she doesn’t want to go, then she shouldn’t have to.”
“Are you kidding me?” Angelina offered both Kelly and Spencer a horrified look. “This is the first time our floor’s getting an invite. Kelly, you have to go. We’ll carry you there if we have to.”
“Hear. Hear,” Marie and Duke cheered.
“If you’re all so desperate to send someone there,” Spencer, who wasn’t willing to let his night with Kelly slip through his fingers just like that, suggested, “then Angelina should go.”
Angelina smirked. “They didn’t invite me.”
“And they’re scared of her,” Russell added.
Angelina’s head whipped so fast in Russell’s direction, Spencer was surprised she didn’t get whiplash. “They’re not scared of me.”
“Izzy Knight plasters her body to the wall whenever you pass each other in the hallway.” Russell grinned. “Monique won’t even get in the same elevator with you.”
“That’s not proof that they’re scared of me,” Angelina complained even as everyone else laughed. Everyone but Spencer and Kelly who traded disappointed looks.
Well, there goes my night. Spencer sighed as he watched his colleagues herd Kelly and Marie down to the fourth floor. He thought of going back to the office to immerse himself in work but changed his mind. In his current state, he’d likely just spend his time thinking about Kelly and imagining what could’ve been. Nah, it was better to head home. At least there was a TV there and a soccer match. Hopefully, that would be enough to distract him.
It wasn’t.
Though he sat staring at the TV, his attention was completely taken by thoughts of Kelly. Was she missing him too? Or was she enjoying herself with those ladies? Maybe it wasn’t just ladies. Where attractive women were, hungry men were bound to be hovering around. What if one of those thirsty S.O.Bs hit on Kelly?
Annoyance pulsing through him, Spencer shot to his feet and stomped to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. Kelly was a very attractive woman. It wasn’t a question of what if someone hit on her. The real question was; when someone hit on her, would she turn him down? She would, wouldn’t she? Or maybe not. She was still a single woman. Not his yet, and free to smile at any man she pleased.
Damn it! Spencer took a healthy gulp of the ice-cold water in an attempt to cool down the instant anxiety that ballooned within him at the thought of Kelly smiling at some other man. She was his.
No, she isn’t, his tortured mind corrected. Not yet.
Tomorrow, he swore. By hook or by crook, he’d find some free time to talk to her and finally define their relationship. Nothing would stop him this time, not even their workmates, because his very sanity depended on locking her down. As for tonight, he needed to get her off his mind otherwise he’d be a walking zombie tomorrow.
Maybe exercise was the answer.
He stopped by his room to change into shorts then marched into his gym-room.
The treadmill, he’d heard some guru say, was the perfect way to distract oneself. Well, it was a damn lie. All it did was leave him exhausted, but it did nothing to kick Kelly out of his thoughts. Next he tried lifting weights. Bad idea. The only thing he got out of it was sore muscles and too much down-time to imagine Kelly drunk and dancing with some other man. The cold shower afterwards should’ve cooled his temper. It didn’t. All it did was leave him shivering and wishing she was there to keep him warm.
Sleeping was the only option left. Feeling conflicted, Spencer stared down at his white leather, California-king bed. Did he really dare get in there? After all the thinking about Kelly he’d been doing, he didn’t need Sigmund Freud to tell him who would be starring in his dreams. Then again, if he was going to think about her anyway, it was much more comfortable to do it in his bed rather than while restlessly pacing around his condo.
With a sigh, he pulled back the gray plaid duvet that covered his bed. He was just about to clamber into the bed when the sudden ring of his doorbell stopped him. Who could be at his door at this hour? Frowning and barefoot, he padded out of his bedroom to the front door.
His heart almost stopped beating when he glanced at the intercom monitor and saw who was standing at his doorstep. Spencer had never moved so fast to let someone into his home. Excitement bubbling within him, he threw the door open.
Then there she was. Kelly.
“Hi.” The smile she gave him was shy yet nervous. She was still wearing the clothes she’d left the office in which likely meant she’d come straight from her Ladies Night to him.
Spencer was so shocked to see her standing at his doorstep that he barely strangled out a, “Hi.”
“I hope you don’t mind me dropping by so late.” Her tongue peeked out to lick her lush bottom lip as she stared at him. “I just thought – I – um…”
Already lowering his head, Spencer closed the distance between them and stopped her stammering with his lips. She was so shocked by the sudden sensual attack that she stood still in his arms for all of a second. Then she melted into him. Her lips parted beneath his, her body relaxed into him, and her arms went around his neck.
