by M. E. Carter
“Yes, Spencer. I’m with you.”
Those words are music to my ears as I lay Aggi down on my bed with every intention of showing her how sexy and irresistible she is. As I make love to her I don’t want her to doubt how much she’s come to mean to me, so I do my best to show her.
Chapter 19
Aggi
Slowly coming to my senses, I stretch my arms over my head and my legs toward the foot of the bed. This is probably the most comfortable mattress I’ve ever slept on. I should ask the hotel what kind it is, so I can get one for my bedroom. Sleepy time comfort is always a good investment.
Peeling my eyes open, I realize I’m not in a hotel room.
Suddenly, memories of the night flash through my mind:
Spencer kissing me.
Spencer pulling my clothes off.
Spencer taking his own clothes off.
Spencer using his tongue to—
Shooting straight up in the sitting position, I hold the sheet over my chest as I try to make heads or tails of my thoughts.
Maybe I dreamt it all. That’s got to be it. I was thinking about the book and ideas came to me in my sleep and it turned into an erotic dream. That’s all it is. Right? It has to be. There’s no way.
Right?
Deep breaths, Aggi. There’s only one way to tell if that dream really happened.
Pulling the sheet back, I look down and see I’m naked as a jaybird.
Nope. Definitely didn’t dream that. I had sex with Spencer Garrison. Amazing, passionate, heartfelt, and I’d do it again in a second, but it was definitely sex.
“OHMYGOD I HAD SEX WITH SPENCER GARRISON!” I shout to no one in particular, since I seem to be alone. Or at least I hope I am. My outburst will be very, very embarrassing if someone heard it. Plus, if no one is here I can claim that whole “If a tree falls and no one is there to hear it, it doesn’t make a sound theory.” That means it never really happened, right? Right.
Okay it made more sense before I thought too deeply. But nothing makes sense right now. Especially not how this all happened.
Pulling myself together, I find enough bravery to look for any signs of life outside of this really amazing bed. What are these sheets made of? Fairy eyelashes? “Um . . . hello?”
I listen.
And listen.
And listen some more.
Nope. No response.
“Is anyone home?” I try again as I rise from the bed and tug the sheet of the bed, wrapping myself like a little naked burrito. Well, a naked burrito wouldn’t have a tortilla . . . nevermind.
Slowly, I open the door and stick my head into the hallway, shifting my eyes back and forth. I finally come to the conclusion that no one is here. Or at least in this side of the house. This place has enough square footage I’m sure anyone in the west wing wouldn’t hear if I took a sledge hammer to the wall.
Of course the West Wing is actually in Washington D.C. and there isn’t a sledgehammer in here anyway—
What am I even thinking about?!?
Refocusing on the situation at hand, I allow relief to flood through me that my freak-out remained private. Somewhat private anyway. I hear a strange scratching sound outside. Does Spencer have a pet I don’t know about?
Before I can investigate, I have to find something to wear. We may have taken things to a new level last night—
Ohmygod I had sex with Spencer Garrison.
—but that doesn’t mean I feel comfortable walking around this joint naked. This of course, leads to another problem.
I have no idea where my clothes are.
Scrunching my nose, I finally make the decision to grab a T-shirt from his dresser drawer. I don’t think he’ll mind, but I’m right smack in the middle of the “morning after” and my new lover has disappeared. At this point things could go a multitude of ways.
One: He thinks I look nice in his clothes and asks me to marry him and have all his babies.
Two: He thinks I look terrible in his clothes and demands that I leave immediately and never bother him again.
Three: He doesn’t bat an eye either way, we have a nice breakfast and continue on with the tour, content in the knowledge that we had a wonderful night of mutual and consensual pleasure to draw memories from in the long and lonely nights of the future.
Honestly, any of those scenarios are both absurd and realistic.
Forgoing the pants because nothing Spencer owns seems to have drawstrings and pants are pointless if you have to keep pulling them back up, I slowly head out of the bedroom into the main living area. From here, the scratching sound gets louder and I can finally pinpoint what it is—Spencer is on his skateboard.
