Chapter 21
SPENCER
Istare at the box that April just tossed onto my sofa. I’m not sure what this stuff is.
The other week, I got overcome with a need to see her, and I surprised her at her apartment.
Eating takeout while being forced to watch a new series was kind of a relaxing change.
The next morning, April grabbed breakfast when she walked Pickles and brought it back so we could avoid running into people.
She didn’t let me forget that fact, as she teased me several times, but I prefer staying under the radar when I’m in the city.
I only barely managed to leave her place, because I knew she would be back to Lake Spark, and I had my agent waiting for me.
April drove up and arrived a few minutes ago. I’m still in my workout gear and am kind of sweaty since I hit my gym for an extra session, as Hadley is with a friend at her house after school.
“That’s everything,” April announces and collapses on the couch next to me and places her feet on the coffee table.
“Explain.”
She giggles and rolls her head to the side to look at me. “Relax, I’m not moving in. I just have a few extras for this visit.”
“Oh yeah?” I begin to rummage through the box. I pull out a new makeup kit, but it appears to be for a child. “Hell no.”
“It’s fine. It’s not real makeup. It goes on clear against the skin.”
“What’s the point then?” I toss it back into the box.
April’s mouth opens and pretends shock. “Make-believe, silly.”
I roll my eyes, even though I know Hadley will be over the moon. “The only make-believe I’m going for is a little role-play between us.”
She snickers a laugh. “Oh yeah? What did you have in mind?”
I don’t really have anything in particular in my head, I just said it in jest.
“Look in the box,” she demands.
Searching the box, I notice a fancy square with a bow. Grabbing it, I hold it up to check this is what she meant, and she nods.
“Know what it is?” she asks and seems like she’s trying to contain her excitement.
I study the label. “It’s from Piper’s boutique.”
“Uh-huh.” She brings her knees to her chest and bites her lip, patiently waiting for me to get a clue.
But I’m confused. “You got another pair of fruit-print pajamas?”
She nearly scorns me with her look. “Get there faster,” she urges. “Piper also has another line of evening attire.” She raises her brows and waits for me.
Got it.
“Really?” I’m fully invested now and tug the bow.
“Yep.”
Lifting the lid off the box, I’m faced with a layer of tissue paper. “Isn't it weird to buy lingerie from your aunt?” I taunt her because I know she hates being reminded that her best friend became her aunt.
“I’m regretting my effort, right now.”
Searching through the paper, I feel lace.
An approving growl escapes my mouth as I hold up the thin strings of black lace to reveal a one-piece with little triangles that will barely leave much to the imagination around April’s breasts, and quite frankly, this see-through lace may be an obstacle to reaching the real treasure.
“Fuck me, I don’t regret your effort one bit.” I lean across the couch to capture her mouth for a kiss, and she circles her arms around my neck. She pulls me to her, and I fall on top of her which causes her to giggle. “I’m all sweaty,” I say, with our lips still attached.
“I like you sweaty,” she says huskily.
“I should go shower, and you can meet me upstairs. We have a window of opportunity.”
April pulls back and waves her finger in front of my face. “Uh-uh, Mr. Eager, I need to get dinner started.”
“It’s not even three o’clock.” My voice breaks.
She hops off the couch and straightens her shirt. “I know, but I want my soup to simmer, and I need to send my resume to a few job opportunities that I saw online.”
“I want to simmer. Inside of you.” I hear my lack of enthusiasm, even though she’s attempting to put a damn good meal on the table later.
April makes a sound and sends a flirty glare my way before leaving me with a hard-on and impatience.
I rest my head against the back of the couch and close my eyes. I attempt to breathe some calmness into my body, but no luck.
“Spencer!” She sounds kind of pissed now. It causes me to get up off the couch and look to the kitchen where she has her hand over her mouth and seems like she might combust.
“What now?” I walk to her.
“Are you kidding me?” Her eyes narrow in on me as I approach her.
