One Night with Fate: A standalone contemporary romance (One Night Series Book 3)

by Eden Finley

  Then I realised the last nice thing I did for him was that first day in eighth grade. How screwed up is that?

  So, two days after his mum gave me the letter, I messaged Cole to take Cody for an extra night, lying and telling him I was called in for an extra shift at work.

  While Spence was at work, I cleaned the house from top to bottom and cleared out the nursery of all the junk he had in there. I didn’t move it far—only to the garage—but now we had a blank bedroom for our boy that we could decide together, as a family, how we should decorate it.

  I cooked dinner, put on the only dress I could find that fit me, which was a loose and flowing green maxi-dress, and then set up the dining table with a red tablecloth, candles, and any other clichéd romantic thing I could think of.

  When Spencer walked through the door and laid his eyes on me, he stopped in his tracks. “What’s all this?”

  “I have a date.” My grin was wide, and I couldn’t tone it down no matter how I tried.

  He frowned. “Where’s Cody?”

  “Cole’s.”

  “Oh, okay. Umm …” He ran his hand through his hair. “I guess I’ll get out of your way.”

  I didn’t miss the disappointment in his tone, and I secretly loved it. He wanted this as much as I did.

  He went to walk past me, but I took quick steps and cut him off.

  “Sorry, I’ll rephrase. We have a date.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “We do? Did I miss the part where I asked you?”

  I took his work bag off his shoulder, dumped it on the ground near the hallway, and dragged him to the table.

  “What’s this?” he asked, picking up his letter that he wrote me nine or so years ago. I had left it on his place setting.

  I smirked.

  “Oh, fuck no.” He sank into his chair as I tried to stifle a giggle. “My mother gave you this?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  His eyes skimmed over it, and he let out a pained groan. “How did my mother even get this? And what the fuck was I thinking? And what nineteen-year-old guy says ‘for reals’? I mean … For reals. I think I was trying to be gangsta. Because I’m so badass and all.”

  I laughed and snatched the letter off him.

  He grabbed it back. “No, no, no. You do not get to read this ever again.” He went to rip it up, but I rushed him, falling into his lap as he held the letter out of reach.

  “It happens to be one of the sweetest, most thoughtful letters anyone has ever written me.”

  “It’s probably the only letter. Thank God, I didn’t go for the email option. I might’ve actually sent it to you. And what do you mean it was sweet and thoughtful? I literally call you an idiot. And I use the F-bomb”—he scanned the letter and counted as he went along, while I continued to try to grab it out his hand—“no less than eight times. Not to mention I said I almost came in my pants when I met you. Real romantic, hey.” He gave up fighting me, and I finally managed to get a hold of the letter again.

  “It was romantic to me. I didn’t realise how much you cared back then.”

  His arms wrapped around me, and he adjusted me on his lap. “Well, now you know.”

  “Why didn’t you ever say anything?” I whisper.

  His head moved closer, bringing our foreheads together. “You were with my best friend. I didn’t want to ruin our friendship because Cole’s like a brother to me. Besides, would you have left him for me?”

  “If I had a chance to go back to my teenage self, I would slap the younger me and tell her to open her eyes to the amazing guy standing next to Cole. But then I wouldn’t have Cody and—”

  He cradled my face. “If you’re willing to give us a chance now, I don’t care what did or didn’t happen when we were teenagers.”

  “Kiss me,” I demanded.

  His lips twitched. “So bossy.”

  Before I could respond, his mouth claimed mine. His grip on me tightened. My whole body lit up like a damn Christmas tree. His tongue swept into my mouth and a loud moan escaped my throat.

  “Mmm, I love that sound,” he murmured against my mouth before pulling away. “From now on, that’s the only sound you’re allowed to make.”

  I giggled. Full-on annoying schoolgirl giggled.

  “Or that one. I love your laugh.”

  My feet hit the floor as he stood and kept one of his arms around me. With his other arm, he pushed the tablecloth and place setting in front of him to the other end of the table, and he leaned over and blew out the candles I lit.

  “Don’t want your hair to catch fire,” he said dryly.

