by Linda Verji
Kelly dragged in deep breaths in between his kisses and shifted beneath him, trying to get comfortable. Eventually, the pain faded and was replaced by pleasure.
Spencer ended the kiss to study her with hooded eyes. “Ready?”
Her nod was all he needed. He drew back until only his head remained inside her, leaving her with a frustratingly empty feeling. Seconds later, he filled her up to the brim. Kelly whimpered as sweet, sweet pleasure jabbed at her. Long, hard and slow, he thrust back in.
“There…” She gasped against his shoulder as her fingers dug into his upper body.
“Kelly… damn! You’re so tight.” Spencer groaned as he started to pull out.
She canted her hips upwards, following him so she could have more of that delicious fullness. He obliged her with a hard thrust that left her fully stuffed and whimpering his name. His cock scraped against the nerves along her walls as he pulled back out again, then lit up those very nerves again when he shoved himself back in.
“Ah… shit.” She flexed her pussy muscles around his thick rod to keep him from leaving, milking him for everything he had. The animalistic growl Spencer let out was almost as satisfying as the hard stroke he rewarded her with.
He kept pumping in and out so hard and fast that Kelly felt like a ragdoll being manipulated for his and her pleasure. Desire stabbed at her, leaving her feeling like she had tiny needles planted everywhere on her body. Spencer was just the man to pluck those needles out. Though his strokes were forceful and his gaze was shadowed with intense lust, he was completely in control of the moment. Every stroke was well-timed to break her down and drive her to the edge of control. When he hooked her thighs over his muscular arms to open her up even further, it was over for her.
The convulsions started. The trembling increased.
Stars. Fireworks.
Kelly squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her face into his shoulder as her climax hit her. Like a rogue train, it struck her and left her floating, boneless and utterly wreaked. Her orgasm was the straw that broke Spencer. His pace became faster, shorter, more frantic. If she thought he was thrusting into her with force before, this was beyond that. Pounding, pumping, pistoning… Short strokes, fast strokes… hard. Oh, so hard. His every thrust sent bolts of pleasure shooting through her already over-used body. She could hardly believe it when she began to tremble again.
When the fiery waves of pleasure started to engulf Spencer, she felt them too. His fast jabs as he raced to the finishing line pushed her closer and closer to the edge until she tumbled down with him. She held on to Spencer with all her might as wave after wave of desire rocked them.
Even after the turbulence stilled, they held on to each other. Perhaps aware that he was much heavier than her, Spencer shifted his body until he was lying only half-over her while he caught his breath. For a while, Kelly was lost in the sweetness of the moment. Even though Spencer’s skin was a little slippery because of all the exertion, it felt good to have him so close to her and to be sheltered in his strong arms. However, soon that pleasure faded and reason slowly seeped in.
Guilt and regret came racing in soon afterwards.
What had she just done? Had she just slept with the man who’d indirectly caused her father’s death? Dismay pulsed through her. She wanted to shove Spencer off her and angrily accuse him of seducing her but she couldn’t. She’d been as much a participant as he’d been. Even if he was the one who’d kissed her first, she was the one who’d taken it to another level. This was all her fault. She’d done this. Suddenly his being so close felt wrong. She felt like she was suffocating under the weight of his arm on her waist.
Despite the sudden lump blocking her throat, she forced out, “I need to leave.”
Her words were enough to drag Spencer from his lethargy. He lifted his head from her shoulder. Frowning, he asked, “What?”
“I need to go,” she said.
When he still didn’t move off her, she pushed his arm from her then moved away from him. Unfortunately, she’d underestimated the width of the couch and ended up tumbling off it. She fell to the carpeted floor in an awkward flurry of arms and legs.
“Are you okay?” Spencer leaned over to check on her, concern etched on his features.
“Yeah. Yeah.” Embarrassed heat flushed up her face as she scrambled to her feet.
