Chapter Nineteen
SPENCER
I stepped down into the boat first, careful to balance it, and then lifted Penny up by her waist, placing her next to me.
Under the boatman's scrutinizing eyes, I put on her life jacket.
I took my suit jacket off, placing it on one of the empty seats.
I could have left it in the car but figured we might use it if Penny got cold.
After rolling up my sleeves, I put the life jacket on, which was a tight fit.
I grabbed the handle of one paddle and then the other and began rowing.
"You're good at this," Penny exclaimed after a few seconds. She sounded shocked.
I burst out laughing. "You thought I'd suck."
"I figured there will be a learning curve or something."
"I was on the rowing team back in college."
"And you kept that a secret? Oh, I can just imagine that happening. Explains all your muscles too. Do you still do that in your free time?"
"No. I use the rowing machine at the gym, but I haven't been on the water in years. I forgot how much I liked it."
"So why go out now?"
I looked straight at her and stopped mid row. The boat spun slowly.
"You said you'd like to go out on the lake, and I wanted to surprise you."
She put her hands between her knees, pressing them together and glancing sideways at the lake.
"You're thoughtful," she whispered.
"I aim to please."
That made her blush. Mission accomplished. My chest filled with pride. I started rowing again.
"What made you decide to leave in the middle of the day?" she asked.
“I went to my grandparents' home beforehand."
"Is everything okay? Did something happen?"
I couldn't believe she was worrying about them. She'd only met Grandmother twice. How could she be so invested in their well-being?
"Yes, everything's fine. I'm in a conundrum at work, and I figured I should listen to their opinions. I'd like to hear yours as well, as a matter of fact."
This was a new experience for me. I'd never, not once, spoken about Whitley Publishing with any woman I dated. Especially not Ben’s mother. She’d never been interested.
"I'm listening."
"I'm very stubborn, and I want to keep the biography section in The Vulture."
"Oh," she said.
She didn't sound enthusiastic at all.
"That says volumes about what you think of my idea."
"Well, I always wondered why you still have it. The pieces are very interesting, but I just can't imagine there are many people who read it."
I could have told her it was a symbolic thing. I didn't have to go into detail. But I wanted to.
"Back when my mother ran Whitley Publishing, she wrote that section in The Vulture herself. It was very important to her."
Penny pushed her hat back on her head. Finally, I could see her eyes properly. They were full of emotion.
"Oh, Spencer. And you want to keep it as a tribute to her?"
"Something like that."
"I think that's very touching."
I rowed twice more before saying, "My team isn't thrilled, but my grandparents said to follow my instincts. That passion projects are also fine as long as they don’t break the bank."
She smiled. It was a bit wobbly. "I think that wanting to keep someone's memory alive is commendable. Even if you just hold onto the section for yourself, that's fine. You should do it."
“It does have readers," I said. It wasn't the dead end everyone thought it was.
“I’ve been thinking about this—that the focus should be on the person whose biography we are writing.
There is still a strong market for it, judging by the biographical books that come out every year.
It just needs to be attached to a celebrity, which we haven't done before. Usually, we’ve taken the historical angle, writing about past presidents and such, keeping it more educational.
But I'm getting ideas on how to change this up. "
She grinned, shimmying in the seat. “I think that’s a great idea. And Spencer, I’m here to inspire you any time."
The lake was surprisingly empty. I assumed a lot of people would be taking advantage of the weather, but the less traffic, the better. The lake was our oyster, so to speak.
Penny aimed her phone at me, holding it still.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Sending a picture of you to Taylor.”
“Bragging about me, huh?”
“Oh yeah. What I wouldn't give to have some chips or popcorn,” she said after putting her phone down.
"You're hungry?"
"No, just so I can enjoy the view.” She repositioned to look at me. ”That’s better."
I laughed. "What's one thing got to do with the other?"
"It all makes sense to me, trust me. It's just very hard to explain."
"Fair enough, then don't."
"The sun is a bit hot though, isn't it?" she asked. "We should put on sunscreen. I want to apply some to your face; scoot over so I can come closer."
I put the paddles in the boat, wiggling my eyebrows. "You can sit in my lap."
Laughing, she rose to her feet. The boat immediately started to move from left to right.
"Holy shit!" Penny exclaimed, but I grabbed her firmly by the waist, steadying her. She gripped my shoulders.
"You're safe, babe. You can relax. You're with me."
"Huh, I didn't fall. That's good."
I patted my lap. "Sit down."
She sat sideways on my thighs, licking her lips.
I kissed her the way I’d intended to do at the house and then again in the shop.
I congratulated myself on waiting, because if I’d started at the house, we would never have left.
If I did this at the store, we would've made a spectacle of ourselves.
I couldn't hold back. I needed to explore her.
I needed her warmth, her cries of pleasure.
