“So, what you’re saying is I’m too stupid and weak to know when I’m being had, is that it?”
He shook his head. “No, I’m saying you’re too nice and trusting to know when you’re being had.”
Sophie rocked her head from side to side in disbelief. “You know what, I don’t think that’s your call to make. You’re my best friend and I value your opinion, but in the end, I will decide for myself. I care about Spencer and I want to be with him.”
For several long minutes, Joe said nothing. He stared at her, studying her face, tracing her swollen lips, her tangled hair and wrinkled clothes with a hot anger that both scared and confused her. Joe had always been so even tempered, so unruffled by most things. He was naturally quiet and somber, but she had never seen him angry.
Finally, after what felt like hours of silence, Joe spoke. “You’re making a mistake, Sophie. I know you are.”
Chapter Nineteen
Later that evening while Sophie helped wash dishes, she thought back on what Joe had said about her relationship with Spencer being a mistake and wondered if that were true. Her doubts hadn’t appeased simply because Spencer assured her there was nothing to worry about. There was always something to worry about, especially when she knew it was impossible to just stop loving someone, which made her wonder if Spencer was ready for a relationship. Was he ready to push aside his feelings for Aimee? She could only trust Spencer’s word and pray he wouldn’t break her heart. But then, wasn’t that what love was? Trusting someone else not to hurt you?
She was swinging on her jacket when a soft knock sounded on the front door.
“I’ll get it!” she called, veering towards the sound, stuffing her keys and phone into her pocket. She swung the door open and gaped. “Spencer?”
Gone were the black jeans, the black tops and leather wrist bands. Gone were the dog tags around his neck, the cargo jacket and leering skulls. In their place stood a gorgeous boy in normal jeans in soft gray, a softly knitted black turtle neck and a worn, leather jacket. His hair was swept out of his face and combed to the side, baring eyes that were much too pale to be real. On his feet, black runners.
“Hey,” he murmured, tucking his hands into his jacket pockets.
“Uh … ” was all she could think to say as her mind oozed out of her ears. “Spencer?”
The left corner of his mouth tilted. “Do I look that strange?”
Strange? No. He most definitely did not look strange. Hot. Very. Very. Hot.
“Why are you dressed like that?” she finally found the tongue to say.
He looked down at himself. “Don’t like it?”
“I love it,” she disagreed. “I mean, I like you in anything, but … wow!”
He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. A faint blush formed high up on his cheeks.
“Are we still hanging out?” Or was he there to cancel?
“Um … ” He cleared his throat.
Sophie felt her heart plummet to her feet. “Oh, that’s all right. Maybe another—”
“No!” he shouted, putting his hands up as if to stop her. “I mean, yes, we’re still hanging out … if you want to.”
“I want to!” she said.
He smiled. “I just … ” he cleared his throat again, shifted feet. “I was thinking maybe we could try something new.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Like a date?”
He faltered, cleared his throat. “Yeah, like a date.”
Sophie beamed. “Where are we going?”
He winced. “My house.”
Sophie laughed. “Okay.”
“It’s just … without a car … ”
She shook her head, waving away his explanation while fumbling with the doorknob. “Your house is fine.” She turned her head toward the kitchen. “Mom! I’m going to Spencer’s place!”
“Okay!” she heard her mother call back.
Sophie closed the door behind her and turned to Spencer. He offered her his elbow. She giggled as she slipped her arm through the crook.
“So how’d things go with Joe?” he asked as they made their way down her driveway.
She sighed. “Not so great.”
“He doesn’t think I’m good enough for you.”
“Joe doesn’t think anyone is good enough for me. He just doesn’t want me to get hurt.”
“I could always play the points game with him if he likes.”
Sophie laughed. “I’ll let him know.”
Spencer stopped walking and turned to her, his face somber in the pale light of the streetlamp. “I’m going to try very hard to make sure you don’t regret picking me.”
“I don’t regret it.”
He slipped his arm free of her grasp and slipped it around her shoulders, drawing her into his side as they continued walking. Sophie laid her head on his shoulder and slid her arm around his middle.
At the entrance of his driveway, he stopped, glanced down at her. “It’s not raining.”
Tipping her face up, Sophie arched an eyebrow. “How observant of you.”
He flicked her nose playfully. “Take a walk with me?”
It wasn’t late, just a little after seven, but it was pitch black and after the surprise present left on her porch, she wasn’t all that eager about going anywhere in the dark.
“Just to the park,” he said, nodding down the street where Sophie had spent more than a few hours of her childhood playing on the swings.
“Do you think it’s safe?” she asked.
He shrugged. “We won’t be gone for very long.”
Sophie agreed if for no other reason than because she had always wanted to go for a moonlit stroll through a park with the guy she liked. Granted, there was no moonlight, but it wasn’t raining and that was something.
They walked hand in hand down the street to the small structure of twisted metal enclosed by a towering wall of trees. In the dark, shadows shifted and sprawled across the lawn, but Sophie knew where everything was without much light.
“See that path there?” She pointed a winding path bathed in darkness and splinters of broken light from dim lampposts strategically placed on either side. “If you follow that path all the way down, you’ll reach Joe’s house. It’s about a five minute walk.”