  He backed me up so my butt hit the table. Gripping my thighs, he forced them apart so he could stand between my legs.

  “Are you going to fuck me on the dining table?” I asked with a laugh.

  He dropped his head onto my shoulder and let out a groan. “I was thinking we’d just fool around but now you’ve given me a whole heap of ideas.”

  Arching my back, I wrapped my legs around his waist.

  He kissed my shoulder and then my neck as he lay me down.

  His mouth on my skin became softer and his touch more tender as he untied the halter knot at the base of my neck.

  He pushed the strips of fabric to the side until material fell away, exposing my overly tender and full breasts.

  “Goddammit,” he breathed, staring down at me.

  “Don’t get too excited. They’re usually half this size.”

  He grinned. “I’ll have to make the most of it then.”

  His hand trailed over me, but my nipples were painful and sensitive. When his thumb brushed over one, I winced.

  “You okay?”

  “They’re sore right now.”

  “So I’m meant to stare at them without touching them? You may as well waterboard me; it’d be just as harsh a punishment.”

  I laughed.

  “Okay, no touching your boobs. Got it. But here, let me do this …” He reached for my dress and tied the halter top back up. “Better. Temptation gone. Any other tender spots or off-limit areas?”

  I squirmed against him, my core rubbing against his hard length. “Definitely not. Everything else is desperate to be touched.”

  “Guess I’ve got a job to do then, huh?”

  “I think you owe me some orgasms. You know, one on your fingers, your mouth, and then maybe your cock.” I smiled at his words from last week.

  “No pressure.” His hands explored, trailing down my side to my hip, my ass, and back up again.

  “It’s not going to take much,” I said, completely breathy. I was swollen, ready to go, and horny all the time. I didn’t remember it being this bad when I was pregnant with Cody. “I’m more worried about after the baby comes and you’re going to have to work for it. It usually takes logistics and planning and positioning—”

  He started laughing. “You’re going to have to work on your dirty talk, Reece. Although, from memory, I had no trouble making you come twice when we made this.” His hand went to my bump. “And I like how you said when the baby comes. Are we really doing this? You’re giving us a chance? Does that mean we’re … dating?”

  “I-I have some conditions.” And I really hoped they weren’t deal breakers. “But I don’t think now is the time to go through them.” I ground my hips against his, and I was already close to coming.

  He let out a guttural sound that vibrated through me. “Whatever you want, the answer is yes.” He rocked his hips. “Fuck, anything.”

  I wasn’t sure he’d agree so fast if his cock wasn’t rubbing against me.

  “Spence—”

  His mouth cut me off by landing on mine once again, our tongues as tangled as our limbs. Running his hands up my thighs, he raised my dress around my waist. “You’re not wearing underwear?”

  “Only gets in the way.”

  He laughed. “This was your plan all along tonight, wasn’t it? How’d you know I’d cave so easily? I thought we were only friends?”

  “Until
you attacked me on the couch last week, I thought we were.”

  “I’ve never wanted to be strictly platonic with you. Never.”

  I pursed my lips. And apparently I may as well have dowsed Spencer in a bucket of water.

  He eased off me. “What … what did I say to make you frown?”

  “I’m scared,” I admitted.

  He backed off me completely, taking steps away from me and wiping his mouth.

  I sat up, pulling my dress back down to cover up.

  “You’re scared of me.” It wasn’t a question, and his words were somehow filled with pain.

  “I’m scared the reality of me will disappoint. I fuck everything up. Always.”

  He put his hand to his chest and bent over at the waist, breathing deep. I didn’t know if it was from relief or if he was having a heart attack. “Holy fuck, woman.”

  “What?”

  “I thought you were going to say you were scared I was capable of what Cole did and that you didn’t trust me or something.”

  I pulled back in shock. “What? No.”

  One he got his breath back, he approached again and snaked his arms around me.