Painfully aware that she was completely naked, she rushed around the room picking up her clothes. Spencer kept glancing her way as they both dressed but waited until they were fully clothed to quietly say, “I’ll drive you home.”
“No need.” Avoiding his gaze, she put on her heels. “I’ll just take a cab.”
“Then I’ll call it for you,” he offered.
“No,” she refused, her voice sharper than she intended. “I can do it myself.”
She felt a trembling sense of relief when Spencer didn’t insist further. But her relief was short-lived. When she emerged from the junior associate’s office with her purse, she found Spencer waiting for her at the now-deserted reception-area with his satchel in hand.
Was he going to force her into his car like he had last time? Kelly wondered even as she tried to avoid looking in his direction while they took the elevator down. Please don’t, she mentally pleaded with him. She was already confused and distraught enough. Spending more time with him would only worsen her state of mind.
Fortunately, Spencer didn’t try to stop her when she got off the elevator at the ground-floor. In fact, he stayed inside the elevator and only watched her as the doors closed.
That was that, right? Wrong.
It was only once she was in the cab that she noticed his SUV trailing the cab. She knew what he was doing; making sure she got home safe. If it was anyone else or any other day, she would’ve been grateful. But tonight, his continued presence only left her feeling guiltier. It reminded her of what she’d just done. How she’d just betrayed her father for momentary pleasure. Thankfully, Spencer didn’t get out of his car when the cab dropped her off.
Sin was asleep when Kelly crept into the apartment. That was good thing because Kelly didn’t want to tell her friend what she’d spent her night doing – or rather who she’d spent her night doing. After taking a shower in an unsuccessful attempt to rid herself of Spencer’s scent, she slipped into bed. However, sleep was hard to come by. When she wasn’t reliving every minute of their encounter, she was wallowing in remorse and shame. Before she knew it, tears were cascading down her face.
She buried her face in the pillow to muffle her cries.
CHAPTER 12
The breaking of day didn’t ease Kelly’s shame or confusion. If anything, it amplified it. She stood under the shower, trembling and cursing herself. She’d always claimed to have self-control… well, where was that self-control the previous night? How could she have allowed things to go so far? Where was her common sense when she needed it most?
But even as regret coursed within her, she couldn’t deny the maddening desire that Spencer had awoken within her so effortlessly. Kelly closed her eyes, recalling the desire that had careened through her when he’d touched her. Even now, she could still remember how eagerly she’d fallen into the web of need he created with his sweet kisses…
Stop, she gave herself a mental slap. She needed to forget; not remember.
Though she would’ve preferred to avoid Spencer, there was no way to do that while they still worked in the same firm. For a brief – very brief - moment she considered quitting, but her now-functioning common sense quickly nixed that idea. Regret didn’t pay bills.
As if karma was determined to remind her of her mistakes, she ended up sitting across from Spencer during their team’s morning briefing.
“How’s Cassie Anthony’s case going?” Angelina turned her attention to Spencer.
“To hell – that’s where it’s going.” Spencer rubbed his brow. “Carrie refuses to plead guilty.”
“That’s going to make the case tricky.” Angelina frowned. “Mayb
e I should talk to her. Her mother and mine volunteer together at…”
As Angelina prosed on, Kelly found her gaze straying across the conference table to Spencer. He sat tall and straight, his dark eyes intent as he and Angelina debated the merits of the Anthony case. Even serious, he was still the sexiest man at the table. There was just something about him that said, “Try me, I’ll rock your night”. Could anyone really blame Kelly for taking him up on his offer?
She was just a red-blooded woman.
Eventually, her thoughts circled back to the previous night. She remembered how sweet his kisses had been, how good it’d felt to be in his arms, how exhilarating it’d felt to be touched by those big hands and driven crazy. She remembered how hard and warm he’d felt against her, how silky his naked skin had been, how much he’d filled her…
Stop it! She shook her head. What was she doing? What the hell was wrong with her? Just a second ago, she’d been feeling guilty and now she was horny? Talk about confused.
