Love. True, impenetrable love.
I choose a room for Charlie and me, it’s not the largest, but it has a large balcony that offers a view of both the sunset and sunrise.
Standing at the window, I watch as Prescott runs down the beach, chasing Ava. I can’t hear them, but I can feel their laughter as they roll up their pants and race through the icy water, waves lapping at their ankles and calves.
“There you are,” Charlie says, coming up behind me. “You disappeared.”
“Do you like it here?” I ask as I pull her to me. She faces out, and we both stand at the picturesque window, the massive ocean stretching for miles.
“It’s amazing.” I can feel her smiling. “I know I’m supposed to hate this weekend, be a grump because your parents aren’t exactly on team Charlie, but I can’t let them sour my mood. This place is too perfect.”
“I always thought I’d get married here.” I feel her stiffen in my arms, but I press on, “I know maybe most guys don’t think like that, but I saw a wedding on the beach when I was maybe ten, and I remember thinking the bride and groom, standing on the ocean edge, looked like magic. Glittering sand, blue skies, the whole bit.” I chuckle. “Is that weird?”
Charlie looks over her shoulder, her eyes meeting mine. “No, I think it’s sweet. You’re such a romantic at heart, Spencer Beckett. You hide it well, with the whole manwhore reputation,” she says laughing, turning around so we’re face-to-face. “But deep down you’re sentimental.”
“I’m glad you’re here with me. The last few years here have been really rough. I think the Nantucket house needed you, Charlie Hayes. To bring some light to a dark place.”
She stands on her tiptoes and kisses me. “I love you, Spencer.”
“I love you more.”
Mom calls us then, and we walk down the stairs, fingers laced. It’s crazy, the fact I’m not dreading this dinner. But how could I be? I’ll be sitting beside the woman I am absolutely crazy about.
* * *
Thankfully dinner is uneventful. Ava and Prescott steal the show by detailing their plans to take a ten-day trip to Australia the week after graduation before Ava moves to London for the summer. They’ve decided to learn to scuba dive which I find pretty fucking impressive.
“Are you guys going anywhere for end-of-term holiday?” Ava asks Charlie and me.
“We haven’t really thought about it,” I say. ‘We’ve been really consumed lately.”
“I get it,” Ava says. “It’s been a big month.” Then she smiles. “I just like avoiding reality by planning extravagant vacations.”
Dad laughs. “You take after your mother in that,” he says. “Where are we headed in June, Suzanne?”
“The Seychelles, Geoffrey.” She rolls her eyes dramatically. “We’ve been over it a dozen times.”
Charlie smiles at me. “I wouldn’t mind coming back here. I’d love to see this place in the summer.”
After we eat, Mom retires to her bedroom, and the girls decide to go into town for ice cream. Ava hasn’t stopped talking about The Juice Bar since we picked her up to catch our flight, and Prescott agrees to take them. I was going to join them, but my father asked if I would join him for a drink, and I decide to get the conversation over with.
I know he heard about my decision to forgo the summer internship, and it’s no surprise he wants to hash it out. I kiss Charlie goodbye and she leaves the house all smiles. The fact that my parents haven’t gotten under her skin yet is no small feat. God, that girl is strong.
My father hands me a scotch, then pours himself one before turning his back on me and heading toward the large bay window that overlooks the beach. He looks tired, and there seems to be more gray in his hair since even the last time I saw him.
I know what he wants to talk to me about. His legacy. The Beckett name. Me following in his political footsteps. Me being more like Ethan. Why I turned down the internship with Senator Johnson.
“If this is about the internship, It’s not—”
“I want you to call off your investigator.” He turns slowly, blue eyes void of emotion when they meet mine.
I narrow my own eyes at him, suspicion clawing at my throat. “Why?”
He gives a heavy sigh, then takes a deep swallow of the aged, amber liquid before setting the empty crystal glass down. “Because I said so, Spencer.”
