Billionaire Romance: Spencer's Torment (A Seductive Alpha Billionaire Romance Book 2) (8 page)

Surprisingly, the conversation during lunch wasn’t awkward at all. In fact, Spencer and my parents seemed to get along as if they’d known each other for years. It was a little alarming, actually, but it gave me peace of mind knowing that they approved so highly of him. It only reaffirmed that I had made the right choice—not that I
needed
their approval, but it was nice.

Honestly, I had been worried about how things had ended with John and how that might tarnish their opinion of Spencer—especially considering John had probably gone back to Illinois afterward and blabbed about the entire thing. Just one of the perks of living in a small town. But luckily my parents didn’t seem phased by any of it—quite the contrary; they were wrapped around Spencer’s finger. Especially my mom.

As we pulled back into the long driveway to Spencer’s breathtaking home, my mom gushed, “Oh, Spencer. That lunch was to
die
for. Thank you for showing us such hospitality.” For added emphasis she leaned forward between the front seats and touched his shoulder, squeezing gently.

I shot her a look and she shrugged her shoulders and mouthed,
What?—
like she didn’t know she was being ridiculous. My mother wasn’t normally such a flirt, but clearly she was enamored with Spencer. Not that I could blame her.

I looked back at my father who just rolled his eyes, causing us both to explode in a fit of laughter.

Spencer glanced nervously between me and the rearview mirror and then replied, “Of course. It’s my pleasure, Mary.” He beamed his award winning smile at her and I thought for sure she would faint.

I rolled my eyes at him and he just laughed, then he reached over and took my hand in his, running his fingers gently over my own, sending a pulsing current of desire through my body, the buzz of it culminating in my center.

The sensation shocked me—it wasn’t something I’d felt in…months and it made me want Spencer right there and then. And by the way he was looking at me, with such desire in his eyes, he felt the same way.

It had been so long since I’d first experienced the magnitude of Spencer’s gentle lovemaking and I wanted it—and him.
Now.
A a vivid, triple x fantasy of the two of us played out in my mind and I could feel a wet, tingling sensation building within my center so intense that a moan escaped my lips.

Spencer cleared his throat, snapping me out of my daydream and reminding me that  I wasn’t alone.

Fuck.
A blush creeped up my cheeks as I remembered my parents were in the backseat and I covered my face in shame.

“Relax,” he leaned over and whispered in my ear. “It’s just you and me.”

His warm breath tickled my skin and sent a thrill of ecstasy down my spine.

I turned to look at him, his face millimeters from mine and then glanced at the backseat again—sure enough my parents were gone. I stared out the window and realized they had already gone inside.
Thank, God.

As I turned back to face Spencer, his lips brushed mine and a smirk played on his lips. “That must have been some fantasy you had going on, there.”

I blushed again and cast my eyes downward.

Spencer reached out and touched gently underneath my chin, tilting my face up to him so that he could see into my eyes. “Emily, I’ve missed you. My God, I’ve missed you,” he groaned, his voice thick with want as he gently ran his fingers through my hair.

“I’ve missed you, too, Spencer,” I whispered. And I had. I never thought I’d be the kind of girl that would need a man so badly, but Spencer had proved me wrong. Even though we had only known each other for a few months, we had been through so much already and I knew—without a doubt—that whatever was between us just felt…
right—
no matter how twisted or fucked up it was.

I pressed my lips into his and kissed him more passionately than I ever had, my thighs quivering with need for him. And just as our tongues met in a dance of desire, he pulled away.

“Hey!” I pouted, desperate for more of him.

“We’ll continue this later,” he whispered, his voice husky.

“But
why
?” I whined, feeling like a child whose favorite toy had just been taken away.

“We don’t want to keep your parents waiting, Emily,” he said cheerfully as he kissed my cheek. Then, just like that, he got out of the car and came around to open my door. “Come on, love,” he coaxed, holding his hand out for me.

I wanted to put up a fight, but I knew it wouldn’t do any good, so I accepted defeat and got out.

“Fine,” I pouted. “But it doesn’t mean I
like
it.”

Spencer gave me a wink and then smiled, turning away. “Naturally. Now come on, beautiful,” he said, walking up the steps ahead of me.

I trudged reluctantly into the house after Spencer, still half pouting that I hadn’t gotten my way. Not that what I had wanted was entirely logical, but that was besides the point.

As I trailed into the living room, my mom said, “Well, there you two love birds are. It’s about time.” She smiled an annoying parental smile.

“Here we are,” I said in my best chipper tone. I knew I was being a brat, but I couldn’t help it.