“Kelly.” Duke jabbed his elbow into her ribs.
“What?” Kelly sat up straighter as she came back to reality where all her coworkers were staring at her expectantly, as if waiting for her to say something.
“Angelina’s talking to you,” Duke murmured.
“Oh?” Kelly offered Angelina a sheepish smile. “Sorry, I didn’t hear what you said.”
Angelina studied her for a long uncomfortable moment then said, “I asked, ‘how’s Xavier Lee’s case going?’”
“Um… We’re going back to court on Monday…” Even as Kelly updated her teammates about the state of her case then handed the baton back to Angelina, she was absurdly aware of Spencer’s eyes on her. Deplorably, her heart skipped a beat.
Was he remembering last night too? Was he just as ashamed as she was, or was he okay with it? His poker-face left no clues about how he felt. Had he loved it as much as she had?
She promptly gave herself another mental slap. Bad Kelly. Why did it matter whether Spencer had liked sex with her? You have lost your damn mind, girl.
A self-mocking smile lifted her lips. How ironic was it that the first man she’d been attracted to since her stint in prison was the very same man who’d sent her there? If this wasn’t her life, she’d be laughing her head off at the comedy of the situation. Even so, she couldn’t let it happen again. From now on, Spencer was off-limits, and it would be best if he knew it too.
When the meeting ended, she waited for everyone to disappear into their respective offices before she strode determinedly towards Spencer’s office. The rap of her knuckles on his door was even more determined. Last time, she’d waffled when explaining why their kiss was something that shouldn’t have happened. Maybe that’s why neither of them had taken her seriously and crossed the red line. This time she was going to be firmer, clearer. By the time she was done with Spencer, he’d know she was serious.
No more intimate stuff. Got it?
“Come in,” Spencer called out from inside his office.
Kelly straightened her shoulders, lifted her chin and entered the room. Spencer was at his desk, his coat and tie already gone, and his shirt open at the top to reveal his strong throat. She could still remember kissing that throat and…
Woman, get yourself together! The drill-sergeant within her barked, We mean business.
“Yes?” Spencer looked up from his computer to watch her with that unreadable gaze.
She closed the door behind her. “We need to talk.”
His eyebrows shot upwards. “Do we?”
Of course, they did. Did he really think that she was just going to let last night slide? Striding further into the room, she nodded firmly. “We do.”
“Okay.” Spencer stood from his desk.
What was he doing? Panic shot through Kelly as she watched him circle his desk. This wasn’t in the plan. How was she supposed to keep her resolve if he got close to her? Fortunately, Spencer stopped in front of his desk and sat on its edge.
He folded his arms over his broad chest. “Let’s talk.”
“I want to talk about-” Her eyes strayed to his couch, and immediately, memories of what had happened there rushed in. She swallowed. “About last night…”
He rubbed his chin as he watched her with uncomfortable intensity. “About last night?”
“It was…” She paused, trying to think of the appropriate words to explain the gravity of their mistake.
“Are you going to say it was a mistake?” Spencer beat her to it. “Are you going to say that we were just over-excited, again?”
Kelly blinked. Was he reading her mind? That was exactly what she wanted to say. Clearing her throat to get rid of the sudden tightness there, she said, “Yes, that’s what I wanted to say. I’m glad you understand the situation.”
“I think you’ve misunderstood me.” Spencer’s lips lifted in a small smile, but there was no humor in his dark eyes. He straightened from the desk then walked slowly towards her. “I didn’t say I understand the situation. I just asked you if you were going to say that last night was a mistake.”
“Yeah but…” Kelly licked her suddenly dry lips. Why was he moving towards her? She took a step back then another. Her voice uneven, she continued, “… But you have to admit it was a mistake. It shouldn’t have happened.”
Spencer took another two steps forward. “Why shouldn’t it have happened?”
“You know why.” She took several steps backwards, but he kept coming. When she tried to take another step back, she ended up bumping into the wall.