I hesitate, as I’m not sure what’s going on. “With what?” Her arm splays out to the direction of the mixer. “Uhm, it’s a mixer.”
“It’s not just a mixer. This wasn’t here last time.”
“And?”
“It’s the one I mentioned once. It has like a gazillion different functions.” She walks to the red machine and begins to assess all the little features.
I might have ordered it with her in mind.
It’s huge so will never fit in her kitchen, which makes me internally question why buying her supplies for my kitchen is coming so naturally.
But I wanted to do something for her. We’re past flirtation, and we could be something longstanding.
I’ve mentioned my intentions, but that doesn’t mean we need to make a big deal out of my gestures, though I’m sure my mother would call it sweet.
“No biggie.” I downplay this act because I need to. I can’t overthink this.
She slowly walks to me, step by step, ensuring our eyes hold, giving me a chance to stare at her soft lips stretching into a smile. “Now I’m going to have to replan the entire weekend menu,” she chides.
“My fault?”
She nods. “You never make it easy for me.”
“It’s no fun that way.” I welcome her into my arms. I miss having her in my kitchen daily. “Plus, I’m not a good guy.”
“So I thought,” she faintly replies, and it feels sentimental.
Her fingers claw my shirt, and I know her well enough now to know that she wants to ditch her kitchen plan and instead head upstairs, which I’m on board with.
“Going to join me in the shower or wait for me in bed?”
“Join you in the shower, for sure,” April purrs.
I lift her up at the same time she climbs me like a tree. We make it to the bottom of the stairs, but my phone goes off, and as much I hate to break the mood, it could be the mom who is letting Hadley play with her daughter.
“Babe, I need to check.”
She’s already reaching into my pocket with her hand, which causes her to feel my cock through my pants, but I’m sure that’s what she wanted. She pulls out my phone and wiggles it in the air with pride.
I read the screen and see the message that Hadley will be dropped off soon, as they're on the way back from the park.
Humorously, I laugh to myself because this is our luck. “We have ten minutes tops.”
“Doable,” she promises.
“That’s my girl.” I continue us on our path upstairs, very much aware that April may just be my girl.
Looking into Hadley’s room, I see she isn’t in her bed as promised, to wait for her bedtime story. Somehow April managed to get Hadley to eat tomato soup with grilled cheese that she cut into shapes, then we watched a Christmas movie. But it’s way past Hadley’s bedtime now.
Walking down the hall to the guest room, I spot the door open and hear Hadley.
“Why are you sleeping in here?” she asks, and I hear April crack a sound.
“Uh, why wouldn’t I?” April has doubt in her tone.
“Nova, my friend, said that you are a special friend of daddy’s. It’s what her daddy has too, because her parents don’t live together, so she has two houses.”
Clearing my throat, I swoop right into the room to end this conversation. “There you are, sweet pea, I thought I said wait in bed.”
“But I wanted to say good night to April,” she justifies and looks up at me so innocently.
“That’s sweet of you, but it looks like April could use some alone time.”
April shoots me a humorous stare. “April can speak for herself, and it’s fine.”
“I kind of figured you are a special friend of daddy’s.”
I rub the back of my head and debate what to say. “Is that a problem?”
“No.” Hadley seems unfazed and unconcerned. “But Nova said special friends sleep in daddies’ rooms, so why is April staying here?”
April sets her brush on the bed and kneels down to Hadley. “Because I was just a friend of your dad’s, and just friends stay in the guest room.”
And I’m tapping in.
“But now she is a special friend, so it will change. I’m sure April was just visiting this room for old times’ sake.
” This is our opportunity to smooth the sails and make the transition, plus I want to be a selfish man tonight.
Something inside of me wants to dive in, but that’s always the case when April is around.
“Or April is in here because we didn’t agree on the timeline for this conversation,” April mumbles to me.
I touch Hadley’s shoulder. “Are you okay with all of this, sweet pea?”
She looks between us. “Am I ever! I get a dog.”
