unDefeated

by J.C. Valentine

  “But…”

  Her expression grew distant as she looked away. “I always share my day with Ally, but since our fight…I don’t think we can do that anymore.”

  Shifting to free his arms, Spencer settled fully on top of her, bringing mind to the fact that they were still connected. “Shit,” he hissed.

  “What?”

  “I didn’t use a condom.”

  Her lips tilted up. “I’m on the pill.”

  Was it wrong that her saying that made him want to do her all over again? Despite the flicker of arousal that moved through him, he chose to ignore it in favor of the moment.

  Brushing her hair back from her sweat dampened face, Spencer got back on topic. “Who says you can’t do that anymore?”

  Her nose wrinkled adorably. “Spence, we’re not talking. What am I supposed to do, call Ally up and pretend nothing happened?”

  “If you want to. Or you could just tell her you miss her and you’re sorry you fought and move on with it. I bet she’s missing you just as much and is hoping you’ll call.”

  “So, you’re saying I should be the bigger person,” she said, looking as though she’d just smelled something foul.

  “One of you has to be and,” he said affectionately, kissing the tip of her nose, “I happen to think you’re the biggest person I know.”

  “Um…thanks?” Liv said with a laugh. Sucking in a large breath, she rolled her eyes. “Fine. I’ll call her, but if she chews me out, I’m going to kick your ass.”

  “Mmm, I might like that.”

  “I bet you would!”

  Her bright smile was infectious, and Spencer felt himself hardening as she wiggled beneath him. He’d never wanted another woman more, and the more he let himself consider a future, the harder it was not to picture Liv in it.

  Glancing at the clock beside the bed, Liv told him, “It’s getting late. We should probably get up.”

  Tightening his arms around her, Spencer prevented her from leaving. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “To get a shower?”

  Shaking his head, Spencer’s lips curved. “I’m not done with you yet.” She gasped as he rocked his hips into hers, feeling how hard he’d grown. Impaled on his cock, she had nowhere to run, and he was going to take full advantage of the position.

  “Spencer, God, yes.” Her fingers dug into his biceps as Spencer slid in deep and backed out slow, only to crash back into her.

  “I’m going to take such good care of you, Liv, you’ll be ruined for anyone else.”

  Her eyes filled with warmth that startled him, Liv reached up, cupping his jaw. “I already am.”

  ***

  Twisting her hair nervously around her finger, Olivia listened to the sound of the phone ringing. She’d taken Spencer’s advice and was calling Ally.

  She’d rehearsed what she was going to say a dozen times, but it never sounded quite right. She didn’t want to come off phony. Whatever she said, she wanted it to be from the heart. So, in the end, she just grabbed the phone and dialed, hoping that whatever flew out of her mouth would sound good.

  Her blood pounded in her ears as she waited for someone to pick up at the other end, and when she heard the click, she almost hurled.

  “Hello?”

  Knowing Ally had Caller ID, Olivia knew she already knew who she was talking to. It would explain the curious tone in her voice. At least she didn’t sound angry or irritated.

  “Ally…hi.” Stumbling for words, Olivia massaged her forehead. “Um, I was calling to…apologize. For the other day. The fight. I’m sorry.”

  Apologizing was harder than it looked. Olivia wasn’t sure if what she’d said was enough. It sounded so…plain to her ears. Too simple, too straightforward.

  Apparently, that didn’t matter to Ally. “I’m so happy you called,” she breathed down the line. “I’m sorry, too. I don’t know what got into me. I should have never said those things to you.”

  “No,” Olivia rushed to tell her. “You were just speaking your mind, and you weren’t entirely wrong. I understand why you said what you did.”

  “But still, it was so harsh, and I know you can’t choose who you love. I want to be supportive of you, and I shouldn’t have jumped down your throat. I want you to know, I don’t hate Spencer. I don’t.”

  “You don’t have to explain yourself.”

  “But I do! Spencer’s not a bad person. I see that, otherwise Jami never would have been friends with him.”

