Seven
Spence’s mouth covered hers and the last of her doubts blinked out. Thoughts and unwanted feelings had been whirling in her head since he stepped back into town. They came together in one blinding certainty when his hands slid up her sides—she wanted this.
Those palms cupped her breasts through her dress and her skin caught fire. She waited for the material to melt away, for her knees to give out, but somehow she stayed upright and dressed.
Those amazing fingers massaged and caressed. It took all of her control not to reach behind herself for the zipper and strip the top down. Feel him skin to skin.
“Spence...” She didn’t know exactly what she wanted, so she let the whispered plea sit there.
Backing her against the shelves, he trapped her between his arms. He grabbed on to the bars on either side of her head and leaned in. Rubbed his body against hers as his mouth treated her to a heart-stopping kiss. The kind that knocked common sense far into next month.
“You are so sexy.” That hot mouth traveled down her neck.
A shiver raced through her. And when those lips slipped to her ear and his tongue licked along the top edge, the shiver turned to a full-body tremble. She held on to his waist to keep from falling down.
His muscles tensed under her fingers and his breathing came harder. It thudded under her fingertips as need flashed in his eyes. He didn’t do anything to hide her effect on him...and she loved that.
They broke into a wild frenzy of touching and she was knocked harder into a shelf behind her. A can crashed to the floor. Then another. She kicked them out of the way and blocked every sound, including the whooshing of her heartbeat in her ears. Her focus centered on his mouth and the energy spinning around them.
Expert hands traveled over her and around to her back. The screech of her zipper rose above the other sounds a second before his palm brushed over her bare skin. Fingers slid under her bra. The cool air hit her as the front of her dress fell down. It heated again when he lifted his head and stared at her.
Fingertips skimmed over the rounded tops of her breasts. The touch was so reverent, so loving, her breath hiccupped in her throat.
“Touch me.” She breathed the order against his neck. He already was but that didn’t matter to her. She wanted the imprint of his fingers all over her.
That amazing mouth kissed a trail along the top lacy edge of her bra. Her head fell back as his lips went to work. His tongue licked over her nipple as one hand slipped down the front of her in a slow slide that ignited every cell.
Needing to get closer, to bring him in, she opened her legs as wide as her dress allowed. When that didn’t bring her relief, she shimmied, tugging the material up to the top of her thighs.
It was all the invitation he needed. His hand tunneled under her dress to skim along the elastic band of her underwear. The tiny bikini briefs were no defense against his fingers. They pressed up and under. Then he was touching her. Swirling his finger over her.
Need walloped her. It pressed in on her from every direction. She lifted her leg and wrapped it around his thigh. The position gave him free access and he didn’t hesitate. His finger slipped inside her. Pumped back and forth until her lower body matched its rhythm.
Relief at being touched gave way to a new tension. A pounding need to feel him everywhere. “Spence, now.”
A warning flashed in her mind. She was on the Pill but they should take more precautions. But the minute the thought entered her mind it left again. All of those weeks of fighting amounted to foreplay. The talking, the kissing...she was wound up and burning for him.
Her throat felt scratchy and her skin hot. She couldn’t move fast enough, rip the buttons on his shirt open with enough force. Once her fingers touched the firm muscles of his chest, she dragged them down.
The shelves rattled behind her as he picked her up and wrapped both legs around him, low on his hips. Her dress bunched around her waist. He tugged on her underwear. Pulled and yanked.
“Rip it.” She almost yelled the order.
“I’ll buy you ten pairs,” he said through harsh breaths.
His hands shook as the material tore, shredded in his hand. She didn’t know if he dropped it or stripped it away. Didn’t really care. She was too busy craving the weight of his body. It anchored him but she wanted more.
She fumbled with his belt as tension thumped around her. She got the zipper down and shoved the material out of the way. When she wrapped her fingers around his length, he swore then took in a big gulping breath. His control seemed to snap. With jerky movements, he put a hand over hers and squeezed and the resulting groan vibrated through him.
Between his finger inside her and his mouth on her neck, her body flipped to ready. She arched her hips, trying to drag him inside her. When that failed, she slipped her thumb over his tip. His body actually fell forward. The shelves clanked behind her as they moved, but she didn’t care.
They could have been screaming, drawing the attention of everyone at the party, but none of that mattered. Just the man wrapped around her and the feel of his mouth on her skin.
“Now, Spence.” She was two seconds from begging.
She opened her mouth to do it when she felt him. Just the tip, rubbing over her. Back and forth, moving deeper with each pass. Then he pushed inside her. Slow, in a seduction that had her hips bucking. As he shifted, her internal muscles adjusted and clamped down on him, clinging to him.
“Damn, Abby.” He was panting now as his arms supported her and his mouth traveled to that sensitive space right behind her ear.
