Chapter 11 Strawberry - Avery
“That was the best pasta I have ever had in my life.” Giving my stomach a pat, I placed the cloth napkin on my empty plate, surrendering any crumb left. I couldn’t eat another bite even if I tried.
“I had a feeling you’d enjoy it.” Spencer left a clean plate, bolognese and parmesan nowhere to be found.
Our evening started off feeling slightly on edge with me not expecting my night would be spent with him.
But even surprising myself, as our night continued, I was having a change of heart.
Although, in the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but get ahead of myself and wonder what all of this meant.
Where it would lead us next. But we’d just spent the last few hours getting to know each other, and we had so much more in common than I ever thought possible.
Especially with him being older than me.
It was the most normal I’d felt in a long time.
Bringing my attention back to our clean plates, I swirled my wine in its glass before bringing it to my lips. “Is this where you bring all your dates?”
“Dates? No. Business meetings and a solo night at the bar? Absolutely.”
“I have a hard time believing you haven’t entertained … company, other than myself, at your favorite restaurant.” My eyes narrowed into slits, challenging him.
“Would it make you jealous if I have?” His lips lifted into a smirk.
“Maybe.” Fuck, the wine had my tongue tied, forcing my cards to show.
“You like me,” he said for the second time tonight.
“Yes. But I can’t.” That nagging thought buried deep in my mind came forward.
Leaving his assumption unanswered once again, I tugged on my lip.
“So, are we going to get out of here?” My stomach sank as the words fell from my lips. The lines were beginning to blur between, ‘things I’d say to a normal client,’ and ‘this feels like a real date, and I want nothing more than to get out of here with you.’
Part of his requirements for tonight were to go back to his place, sleep in his bed, and hold me while we slept.
Spencer knew exactly what he was doing. He was making it impossible for me not to want him. He was pulling out all the stops and leaving the ball in my court. A ball that would be so easy to slam dunk if I had another glass of wine.
He was making it damn near impossible for my head to stay on straight knowing we were going back to his place after this. Just the two of us.
Spencer pushed out his chair, stood up, and held his hand out for mine. My fingers swept along the palm of his hand, and immediately, his touch felt as if a million butterflies were dancing in my stomach. We were just holding hands, yet it felt like a first kiss.
Electricity ran through our connected touch, the nerves continuing to build as we walked hand in hand out of the restaurant.
Goosebumps lit up my skin as we walked past the bar.
An eerie and familiar scent drifted around me, and when I took a glance back, I only confirmed it was all in my head; the alcohol was probably making me hallucinate.
Shaking off my irrational fears, we exited the restaurant that led us right out on the Strip. My palm molded to his so perfectly that my mind got lost in the feeling. It was just the two of us, walking through a blur of lights. Everyone around us invisible and insignificant.
Before I knew it, we arrived at his high-rise, taking the elevator all the way to the top. The memorable scent of fresh lemon invaded my nose when the elevator doors opened, inviting me back into the wide-open living room I had just seen the night before.
“I just realized you don’t have an overnight bag.” Spencer broke the silence.
Fuck. In all the chaos of my nerves, I left my bag at home.
“Shit. I’m so sorry. I told you my nerves were out of control. I must have forgotten it back at my place. I can grab a cab and go get my things?” His hand was still latched in mine when he pulled me into the kitchen.
“Don’t worry about it. I can make some calls.”
“Calls?” My brows furrowed.
“I’ll have my assistant grab a few things in your size and drop them off. It’s no big deal.” Spencer turned around, breaking eye contact with me.
Reaching into the fridge, he pulled out what looked like a plate of chocolate covered strawberries and whipped cream.
“I … Um … Thank you.” For a while now, I’d spent the majority of my time around some of the wealthiest people I’d ever met. But not once did a client or a man of any kind, offer to buy me personal belongings.
There was something exciting about receiving what felt like a gift, and the gesture in general. Presents were nonexistent for me once my parents passed, and no matter what version of Jax I had, he was never the type to be over the top and spoil me.
“Dessert?” Spencer set the plate with half chocolate covered strawberries, half plain, and a bowl of Cool Whip next to me on the counter.
“I may be stuffed from dinner, but I always have room for dessert.” I licked my lips, trying to decide between chocolate, or no chocolate.
“I like the way you think.” Before I could decide for myself, Spencer dipped a strawberry in the fluffy white dip, offering it to me from the palm of his hand.
Something about allowing him to feed me as he towered over me felt incredibly intimate.
As he moved the strawberry closer to my mouth, my lips popped open. With his dark eyes locked on mine, my lips wrapped around the juicy fruit. I bit down and licked away the evidence from the corners of my mouth.
Swallowing thickly, my breathing picked up. Half of a strawberry lingered between his fingers, the whipped cream still coating it. Before I could take the rest from him, the whipped cream dripped onto my chest, and both of our eyes dipped to my cleavage.
My heart pounded as my chest filled up with air, just to fall at a rapid pace.
Before I could move to clean myself up, Spencer swiped his finger over the Cool Whip, sucking it off his finger, and chasing it with the rest of the strawberry.
“So damn sweet.” His eyes were hungry for a type of dessert that went far beyond strawberries and whipped cream.
But he agreed when he paid me that nothing would be physical between us tonight.
My lips parted in response, but no words managed to come out.
Spencer reached behind me, discarding the top of the fruit as his large body pressed against mine. “I’m going to call my assistant. Please, help yourself,” he whispered, his breath tickling my ear and sending a shiver down my spine.
“Yeah.” My reply was lost in the wind as he walked away with his phone to his ear.
Pent up air finally escaped my lungs, and in that moment, I knew I was royally fucked.