Spencer ignored my pouting and turned to my dad. “Hey Mike, why don’t you and I go down to LA for the day? They’re having their annual luxury auto show—it’s the best in the country,” Spencer said with a smile.

My dad’s face lit up and he made a groaning sound—the kind of noise that you never
ever
wanted to hear coming from your parents and I grimaced. Spencer had just struck gold. There wasn’t a faster way to my dad’s heart than through a mutual love of cars. Well, except for maybe food, but he’d already covered that.

“I’ll take that as a yes?” Spencer smiled, looking around at all of us for confirmation.

“Definitely a yes, my man,” my dad replied, slapping Spencer on the shoulder.

“Maybe afterward we can run by Ford Enterprises and I can give you a little tour?” Spencer said, hopeful.

“Sounds like a plan. I’d love to see where my little girl does all her hard work,” my dad said proudly.

Spencer and I shot each other a private look from across the room and I suppressed my laughter.
If you only knew, Dad.

“Do you ladies want to come along?” Spencer asked, turning to my mom and I.

“No thanks. I’m good,” I replied with a yawn. Not on purpose, but it was definitely indicative of how I felt about cars.

Everyone laughed and then my mom said, “You know, I think I’ll pass, too. I wanna stay here and hang out with Em. At least, if that’s alright with you?” she asked, looking at me expectantly.

Honestly, I just wanted some peace and quiet and time to rest. I was exhausted. But I knew that would break my mom’s heart, so I nodded my head and with a smile I said, “Sure. Of course.”

My mom smiled so big that it made me feel guilty for wanting to be alone. I knew I didn’t spend enough time with her and this would be the perfect opportunity for us to catch up. I just wished I wouldn’t have to entertain her and I sure as hell didn’t feel like going out anywhere.

As if reading my mind, Spencer came over to me and took my face carefully in his hands. “How about an at-home spa day? You won’t have to go anywhere. You can just stay here and relax. I’ll have them come to you,” he said.

“Oh Spencer. No. That would be so expensive,” I replied.

“It’s nothing. It’s the least I can do. Both of you beautiful women deserve to feel like Queens. And I know that you could use a massage,” he said, sadness briefly fleeting across his face.

I was reminded of the night before and the awful events that had taken place. It all seemed like a bad dream that hadn’t been real—something that only existed in my mind. Goosebumps spread over my arms and the hairs stood up on the back of my neck.

Spencer kissed the top of my head and looked at me with concern. “Are you okay, love? Maybe I shouldn’t go to LA. That was dumb of me to suggest,” he said, furrowing his brow.

“No, no. That’s crazy. Please go. Have fun. I’ll be fine. My mom will be here,” I reminded him with a small smile.

“Are you sure?” he asked, studying my face.

“Yes, I’m sure,” I nodded. And I really meant it. A relaxing spa day sounded like just the thing I needed. Besides, I wasn’t the only one who had been through hell in the past couple days—Spencer had as well and it would have been selfish of me to keep him from doing something that would bring him such joy.

“Okay, then,” he whispered and he kissed me on the lips, long and sweet and then he finally pulled away. “I’ll make a call to the spa and have them schedule you two ladies in right away, okay? They’ll call to verify before they come over. And everything will be on my tab so don’t hold back,” he said with a beaming smile.

My heart melted at his generosity and I was so proud he was mine.

“Absolutely not,” my dad said, holding up a hand. “You’ve already been way too generous, Spencer.”

“Mike, it really is my pleasure. Nothing brings me greater joy. Please allow me to do this,” he replied cordially.

My dad sighed and said, “Fine. But it’s really not necessary.”

“That’s the spirit!” Spencer clapped his hands and laughed. “Alright, ladies,” he said turning to us. “We’ll get out of your hair, now.”

My mom stood with her mouth hanging open and then finally pulled herself together enough to say, “Thank you, Spencer. Your kindness is so appreciated.”

As my dad and Spencer walked toward the entryway, he turned one last time and said to my mom, “You take care of my girl for me, okay?”

She nodded and smiled at him, “You know I will.”

Then he turned to me with a wink and said, “I’ll see you soon.”

As I watched him leave, I couldn’t help but think to myself,
It won’t be soon enough.

Several hours later I awoke abruptly to the sound of footsteps on the marble floor. My heart started racing at the thought of who or what it might be and I sat up in anticipation, trying to remember where, exactly, I was.

Everywhere I looked around me there was darkness and I started to panic. I felt like I was in a dream that I couldn’t wake up from and that at any moment Calvin was going to come back and kill me. I tried to piece together clues in my dazed state, but it was no use. I couldn’t see anything and the footsteps were getting closer and closer to me.