  “Spencer’s doing so much better,” Olivia felt the need to say. “He’s taking responsibility. He even went to counseling with me yesterday.”

  “No way.”

  “Way.”

  There was a moment of quiet, and then, “I’m really sorry I judged you, Liv,” Ally said, the sadness in her voice apparent. “It’s not my place to tell you how to live your life.”

  “You were just looking out for me.”

  “And I always will.”

  Now it was Olivia’s turn not to know what to say. She stared at the floor, wiggling her toes into the carpet.

  “Are you still coming to the wedding?” Ally’s question caught her off guard. In truth, with everything that had been going on for the last week—had it really only been that long?—she’d forgotten all about her friend’s upcoming nuptials.

  “Of course,” she said brightly, hoping her shock didn’t come through in her voice. Honestly, she would have thought Ally wouldn’t want her there, but she was so happy that she did. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

  “Should I put Spencer down as your Plus One?”

  “I don’t know. Do you want him there?”

  “Liv,” Ally said heavily. “If you’re together, and you say things have changed, then I’m not going to protest it. From one woman in love to another, I understand that where you go, he goes, right?”

  “Right.”

  “There you have it. I’d rather have you there with me, than not with me because we couldn’t agree on your love life. As I said, it’s none of my business.”

  “What about Jami? He’s not exactly friendly with Spencer right now either.”

  “Jami is a big boy. He loves Spencer just as much as you do, even if he’s mad at him right now. Between you and me, I don’t think it’s as much anger as it is hurt.

  “I know those two have a lot left to work out, and I’m sure they will one day,” she continued on. “When they do, I think Jami would be disappointed to look back on his wedding day and not have had his friend there to share it with.”

  This was why Olivia loved her friend. Ally could be just as hot-headed and stubborn as her fiancé, but it never took her long to come around and admit when she was wrong.

  Olivia wasn’t convinced that Ally was over her deep dislike of Spencer—her words about him had been cutting—but she was trying, and for Olivia, that was everything. As long as she was willing to be supportive and not judgmental, then she could forgive her anything—just as she could forgive Spencer anything.

  “I miss you,” Olivia said, her voice quavering. Brushing her fingers over her cheek, she was surprised to find them wet. She hadn’t even realized she’d started crying.

  “Oh, sweetie, I miss you, too. Let’s never fight again!” she cried dramatically, and they both dissolved into laughter at her antics. Afterward, the women took a few deep breaths and a moment to dry their eyes.

  “I should go,” Olivia said as her laughter subsided. “I still have to get ready for work.”

  “Okay, but before I hang up, we have the fitting for the dresses on Friday. Will you be able to make it?”

  “I don’t know why not.”

  “Great, I guess I’ll see you then.”

  After they had said their goodbyes, Olivia set the phone down on the table. As if he’d been listening for the sound, Spencer strolled out from his bedroom, looking particularly sexy in a pair of low hung jeans that he’d left unbuttoned, and nothing else.

  A man in a pair of well-wo
rn jeans, bare feet and chest, was Olivia’s favorite look. She could stare at him all day. Leaning over the back of the couch, Spencer bent over her and kissed her mouth. The upside down position was new. The change in how their mouths fit together, allowing their tongues to stroke over each other’s top-to-top, sent a flurry of tingles arrowing through her chest into her stomach and straight to her core.

  Moaning, Olivia dropped her head back even farther, allowing Spencer to deepen the kiss until she was breathless and impatient for more.

  But then he broke away, heading for the kitchen. “Did I hear you tell Alyson that you have to work today?”

  Struggling to catch her breath, Olivia combed her fingers through her hair as she called back, “I have a shift at the club at seven.”

  Returning to the living room carrying two mugs of hot coffee, Spencer eased down beside her, handing her one. “I was hoping we’d spend the day together like we did last night.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said, reaching over to squeeze his hard thigh. It reminded her of how they’d spent their morning—in bed, wrapped up in each other. Her thighs clenched together to stave off another surge of arousal.

