Authors: Riley Rhea
Chapter Two
Spencer
I
don’t know what’s
affecting me the most; between Lexi biting her lip, our hands touching, or seeing her nice round ass. Man, it’s as if her ass was made for my hands. All I want to do is reach out and grab a handful. I force my hands in my jean pockets to keep from doing just that. Even though it takes everything inside me to resist, I don’t want her to get the wrong impression.
When she stares at my mouth while biting her bottom lip, my jeans start getting tight. I’ve never felt this kind of instant attraction, and I’m not going to lie, it scares the hell out of me.
After we walk into her apartment and she goes to get us drinks, I try to clear my mind so my cock will stop straining against my jeans. Spotting a large drawing hung on her wall, I walk over to inspect it. No one around here knows how much I used to love to draw. I’m impressed with her talent. She’s sketched the building so perfectly, that if I were to pass it on the street I’d recognize it.
Lexi steps up beside me and the top of her head barely reaches my shoulder. Her delicious scent reaches my nose and doesn’t help me at all with getting my libido under control.
“Did you draw this?” I ask, pointing at the sketch. I need to focus on something else besides her scent and this drawing is the best thing right now.
“Yeah. A while back I had to draw a house or building for art class and Brenna and I had passed by this place a few times. You know she’s a history major, right?”
“Yeah, Tucker told me.”
“Well she told me about this castle. It’s close to Lexington, in Versailles. I pulled up the images on the internet, and well, I drew it.”
“Is there really a castle near Lexington?”
“Yes, there is. If you ever want the history surrounding it just ask Brenna,” she says, then smiles.
Her smile makes my heart pound and draws a smile from me. I haven’t done a lot of smiling in the past couple of years. I have a feeling that this girl could change that. This thought about Lexi shakes me to the core, and I force my attention back to her drawing. It really is quite impressive. I bet Vance would love to see this piece of artwork…nope. He won’t ever get the chance after what he did.
“Here’s your drink. What do you want to watch?” she asks.
She walks over and places our drinks on the table before going over to the movie shelf.
“Thanks. Whatever you want to watch is fine by me.” I shrug, sitting down on one end of the couch. After she puts in a movie, I find her on the other end of the couch.
“I went with a comedy. I hope that’s okay.”
Nodding, I stare at the TV. It’s like I don’t know what to say. She put in
21 Jump Street
, I’ve seen it already, but since I can’t find my tongue to talk I don’t bother to try. Neither of us speaks while the movie is playing, and a comfortable silence settles between us. When she laughs it makes my soul feel lighter and the walls around my heart start to waver. It’s such a beautiful sound. It’s free and unrestrained. Every so often I turn my head enough to look at her and take in her beauty.
She’s leaning on the arm of the couch with her feet tucked up under her. She looks completely relaxed and absolutely gorgeous. Some of her pale skin is showing through the holes in her jeans. From what I can tell she is fit and toned in all the right places. Lexi tilts her head enough to catch me looking and she just smiles, turning her attention back to the movie like it’s no big deal.
* * *
Lexi
I can feel it every time he looks at me. I was right; his eyes could pierce my soul. This worries me a little bit, but I’ll get over it. He’s so quiet and doesn’t smile much. I think I’ll have to change that. There’s a story behind Spencer, and I plan on finding out as much as he will share with me.
When the movie is finally over, I grab the remote to turn the TV off and play the radio instead. I don’t bother to sit up, because I think he’s more comfortable thinking I don’t see him watching me.
“So… tell me about yourself.” I say softly, interrupting our comfortable silence.
“What do you want to know?”
Looking over at him, I try to decide how to answer. I want to know everything, but I can tell he won’t tell me it all, so we can start with the basics.
“How ‘bout I tell you what I know and you fill in the blanks.” He nods, so I continue. “I know your name is Spencer, Tucker calls you Spence, and that you have worked for him for two years. Now that I also know what you look like, I can easily say he really didn’t do you justice.”