Excited at the opportunity to put my camera to good use, I find it in my bag and quickly make my way to the back where a very sweet setup awaits outside.
Sliding the door open, I step onto the patio. Holy balls it’s cold.
Shivering, I regret not looking for another pair of pants. Or at least socks. I don’t know where the humidity from yesterday went, but it’s certainly not here right now.
Trying my best to remain unnoticed and not shiver in case he wants to run his hands up my legs later—
Ohmygod I had sex with Spencer Garrison.
—I watch through the lens as Spencer picks up speed, launching himself into the air and down a railing, sliding quickly to the bottom before pushing off again. Around and around he goes, from the bowls to the stairs to the railings and back, never slowing down. Always in motion. Always keeping in total and complete control of his board. It’s mesmerizing.
Spencer gains more speed, and I watch as he dives back down into the bowl, popping out on the side closest to me and stops.
“Hi.”
“Oh!” I lower the camera from my eye and throw my hand over my heart. “I should have read the warning label. You scared me.”
“Warning label?”
“You know, objects in the lens may appear closer than they appear? Never mind,” I say waving him off. “That was an amazing switch stance, by the way.”
He raises an eyebrow in surprise. “So you do know your skateboarding.”
I make a weird “pffft” sound with my lips. “What, did you think I was just a pretend fan? Would you like me to define the term for you?” Clearing my throat I begin reciting the definition in my most boring monotone voice. “To increase the difficulty, variety, and aesthetic value of tricks, riders can—” Before I’m able to continue, he steps up to me and places a finger to my lips. Damn I wish those were his lips and not his finger. I mean, it’s a great finger and all but . . .
“You win. You’re the real deal, babe. How’d you sleep?”
When he finally reaches me, he leans in to give me a sweet kiss, and it’s then that I notice the sheen of sweat on his shirtless physique. A physique I’ve been up close and personal with.
Ohmygod I had sex with Spencer Garrison!
I don’t necessarily feel it’s appropriate to remind him I’ve seen him naked, so I fall back on the second-best part of the night.
“You have the most comfortable mattress in the world.”
He chuckles against my lips and shrugs. “What can I say? I like my sleep.”
Shifting back and forth on my feet, I bite my lip, not quite certain if I should ask what I’m thinking. Of course that means Spencer picks up on it right away.
“What’s going on in that mind of yours, Aggi?”
Pursing my lips, I gaze out into the distance, uncomfortable with my question but knowing it’ll be worse if I don’t know. “Why’d you sneak out? Or did you sneak out? I mean, maybe it wasn’t a sneak. Maybe it was a statement? Which its totally okay if it was. I know people have consensual sex all the time with no strings attached but I just want to make sure I’m clear on what’s happening—”
“Aggi,” he interrupts me. When my mouth closes and I look back at him he continues. “I figured you would be a little freaked out this morning and wanted to give you some spac
e to collect your thoughts. I knew you’d come find me when you were ready.”
Oh.
“Oh.”
“So have you collected them yet?”
Brushing a stray hair off my face I think about how to answer his question. Honestly, I’m not sure what I’m thinking, but I know most of it is based on how he would answer. So deflection. Deflection is my answer.
“I’d rather know if you were sorting through your own brain out here.” I gesture with my head to his homemade skate park.
He shakes his head, amusement written all over his face. “Agnes Sylvester. Are you always so quick to try and divert my attention?”
Taking a deep breath, I make the impulse decision to lay it on the line. “Can you blame a girl like me?”
He reels back, crinkling his brow. “What does that mean?”
“Spencer, it’s okay. I had a wonderful night with you. But you’re, well you’re you. Handsome and charming and”—my gaze drops to his oh so beautiful chest again—“really, really hot.” I ignore his soft laughter as I continue. “And I’m just me. Clumsy and socially awkward and basically ill-prepared for life.”