Spencer made a humming sound. “Good to know for when he invites me over for poisoned tea.”
Sophie shouldered him gently. “Joe really isn’t that bad. He’s just over protective because we’re all he has.”
“Is that all?”
“What do you mean?”
She felt his shoulder jerk. “That maybe what Joe’s really worried about is not having you.”
Her laugh was unexpected. “Don’t be silly. Joe doesn’t see me like that. He thinks of me like a baby sister or something.”
“I don’t know.” He nuzzled the top of her head with his nose. “I have a baby sister and I’m nowhere near this paranoid about her.”
“He’s not paranoid,” she protested defensively. “He’s just lost a lot in his life and he doesn’t like change.”
Spencer stopped walking and turned to her. “Okay, I’m sorry. I won’t push. I just don’t want to see you upset.”
They stood beneath a streetlamp and despite the halo of light cascading over them, she still couldn’t make out his features completely. Shadows fell in strips over his eyes and darkened his hair. She wondered if he could see her and guessed he probably could since she had her face tilted upward towards the light.
“Have I mentioned how much more I like this Spencer over the old Spencer?” she said, changing the topic, not wanting to ruin the night by arguing. “Remind me to send a thank you card to those body snatchers,”
His mouth twisted into a lopsided grin. “He’s still in here.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Rats.” She chuckled when he tweaked her nose. “Well, keep him locked up and everything will be fine.”
She led him to the swings and picked the one at the very far end. He stood back and w
atched as she gave a kick.
“So, what’s this big surprise?” she asked.
“Would it still be a surprise if I told you?” he wondered.
“I could act surprised.”
He wrinkled his nose. “I don’t think that counts.” He lumbered into the path of her rocking.
She squeaked, trying to keep from bowling him over. Instead, he nimbly caught her chains, holding them aloft the way her father used to when she was a little girl and she wanted to go higher. He’d lift her over his head, pin her there for what felt like hours before releasing her suddenly. She expected Spencer to do the same. But he brought her down slowly until he loomed above her, his face a mask of shadows. He bent his head and brushed her cool, wind kissed cheeks with his lips. He ventured so close to hers that she was scarcely breathing.
“Ready?” he murmured, drawing back just enough to let some sense trickle back into her head.
“Uh, yeah.”
He chuckled, stepping back. He took her hand and pulled her off the swing. In a single fluid motion, he twirled her under his arm and jerked her flush against his chest. She laughed, delighted by the giddy sensation. Flushed, dizzy and breathless, she leaned into him. Her free arm snaked around his neck, gripping him close to keep from tipping over.
“I want to kiss you,” he said, lips touching her upper lip.
“What’s stopping you?” she whispered.
He hummed softly. “My inability to stop once I start.”
“That is a problem,” she agreed, letting her words move against his bottom lips.
He shook his head. “Not a problem.” He pulled back. “It’s a temptation.”
“Are you against temptation?” she asked, pushing away her disappointment.
He laughed. “You’ve been tempting me from the moment you opened that mouth of yours. If I were against it, I wouldn’t want you half as much as I do.” He took her hand. “Come on.”
They walked back to his house. He opened the door and ushered her inside, then shut the door behind them. The house was eerily quiet and very dark except for the faint glow originating from the kitchen. Sophie tried to crane her neck to see only to have Spencer step into her line of vision.
“What are you up to?” she asked. “Where is everyone?”
He threaded their fingers together. “Mom’s upstairs and Suzy has gone home. We have the place more or less to ourselves.”
A tingle surged through her body at the light behind his eyes. “What do you have in mind?”
He merely smiled, leading her into the kitchen.
The soft, golden light came from the light above the oven, but it was the tantalizing scent of delicious food that caught Sophie’s attention. Part of her wondered if she should tell him she’d eaten, but kept it to herself. Whatever was under the metal dome smelled amazing enough to make her stomach whimper.
“All right, just give me a minute, okay? Just take your jacket off.” He didn’t wait for a response as he hefted the dome covered tray and vanished through the doorway leading into the living room. “Stay there!” he called as if reading Sophie’s mind when she started to follow.
Curious, she stayed, counting the minutes on the oven clock. She removed her jacket and slung it over the back of a chair. She tugged her sneakers off as well and set them by the door. Five minutes passed before he returned, looking flushed and very pleased with himself. He’d also removed his jacket and shoes.
“Okay.” He extended his hand to her. She took it and let him guide her through the doorway towards a soft, golden glow that hadn’t been there earlier.
A checkered red and white blanket lay where the coffee table had once been in front of the TV. On it was a series of steaming dishes, a single white, long stemmed candle and two cans of pop. The candle was lit, keeping at bay the shadows lurking along the outer edges. The TV was on, the scene frozen on the opening credits. On the left, the patio doors were left unguarded, revealing a beautiful cloudy night.
Her heart stuttered in her chest. “This is amazing!” she breathed.
Spencer turned to her. “I figured I owed you for all the times I was a jerk to you.” He pulled her to the blanket and tugged her down.
