4. Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Spencer
I n the morning, I wake to sunlight streaming in through the window and a soft, warm weight on my chest. I look down at the tangled rainbow and blonde hair spread around slim, satin shoulders.
I close my eyes with a smile, enjoying the simple pleasure of waking up with a firecracker goddess in my arms. It doesn’t take long for her to stir against me, lifting her head to look up at me.
“Good morning, gorgeous,” I say. “You didn’t leave.”
She rolls her stunning eyes, more blue than green this morning. “How could I? Every time I woke up and thought about it, you woke up as well and we ended up having sex again.”
I grin. “Yeah, we did. Do you want to get some breakfast?”
She hesitates, a worried look in her eyes.
“No pressure, Lis. I just figure we’re both probably hungry.”
“I thought this might be…”
“A one-night stand? Not if I can help it.” I slide my hands down her back and grip her hips, pulling her over me, letting her feel the erection that had grown since we woke.
She gasps and laughs, settling down on my chest, her hands folded under her chin as she looks at me through golden lashes. At some point last night, she’d gone to the bathroom and washed off all her makeup. She looked just as fucking gorgeous without it as she had with it.
“A couple problems with going for breakfast,” she says. “My shirt is all wrinkled. I left my jacket at the bar and it’s going to be pretty cold out there this morning. And I don’t exactly have the right shoes for anything other than clubbing.”
“I can easily fix the first two for you. The shoes… you may have to suffer.”
I give her a lingering kiss before shifting her off me and grabbing some clothes from my closet and dresser. I hand her a plain white t-shirt and my black Evil Dead hoodie.
“I don’t care much about the t-shirt, but that’s my favourite hoodie,” I say. “I expect it back.”
“Maybe.”
She sends me a mischievous smile and pulls them both on, not bothering with her bra. Now I want the t-shirt back as well, just to have something she’s worn against her bare skin. After we’re dressed, I gather the things she isn’t wearing, putting them in a backpack, then we head out and I lead her away from the water, promising the restaurant I’m thinking of isn’t far.
I lace our fingers together and it’s the most natural thing in the world. She looks amazing in my hoodie, her hair twisted up on her head, a riot of colours, her feet still in those fuck-me shoes.
“So have you figured out that quote yet?” I ask.
She looks at me out of the corner of her eye. “Not yet.”
“No Googling. That’s cheating.”
She places a hand over her heart. “I would never!” she says, in an intensely offended way that sounds familiar.
“Now you’re quoting.”
She grins at me and I realize I’m already gone for this woman.
We reach the restaurant and get seats within a few minutes. Lis’ phone rings and she answers, sending me an apologetic smile.
“Hey,” she says. “No, I’m fine. We’re just out for breakfast.”
Her face turns bright red, and she slides her gaze away from me, but the smile remains on her lips.
“I’m going to go now. I’ll talk to you later. Goodbye. I love you.”
She says the last as though she’s talking over the other person, then hangs up.
“Sorry. My sister.”
“You have a sister?”
“My identical twin,” she says, like I should already know. “She was at the bar last night.”
“There were two of you?” I should have noticed there was a second perfect looking woman at the table. How had I noticed Lis and not her sister? “What’s her name?”
“Daze.”
I blink a few times. “Lis and Daze? You must have pretty cool parents.”
She laughs. “They are, but not in the way you’re thinking. Lis and Daze are both shortened.”
“Shortened from what?”
She holds my gaze with a grin. “You can’t open the book of my life and jump in the middle. Like Woman, I am a mystery.”
I erupt into laughter and she laughs with me.
“It’s been driving me crazy,” she says. “What is that line from?”
I lean toward her. Why did I sit all the way on the other side of this table? I should be sitting next to her. I want to be touching her. “Guess.”
Her eyes sparkle and she leans forward as well. “Let’s play a game. Twenty questions.”
I narrow my eyes. “Twenty is too many. If you’re who I think you are, you’ll guess long before twenty.”
“Five then. But they don’t have to be yes/no.”
“Fine. But one-word answers only.”
She nods. “You can’t ask about actors. That would make it too easy.”
“But you can ask the gender of the speaker.” I drum my fingers on the table. “To win the game, you have to guess right within… twenty-four hours.”
“What do winners get?”
“One favour of any kind.”
Her smile grows and I can see her thinking of all the favours she’s going to ask me for. Instead of feeling nervous, I’m excited.
“Movies and shows only? Or books as well?”
I consider the question for a moment. “We can do books, but they won’t count toward winning or losing.”
“Okay. Your quote. First question. Movie or show?”
“Show.”
She regards me for a long moment. “Fantasy or Sci-fi?”
I grin. “Sci-fi.”
She holds my gaze, and I can see her thinking. Then she smiles. And then it gets wider. “Malcolm Reynolds. Firefly .”
She has never been hotter than she is at this moment.
“Will you marry me?”
