15. Spencer
15
SPENCER
T hroughout the day, I’d started forcing myself to push it to the back of my mind for Hannah’s sake, but over the course of the afternoon and evening, I had been able to forget about it once in a while, even as Hannah went on an endless monologue about her favorite pop singers. Wasn’t she too young for that? I didn’t know shit about it, apparently.
Roughly twelve hours after I learned about the break-in, Bruce finally had a report for me. When the call came through, I stepped into one of the two bedrooms and closed the door while Rowan and Hannah played around on the piano in the living room. The sounds of their laughter mingled with the tinkling of the keys. Somehow that made the reason for the call seem that much darker in comparison.
“The good news is, nothing was permanently damaged,” he shared. “The few machines they broke are easily replaceable, and everything on them was backed up to the shared server. It doesn’t look like they were able to access anything, either,” he added.
My chest tightened, and a telltale pounding in my head left me closing my eyes and forcing a few slow breaths. “But they did try to access files?” I asked.
“It looks that way. Whoever was behind this was a real fucking amateur,” he concluded with a wry chuckle. “The whole thing looks a lot like a way to throw us off.”
“To make it look like hacking the machines was the goal,” I mused, and he grunted his agreement.
“As for security,” he continued. “Everything is set. I have a pair of cars working in shifts on the McNultys’ block, and I have another pair of cars with eyes on that apartment building your girl lives in.”
She’s not my girl . My silent, knee-jerk response brought with it a sense of disappointment. Did I want her to be? My gut said yes, but she was still so damn skittish over Hannah, making sure not to let her down if things didn’t work out between us. I had to find a way to convince her there was nothing to worry about.
Bruce didn’t need to know that, and there wasn’t time. “I want somebody watching Hannah’s school until this is over too.” Her high-pitched giggles made my chest tighten again, though in a different way. If anything ever happened to her…
“I can arrange that,” he assured me. “I was in touch with your cousin, Mr. Diamond. I have to say, the private investigator he hired is thorough.”
Was there a little resentment in his voice? Or was it the sound of one professional begrudgingly complimenting another? “Does that mean you have good news?” I asked.
“It means we’re making headway. Those bastards can run, but they can’t hide. I hope to have more specifics for you in the morning, though I’ll call if anything major comes up between now and then.”
“Good enough. Talk then.” I ended the call, releasing a long, slow breath. We were making headway. The pair of backstabbing assholes who broke ranks and went to work for Damian couldn’t hide forever. Connor’s investigator would find them, and we would put an end to this for good.
Then what?
Rowan finished the song she had slowly played her way through, laughing loud enough for the sound to reach me and stir my heart. “I told you I’m awful at this!” she squealed while Hannah laughed harder than she had all day.
Was this what it meant to be a parent? I kept swinging between wanting to know everything about her and coming up with reasons to worry about her. Would she be safe at school? The idea of somebody watching her, following her home, sent adrenaline racing through my veins.
Rowan and I had a lot of talking to do. For now, I shook it off, opening the bedroom door. “So, now we know why your mom chose law over becoming a pianist,” I told Hannah, who blurted out a laugh while Rowan flipped me off from behind her, smirking.
* * *
The soft knock on my bedroom door was expected. No. I had waited for it, lying in bed, flipping through channels on the television and knowing Rowan would join me once she knew Hannah was asleep. The meaningful looks we’d exchanged while the two of them were on their way to the second bedroom told an entire story.
“Come in,” I murmured, sitting up with my back to the headboard. It had taken longer than I’d expected for her to sneak out of their room, to the point where I’d given up on sharing a drink and gotten dressed for bed instead. It made sense when I thought about it. The kid was amped up after an exciting day and going to bed in new surroundings. Naturally, it took a little time for her to wind down.
Rowan crept in, wearing one of the two matching nightshirts I’d ordered up to the suite earlier. Hannah had loved the idea of wearing pajamas that matched her mom’s. “She would not settle in,” she whispered, closing the door softly. “I shouldn’t stay for long in case she wakes up.”
My breath caught as I watched her cross the room. There was no end to my desire for her. My gaze was immediately drawn to her tits, gently swaying under the striped satin. She climbed onto the bed, sitting cross-legged, facing me to ask, “How long do we need to do this?”
“If I had my way, we’d stay here until everything is settled.”
“What does that mean, though?” She tucked her hair behind both ears, suddenly looking very young and worried. “What is settled?”
There was no resisting those smooth, sleek legs, only inches from me. I reached over and ran a hand over her calf, savoring her silky skin. “Once I know Damian is taken care of, and no, I don’t know exactly how long that will be. In the meantime, I’ll have security working in shifts at your apartment building, Hannah’s school, your parents’ house. Your office building, too, if you want,” I added as an afterthought while she gaped at me.
“What?” Her mouth dropped open. “You’re kidding.”
“I’m not taking any chances. They’ll be discreet,” I insisted. “I can’t let her go to school unprotected every day when that bastard knows who she is. You can’t ask me to do that.”
“I don’t understand why this has to happen.” Her head hung, swinging back and forth while she took a hitching breath. “It’s all too much.”
“I’m going to take care of it. This is all going to end, and it’s going to end well for you and Hannah.” Covering her hand with mine, I added, “You have my word. Nobody is going to hurt you.”
“I don’t know what to tell Mom and Dad. They deserve to know.” Her lips pulled together in a thin line. “I’ve never told them anything about you. Us. They still think you were some random guy I dated for a little while before you ghosted me.”