“Well, you don’t exactly get Pick—” April cracks out an attempt.
I’m quick to intercept with a smile. “Pickles is yours most of the time.” We have to keep this convo smooth.
April gives me a comical warning glare because I shouldn’t be throwing out false promises.
“Nova also said that there are special friends and there are girlfriends. Which are you?” she asks April.
“Nova’s father has been busy,” April tells me, and I have to agree. She returns her focus to Hadley. “I’m…”
April looks to me for a clue, and I answer for us. “April is more than a special friend, a lot more.” I’m not going to put her any peg lower because she is more; she makes me happy and fits into our life.
“Like she will be my new mommy?”
Fuck, an arrow through my heart. I knew this would come up, how can it not when you’re a child? It’s just a harsh reminder that I need to tread carefully because I have the ability to break both of these ladies’ hearts if I don’t approach our dynamic with care.
In this moment, I have no words because my head is spinning at the reminder that Hadley doesn’t have a mom, and I feel my mood sink. Not for any reason April would guess.
“Wow, aren’t we full of questions today," April says.
"You know, getting a mommy is a big deal. It requires a lot of time and sparkly powder before you can welcome a mommy into your life. Even if we enjoy being around someone, we have to wait before we can welcome them into our life that way. I had the exact same experience as you when my mommy found someone.”
“Okay, I’ll ask again later.”
“Like a few months later,” April suggests before tapping Hadley’s nose. “Now I think it’s way past your bedtime. Is Pickles already waiting?”
“Yep. Will you help me tuck him in?”
April stands and offers her hand to Hadley. “Always.” She gives me a reassuring half-smile.
Lucky for me, April answers with the type of care that makes me wonder if long-run us isn’t so crazy.
Standing in the middle of my bedroom, I stare at April who is standing in the doorway giving me a curious smile.
“You’re not in bed?” she wonders and steps into the room.
Truthfully, I’m too anxious to settle under the covers. I’m a smart man to know that it’s because of what just went down half an hour ago with Hadley. Maybe I’m slightly shaken.
“You okay? You were a little quiet during the bedtime routine.”
I lunge forward and cup her face in my hands before crashing my mouth onto hers. “Can we not talk?” I plead.
She studies my eyes for a moment and seems to grasp that I need an escape and she nods gently.
Kissing her again, I lead her back to the door and pin her arms up.
“No bed?” she muses in a whisper.
My answer is to lift her up and walk us a few steps and plant her on the dresser, causing something to fall to the floor, but neither one of us cares.
“Okay, no bed,” she answers her own question before kissing me again.
I grip both sides of her flimsy t-shirt, and in one pull, I tear the fabric open, and my mouth travels her skin with no ordered pattern.
I just want to take what she is offering.
She doesn’t question it either as her hands help lower my shorts, and it doesn’t take long before I’m pounding into her, as she is ready and willing.
Her legs tremble and her pussy squeezes. My mouth seems to be taking my inner wrath out on her. The dresser shakes, and her breathy moan breaks my delirious thought.
I place my hand against her mouth. “Shh, baby, we have to be quiet. You understand?” I whisper, and she nods, with her hair now a disheveled mess. Removing my hand, I can’t stop staring at her swollen lips. “Squeeze more,” I demand.
Her eyes try to pry an answer out of me as to where my mind is, but I offer no answer because her body follows my cues, and her arms hold me tighter.
“Spencer,” she whispers.
“Am I hurting you?” My voice is hoarse.
“No. Deeper.”
I groan into her ear, because that’s my girl, joining in on this ride.
We stay a tangled mess on top of my dresser until we both come undone sooner than I would have hoped.
She rubs circles on my back, as I stay put inside of her.
I appreciate that she doesn’t ask what just happened, because the truth is that she has managed to sneak into my life to the point that I don’t ever want her to go, but my body and brain have connected that this means I need to share the secrets that I’ve been holding onto and may just push her away…