The kiss was as fiery as it was potent. It sang of desperation and need. The stab of Spencer’s tongue was almost as forceful as the frantic movements of his lips against hers. Kelly’s response was just as passionate. She cupped his cheeks and deepened the kiss further, taking her fill of him.
Still kissing her, he lifted her by the waist and carried her into his house. Once he kicked the door closed, it was over. Any thought of talking before sating their physical need disappeared, and pure, unadulterated desire took its place. With long strides Spencer carried her into his bedroom. Their clothes fell off easily, like shackles melting away. It left them free to explore the desire they’d hidden away all this time.
Spencer touched her like it was their very first time together because it certainly felt like it. He traced her delightful curves with his hands, tempting her further into desire. Kelly was just as good at giving as she was at taking. She explored him too, took her time touching and kissing every inch of him until all he could do was growl her name.
With speed he didn’t even know he was capable of, he pinned her beneath him and took her. In. Out. In. Out. Like a warm, tight glove, she captured him then demanded he give her more of himself. And he was all too willing to acquiesce. He thrust into her with the force of a battering ram. Over and over, he pounded into her, giving her pleasure and taking his. It was only when she screamed her release that he finally let go. Like an overwhelmed anchor, he sunk into the mad whirl of sensations that flooded him.
It was a while before Spencer’s awareness returned, and even then he was too exhausted to do anything other than change their positions so Kelly was lying over him. Sheer satisfaction and bliss driving him, he turned his head so he could kiss her forehead. Without conscious thought, he whispered, “I love you.”
It was only after the words slipped out that he realized what he’d just said. Instinctively, he stiffened even as his heart began to pound faster. Was he crazy? Why would he say that right now? But even as he scolded himself, he realized that he meant the words. He really loved Kelly. Though the emotion had snuck up on him while he wasn’t looking, there was no point denying its existence.
Kelly was the first thing he thought about when he woke up, and the last person he thought about when he went to sleep. When something good happened to him, she was the first person he wanted to tell. When something bad happened to him, she was the one he wanted comfort from.
It was hard to imagine that they’d only known each other for barely two years because he couldn’t remember a time when she wasn’t in his life. It was even harder to recall how he’d lived without her before they’d met. She’d gone from being the woman he wanted to save, to being the woman who he wanted to save him. Now, it felt like his future happiness was completely in her hands. She could give it to him by being his, or take it away by rejecting him.
There was no doubt. He was in love with her.
Still, his confession was premature. It was too soon to bombard Kelly with heavy emotions like love when they weren’t even officially in relationship. Judging by the shock that shadowed her gaze, she agreed. He expected her to immediately scramble out of his bed and run out of his room. But she didn’t.
She just stared at him. She stared at him for so long that it felt like time had stopped. When her lips finally parted, it was to whisper, “I love you too.”
“What?” Her words hit him like a baseball to the face, leaving him blinking and reeling in disbelief.
“I love you too,” she repeated.
Maybe he was hearing things. Maybe he wanted her to love him so badly that he was hearing words that she wasn’t saying. His voice laced with awe, he asked, “You love me too?”
SPENCER’S SURPRISE WAS obvious in his wide-eyed stare. His arm tightened around her naked shoulders as he repeated, “You love me too?”
Kelly nodded. “I do.”
He’d put himself out there by blurting out his feelings, and she could do no less than follow his example. Besides, there was no reason to hold the words back anymore. She’d already made her peace with the fact that though her feelings for him were inexplicable, she couldn’t hide or run from them.
Spencer swallowed convulsively. “You’re not just saying it to keep me from feeling awkward, are you?”
“No, I’m not just saying it.” Kelly blew out a deep breath before revealing. “I actually mean it.”
But her answer still wasn’t enough for the skeptical man holding her in his arms.
“Are you sure?” Even when she nodded, Spencer still said, “You don’t have to say it just because I did. I’m a big boy. I can wait until you’re ready.”
“I’m ready now.” She couldn’t help the small smile that lifted her lips as she reassured him, “I love you, Spencer.”
The smile Spencer gave her was bright enough to light an entire city. He placed a finger under her chin, lifting her face higher up so he could kiss her. The kiss was long, deep and hungry, yet it held a note of tenderness that brought tears to her eyes. It silently spoke of the intense feelings that they both shared.
