by Eden Finley
“Only under your shirt? I really didn’t have any balls back then, did I?”
“I’d let out a grunt of frustration, seeing as I was giving you a handjob and wasn’t getting any action in return.” She stroked my cock faster. I was leaking like crazy, and she used that as lube, making her hand glide smoothly over my aching shaft.
“Fuck.” I gritted my teeth.
“You weren’t getting the hint, so I took matters into my own hands and pulled up my skirt.”
“You were wearing jeans that night,” I croaked. “I distinctly remember that because I’d been staring at your ass for most of the party.”
“This is fantasy, remember?”
I rocked my hips, pumping into her hand. “Right. Continue.”
“‘Touch me,’ I’d whisper and guide one of your hands to my soaking wet panties.”
I moaned, imagining seventeen-year-old Spence and Reece going at it. “I probably would’ve come right then and there.”
“And then I woulda been pissed because I’d have jizz all over me.”
“Hold on, back up. As soon as I pinned you to the bed, I took my shirt off.” I rose up and reached behind me to slip off my shirt and place it between us. “There, no splashback risk.” I smirked.
She laughed, while her hand gripped me again.
My spine tingled. “Fuck, I’m so close.”
So what did she do? Gripped me harder.
“Goddammit.”
She smiled and leaned over and kissed me.
I opened for her, letting her take control.
Her mouth was demanding but not as frantic as her hand. I rocked my hips, the movement involuntary. As I thrust into her hand, she rotated her wrist slightly on each pull, sending a whole new sensation through me.
“Gonna come, baby,” I murmured against her lips.
“You’ll have to hurry up. Don’t want someone walking in on us.”
Her words threw me for all of two seconds until I realised we were back in the fantasy of ten years ago.
My balls drew up tight, and with a grunt, I convulsed into my shirt.
Her hand jacking me slowed in sync with my breathing.
“Best handjob ever. You’ve ruined me for all other girls. No one will ever compare.”
She laughed. “Let’s keep that ending, instead of the one where Hunter interrupted us.”
“That night just got a whole lot hotter.”
Her smile faltered.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Do you ever wonder if things were different back then? Would we have had this whole different life? Would Cody have been yours? Would I have married you instead of Cole at nineteen?”
I cupped her face and kissed her softly. “There’s no way to ever know that. It’s done now. Would I have preferred to have the last ten years with you? Hell yes. But as long as I have you from now on and forever, I don’t care we didn’t have that time together.”
“Forever?”
“Or for as long as you’ll have me.”
“Telling everyone will be weird. Although, I have a confession. Gage and Pip know.”
I grinned. Did I care she asked me to keep it quiet and then went and told Pip and Gage? Fuck no. It meant she was close to coming out to the rest of the group. But come to think of it …
“And, well, Blair kinda knows seeing as he was here when we were hooking up,” I point out. “Cole definitely suspects. He asked if we were sleeping together.”
“He what?”
“The night we went to the pub. You and Paige were in the bathroom.”
“What did you say?”
“I said no, but I don’t think he believed me. Especially when I asked him how he’d feel if you and I were to end up together.”
“You asked him what?”
“He said he’d be cool with it.”
She pulled back. “Okay, so Cole, Blair, Pip, and Gage know. That means that Hunter is the only one out of the loop?”
I scoffed. “Doubt it. Surely, Cole would’ve told him.”
“So much for keeping this a secret.”
“Does it matter that much anymore? At least with our group of friends? I know the bitchy mummy parade will probably have issues forever, but—”
She smiled and whispered, “It doesn’t matter anymore.”
Her words were as good as admitting she was mine.
21
REECE
Even though I was sleeping in Spencer’s bed every night, and we referred to it as our room, we didn’t bother moving my clothes from the room in the front of the house. We would eventually, but I was in no rush. Our main focus was about the imminent arrival of our son.
I’d finished my last shift, and maternity leave kicked in today. The nursery was set up and ready to go. With a beige theme, thank you very much.
My go-bag for the hospital was in the car. We were all set, though there was another two weeks until the due date. If not more if he was ten days late like his brother.
“You look amazing,” Spencer said in the doorway of my room.
The maternity ballgown I had to buy for my dad’s sixtieth birthday black-tie dinner made me feel like a beached whale. The aqua material was light chiffon so I didn’t feel weighted down, but the empire waistline caused my thirty-eight weeks’ pregnant belly to dominate my field of vision. Fuck knew if I had feet anymore.
Oh wait, yeah, I did, because they were painful and swollen.
“You’re just saying that. It looks like I’m wearing a muumuu,” I said, not taking my eyes off the mirror in front of me. I was trying to put my earrings in, but it’d been so long since I wore them, I was struggling to get the metal through the small hole. They must’ve closed over.
“Argh.” I threw my earrings on the chest of drawers in front of me. “I’ll go without jewellery.”
“Are you cranky because you’re over being pregnant or cranky because we have to go to this thing tonight?”
“Both,” I snapped and turned towards him, taking him in for the first time. My mouth dropped open in appreciation and shock. “You cut your hair.” His shaggy mop of blond hair was now cropped short and spiked at the front. “A-a-and you’re wearing a suit.” A totally sexy, deep blue suit with crisp white shirt and thin black tie—
“Might want to shut your mouth. Gawking is not an attractive quality.” He gave an adorable half-smile.