When a noise rumbled up her chest, she put the back of her hand over her mouth and bit it. But her control faltered with each delicious thrust. The steady in and out had her body tightening. Every cell pulsed. After one last push inside her, she came apart. The orgasm screamed through her as her hips continued to move back and forth.
He kept plunging as the sweat broke out at the base of his neck. When her body started to wind down, she concentrated on him. Kissed that sexy collarbone and dragged her teeth along his neck.
That’s all it took. He moaned as his hips tipped forward one last time. His fingers tightened on the back of her thighs. She held on as the orgasm hit him. His body rocked against her and she felt it all. Finally, his head dipped until his forehead rested against her chest. The pulses continued for a few more seconds before his body relaxed and his weight pressed heavier against her.
His labored breathing blew across her chest. The sleek muscles of his back tensed as she traced her fingers over them. She tried to soothe him with gentle kisses on the top of his head.
After a few seconds, he turned his head to the side and rested his cheek against her chest. “Well, that was amazing.”
She had no idea where he found the energy to speak. She couldn’t even manage to use that breathy voice like he did. Her muscles refused to listen as her body curled into his.
“Yeah.” That took all she had but at least she managed to whisper something into his hair.
He lifted his head and stared down at her. Those sexy eyes, all intense and unreadable, watched her. “Any regrets?”
His voice sounded scratchy and oh-so-sexy. She knew she could be coy or play games, but she couldn’t muster up the energy for that, either. “None.”
A second later, the doorknob rattled and they both jumped. Their bodies hadn’t separated or cooled. They both held their breaths. After a second shake of the knob, the voices in the hall died down and whoever was out there seemed to move away.
“That was close,” she said, even though she didn’t care.
She knew she should slide down, enjoy the friction until their bodies separated. She rested her head against his instead.
“Abby?”
With all the stress and worry gone, exhaustion hit her. But her eyes popped open again just as they were beginning to close. “Yeah?”
“Next time, we use a bed.”
* * *
It took another fifteen minutes for them to break apart. Spence couldn’t stop kissing her while they straightened their clothes and cleaned up a bit. He didn’t even try to hold back. The last one came as he pulled up the zipper to her dress. Before finishing the last inch, he leaned down and pressed a kiss on the bare skin of her shoulder. Tried to remember every scent and feeling so he could relive this moment later.
When she turned around to face him, he expected regret and maybe a little shyness. Instead, she smiled up at him. “Does my hair look like we just had sex?”
Every part of her did, but he figured that had more to do with his needs and his perception than with the state of her clothes and makeup. “You look amazing.”
“We need to leave this room.” She sighed. “I’m sure someone has been looking for us.”
Knowing his family, many someones were. Maneuvering through the next twenty minutes might not be that easy. It would help if he could forget that he carried her ripped panties in his pocket. “I envy you being an only child at the moment.”
She smiled and opened the door. Peeked out while he stole one last look at her perfect butt. The woman filled out a slim-fitting dress better than any woman he’d ever known. She was curvy and sleek...and he would have to concentrate very hard not to think about what she could do with that mouth.
They’d just stepped into the hall when Carter appeared in front of them. That grin. The way his gaze wandered over both of them.
This was not going to be good. Spence would bet money on that.
“Where were you two?” Carter asked as he glanced into the dark pantry behind them.
Abby’s eyes widened. “What?”
“Hmm?” Spence asked at the same time.
Carter’s grin only grew bigger. “Was that a hard question?”
Leave it to his baby brother to pick this moment to come home after months away. Now he was showing up everywhere. The guy’s timing sucked. “Of course not.”
Carter gestured for them to go into the library two doors down the hall. Since complying struck Spence as the quickest way through this situation, he followed. They all stepped inside and were immediately surrounded by walls of books. A desk sat in the corner by the large floor-to-ceiling window. There were a few other chairs scattered around the room but they stood there, with the door closed behind them.
Carter looked from Abby to Spence and back again. “You missed the toast to the happy couple.”
“Well...” Yeah, that’s all Spence had. His brain refused to jump-start after the mind-blowing sex.
“Ellie can’t drink anyway,” Abby said, piping up to fill the silence.
“Yes.” Spence nodded. “Good. That’s right.”
Carter shook his head, looking far too amused by the stilted conversation. “Because that was my point.”
“We’re just...” It happened again. Spence started talking, then nothing. His mind went blank.
Abby touched the back of her hand against his chest. “Walking.”
“Wow.” Carter crossed his arms over his chest. Looked pretty impressed with himself, as if every minute was more fun than the last. “You two aren’t very good at this. Maybe you need practice.”
“What are you talking about?” Abby asked.