“After I almost killed you.” My gaze drifted to the scars I had already started to overlook. They were part of her, but only a small part. I slid closer, reaching out and stroking her hair, taking the chance of letting my fingers trace those thin lines. It could have meant taking my life in my hands, but she didn’t stop me, going still and holding her breath while I studied the wreckage I had caused. “I am so sorry,” I whispered. “I didn’t get the chance to tell you then… while you were conscious, anyway,” I added.
“Not that I’m trying to let you off the hook,” she murmured, meeting my gaze with those frank, blue eyes. “But I meant it when I told you I’m doing fine. Life turned out the way it was supposed to.”
I wasn’t sure I agreed. Not for myself. Professionally, life couldn’t be better, but there was so much more to life than business. I had missed the first ten years of my daughter’s life. How was that preferable to being with her?
There were no answers. Trying to find them was a waste of time, especially when there were better things to do,like cupping the back of her head in my hand and pulling her in, leaning close to brush my lips over hers. A sizzle ran through me, making my dick jump in anticipation.
“I can’t stay,” she whispered as I took her mouth again, this time teasing her with my tongue, stroking hers until she let out one of her helpless, throaty moans, which never failed to stoke the fire already starting to burn.
I was acutely aware that Hannah could walk in at any moment, yet the thrill of the risk only intensified my desire, making each kiss feel like a reckless gamble.
She shifted her weight until she was lying on her side. I followed her down, facing her, pulling her body close while undoing her one kiss at a time. My hand slid over the satin nightshirt and the luscious curves underneath it, my heart pounding, my hunger growing with every caress. When she draped a leg over my hip, pulling me in, that hunger exploded.
I growled, grabbing her ass and tugging her closer, grinding my insistent erection against her pussy. My mouth ran over her throat while her fingers danced through my hair, and she panted in my ear. “Spencer… oh God… I should go… let me go.”
“Go?” I grunted, running my tongue across her clavicle. “Tell me what you really want.” I peppered soft kisses down her neck, lingering at the sensitive spot just above her collarbone. Every moan that escaped her lips signaled her surrender, her struggle fading as a desperate hunger took its place, mirroring my own.
“Tell me…” I insisted, my voice low and urgent.
“I want you inside me,” she breathed out as she quickly reached between us, cupping me, her fingers dipping inside the waistband of my boxer briefs and freeing my aching dick. I growled against her skin, losing control for a second and moving against her, straining, fighting for the friction I so desperately needed.
Before this could go further, I rolled away from her, fumbling through the nightstand for a condom while she sat up and pulled the nightshirt over her head. I was frozen stiff at the sight of those gorgeous tits falling free, then forgot about the condom in favor of tasting her pert nipples, attacking them like I was starved. Her nails scraped the back of my neck, my shoulders, setting my skin on fire, making me suck harder, teasing her with my tongue and teeth until she bit back a high-pitched cry.
“Lie back,” she whispered, hands on my shoulders. I was too surprised to resist, watching her push up onto her knees and then lift my hips when she started to lower my underwear.
Fuck me. Yes. She treated me to her mouth first, taking me in all at once. My head dropped back onto the pillow, my senses overloaded thanks to the sheer pleasure of her warm mouth, her firm tongue against my underside. “Fuuuck… just like that,” I begged, moving my hips, giving her more. She gagged slightly when I hit the back of her throat, but she adjusted, always eager to take as much of me as possible. I never did meet another woman who loved giving head the way she did.
Pressure built in my balls and promised relief while wet slurping sounds blended with my quick pants for air. I was tempted to chase that high but instead eased her off me, reaching for the foil pack again. She helped me, rolling the latex down my length, surprising me for the second time.
I laid back, hands behind my head, and watched as she lowered her panties. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind she would be dripping wet by now.
She straddled me and took me in hand, then ran my head through those juices until it glistened. Her face contorted in pleasure as she guided me inside her, making me clench my teeth as her tight sheath enveloped me.
“So damn tight, baby,” I grunted out, almost overwhelmed.
“Fuck, yes,” she agreed, lowering herself to my base with her eyes closed. She stayed there for a moment or two, breathing hard, before she started to move, slowly grinding her clit against me, taking me deep.
“Look at me,” I whispered. Her eyes opened and met mine, held my gaze as she rose and fell. I watched desire flare in them, watched them go hazy and unfocused in time with her muscles gripping me tighter. I reached out and took her hips in my hands, fingers pressing into her creamy flesh as I jerked her down harder, thrusting upward as I did.
“Oh… mmm, Spencer… yes, f-fuck me…” Her hands landed on my chest, and she leaned on them, working hard, riding me until a rhythmic clapping filled the room in time with our bodies crashing together.
And when she came, it was with a strangled cry, one hand over her mouth, as she collapsed on top of me. Her muscles quivered, milking me, promising release. I let go gladly and pressed my fist to my mouth, barely holding back the groan stirring in my throat while my balls emptied.
How the hell had I gone so long without this? Without the magic of her? Everything was more intense—deeper, stronger. And when it came time for her to roll away with a weak sigh, there was a touch of regret that went along with it. Like I was losing her again.
I needed to be careful, or I might end up going too far and asking if she could see us doing this for the rest of our lives. It had to be the aftermath of coming, mixed with the fact that our daughter was sleeping in the next room.
That had to be why this felt so right.
I mulled it over long after Rowan slipped out of the room, wanting to be there if Hannah woke up.
I mulled over a lot of things once I was alone again.