Suddenly a blinding light came on above me and I screamed, causing my mom to jump awake as well.

It didn’t make sense to me that she was here.

Spencer came rushing over to me, worry flashing across his face. “Emily, sweetheart. Are you okay?” He touched my hair and placed a hand on my shoulder.

I caught my breath and stared at him wildly, trying to remember what had happened.

My dad rushed to my side as well and said in a soothing voice, “It’s okay, Em. You’re gonna be okay. You’re safe now. It’s just us.”

After a few seconds, I remembered everything that had happened. Calvin could no longer hurt me and he was gone for good. I breathed deeply, nodding. “Yes, I’m okay. I just…I got confused. That’s all,” I said, feeling overwhelmed with all of the attention. “I’m sorry,” I said, a tear slipping down my cheek.

“No, shh,” Spencer said softly, wiping the tear away with his thumb. “There’s nothing to be sorry for, Emily. It’s okay.”

I nodded and wiped my eyes. I felt so stupid with all of them hovering around me, analyzing my every action.

I thought back to earlier in the day when my mom and I had been getting our massages and spa treatments. She had asked me if I was okay, in light of recent events and I had insisted that I was, but now I wasn’t so sure.
Was I?
I didn’t feel like this was “sane person” behavior and the looks on their faces only confirmed that.

“I’m fine,” I said loudly, pushing myself up off the couch. “I’m just tired. That’s all. I’m going to bed.”

They all watched me walk away and as I got to the bottom of the stairs I could hear them whispering. I overheard my dad say, “Spencer, it might be best for her to see a counselor…”

My mom murmured in agreement and I couldn’t hear Spencer’s reply, but I’m sure he was on board as well.

Great.
So they
did
think I was crazy. I stomped up the stairs as noisily as I could, but considering I didn’t have shoes on and it was a marble floor, I doubt they even noticed.

When I reached Spencer’s bedroom I slammed the door and flung myself down on the bed.
Bet you heard that,
I smiled smugly to myself.

Why couldn’t they just understand that it was a simple misunderstanding? There was nothing
wrong
with me…was there? Just because I couldn’t remember where I was for a second didn’t mean I needed a therapist.

Despite trying to reason with myself about the circumstances, deep down I knew part of what they’d said was true and I think that’s what hurt me the most.
Knowing
that I was broken.

I broke down in a fit of heavy sobs, burying my face in Spencer’s soft down comforter. It smelled just like him and it made me cry even more. What if this was the last straw? What if Spencer couldn’t handle me anymore and he decided I needed to leave?

I couldn’t get through this without him.

I heard the bedroom door opening slowly and I tried to quiet myself so that whoever was there would think I was sleeping.

“Emily,” Spencer’s deep voice echoed into the darkness.

I didn’t make a sound, hoping he’d go away, but it was no use.

“I know you’re awake. I heard you crying all the way from the stairs,” he whispered gently and I could hear the smile in his voice.

A hiccup escaped my lips, causing me to giggle like a schoolgirl, despite my best efforts otherwise. Even though my face was still buried in the blanket, I knew there was no doubt he’d heard me because he walked over to the bed and sat down.

With a laugh he placed his strong, warm hand on my shoulder and rubbed back and forth, the motion soothing my nerves. “Sweetheart, what’s going on?” he asked gently.

Normally I was the type of girl who’d reply with the typical, ‘Nothing.’ But not today. I felt emboldened to express my feelings so I rolled over on my side and said, “I heard what you guys said, you know? How you all think I need to be locked up in the psych ward.” I wiped my eyes and sniffled.

A deep, guttural laugh escaped Spencer’s lips and he slapped his hand to his mouth. “I’m sorry. Do
what?
”

“Spencer, it’s not funny. I know everyone thinks I’m crazy.”

He reached out gently with a finger and traced the curve of my cheek and down my neck to my collarbone. With a sigh he said, “Emily, sweetheart…
no one
thinks you’re crazy. And I also don’t recall anyone ever saying anything about you being locked up in a psych ward.” He frowned, furrowing his brow.

“Okay, maybe I made that part up, but I feel it was expressly implied.”

He laughed gently, “No one thinks you’re crazy. We’re just worried about you. That’s all. You’ve been through a lot in the past few months. More than any one person should have to go through. There’s nothing wrong with needing a little help to deal with it.”

I had to admit that when he put it that way, what he said made sense, but it still didn’t make me feel any less “damaged.”

Spencer touched his thumb to my forehead, delicately grazing the lines of concern that had settled there. “Don’t you agree?”

I shrugged and then nodded, avoiding his gaze.

“Okay, then. What is it? I know there’s something that’s still bothering you.”