The door opened behind them and Jackson slipped inside, sparing Spence from whatever answer Carter might have come up with to Abby’s question. Jackson’s shoes clicked against the buffed hardwood floor as he walked. He’d picked up a piece of cake at some point and now balanced that plate along with his glass. With his fork raised halfway to his mouth he started talking.
“I heard you guys were in here. Where did you...” His gaze switched from Abby to Spence. “Oh.”
Carter snorted. “Right?”
“I give up. Are we wearing a sign?” Abby finished the question by glaring at Spence.
He wasn’t sure what he did to warrant that, or maybe he did, but he knew no matter what had happened in that pantry, this embarrassment was going to be his fault. No way would Carter let this opportunity pass.
“Kind of.” Carter cleared his throat as he pointed at Spence’s chest. “Your shirt is—”
“Buttoned wrong, genius.” Jackson shook his head as he put his drink on the edge of the desk and scooped up a forkful of cake.
After a quick look at Spence, Abby rolled her eyes. “You had one job.”
A guy could not catch a break around here. Spence went to work on fixing the misbuttoning. “Excuse me, but my brain is not working at top-speed right now.”
No one said anything for a few seconds. Spence knew he should jump in and clean up his last comment but what the hell did he say?
When the quiet dragged on, Carter rubbed his hands together. “So, how do you want us to handle this?”
“With a little dignity would be nice,” Abby mumbled as she threw them all a men-suck glance.
“We’re all grown-ups.” Jackson’s gaze moved around the group before landing on Spence. “For the most part.”
“Right. We’ve all had sex. Not together, of course.” Carter was just revving up, speaking faster as he went when he glanced at Abby and his words sputtered out. “What? Are we dancing around the word? At least I hope it was good sex. You were both smiling a few minutes ago.”
“I can think of a thousand places I’d rather be right now,” Abby said in an emotionless voice.
“So that it’s official and since I know introducing myself shouldn’t get me in too much trouble compared to whatever else I might say, I’m Carter Jameson.” He held out his hand to Abby.
She took it as she frowned at him. “We’ve actually met before.”
Carter’s eyes narrowed. “We have?”
Spence thought back to the calls he shared with Carter all those months ago. The complaints about Dad and his behavior. Talks about the kiss and how sick he felt at seeing it. He hoped Carter forgot every last word. “Be careful.”
“I’m Abby Rowe.” She finished shaking his hand, then dropped her arm to her side again. “I work for your company. On the management team, actually. We used to pass in the halls. Not often but sometimes when you were in the office visiting your brothers.”
“I don’t... Oh.” Carter’s eyes widened. “Okay, yeah.”
Jackson nodded. “Subtle.”
“You’d be less annoying if you didn’t smile so big right now.” Abby shot Carter her best watch-it look as she talked.
“Sorry.” Carter had the grace to wince as he looked at Abby. Then he turned to Spence. “So, is she why you came back home so fast when Derrick called for help?”
This discussion just got worse and worse. It was as if Carter didn’t have a filter. Spence wanted the talk before Abby unleashed and kicked them all. “Hey, Carter? Shut up.”
The noise from the hallway grew louder right before the door pushed open. Spence’s vision refused to focus...but then it did. He saw a couple—him in his sixties, tall with a regal look to him. Her in her forties with shoulder-length auburn hair and a smile that looked like it was plastered on her face against her will.
Eldrick and the newest missus. All dressed up with her in flowing off-white pants and a matching shirt, and him in navy pants and a blazer. The type of outfit that suggested he’d rather be on a boat.
The only thing that made the unwanted meeting tolerable was that Eldrick’s newest wife looked even less excited to be there than any of his children. Spence almost felt sorry for her. Officially meeting the family for the first time like this couldn’t be easy. Especially this family.
“I see your behavior has not improved since we last saw each other, Spencer.” That familiar stern Dad voice floated through the room.
All of the amusement drained from Carter’s face. “Dad.”
“When did you get here?” Spence didn’t mean for it to come out like an accusation but even he heard the edge to his tone.
“I just arrived. You remember Beth.” Eldrick gestured toward his wife.
For a second, Spence thought he missed a marriage. They’d eloped and Derrick and Spence had only seen her once, even then only briefly and as she stepped on a private plane at the airport. Carter never had. But that wasn’t the name Spence remembered. “I thought your name was Jackie.”
She nodded. “Jacqueline Annabeth Winslow Jameson.”
That was quite something. Spence felt a headache coming on.
“She prefers...” Eldrick smiled as he looked around the room, and then his mouth fell into a flat line. “Abigail.”
Without a word, Abby picked up Jackson’s glass and threw the contents in Eldrick’s face. They all jumped back, and Beth or Jackie or whatever her name was this week gasped.
Abby didn’t even blink. “Welcome home.”