I needed her. I'd been restless ever since I left my grandparents’ house, but now I finally felt at ease. I felt at home.
I pushed my hand under her dress and up her thigh. With a flash, I realized this wasn’t a good idea. No matter what I did, this wouldn’t be comfortable for her, and I didn’t want to tip us over into the murky water.
Her pleasure and well-being would always be my number-one priority.
She groaned, pushing her hips slightly forward.
Fuck. She wanted me to touch her, and so did I.
I couldn't have her here, but that didn't mean I couldn't make her come.
I brushed her clit with my thumb, and she moaned against my mouth.
I deepened the kiss, moving my finger over her panties in slow cycles.
Then she gasped, pulling her head and her hips back.
"Spencer," she murmured, "we can't do this here."
"I just want to make you come, beautiful."
"No," she stammered. "We're not completely alone."
I glanced to the right where she was looking. Sure enough, there were three other boats that hadn't been there before. I groaned.
"My bad," I said.
"Where were we?" she murmured, more to herself.
"I was about to make you come. We realized it's not the best idea."
She pushed my shoulder playfully. "Not that. Oh yeah, I was going to put sunscreen on you."
She poured a bit in her palm and then used two fingers to spread it on my face and neck and then my forearms. She did it with a tenderness that made me want to break all rules of decency for her.
"My turn," I said.
I put some on her arms, spreading it slowly, massaging it into her skin. Her hair was even lighter in the sunlight.
She groaned. "You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"
"Protecting you? Oh yeah, definitely."
"Spencer, you know what I mean."
I looked up at her. "I can't stop myself when I'm with you. I have no control."
"Neither do I, but it makes me happy. I didn't think I could do this at all! Open up, I mean. Trust someone with my thoughts and feelings."
I gripped her right wrist tightly. "Penny, you can always trust me, no matter what. You know that, right?"
"I'm starting to learn that."
Yes, fuck yes. Earning this woman's trust was very important to me.
"Now your legs," I said, taking her right one and putting cream all over it and then drawing my hands up her inner thigh.
"You think a lot of sun is going to go in there, huh? Under my dress?" she challenged as I moved on to her other thigh.
"The fabric might slip and leave your skin exposed."
"Mm-hmm, I'm sure that's why you're being so thorough."
I pinched her thigh lightly. She gasped and then laughed, throwing her head back.
"You're playing a dirty game, Spencer Whitley."
"I'm not even pretending otherwise. I can't stop touching you."
"Well, you have to," she said, abruptly moving back to her seat. "There are even more people crowding in."
She was right. I had no idea how it was possible, but every time I was with her, the world around us seemed to fade into a blurry background. I was only aware of it when she pointed it out.
She sighed. "Oh, I wish I could come to the lake every day.”
"Why don't you?" I asked. "You said your schedule is flexible."
"My job keeps me busy, and I’m taking more freelance projects than usual too.”
"Why?"
"I spent most of my nest egg on my lawyer. Now I'm trying to build it back up."
I wanted to throttle that moron. Not only had he dragged her through a divorce, but she’d wasted her savings on it.
"The losing party is supposed to pay the lawyer fees.”
"There was no winning or losing party. Just lots of lawyers advising me, and they charge a lot. I was always hoping to save enough money to buy my future kid a small condo of their own, but that ship has sailed."
Her words struck me unexpectedly deep. Maybe because money had never been a problem for me, but this wasn't something I'd ever consciously thought about.
Sure, I wanted to build a legacy my son would be proud of, but this was completely different.
She didn't have much. Hell, she didn't have anything right now except the condo she'd shared with that asshole.
And still she thought about her future child.
"I'd better get you into the shade, beautiful. I don't want you getting a sunburn on account of me." The sun was hot. I wasn’t sure the sunscreen was enough protection.
I rowed to one of the huge willow trees at the edge of the lake but then realized there were people picnicking behind it.
"Let me find another one," I said. I wanted a quiet place.
"I think this one's good," she said a few minutes later, pointing to one that was farther away.
"That’s better."
She took off her hat as soon as we reached the tree. It was enormous, with branches dipping all the way into the water. There was barely enough space for me to maneuver the boat. Once we were directly under the tree, the branches formed a curtain of sorts around us, protecting us from view.
"It's so peaceful here," she muttered.
"Want to go to the front of the boat? We can lie down next to each other."
"Sure, that's a great idea. Why didn't we just do it out in the water?"
“It’s easier to anchor the boat here in shallow water.”
"Okay."
We moved to the front, lying side by side. I took my suit jacket off the bench and put it under her head.
“Always so careful,” she said.
I looked up at the tree. She turned onto one side, wrapping her leg around me. This was truly the best moment of my life next to holding my son for the first time. I knew deep in my veins that I belonged with her, just like my son belonged with me.