“Tucker described me?”
“Oh yeah, and I wish I’d thought to video that shit.” Laughing, I tell him how Tucker got a little in touch with his feminine side and then told us he had both eyes and teeth. He is such a smartass at times.
Spencer laughs too and actually smiles back. Oh, my Jesus! He’s gorgeous. My breath just left my body and is floating around somewhere waiting for me to suck it back in. When he notices that I am about to either melt or mount him, he clears his throat and leans over; putting his elbows on his thighs and turns his head towards me.
“My last name is Jacobs, but you can call me Spencer or Spence, whichever you prefer. I’ll answer to either. Let’s see… I met Tucker two years ago while passing through town. I heard he was looking for a mechanic and well, as you know, I went to work for him. What else you want to know?”
“Hmm, let’s see. How old are you, single, kids, family, where are you from?”
Can I get you naked soon and see which name you make me scream?
I keep that last one to myself. His face clouds over a bit when I mention his family. Except for the question about his age, Spencer almost shuts down and I can see the hurt blazing behind his eyes. There is so much pain lurking there.
“Twenty four, yes, no, yes, and Scottsville. What about you? All Tucker told me was that you were a spunky redhead.”
Well, isn’t he a whole lot of informative? I can tell he doesn’t want to talk about it so I let it go, for now at least.
“A spunky redhead, huh? He doesn’t really do descriptions well, does he? Yet, I bet if you asked what Brenna looked like he could describe her well enough that I could draw her without ever laying eyes on her. By the way, my last name is Allen, twenty two, single, no kids, family, yes, and I’m from Upton.” I can be evasive too.
“So, no guys are going to be beating down the door while I’m here?”
“Maybe Tucker to pay me back for cock blocking him, but other than that, no, should there be?”
“Well that explains the bad timing comment,” Spencer says grinning.
Damn. There went a perfectly good pair of panties.
“Yeah, I’ve interrupted a few moments, but not on purpose though. I needed milk on his first night here, I didn’t expect them to be doing anything that soon. That’s so not Brenna. I thought she was going to twat punch me when she opened the door.” He laughs again and that makes me happy.
“Okay, so I’m going to get ready for bed and I’ll bring you a pillow and blanket, if you want to sleep on the couch.” Yes, that last part really came out sounding a whole lot like a question.
Spencer looks at me for a minute before he nods.
Yes! He’s sleeping on the couch.
I get up and go into my room to change out of my jeans and tank, and into my camisole and sleep shorts that barely cover my assets.
Yeah, I know, I’m not playing fair.
Grabbing the extra pillow from my bed and a quilt from the closet, I go back to the living room.
“Here you go,” I say, laying the pillow and blanket on the couch and making damn sure he gets a good view of my ass. When I turn my head, he’s staring.
Mission accomplished.
“Damn, Lexi.”
I try to hide my grin at his strained whispered words. “What’s wrong, Spencer?”
I so don’t do the innocent bit well
.
Spencer’s head raises and he captures my eyes. What I see in his makes me want to throw him down on this couch and have my way with him. By the way he’s staring at me; he must be thinking the same thing, too. I watch as his eyes dilate and his breathing increases. My eyes never leave his as he reaches out and pulls me over between his legs.
My hands land on Spencer’s shoulders. His hands caress my thighs and then before I know it, I’m straddling his lap. Our mouths meet.
Oh fuck!!
All that stuff you hear about feeling butterflies is true. Spencer’s lips brush over mine softly before I begin nipping his bottom lip. It’s full on assault once our tongues meet. I could melt right here and now.
Spencer pulls back way too soon and places his forehead to mine while taking deep breaths.
“Lexi, we have to stop.”
That isn’t what I want to hear, especially when I can feel how affected he is. If I were a slut, I would try to force myself on him; but since I’m not, there goes my fun. When I go to move off him, he holds me there.
“It’s not that I don’t want you, Lexi, so don’t think that. Okay? I just can’t offer you more than sex and I’m not about to treat you that way.”