And Spencer kept coming.
He edged closer until there were just a few inches between them.
“Why shouldn’t it have happened?” he repeated. “Because of our history?”
“Of course.” Her eyes darted right and left, looking for an escape route.
The door was close. She turned, ready to make a run for it, but before she could, Spencer propped both his palms on the wall beside her shoulders, effectively bracketing her within them.
Her breath caught in her chest as her gaze, wide with surprise, flew to meet his. “What are you doing?”
“I know about our history,” Spencer said instead of answering her question. His expression grimmer than she’d ever seen it, he added, “But I can’t agree that last night was a mistake, and I can’t promise that it’s never going to happen again.”
Her eyes widened. “What?”
“I can’t promise it’s never going to happen again.” He bent his elbows slightly and moved forward, crowding her against the wall. “Can you?”
His question left her confused. When she’d come into his office, she’d expected to make her speech then go her merry way, confident that their one-night mistake would never be repeated. She didn’t expect him to get this close to her, or for him not to agree with her.
She parted her lips, ready to tell him that she was very confident in her ability to avoid last night happening again, but no words emerged. Maybe it was because her heart wasn’t ready to go along with her brain’s edicts. Maybe it was because Spencer was standing too close to her and clouding her judgment.
Though his body was barely brushing against hers, she could feel his heat burning her. His masculine scent surrounded her, taunting her with imaginings of how exhilarating it’d feel to bury her nose in his chest and get her fill. The look in his eyes wasn’t helping much either. His gaze burned into her face sending an uncomfortable throbbing straight down to her core. To avoid those eyes, she lowered her gaze and, wouldn’t you know it, she landed right on his lips.
So firm. So inviting.
Her breathing grew ragged. She could still remember how those firm lips had felt against hers, how he’d kissed her passionately, how he’d stirred desires she didn’t even know she harbored.
“Do you feel that?” Spencer asked on a hushed whisper. His hot breath blew against her temple, ratcheting up the heat already scorching her from within. “The way your heart is beating so fast it feels
like it’s about to burst out of your chest? The way you want to hold me closer so you can really feel my body against yours. That’s how I feel too, and that’s why I can’t promise that it won’t happen again.”
He was right.
No, he was wrong.
Damn him. He was confusing her.
“Stop.” She shoved him away forcefully. “Stop it.”
“Stop what?” The husky rasp in his voice and the dark desire in his eyes left no doubt that he was turned on by the moment too.
“Stop-” She paused because she wasn’t even sure what she wanted him to stop. “Just stop.”
Confusing emotions pulsing through her, she strode to the door. She started to reach for the doorknob but at the last minute, she swung around to face him. “Stay away from me.”
With that she scrambled out of the room.
What a mess! She cupped her hands over her face as she leaned on the wall next to his door. Where had all the firmness and determination gone? All he’d had to do was come closer to her and all her reason had disappeared. Poof!
She really needed to stay away from that man.
* * * * *
IT WAS OBVIOUS that Kelly needed time to get used to the new dynamic between them, and Spencer was all too willing to give her that time. Frankly, he was also taken aback by the change in their relationship and how fast it’d happened. Like an explosion, their attraction had quickly flared then raced through them, razing every wall in its path. And now, it was proving even harder to put out than a forest wildfire. If he’d ever thought that one night with Kelly would satisfy his hunger for her, he now knew that he was wrong.
None of his previous lovers had given him as much pleasure as she had or left him reeling in so many confused emotions afterwards. She’d made him feel things he’d never felt before, things he wanted to feel again. Without him realizing it, Kelly had slipped beneath the defenses he’d put up after Angelina had broken his heart. The knowledge didn’t make him cringe as he expected it to. Instead, it left him thoughtful.
He’d been in enough relationships to know that what had happened between them was more than sex. Kelly had roused him physically, mentally and emotionally. There was something unexpectedly natural about how he felt when she was in his arms.