After a few moments of silence, I sighed and said, “I don’t know. I just…I don’t see why you’d want to be with someone like me.” There. I’d said it. It felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders and I braced myself for the words that would only confirm my deepest fears.

But they didn’t come. Instead, Spencer replied, “Emily Anne Prescott, how many times do I have to tell you that you are the
only
girl for me? No amount of pushing me away, or trying to convince me otherwise is going to change that. What do I have to do to prove to you that you’re perfect?”

I shrugged.

“Oh, come on now,” he coaxed, “there has to be something that I can do.”

I hid my face in the comforter again, trying to conceal the smile that had formed on my lips.

“If I recall,” he purred in my ear, “we have some unfinished business from this afternoon.”

His words sent a shock through my body and I was immediately taken back to the x-rated fantasy that I’d had about the two of us. I could feel my breathing quicken at the thought of finally being with Spencer again—something I had wanted for so long.

I’d spent every night while we were apart lying awake in bed, dreaming of the day that we could be together again and here I was,  my wish had finally come true.
I
was what he wanted. What he
needed.
And it felt good—really good.

I felt him lay down on the bed beside me as he gently nudged my shoulder, rolling me over onto my back. “Don’t we?” he whispered into my ear, running his lips across my jaw.

I nodded, barely able to respond, my body paralyzed with longing and anticipation.

Spencer ran his hands down the length of my body, his touch a mix of gentleness and strength. He climbed on top of me, then and started kissing my neck, planting wet, warm kisses in a trail down my jaw, neck, collarbone while simultaneously undoing the button to the pair of skimpy jean shorts he’d picked out for me.

“God you looked hot today,” he groaned as he ran his fingers underneath the hem of my shorts and helped me shimmy out of them.

I smiled, trying to swallow back the self doubt that was creeping into my mind.
Why would he say that? There’s no way I look hot. I’m hideous. Why would he lie to me? Have you seen yourself lately, Emily? You look like a walking domestic violence poster. There’s nothing
hot
about that.
But my inner mean girl wouldn’t shut the hell up and before I knew it I was pushing Spencer off of me.

“What’s wrong, Emily?” Spencer asked, genuine confusion on his face.

“Why would you say that to me?” Despite my best efforts at pushing my self doubt aside, I had failed.

“Say what? That you’re hot? Uhm…I don’t know, because you
are?”

I glared at him, “No, I’m not. I don’t know why you feel like you need to lie to me, Spencer. I know that I look hideous right now. I just wish you’d acknowledge it instead of trying to pretend like this didn’t happen to me—like everything is just
normal.”

Spencer sat up, then and the look on his face was heartbreaking. He looked physically hurt by my words and I immediately regretted them.

“Is that what you think?” he whispered, tears in his eyes. “You think that I’m just lying to you? Trying to make you feel better about yourself? Like I don’t remember why all this happened?
Jesus
,” he said shaking his head. “If that’s the case, then clearly I’ve failed here.”

I bit my lip and held back the tears that were stinging my eyes. I really didn’t want to lose it again. Not now. “Spencer, I’m sorry…” I whispered.

He held up his hand. “Do you want to know the truth, Emily? Do you want to know why I really haven’t acknowledged everything that’s happened?”

He didn’t wait for a response. “It’s because every fucking second that I think about what he did to you, I wish, more than anything that
I
could have been the one to pull the trigger. And I can barely live with the fact that the only reason all of this happened in the first place is because of
me.
If you’d never met me, you never would have had to go through all of this and I can’t help but feel responsible for the fallout.
That’s
why I haven’t acknowledged it. Because it hurts too fucking much. And every time I look at you all I see is a perfect, beautiful girl who didn’t deserve any of this. And I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I let this happen to you,” he sobbed, breaking down in anguish.

I had never seen Spencer so emotional and his words had taken my breath away. How could I have been so self-absorbed? I had never even stopped to
think
about how all of this might have affected him, that he felt so responsible and what a burden that must have been.

I pulled his face to mine and kissed his lips with such intensity that it scared me, our tongues crashing back and forth into one another, speaking the language of our souls.

In one swift motion, Spencer had taken off his boxers and he was on top of me, our mouths never breaking contact. I wanted him so badly that it hurt and when he finally shoved himself inside of me, desperate for release, the satisfaction that I felt was indescribable.

With every carnal thrust, I could feel the pain between us mixing and dissolving into something beautiful—something free. And as our bodies crashed together, I held onto him as tightly as I could and whispered, “I’m sorry,” over and over again until, finally, we collided in an overwhelming wave of ecstasy. And for a moment—no matter how briefly it would last—I felt whole again.