“Not a good enough reason. Someone tried to kill Charlie, and I’m going to find out who the motherfucker is—”
“I read the police report, it was an accident.”
“An accident?” Anger burns hot inside me. “Someone tried to run her off the road. And it was no accident that both her and Ava’s room were vandalized that same night.”
He shrugs. “A college prank.”
“Are you kidding me? You think it was a fucking prank? Charlie was hurt. Seriously hurt. I thought...I thought I was going to lose her.” I slam my glass down on the table, suspicion burning through me. “What are you trying to hide? If you know something—”
“I’m trying to protect you and your sister, and if you want to do the same, I suggest you drop it. Now.” He shouts the last word.
In the past, I would have been intimidated by my father. He’s a powerful man, and he made certain that his children knew it. And I’ve always tried to keep the peace. But there’s an unease in the back of my skull, a knowing.
It has something to do with the voice recording I got. My brother’s confession.
I gave you the fucking money to keep your mouth shut. Don’t go having morals on me now. That chick was dead. There was nothing either of us could do. But I swear to god, that if I go down, you’ll go down with me.
“Tell me right now what you’re hiding, or not only will I continue my investigation, I’ll open it up on you and Ethan—”
“Christ, you always were stubborn.” He shakes his head, then sits down in one of the leather armchairs. “You’ll make a damn good politician if you can ever focus that hardheadedness.”
“You’re changing the subject.”
“All I’ve ever wanted...” His eyes close, and I swear I see a tremble go through him. Fear. It radiates off him. And there’s only one thing that would cause it, he’s worried about the Beckett name.
“What did Ethan do?” I ask again, this time slowly, my voice calm, collected, despite the turmoil raging inside me.
“All I’ve ever wanted was to protect you children.”
“Dad.” There’s a pressure in my chest, making it difficult to breathe.
“It was an accident.” He looks out the window, expression stoic, his face a dull, ashen color like all the blood has drained from it.
“What kind of accident?” I ask carefully. There’s a part of me that already knows. That knew when I got the phone call. Hell, maybe a piece of me knew even before Ethan drove his car off that cliff.
“He said the girl came out of nowhere.” His hands go to his temples. “Ethan said he tried to swerve, but...he called me, and I could hear it in his voice, he was...he’d been...”
I sit down, my own hands starting to tremble. “He’d been drinking?”
“It would have destroyed him. His career. His future.”
“What did you do?”
“There was nothing he could have done. The girl was dead. I told him to do the only thing he could.”
“You helped him cover it up?” The immorality of the whole thing hits me square in the chest.
“It would have ruined him. Ruined our whole family.”
I start laughing, hard, cold, an angry sound that comes from the deepest part of my soul. It’s a vicious sound, one full of hatred and rage. When I’ve collected myself, I stand and pin my father with a look of wrath.
“No,” I tell him. “You ruined him. Your actions destroyed this family.”
I start to walk away, but my father growls out behind me. “This is more than a scandal. It’s not just me who’ll be destroyed if this comes out. Think about your moth
er, your sister. Think about yourself, Spencer.”
I ignore him, needing air, needing Charlie, needing something to take away the open wound in my chest. My father is right about one thing, this isn’t just a scandal, it’s a crime, and if I expose it, not only will the Beckett name be tarnished, my father could face criminal charges for his involvement in hiding it.
6
Charlie
I lay in Spencer’s arms, hear the tumultuous beating of his heart beneath my cheek, feel his rough breaths against the top of my head. Every muscle in his body is tense. The day has only just begun, and he’s already stressed out.
Early morning sunlight filters through the curtains and I wish we could fall back asleep, that his worries could be put on hold for awhile longer.
“I don’t know what to do, Charlie.” His arms wrap tighter around me. “I have my guy looking into the accident. I should have the girl’s name by the end of the day.”
“And then what?”
“I don’t know.... My dad was right, it doesn’t just involve me, there’s Ava to think about.”
I shift so that I can see his face. “You should tell her.”