She throws her head back and laughs. She knows I’m joking. I know I’m joking.
But if she says yes, I will be an engaged man.
Our food arrives and we eat, a breakfast sandwich for her and a chili and cheese omelette for me.
“Your quote,” I say after the first few bites. “Movie or show?”
“Movie.”
“Genre?”
She taps her lips, thinking. “Action/adventure. Maybe a little bit horror?”
“That was more than one word.”
She smiles sweetly at me. “Freebie.”
“Is the speaker a man or woman?”
“Woman.”
I eat some more of my breakfast while I consider my options and what next question I want to ask. She’s watching me with that sparkle in her eye, like she’s considering what favour she’s going to ask for when I get this wrong.
“Older or newer?”
“Older. Definitely. Like late nineties, I think.”
I grin. “You’re really no good at the one-word answers, are you?”
“I’m just answering the questions, Spencer. You shouldn’t be complaining. I’m making it easier on you.”
I have one more question. And I need to get this right. She guessed my quote after only two questions. I’m watching her closely.
“Is this your favourite movie?”
She lifts an eyebrow at me. “How is that going to help you figure out what it’s from?”
“It isn’t. I just want to know.”
She take a breath, considering. “It’s not necessarily my favourite. But it is my comfort movie. I watch it whenever I’m sad or sick or just feeling blah.”
“Oh yeah. Like The Dark Crystal .”
“What?”
“My comfort movie. It’s The Dark Crystal .”
She shakes her head slowly. “I don’t think I’ve seen that one.”
I slump back in my seat. “You haven’t? How can you not have seen The Dark Crystal ?”
“I don’t know. I’ll have to fix that.”
“We’ll watch it together,” I say. “Give me your phone.”
She hands it over, unlocked and I save my number in her contacts. Then send myself a text with one word. Firecracker . I hand back her phone.
“There.”
She looks at what I’ve done and then bursts into laughter.
“God?”
“I think it was well established by the end of last night.”
She shakes her head as she changes the contact to my name instead.
“You prefer Spencer and not Spence, right?”
My good mood freezes for a second at the shortened form of my name, sending a flash of ice through me. I really hate being called Spence.
Lis looks up. “Spencer?”
But I don’t need to bring the mood down.
“Yeah. I prefer Spencer.”
Her smile eases the tension and we fall back into the easy teasing we’ve been enjoying. We finish eating and I pull out my wallet.
“How much do I owe?” she asks.
“I’m not letting you pay,” I say.
She arches an eyebrow. “Was this a date?”
“Abso-fucking-lutely.”
Her cheeks flush and she gives me another smile. I could live on her smiles alone.
“Fine. I’ll let you pay. This time.”
I pull out a card and the waitress brings the card reader, asking what the day holds for us. I want to spend all of it with Lis, but she says she has to get home and get ready to start a new job tomorrow. I don’t let my disappointment show. We’ve already had an incredible morning. And night. I’ll be thinking about last night until the next time I can get her into my bed. Or until I can get into hers. Or until I’m dead. Probably all three.
I grab her hand as we leave the restaurant and start down the road to the bus stop. Her place is far enough away that she doesn’t want to walk. I insist on coming onto the bus with her, even though she says it isn’t necessary.
It’s only three stops and we decide to stand instead of getting a seat. I hold her against me with one arm while I hold on to a bar with the other. The ride is very short and then we’re standing in front of her building. I hand her the backpack with her shirt and bra inside.
“Give it back later. When you return my hoodie.”
She grins up at me, wrapping her arms around my waist. “I’m not giving this hoodie back. You shouldn’t have given it to me if it’s your favourite.”
I sigh and capture her lips. “You can keep it for now. But I want to see it next time we go out. I need to see you’re taking care of it. Maybe I can take it off you.”
She laughs and kisses me again. “I have to go. I have to wash my hair and remove my nail polish.”
“Your rainbow isn’t going to wash out, is it?” I ask, alarmed.
“No. It’s permanent. It’s pretty new, though, so some of the colours will fade over the next few months. But I need a shower before I start a new job. If you remember, I got a little sweaty last night.”
“I don’t want to let you go. Not until I know when I’m going to see you next.”
She searches my eyes and I notice they’re more green now than they were earlier. What made them change? Was it her emotions? Or just the light?
“I’m going to be pretty busy for the next little while. And I’m not sure what my schedule is going to be until I start. I’ll let you know?”
“That’s as good as I can get, I suppose. You want me to walk you up?”
“No. I’ll save you from Sophie and Daze giving you the third degree. For now.”
She lifts up onto her tiptoes to touch her lips to mine. I hold her against me for as long as she allows. When she slips away, I force myself to let her go. I watch her through the glass doors as she crosses the lobby. I’m rewarded for my patience when she turns and waves before getting into the elevator. When she’s out of my sight, I start toward the beach a few blocks down, intending to walk along the Seawall back to my place, feeling like everything is absolutely perfect.