He lifted the dome off the tray and Sophie laughed. “Isn’t that kind of cheating? Lauren would totally deduct a point.”
He set the dome aside, grinning. “I made the order so I think it should count as a point.”
The overwhelming scent of fried rice, beef and broccoli and chow mein noodles wafted around them as he tore open the paper bag. Sophie almost moaned and wondered how he knew her weakness as all her favorites were placed before her.
“You talked to my mom didn’t you?”
In the process of unpacking the white cartons, Spencer spared her a quick glance from the corner of his eye. “What do you mean?”
She picked up the container of sweet and sour pork. “You just happened to guess all my favorite dishes from my favorite Chinese restaurant?”
He snorted. “Of course! I’m pretty awesome like that.”
Sophie arched an eyebrow.
“Okay, I may have asked Jessie today at church.”
“Clever man,” she said, smothering a grin.
He grinned. “Told you … awesome.”
With a playful nudge of his shoulder, Sophie helped him divide the food into plates and pour the sodas into glasses. They sat with their backs to the sofa and ate while the movie rolled across the screen. She didn’t recognize it, but there wasn’t any gore, minimal explosions and a bit more romance than she figured he would willingly watch. Nevertheless, he sat with her without complaint and watched.
He took her plate when she was finished and set it along with his and the empty takeout containers to the side. Then he slipped up behind her, twisting his leg around her and positioning himself against her back. His arm curled around her waist and he dragged her into his chest.
Sophie hesitated for only a second before melting into him. She rested her head against his shoulder and folded her hands over his on her abdomen.
“Comfy?” he murmured into her ear.
She made a soft humming sound. “Very.”
He gave her middle a light squeeze and went back to watching the movie.
It wasn’t nearly as long as she would have liked. The movie ended much too quickly and disappointment rose up inside her that her moment with Spencer had come to an end. He didn’t detangle himself from her as she expected.
He turned his head and nuzzled her neck with the tip of his nose. “Another movie or something else?”
The way he said something else made her breath catch, her stomach jitter and her heart flutter in her chest. But for all the hot turmoil writhing inside her, her voice came out remarkably cool, confident … flirty. “Like what?”
Against her shoulder blade, his heart kicked. His arms tightened around her. He raised his head a notch to touch the curve of her jaw with his lips. “You don’t want me to answer that right now.”
Her stomach muscles clenched almost painfully, forcing a gasp from her lips that he heard and responded to with low growl. His hand crept up her body to splay across her ribs, curving just beneath the wire of her bra. Sophie bit her lip, drawing blood. She turned her head towards him. Her face came level with his chin and throat. The scent there was spicy with just a hint of musk. Her eyes closed as his powerful scent enclosed her, drew her in. She moved without consent from her brain and pressed light kisses to the pale column. Beneath her lips, his Adam’s apple bobbed. His body shuddered.
“Sophie!” he half pleaded, half hissed.
She drew back just enough to look up into the dark predator staring back at her from his face. His eyes were rolling thunderclouds, dark, powerful and full of electric heat. They clashed with hers, daring her. Beneath her back, his chest rose and fell rapidly, almost in sync with the erratic thundering of his heart.
His free hand came up and grasped her jaw, forcing her head back. Her lips parted, shameles
sly begging him to kiss her. His eyes turned ravenous, nearly black with want. His thumb ghosted over her bottom lip as the fingers on his free hand toyed with the hem of her sweater.
“You have absolutely no idea what you’re asking me right now.” His voice was unnaturally calm, but vibrated with danger.
As if trying to drive his point home, he passed the barrier of her top to skim the strip of flesh he’d exposed at her abdomen. Her entire body convulsed with a wave of heat so powerful she nearly combusted in his arms. A sound between a moan and a whine escaped her. The muscles beneath his teasing fingers convulsed. His name tumbled out in a choked whimper as she fought against the licking flames crashing over her.
His teeth bared in a half snarl, half smirk. “Continue?” As if to taunt her, his fingers drifted over each rib, climbing, climbing … so close.
She couldn’t even think to hesitate. “Yes!” Her back arched into his touch.
No sooner had his lips found hers when a deafening crash splintered the crackling tension, ripping them apart as a rock flew through the patio window, knocking over the candlestick and landing with a thud next to Spencer’s knee.
There was a split second of confusion as everything went unusually still before unfurling into absolute chaos. The picnic blanket caught ablaze as the candle rolled across it. Spencer pushed Sophie out of harm’s way as he bundled up the blanket, trying to smother the eager flames. Dishes cluttered, spilling food and soda onto the carpet. The stench of burned fabric swelled in the air like black claws stretching across the ceiling.
“What on earth is … ?” Jackie came running down in her bathrobe and slippers, her hair flat on one side. Her blue eyes bulged as she took in the scene. “What happened?” she cried.
Spencer didn’t answer as he scooped up the blanket and rushed to the kitchen. There was a clutter than the sound of the rushing water.
“What happened?” Jackie demanded again, turning on Sophie.
Sophie, speechless, could only stammer and shake her head.
“Someone was outside!” Spencer stormed back into the room, his boots thundering with ever powerful stride. “They were watching us. They threw a rock through the window!”
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