  “Not your fault. I feel like a bum, sitting here all day while you go out and work two jobs. Maybe I’ll spend the time combing the want ads.”

  “Gotta start somewhere, right? Besides, you make a pretty good house boyfriend,” she teased, referring to how he’d cleaned the apartment and cooked her dinner his first week there. She could get used to treatment like that.

  He nodded as he sipped his coffee. “At least I’m not completely useless. And what I can’t make up for in cash, I can pay in orgasms.”

  Setting her coffee down, Olivia turned and straddled his lap. “I think I like where this is headed,” she murmured, her mouth caressing his lightly as she moved her hips against his growing erection.

  “Me, too, baby,” Spencer groaned as she opened her mouth over his and kissed him deep. It was all the urging he needed to scoop her up and carry her back to bed.

  EIGHTEEN

  “How about we start with you today?” Dr. Peterson turned his gray eyes on Spencer expectantly. “I see you two are holding hands. Have there been any recent developments in your relationship to bring about this change?”

  “You’re referring to the lack of stress?” Spencer questioned, and when Dr. Peterson nodded, he mirrored the gesture.

  Glancing down, he absently watched his thumb stroke the back of Olivia’s. “After our last session, we talked a bit. I think it’s just a matter of getting on the same page, you know? Right now, I feel like we understand each other, and it’s made things easier.”

  “Would you agree with that, Olivia?”

  Spencer stared straight ahead as Olivia answered him. “Yeah, I think I would. We haven’t had a single fight in the last week.” Turning her head, she caught Spencer’s eye, and they both fought back a smile.

  “I’m sensing that this isn’t typical.” Dr. Peterson glanced between the two of them.

  “No,” Spencer replied. “We’re both passionate people. Sometimes, it can get a little heated.”

  Removing his glasses, Dr. Peterson regarded Spencer with interest. “When you say ‘heated,’ do you mean verbally or physically?”

  “Oh, verbally,” Olivia answered for him. “We’d never…you know, hurt each other like that.”

  “I don’t hurt women,” Spencer said, his voice tight. He may not be the best man, but there were some lines even he didn’t cross.

  “I didn’t mean to suggest that you did.” Glancing down at his iPad, Dr. Peterson moved his finger across the screen. “Before I move on to you, Olivia, I’d like to ask Spencer one more thing. The last time you were here, you mentioned your estrangement from a close friend. Have you made any progress there?”

  “You mean talk to him? No,” Spencer grunted. “He doesn’t exactly want to see me right now.”

  “I don’t necessarily think that’s true,” Olivia piped up.

  Turning his head, Spencer narrowed his eyes at her in suspicion. Why would she say that? Before he could question her, though, Dr. Peterson stepped in, echoing his thoughts.

  “What makes you say that, Olivia?”

  Looking down at her hands guiltily, Olivia shrugged. “I was talking to Ally—”

  “This is your friend, correct? The one who is marrying Spencer’s friend?”

  She nodded, confirming the doctor’s question. He motioned for her to continue. “Well, Ally said that she thought Jami was still just hurting over everything that happened. She doesn’t think he’s actually mad.”

  “Do you trust Ally’s judgment?”

  “Absolutely,” Olivia nodded eagerly. “If anyone knows Jami, it’s her.”

  “So you two were talking about me?” Spencer questioned, feeling his blood beginning to heat. He wasn’t a fan of Alyson, just as she wasn’t a fan of him. He didn’t like the idea of his name in her mouth, for any reason.

  Sensing the direction of his thoughts, Olivia’s eyes widened. “Just about the wedding. She told me to bring you as my plus one. She thinks it would be good for Jami if you were there.”

  Oh, she did, did she? What a surprising turn of events for someone whose disapproval of him was instant and lasting. Spencer’s jaws clenched hard as Dr. Peterson spoke up.

  “How do you feel about Spencer attending the wedding with you?”

  “I want him to go. If he wants to, that is.”

  “How do you feel about this, Spencer? Would you be willing to go to the wedding with Olivia?”