“I understand,” I say, getting to my feet as soon as he releases his hold, “but just so you know, Spencer, I never asked for more.”
I don’t wait to hear his reply instead I walk to my bedroom, partially close the door and crawl into bed. I think he’s someone I could want more with; he just doesn’t need to know that yet. When the time is right, I will make my move, but until then, I’ll take whatever he offers. Yet, I can’t ignore the way I feel when he looks or touches me.
Chapter Three
Spencer
I
t took me
forever to go to sleep last night. Tossing, turning, and thinking about a beautiful, sexy redhead. Even through my exhaustion I hear someone knocking on the door, disturbing the little bit of sleep I was able to get.
Without even thinking about it, I just get up and answer it like I live here or something. When I pull the door open, Tucker is standing on the other side. He smirks. Guess it does look odd, me standing here in shorts and nothing else, answering Lexi’s door.
“Not what you think,” I tell him, moving back so he can enter. Tucker grins at me like he doesn’t buy my story.
“I wasn’t thinking anything. Where’s Lexi?”
“Still in bed,” I reply, looking behind me and noticing her bedroom door is partially closed.
Tucker begins to talk quietly, telling me what he wants to do today. Damn, I knew he had it bad, but to go engagement ring shopping today? It’s his choice and obviously he’s never been hurt like I have. Tucker informs me how he plans to get the girls back here by telling Brenna he needs his truck, but Lexi comes down the halting Tucker from explaining the rest of his plans.
“Good morning guys. What are you doing here, Tucker?” she asks.
“Just come over to make sure y’all were awake. We’re going to breakfast remember?” Tucker answers.
I can’t take my eyes off her, standing in shorts and tank that are doing very little to cover her. Her hair is pulled up on top of her head, with strands hanging around her face and sticking out on the sides from sleeping. Even first thing in the morning she is absolutely gorgeous.
When she bent over, showing me the curve of her ass last night, I couldn’t help myself from pulling her to me. That kiss was almost my undoing. I had to stop or I would’ve had her on her back and we both would’ve regretted it this morning.
Tucker announces he has to get back and closes the door, but neither Lexi nor I move. We continue to stare at each other’s exposed skin. I need to be careful. I could easily lose my head and heart to her, but that’s not a risk I’m willing to take.
“Do you want to shower first?” She asks.
Hell, I’m about two seconds away from telling her let’s save water and shower together. I’m also pretty sure she knows what I’m thinking, by the sly smile and the lust clearly in her eyes.
“You can go first.”
She turns and walks back into her room, only to come out a moment later with clothes in her arms, disappearing into the bathroom. Dropping on the couch with a groan, I put my head in my hands. I don’t know that I can do this with her. She is too much of a temptation. It’s been so long since I’ve been tempted, but it’s different with her. This girl scares the shit out of me.
Even though she told me last night she wasn’t asking for more, I have this feeling that if we continue down this path, more is exactly what we’ll get. I’ve never been so instantly turned on by any female; not even Tessa, who I thought I would spend the rest of my life with. Since her, there have only been a couple of chicks that knew how to play this game on my terms; never anything more than a single night. With Lexi it won’t be like that, though. There’s already too much interest… too much attraction to ever be just a one night thing.
“Shower’s all yours.”
I’m so lost in my own thoughts, I didn’t notice the shower turn off, the door open, or her speaking until it caught me off guard. I wait until I hear the click of her bedroom door before I move. I know she took clothes in there with her, but I can’t take the chance of seeing her in a towel if she decides to come out of there wrapped in one. I’m not that strong of a man.
Grabbing my bag, I head into the bathroom. After taking off my shorts, I step into the shower. All I can think about is how I can still smell her scent permeating the air, which isn’t helping me at all. She’s starting to break through the carefully placed barriers without even trying.
Lord , help me if she does.