By the time Spencer slowly drew his mouth from hers, her cheeks were wet and her eyes were clouded. He frowned. “You’re crying.”
“Happy tears,” she reassured him.
He lowered his head again, but this time it was to kiss her tears away. His hand gently dried her cheeks while his lips fluttered over her skin in little pecks that left her smiling. When he drew back to watch her, he was also smiling. “When did you start?”
“Loving you?” she asked. When he nodded, she paused for a moment to think over her answer then shrugged. Twirling her finger in little circles on his chest, she said, “I don’t know. It’s not something I planned to do. It just happened.”
Spencer stiffened beneath her. “You say it like it’s a bad thing.”
“That’s what I thought at first,” she confessed. Afraid to even look at him, she whispered, “and it frightened me. I think I was already in too deep before we went to Miami but still in denial because I didn’t want it to stop. But that night after you left my room is when it really hit me that I needed to start running. But by then it was too late. You’d already caught me.”
Spencer laughed, the soothing sound rumbling in the room. “You make it sound like I’m some kind of hunter.”
Grinning, she tilted her head so she could see his face. “Aren’t you?”
He swooped down for a short but sweet kiss. “Only when it comes to you.”
She laughed then asked, “What about you?”
“Hmm.” His eyes glazed over as he searched his mind. “I think I’ve always been a little in love with you since the first time we met.”
“The first time we met?” Her mouth fell open. “You mean during my first hearing?”
He nodded.
“But you were such a dick!” As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she realized that she’d just insulted him. She slapped a hand over her mouth. “Sorry.”
“You don’t need to be sorry. You can say it. I was a dick to you back then.” Spencer smiled but sadness shadowed his gaze as he added, “That’s the moment I regret most in my life.”
Tenderness swept through her and she cupped his cheek. “You don’t need to regret it anymore. It’s over now.”
“Is it?” His gaze lingered over her face. “You amaze me, Kelly. I don’t know if I would’ve been able to forgive the person who put me in prison.”
“It’s kind of easy to do when the person has been as good to me as you’ve been.” She patted his naked chest then kissed it for good measure. “Now, if you were still a jerk, it would be a different story.”
Spencer chuckled. Gathering her close until her breasts pressed into the hard planes of his chest, he said close to her ear, “I love you.”
His words and his closeness sent shivers along her skin. “I love you too.”
Their heads turned at almost the same time and their mouths met in a kiss. She felt his love in the gentleness of that kiss. His lips moved over hers sweetly, softly, leaving her heart aching with the emotion of the moment. His tight hold on her body as they kissed left no doubt that he wanted to protect her for as long as he could. She held on to him too, letting him know with her body that she wanted to do the same for him.
He was hers now. And she was his.
When Spencer ended the kiss, his expression was grave. Searching her face, he asked, “So, you don’t feel guilty anymore?”
“I do. Just a little though.” She indicated with her thumb and index finger. “But my dad would want me to be happy. And you make me happy.”
His serious gaze searched her face as if he was trying to determine if she really meant her words. When he smiled, she knew that he had his answer. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
He kissed her forehead. “For giving me a second chance.”
As far as she was concerned, she had more to thank him for. This man, who she’d once considered her enemy, had done more for her than any other man apart from her father had ever done for her. He hadn’t just saved her from prison; he’d saved her from herself. If he hadn’t walked back into her life to rectify his mistake, she would likely still be wallowing in hatred and anger. It would’ve eaten her up alive and in the end, she suspected she would’ve ended up a bitter woman unwilling and unable to move on from her past. Spencer had given her a chance to get rid of her anger then replaced it with love.
She pressed her lips to the side of his throat. She couldn’t have chosen a better man to love, or to be loved by.
“I love you,” she whispered, more for herself than for him.
But he heard her. His arm tightened around her. “Say it again.”
“Uh-uh.” A teasing smile on her face, she looked up at him. “You say it.”
He chuckled before whispering, “I love you, Kelly Garner. I’m so in love with you that it hurts to even say the words.”
His words and the sincerity in them sent thrill lancing through her. She bit her lower lip. “Sorry, sweetheart. Looks like you’ll have to keep hurting because I’ll need to hear you say those words often. Maybe even every day.”
“As long as you say them back,” he countered with a wicked grin.