“You look amazing. Not that you didn’t before, but … wow. I mean … wow.”
“I figured my usual attire of jeans and a T-shirt and a too lazy to cut my hair attitude wouldn’t impress your uppity family.”
“You don’t need to impress them.”
“Maybe not, but it’d be good if they could see I wasn’t a total loser. And that I make you happy.”
“Trust me, they don’t care about that.” My voice was quiet.
“They can’t be all bad, can they?”
“They’re great when you’re doing what they expect of you. If they don’t approve or you don’t agree with their opinion, then they’re impossible.”
“Ah. I guess that explains why they’ve shunned you. Second baby out of wedlock. Single parent. A career woman now.” He gasped. “You monster.”
He always had the ability to make me smile, and these last few months, I realised I never had that before. Cole and I were all about the drama. Paul and I were all about being proper. There wasn’t much joking around in either relationship.
It was the smallest thing, but I never knew how intimate simply laughing with someone could be.
“Not really a single parent now, am I?” I approached him and wrapped my arms around his neck.
“You’re going to tell your parents that?”
“Yup.”
He pulled me close … or as close as Elliot would allow him anyway. “God, I l—” When he cut himself off, I smiled.
“You gonna finish that sentence?”
His arms released me. “We should go. Don’t want to be late
.”
“Uh, actually, being late would be awesome.” Especially if he was going to say what I thought he was.
“If you feel you need to make an escape at any point, fake going into labour,” he said instead and shooed me out the door.
“Ooh, that could be fun. I’ve been having Braxton Hicks for days. Ouch, that might’ve been a contraction right now.” I grinned.
“Nice try, but we’re still going.”
***
I wasn’t sure why my parents insisted I be at this thing, because when we walked into the rented ballroom, no one noticed.
Seriously, a ballroom. Who invited enough people to their birthday party to rent a ballroom?
My father, apparently.
They weren’t well off, my parents. They were definitely upper middle class, but they weren’t what I’d consider rich. Despite what the exorbitantly decorated ballroom in front of me suggested.
Everything was about image to them.
No wonder they disowned their adulterous whore of a daughter.
That was okay though because Amber and Dominic made up for my careless life.
Speak of the devil … or one of them.
“Reece.” My sister tossed her long blonde wavy hair that looked the same as mine over her shoulder.
“Hey.” I forced a smile.
Amber was wearing a bright red dress that matched her lipstick, and if I wasn’t mistaken, I could’ve sworn she’d lost weight. Not that she had much left over to lose in the first place, but now she looked … unhealthy.
We were so different, I often wondered if we were truly related. Then again, I thought that about my brother, too. Maybe I was switched at birth. Although, it was obvious Amber and I had the same genes. We both had the same blonde hair, blue-eyed look, and we shared similar facial features, like our narrow nose and pouty mouth. Our body types were different, though.
She would often ask how a housewife like me didn’t have a body to die for when I had so much extra time on my hands.
Me, I preferred to spend time with Cody rather than focus on getting my pre-baby body back. Eventually, I did, but it wasn’t my main focus. It never had been. Everything I’d done since having Cody was for him, and I’d do the same for Elliot.
Amber had three things. Her career as a doctor, her doctor husband, and her body. But instead of being muscular and lean like she once was, she was almost frail-looking.
It threw me, and I had to shake off the shock. “Uh, Spencer, this is my sister, Amber.”
Amber held out her hand. “Nice to meet you. Officially, anyway. I saw you at Reece’s wedding to Paul.”
Here we go.
“Where’s Mike?” I asked, changing topic. Fast.
“Of course, you’d throw that in my face.”
“Throw wha—”
But she was gone. Stormed off because of something I was clearly missing.
A chuckle came from behind us. “Brutal, sis.” Dominic stood there, his dark hair a mess and a glass of champagne in his hand. “Hey, Spence, how’s it going? Haven’t seen you since high school.”
They shook hands.
“Yeah, doin’ all right. You? Reece tells me you ended up becoming a professor.”
Dominic nodded. “Right, and you became—”
“You two were friends in high school?” I asked.
“Spencer saved me from getting my ass kicked a time or two,” Dominic said.
“I wouldn’t say that,” Spencer said, but he shifted his weight and looked uncomfortable.
My brother was a nerd in high school. Not like Spencer. Spencer was the nice guy who was smart but had a large group of friends. Dominic was the genius who had no one but his teachers. I thought he was more of a loner than a kid who was picked on, though.
“What would you say then?” I asked.
Spencer shrugged. “Some guys in his grade were giving him a hard time, so I broke it up and told them if anyone tried to hurt Reece Knightly’s little brother again, Cole and I would go after them. They were all shit scared of Cole because of the rumours about his constant bruises being from street fighting, so …”
“I had no idea,” I said.
Spencer leaned in and murmured into my hair. “You had no idea I was in love with you back then either.”
I smiled. “Touché.” I turned to my brother. “Why was Amber all huffy this time?”