He sighs. “I know. And I will. I just...I need to work through it first.”
“What your brother did, taking off, it was wrong, but...” I place my hand on his cheek. “It was an accident.”
His jaw bounces under my touch. “Except that he was drunk. It may not be murder, but it is manslaughter. And the girl’s family...” He shakes his head. “I think about not knowing who ran you off the road, and what it’s done to me. Imagine what they’ve gone through...not knowing who killed their daughter.”
“You are such a good man, Spencer Beckett. I love you so much,” I say, pressing a kiss to his chest. “You’ll do what’s right. I know it.”
He takes my fingers and brings them to his mouth. “I just don’t know what that is.”
“You’ll figure it out,” I tell him. Believing that with all of my heart. “Maybe you just need to let your mind think about something else for awhile, and then, when you don’t expect it, you’ll have the clarity you need.
He lifts his eyebrows as I run my fingers over his bare chest. He is a pillar of strength, and his ripped body turns me on, in even the most intense moments.
“How do you suppose I clear my head?” he asks, his eyes catching mine.
I reach beneath his boxers, taking hold of his thick cock. “I have a few ideas,” I tell him with a wry smile.
“We have to be quiet. Ava and Prescott are sleeping right below us.”
Charlie shakes her head. “Nope, earlier when I got up to get a glass of water I saw them running on the beach.”
His hands push down my panties. “In that case, we can be as loud as we fucking want.”
I laugh, tossing aside my tank top. Spencer’s hands run over my breasts, teasing my nipples.
“I love your tits, Charlie Hayes.” He kisses one, then sucking my nipples, getting them hard and excited.
I giggle. “You’re so weird.” I run my hand up and down his thick shaft, loving the way my body feels when he touches me, explores all of me.
“What do you mean? I’m not weird. I have great taste is all.” He nuzzles his face against my breasts, and my pussy aches as he plays with them.
I close my eyes, relishing this morning that is so simple, so pure. Just Spencer and me, no worries about the rest of the world. Just us. It relaxes me in a way I haven’t been since the accident, and I know Spencer must sense it, the way my body is opening up for him as his fingers tease my clit, my pussy wet as he circles my tender spot.
“That feels so good,” I moan, rubbing my own hand against myself, using my wetness to stroke his cock, getting him harder with each movement of my wrist.
We’re facing one another, on our sides, and my knees open for him so he can finger me more fully. He runs his hand through my hair fiercely, as if claiming hold over me and the need begins to build in me so desperately.
“Fuck me, Spence,” I beg. “Make me come really hard.”
His eyes go dark, and I know he loves it when I talk like this. Like he is the only man in the world who can pleasure me.
The truth is, it’s so sexy, the thought that Spencer is the only man who has claimed my pussy; licked me and sucked me and made me writhe against him. I love that he took my virginity, that he has owned my pussy in a way no other man ever has. Ever will.
My hand stills as I consider that. Ever will.
Is that what this is? Spencer and me? The beginning of forever?
“You okay?” he asks.
I nod. I’m a little overwhelmed at the thought, but I don’t push it away.
I love Spencer - and not just his cock. Everything about him is what I want in a partner, a lover, a husband.
I blink back the thought, wondering if Nantucket is making me a little delirious.
“Hey, Charlie, did I lose you?” he asks, his hand stilling against my pussy.
I shake my head. “No,” I whisper. “I’m right here.”
And I am. I’m here for Spencer, no matter what happens next. With his family - their secret. With the stalker. With Spencer’s career and my aspirations, and our future.
I’m here for it all.
“Good,” he says, rolling over me, his thickness eager and my pussy more than ready. “Because I’m not going anywhere without you.”
He enters me, pulsing inside me, deep and hard and my body welcomes it. The pleasure and the pain. Everything Spencer is and was and might be. He is also mine.
I cry as my body releases along with him - not censoring my voice. I don’t care who hears me, who sees me, who might think what. I have no doubt where I belong, where my place is - not in Nantucket and not in Princeton or in D.C.