“Wait.” He holds his hand up and takes a step back. “Are you insinuating that I’m somehow out of your league?”
The look on my face says “duh” but the words that come out sound more like, “You are out of my league.”
“I’m not sure I like the way you think about yourself.”
“It’s not self-depreciating, Spencer. I’m just realistic.”
Stepping forward again, he grabs my hand and brings it to his lips, kissing my knuckles and basically making me swoon all over again.
“Let me give you some more realism. Aggi, you are funny and smart. You are talented and creative. The way you spin basic words into engaging stories baffles me in the best of ways. I never know what’s going to come out of your mouth, whether it be a joke or drool—”
“Hey!”
“—and I love that about you. You keep me on my toes, but you also keep me grounded. You understand why I love my job, but you also understand I don’t want it to be forever because this is just a sport. The important thing is that people can be reached because of a platform I found in my childhood hobby. You get that. Not every woman does. So no. No you aren’t out of my league. In fact, I’m almost positive we’re in the same league. Maybe even playing for the same team. Batting for the other team.”
A laugh bursts out of me as he realizes what he just said.
“Wait. Did I just accidentally come out of the closet?”
I nod, still laughing so hard I snort. “After last night, I can tell you I am just as surprised as you are. You were so far back in that closet I had no idea this would ever happen.”
Grabbing me, he pulls me to him, hugging me. “I would try to correct my mistake, but I haven’t had breakfast yet, so I’m pretty sure all I’ll end up doing is digging a bigger hole.”
He rubs my back, warming me up a bit.
“Besides, you’re freezing.”
“You noticed?”
“Ags, you have goosebumps all down your legs.”
I groan and drop my chin to my chest. “Dammit. I didn’t want to have to shave today.”
He huffs a laugh and climbs over the low wall, intertwining our fingers. “Come on. Let’s get you inside. You need heat and I need to eat. Come to think of it, we could probably take care of both those things in the bedroom.”
His brash comment apparently throws off my equilibrium as I immediately trip over—actually, who knows? It was probably a piece of dirt or something. But Spencer, ever the hero, steadies me before I get close to hitting the ground.
“Maybe later. I think I need some coffee before my brain shuts off completely.”
He grins, and we continue on our way.
A girl could get used to waking up like this.
Chapter 20
Spencer
When I woke up yesterday morning and knew I’d be taking Aggi to my home, I had no idea where we’d end up. Of course, I’ve hoped for the last few weeks we’d end up in bed together, but I also know Aggi well enough to understand that may not have happened. To my surprise, a few glasses of wine, a delicious meal, and good conversation is all it took for my girl to relax and be herself. The self I knew was there and the one I’m falling for.
Fallen? No, falling. It’s too soon for more, but I know without a shadow of a doubt I have strong feelings for Aggi, and I only hope she stays out of her head long enough to develop some for me.
This morning, when I opened my eyes with the warmth of Aggi next to me, a feeling of peace flooded through me. Curled on her side with her hands nestled under her cheek, her bare back was peeking out of the sheet facing me. I wanted to wake her with kisses along her spine. I didn’t. Instead, I threw on some clothes and snuck out of the room to let her sleep and wake up to process what I’m sure was an epic freak-out.
Deep down I knew she’d question us being together, not just the sex but the intimacy we shared. The way our bodies molded together, the way she lit up from the inside with each of my touches and the sound of my name on her lips as she came apart in my arms. I know Aggi doesn’t let most people see her, she doesn’t open herself up and show the world who she is. Trusting me with that part of her makes me believe we might be on the same page.
After our quick chat and my reassurance that we were okay, we walked inside and together made a huge breakfast. Then we showered. Together. Nerves prickled at Aggi in the light of day but the moment I dropped to my knees in my cave-like shower, she turned from nervous to empowered. Gripping my hair and begging for more as I worshiped her, she let go and it was perfection.