“Have you been living under a rock?” Dominic asked. “Check Facebook, woman.”
“Amber blocked me after the whole Paul thing. And the first I heard from Mum and Dad since then was about this shindig.”
Dominic scoffed. “No surprise there. They broke up—Mike and Amber.”
“She’s getting a divorce?” As horrible a person as it made me, I was happy to find out Miss Perfect wasn’t so perfect after all.
“Yup.” Dominic took a sip of champagne. “He … ah … was having an affair with a midwife.”
And now the guilt kicked in. “Well, shit.”
“Guess you know why she was angry over yours and Spencer’s situation. It all happened around the same time.”
“Can no one keep it in their pants anymore?” Spencer joked, but it wasn’t funny. “Sorry. Bad joke.”
“Guess I need to go apologise,” I said.
“Story of your life, huh, Reece?” Dominic smirked.
Before Spencer and I could leave Dominic to find my sister, my parents came into view.
“Reece,” Mum beamed and hugged me. “You’re glowing.”
“Spencer,” Dad said, shaking his hand and then bending to kiss me on the cheek. “Princess.”
Weird. They’re … happy.
“You two look cosy,” Mum cooed.
“Ah, about that,” I said, stepping backwards into Spencer. His arm wrapped around my waist.
“She’s finally found a rich one to carry her,” Dominic said. “Like loaded rich, not lawyer rich like Paul.”
My brow furrowed. “Huh?”
“How are things over at Crow Tech D?” my brother asked.
Spencer adjusted the collar of his shirt, as if it was too hot. “Decent.”
“On Australia’s fifty richest yet?”
“Not even close, Dom,” Spencer said.
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“A buddy of mine works at DataTech,” my brother continued. “Rumours swirling ’round that place say they offered you five hundred mil to buy you out.”
Spencer’s grip on me tightened, but I was too confused to comprehend what that meant.
“It was nowhere near that,” Spencer said.
“Buy you out? Spence, what—”
“We shouldn’t have this conversation here,” Spencer murmured.
I turned to face him. “What conversation?”
“I didn’t want it to come out this way. I may’ve been a tiny bit modest about my position with the company and income.”
“Five hundred million modest?” I snapped.
“It wasn’t that much, but we should definitely not be doing this here,” he hissed.
“I don’t understand.”
“Ah, didn’t tell Reece you were loaded, huh?” Dominic asked. “Smart. Although, Reece, how you didn’t pick up on it is beyond me. I mean, look at his car.”
“How do you know what car I drive?” Spencer asked.
“And what do you mean? His car is an ancient BMW,” I said.
Dom scoffed. “His car is a classic. With a one-hundred-thousand-dollar price tag. Minimum.”
Spencer glared at my brother. “You know, for a genius, you’re a bit of a dumbass. I may’ve saved you from getting your ass kicked in high school, but if you don’t shut up, I’ll be the one kicking it.” He turned to me. “Baby—”
I shook my head and stumbled backwards. “You don’t manage Crow—” I slumped in realisation. It’d been there the whole time. I was just too stupid to notice it. Fuck, I really was dumb. “Crow Tech. Spencer Crowley. You own it.”
&
nbsp; “I never told you I didn’t own it.”
“But you implied … or … how can you own it?”
“It was my software. I had investors, but they all got paid off faster than anticipated. I started small and didn’t think it’d get so big so quickly, but it did.”
“You honestly didn’t know?” my mother asked. “When Dominic told us, we thought …”
“You thought what?” I gritted my teeth.
“That was the reason you trapped him,” Mum mumbled.
Nice to see the faith you have in me, Mother. “How could you think that? It makes no sense. If that had been my goal, why would I have gone through with the wedding to Paul? You think I—” My eyes widened, and I spun on Spencer. “I didn’t do what they’re saying. I swear. I didn’t know.” My hands went to my stomach. “This … us … I didn’t—”
“I know.” Spencer stepped close to me, his hands going to my hips. “I know.”
But … why… why did he keep it from me? “But you didn’t tell me because you thought I’d use you for your money?” I hoped my voice was steady, but there were definite cracks.
“No. It wasn’t that,” Spencer said. “You were adamant about doing this whole thing on your own, so I didn’t offer you an easy out. I thought it’s what you’d want. And then I didn’t know how to tell you. Not many people know. Half our friends don’t know. It’s not something I go around advertising.”
“So you own Crow Tech. You own the company that hired me. I often found myself wondering why they needed new staff when it didn’t seem like I was doing much.” Everything was fake. My job. Paying him rent. All of it. “CTD didn’t need a new tech support, did they?”
He didn’t say anything.
“You didn’t need rent to help with your mortgage. You—”
“Reece, not here,” he begged.
“I-I need to sit down.” Pain shot down my back, and my stomach burned.
Spencer led me to the closest table.
“There’s assigned seating,” Mum said as I took Mrs. Hildebrand’s seat, according to the name plate.
“Watch me care right now.” My stomach tightened, and I bent forward, holding onto it. “Dammit,” I grunted.
“Was that a—” Spencer started.
I shook my head. “Braxton Hicks.” I turned to my family. “Can you give us a minute?”