  “You mean tag along?” he asked bitterly. “It’s not like I was actually invited.” Even if he did choose to go, he didn’t think Jami would take too kindly to the surprise. With his luck, Jami would kick Spencer out in front of the entire wedding party.

  After beating him senseless.

  “Would you prefer if the invitation came from your friend?”

  Spencer pulled a face, irritated with the line of questioning. “Of course, I would prefer to have an actual invitation. Nothing says asshole like crashing someone’s wedding.”

  “I’m curious, Spencer. Do you think your friend would consider you an ‘asshole’ if you went to show your support or is that who you consider yourself to be?”

  Spencer had been ready to start shouting, he was so incensed, but the doctor’s question pulled him up short. His lips parted to respond, but nothing came out. For once, he didn’t have a response.

  Holding up his hand, Dr. Peterson said, “You don’t have to answer today. Just think on it. Olivia…”

  As Dr. Peterson moved on, Spencer tuned them out, drifting off into his own thoughts. Was it Jami that thought he was an asshole, or had Spencer been projecting all along?

  Olivia said that Ally thought Jami wasn’t angry with him, but hurt over what happened between them. All things considered, that wasn’t a big leap. Was it possible that he didn’t really hate him as Spencer had assumed? He had said he’d leave a door open.

  The rest of the hour passed quickly and by the time the doctor saw them from his office, Spencer felt disoriented. Everything he’d thought to be true…might not be. He might have taken a small truth and spun it wildly out of control in his head. Which didn’t seem all that far-fetched. Look at how royally he’d fucked up everything else in his life. Falsely accusing his best friend of thinking something about him—when he hadn’t—seemed right up his alley on his growing list of offenses.

  “Spence?” Olivia’s voice startled him out of his thoughts, and when he glanced down at her, it was to find her staring up at him expectantly.

  Softening his features, he cupped the back of her head and leaned down to kiss her. “What’s up, baby?”

  “I asked if you wanted to get ice cream. Are you okay?”

  Glancing up, he was startled to find that they’d walked the three blocks from the doctor’s office and were now standing in front of the diner they’d come to following their previous visit. He
didn’t even remember doing it.

  Noting the concern in her eyes, he switched gears and grinned. “Never better. What kind do you want?” he asked, tossing his arm over her shoulders and guiding her through the doors.

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m in the mood for mint chocolate chip,” he said, deliberately ignoring the question. He didn’t want to get into it right now. He knew that she would just try to make him feel better by telling him what a good person he was, but he didn’t want any of that. He just wanted to sort it out on his own, at least for now.

  Besides, spending time with her eating ice cream seemed like a much better way to spend the afternoon.

  ***

  “Well, what do you think? Don’t you just love it?”

  Olivia stared in horror at the peach monstrosity that covered her body like a sack complete with rows and rows of lacy ruffles that fell down to her knees. She looked like a giant peach sundae.

  “Umm…”

  Ally burst out laughing, her body folding in on itself as she got carried away. Olivia frowned at her in the mirror, wondering if her friend had well and truly lost her damned mind.

  “Oh, Liv, you should see your face! Hold on,” she said, grabbing her purse. Digging out her phone, she held it up. “This is going in the scrapbook.”

  “Don’t you dare take a picture of me!” Olivia shrieked, and without a second’s thought, jumped down from the raised platform and ran back into the fitting room.

  Tearing the dress from her body, she tossed it on the bench behind her and sighed. Short of burning the foul thing, she felt a hundred times better already.

  A small knock sounded on the door and she knew by the sound of it that Ally stood on the other side.

  “You can’t expect me to wear that,” Olivia called from her perch. “It’s cruel and unusual punishment.”

  “I was just having fun with you,” Ally said, covering a snicker. “Here, this is the real dress.” A second later, a swath of pale lavender silk fluttered over the top of the door.

  Standing, Olivia approached the long, elegant dress with trepidation. It would fall all the way to her ankles, and the simple ruched bodice was classically beautiful. “This isn’t another one of your tricks is it, because I will strangle you with my bare hands if it is.”