Now, with our hands linked as I drive into Austin to check in to the hotel before the signing, she’s humming along to the soft music wafting through the cab. Comfortable silence. Comfortable together. That’s us. Spencer and Aggi, just being together as we drive to one of the best cities in the country.
As we pull up to the hotel, I pull up to the valet and turn off the ignition. Looking to my right, I note my girl nibbling on her thumbnail. She’s in her head. Again. I swear she gets herself spinning when she spends time alone with her thoughts, immediately going to the negative. I see the anxiety waft from her. Instead of saying something, I jump out of the truck and run around to her door, flinging it open. Jumping, she turns her head to me.
“Boo.”
“Jesus, you scared me.”
“Got you out of your head. Come on, sweetheart. We need to get checked in and then hit the Capitol building.”
Smiling, Aggi places her hand in mine and hops from the truck. We both walk to the back of the truck and pull our bags from the bed before heading inside. Once at the front desk, I give the clerk our names and she taps the keys quickly before looking up to us and saying, “Mr. Garrison I have you in room ten forty and Ms. Snow, you’re all set in room nine sixteen.”
“Excuse me, but we don’t need two—” I begin but Aggi places her hand on my arm, stopping me from continuing.
“Missy, would it be possible for us to have rooms next to one another or at least on the same floor? We’re traveling together so it just makes things easier.” I look at Aggi who isn’t acknowledging me or the confused look on my face. I nudge her leg with my hand, but she only swats it away with a smirk on her face.
“Oh, let me see what I can do here.” Tap tap tap. Missy’s nails click-clack on the keys, her eyes focused on the screen. After a few minutes she looks up and nods. “I have two rooms in another tower, you’ll be in five sixty-nine and five seventy-one. Will that work for you?”
“That’s perfect. Thank you.”
Taking the offered key cards from the clerk, we grab our bags and head for the elevator. Stopping in front of my room, I pause and look at Aggi.
“Sweetheart, you’re not going in that room. We’re staying together.”
“I’m putting my things in here, Spencer.” I watch as Aggi ope
ns her door and pulls her bag in behind her. Then stumbles, the bag falls over, and she apologizes to the door as she falls on it.
“Can we pretend that didn’t happen?”
“Of course.”
The moment my door closes behind me, I let out a groan of frustration. I wanted to share a room with Aggi not keep having separate rooms. Things changed for us last night and again this morning. She knows it, and I know it. I want her with me. If she’s alone, she’ll only let her thoughts wander and spin out of control.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Quickly, I turn my head to the noise and see the door adjoining our rooms. Unlocking it, I open my side and standing before me is my favorite girl.
“I didn’t want to ask for adjoining rooms, but I hoped. We have to keep up appearances. And”—she crinkles her nose like she’s gathering courage to share another part of herself—“I need my space, Spencer. I know you don’t understand it, but this is hard for me. New. Different. I’ve never been this girl and I . . . I don’t know what to do. I’m going to freak out and when I do, I’d rather you not witness it. It won’t be pretty.”
Grabbing her hand, I tug Aggi into my room and spin her into my arms before lifting her and tossing her onto my king-sized bed. Lowering myself so I’m hovering over her, I smile as a string of giggles escapes her. Soft breaths skirt my skin as she blows hair from her face.
“You’re not only the sexiest woman I know, Agnes Sylvester, you’re the smartest. Appearances will be kept for now. As for the freak-out you expect to happen? How about you just let yourself enjoy this?” Lowering my mouth to her neck, I place a slow kiss to her skin while my hand runs up her leg. She sighs and relaxes into the mattress as I continue to place kisses along her neck.
“Okay.” Her response is a whisper and I know she wants more. Wants my mouth on her body, my dick inside of her. But, I promised her a day at the Capitol, and I am a man of my word.
Jumping from the bed, I smack my hands together as she leans up on her elbows. Her cheeks are flushed, and her breasts rise and fall quickly along with her breaths. “Ready to hit the Capitol?”