* * *
Lexi
When I walk out of my room and see Spencer talking to Tucker in nothing but his shorts, I think my body might combust into flames. The back view is more than incredible. His shorts are riding low on his hips, allowing me to see the indents above his nicely shaped ass.
I bet he has a bitable ass under those shorts
. I can just imagine licking those dimples, while running my hands up and over his back. The muscles along his back ripple under his skin as he turns to look at me.
Holy Hell! And here I thought the back view was incredible. The front view makes me swoon. He’s hard all over! I
knew
he had a nice body under his clothes last night.
Oh yeah! I definitely want to run my hands all over this side too.
Right now, I want to run and grab my sketch pad so I can draw all his lines and angles. Well, that is if I could move from where I’m currently standing.
Tucker is talking, but I don’t care what he’s saying. All I care about is seeing if those abs are really as hard as they look. I wouldn’t mind tracing that V and the trail of hair down to see if what is under those shorts is as impressive, as I think it will be.
Damn, I have to stop thinking like this or I’m going to need a cold shower.
Hmmm…. A cold shower actually sounds like a good idea. Maybe it will help with this ache between my thighs. After asking him if he wants to shower first, I hold my breath, hoping he’s into water conservation, but he squashes that idea after he tells me to go first. I grab some clothes and take a shower as quickly as possible. I even think about coming out in a towel just to see how he reacts. I wonder if he would look at me the same way Tucker looks at Brenna. I’m not a fan of rejection, so I opt out of that idea.
After lathering myself with lotion and throwing on my clothes, I open the door and step into the hall. Spencer is sitting on the couch with his head held in his hands, appearing to be lost in his thoughts. I wonder what happened to make him this way. It’s obvious he’s been hurt somewhere along the way by the way he seems so guarded. When I go to tell him the shower’s all his, he startles a little, but he doesn’t move.
After we are dressed, I send Brenna a text to let her know that we are ready. She texts a reply for us to meet them outside. Breakfast sped by and soon we were on our way back home. Tucker is telling Brenna he’s dropping us off and taking his truck to go find some boxes. I’m not sure why boxes won’t fit in her SUV, but okay, whatever.
When we get back and they leave, Brenna turns on me as soon as we are through her door. “What do you know?”
“What are you talking about?” I respond totally confused. I really have no idea what she’s talking about. My mind is still lost on seeing Spencer without a shirt this morning.
“Lexi.”
“Seriously, Brenna, I don’t know.” I roll my eyes, because I’m sure she doesn’t believe me. “I don’t know, B. I swear! All I know is Tucker and Spencer was talking this morning and shut up when I came in the room.”
“Wonder what he’s up to?” she mumbles.
I shrug, because really I have no clue.
“So where do you want to start?” I ask, trying to get her mind back on packing.
“The bedroom I guess.”
When we get into Brenna’s bedroom, she asks me about last night. The kiss we shared flashes through my mind and my face flames in embarrassment.
“Why are you blushing?”
“Shut up! I’m not blushing.” I lie.
“Nothing happened we talked about my castle sketch, watched a movie, and then we talked a little before I went to bed.”
“That’s all? Y’all talked, nothing else?”
Damn, do I sound like her when the tables are turned? Probably. I’m nosy like that.
“I really like him, Brenna. I didn’t want to screw it up.”
Now grinning at me, she says, “You like him, like him, don’t ya?”
Shoving her over so she falls onto her side, laughing I reply, “Yeah I do.” I do like him and I want to know him better. I just don’t know that he’ll give me the chance. He seems closed off at times, but I intend to change that.
“That’s great Lexi, you know he lives close to Tucker, right?”
I nod. Yeah I know. I also know that it doesn’t really matter much except that when I go see them... I will be tempted to see him too.
“He kissed me and oh my God, Brenna! I felt butterflies and thought I would melt at his feet. It was…” I pause trying to grasp the right word.
“That good huh?” She giggles.
I nod again. “Yeah it was that good.”
I’m determined that it will happen again.