My place is right here, with the man I love.
And I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.
* * *
“Charlie,” Ava hollers to me from the beach, waving. But a second later Prescott has her over his shoulder and is rushing toward the waves, pretending that he’s about to throw her in.
I shiver just thinking about how cold the water is.
“Here.” Spencer places a quilt over my shoulders, then wraps his arms around me. “You look cold.”
“She’s not a fragile bird, you know,” Suzanne says, surprising me by joining us on the beach. She’s been slightly removed all day and I wonder if this is all changing too fast for her. Spencer and me, Ava and Prescott. Her family is shifting and maybe she isn’t ready for it.
“I never said she was fragile, Mother,” Spencer says coolly. “She just looked chilled.”
“Hey,” I say, resting my hand on his. “It’s okay.” He is always so quick to fight with his mother, and I wonder if it was always like this. Always butting heads. Defensive. Unable to see the other’s point of view.
I know Suzanne has been awful toward me, but I’m desperate to give her the benefit of the doubt. I don’t have a mother anymore. And Spencer and I aren’t ending things anytime soon. Which means I want a relationship with Suzanne. Not to replace Mom, but because Spencer’s family could be my family one day.
God, I want that so much.
“I’m going inside to pack up a bit,” Spencer says. “You okay out here, Charlie?”
“You’re not leaving for another few hours, are you?” Suzanne asks.
“Yeah, we have a while before the jet will be here.” He frowns slightly, as if not wanting to admit something more. Finally though, it seems his conscience wins out. “Actually, I’m going to look through some old photos, if you don’t mind. I’d like some at my townhouse.”
I watch as Suzanne’s lips press tightly together. “No, that’s fine, of course. Take whatever you want.”
He squeezes my shoulders before walking away and I can see the torment in his eyes as he leaves. I start to move, thinking maybe he shouldn’t be alone, but Suzanne shakes her head. “Let him be. He’s like that. Needs spac
e to think things through.”
I nod, knowing what she means. Spencer is the sort of person who needs time to process on his own.
Just when I think Suzanne isn’t going to say anymore, she adds, “He’s the opposite of Ethan, in that.”
My eyebrows lift. “How so?”
She sighs, gesturing to a pair of Adirondack chairs in the sand. We sit, the waves ahead of us, Ava and Prescott in the distance. Their incessant laughter mixing with the seagulls flying low. Ava brings out a playful side of Prescott, a side that was sorely hidden when I first met him on campus. He was so callous and crass. Now he seems lighter, like he’s taken a breath of fresh air for the first time in years. And Ava is that clarity he needed.
“Ethan was like Ava. Easy-going, not taking anything too seriously. He could make a decision and run with it in the blink of an eye.” She doesn’t look at me when she talks, but I know her words are for me. “After we lost Ethan, Spencer changed.”
“But he is the notorious Princeton Charming,” I say. “When I met him, he was the life of the party.”
“Was he though?” she asks. Her question surprising me.
“What do you mean?” I know his reputation on campus. How he could flirt his way anywhere, could offer a single smile and have his way with anyone.
“It’s not real. Not the real Spencer. Surely you know that by now.” She looks at me, assessing me. Wanting to see how deep I might go.
“I always thought he was this playboy on campus,” I admit. “So when I finally got to know him I was shocked to see—”
She cuts me off. “That he is actually a good man with a pure heart?”
I smile softly. Spencer may think his mother doesn’t understand him, but maybe she knows him better than anyone. “Yeah, exactly that. He is a man who has ambition that reaches farther than power and prestige.”
“I know,” she says, exhaling. As if the reality is a lot for her to bear.
“Then why are you so hard on him? Pushing him to be something he isn’t?”
“The world is a cruel and relentless place, Charlotte. You know that. You lost your mother, recently, and you’ve been threatened multiple times. You aren’t naive.”
Forever Princeton Charming Page 5