We spend the next couple hours cleaning out drawers, sorting, and packing until the guys return. Of course Tucker is instantly all over Brenna. They are too cute, seriously. Spencer and I both tell them to get a room at the same time and then we are all laughing.
I feel disgusting, and in serious need of another shower. Packing is hard work. Brenna brings up food, and that gives me a chance to be alone with Spencer again. And of course, I’m more than pleased when he volunteers that we’ll pick up the food.
Looks like that shower will have to wait.
Tucker follows us out into the parking lot and Spencer takes a small box from him. I can’t contain my squeal.
“Is that what I think it is?” I ask. Tucker smiles from ear to ear and strolls back toward Brenna’s apartment.
“So, is that what took y’all so long today?” I ask, as Spencer and I get into my car and head toward the closest drive-thru.
“Yep, that’s what he was doing over there this morning at the ass crack of dawn.”
“Brenna is going to flip out. I’m so happy for her.” But as I say that, I’m also a little sad. I get the feeling that I’m losing my best friend to Tucker. And a little envious of what they have together.
“You can’t tell her, Lexi. I don’t know when he plans to ask her, but I don’t see him waiting very long either.”
I can only nod in response. L
ike I’d spoil that for her
. I pull into the restaurant and order our food. We both sit quietly while we wait. I’m determined to change the silence between us. I have him to myself for a few more minutes and I plan on taking full advantage of that.
While I’m waiting on traffic to clear so I can get back onto the highway, I plunge in head first. “So tell me, Spencer, do you ever see yourself in Tucker’s shoes?”
Spencer shifts in his seat and turns to look out the window. “I was close once.”
I can sense his mood shift. It’s like I’ve crossed over into dangerous territory and this line of questioning may send him fleeing.
“A story for another time, perhaps?” I ask softly.
“Perhaps.” Spencer glances at me, turmoil in his gaze. This isn’t a subject he wants to talk about it must cause him too much anguish.
“Well then, can we talk about last night?”
“Lexi,” he sighs. “I have to be honest with you. I’m not looking for more. I have nothing to offer you.”
“Spencer, I’m not asking for anything more than a chance to get to know you. You can’t deny the chemistry between us. I know you felt it, too. I’m okay with just friends. If it goes further, great. If it doesn’t, then we’ve both gained a friend. Can you handle that?”
He studies my face for a moment before a small smile curves his lips. “Yeah, Lexi, I believe I can handle that.”
It didn’t take us long to get the food and get back to Brenna’s. I’m glad that we had a chance to get that all out in the open. We sit and talk to one another while waiting for Brenna and Tucker to come back into the room. Seriously they had more than enough time to shower already.
Spencer and I talk quietly. No way do I want Brenna to overhear me telling him about that first night and the whole popcorn incident. Spencer is laughing right along with me. I finish telling him the whole milk story since I only gave him a little of that last night. My goal is to keep him laughing, and, so far, it seems to be working.
“Did you tell him about being popped upside the head with a spatula?” Brenna adds, as if I’d forget being hit in the head with a flying piece of plastic.
Automatically I reach up and rub the side of my head.
I can’t believe she threw a spatula at me! Who does that?
I admit it, I was just looking. Okay, I was possibly drooling a little too, but in my defense he’s hot and I couldn’t help myself.
Spencer looks between us, waiting on one of us to clue him in. As Brenna tells him about me ogling Tucker that day and her trying to kill me with a spatula, a look passes across his face. I’m not sure if it was jealously or if his guard just went back up.
Thanks Brenna!
Guess that’s another piece of payback.
When Brenna gets close enough to us, I shove her food bag into her chest. I think she knew immediately that I was ticked at her. We all sit down to eat while listening to music. But Spencer hasn’t said a word. He seems to be lost in his own world. This, of course, just sparks my curiosity even more. When we are finished eating, I take our trash to throw it away. I’m not at all surprised to see the lovebirds, Tucker and Brenna, at it again.
“Time to pop some popcorn,” I joke, walking around them to drop the bag in the trash.