  His hand cupped my face, his thumb stroking my cheek. “You may’ve made some mistakes, but so have I. I didn’t fight for you when I should’ve. I never told you how much I wanted you. I don’t care that it was a drunken night, an affair, and a positive pregnancy test that brought us together. I probably should, but I can’t feel bad about it when it got us here. And that makes me an asshole. Neither of us is perfect. What’s important to me is you’re willing to give us a shot.”

  “I don’t want to stop paying you rent. And—” I started rambling off my conditions.

  “I know. Just because we’re doing this doesn’t mean you don’t want to do things for yourself, and I get it. You’ve never been independent before. And even though everything inside me wants to take care of you and give you everything you need, I know you need to prove you can do it yourself.”

  “What did I do to deserve you?” I whispered.

  “You finally opened your eyes and realised what was right in front of you for the last fifteen years.”

  This time when he kissed me, his mouth was soft, his tongue gentle, but that didn’t mean it had less of an effect on me. I tried to pull him closer, but he pulled back.

  “Change of plans. I’m not going to fuck you on the dining table. Although I totally will one day. We’re going to do this right.” He grabbed my hand and went to pull me away when I paused.

  “Wait, I cooked dinner.”

  “After.” He went to pull me away again.

  “I have to turn the oven off, or this whole place will burn down.”

  He let me go, walked into the kitchen, opened the oven door, and turned the dials off. “Done. Let’s go.”

  “Go where?” I asked as he led me up the hallway.

  “To our room.”

  I winced.

  He froze and his shoulders slumped. “What now?”

  “I think we should keep our rooms separate and this whole thing quiet until we know for sure it’s going to work.”

  His forehead scrunched.

  “I don’t want to confuse Cody until we know for sure. And you know if the other guys find out, it’ll all be over. They’ll hound us and tease us about when we’re getting married and blah, blah, blah. It’s a lot of pressure. Can we … keep it between us? Just for now?”

  He nodded. “Fair enough. We’ll go to my room.”

  ***

  As he kissed his way up my body, his hand stopped on the small protrusion from my belly.

  Our baby.

  He peppered sweet kisses on the small bump, and the love he already had for his kid shone through.

  I, however, was catching my breath as he continued to climb on top of me. My hands were fisted in the sheets, still recovering from his orgasmic promises. “Too much,” I breathed. “I don’t think I can handle another one.”

  Spence laughed. “But I promised. One on my fingers”—he held up one finger—“one with my mouth”—he put up a second finger—“and—”

  “Can I just blow you? I swear to God, I may fall apart if you fuck me right now.”

  “As tempting the offer for a BJ is, this is more than fucking, and you know it. I’ll give you a few minutes to calm down, but I will be coming inside you tonight.”

  The past two orgasms forgotten, my body responded by writhing beneath him and practically begging for more.

  He smirked. “Not so exhausted now, are you?”

  I shook my head.

  “Here.” He rolled onto his back and pulled me on top of him. “We go at your pace, okay?”

  I bit my lip and teased him mercilessly by grinding against his cock without allowing him inside.

  His pained expression as he thrust his hips upwards was almost enough to make me sink down on him, but I liked that I was torturing him in the best way possible.

  “Just kill me. I don’t think I can take much more,” he said through gritted teeth.

  With a laugh, I rose up on my knees, positioning his cock right at my entry.

  My nails dug into his shoulders as I lowered myself onto him and threw my head back at the full sensation. Rolling my hips, I took him deeper, and I couldn’t stop the moan coming out of me. Apparently, neither could he.

  My vision blurred as pleasure filled my veins.

  “Okay, I’m totally going to forfeit my promise if you keep that up, because I won’t be able to hold off.” He wrapped my arms around me and pulled himself into a sitting position with me still straddling him.

  He placed light kisses on my collarbone and then up to my neck. His nose ran the length of my chin before his mouth found mine.

  There was a moment where we both completely stilled, apart from our mouths, and I wasn’t scared anymore. I was ready for us.

  But being in Spencer’s arms, I felt like I could do anything. He grounded me and made me want to be a better person. Not someone I was pretending to be, but someone I wanted to be. He made me want to make the effort.

  My hips started moving on their own accord, and I broke away from his mouth, panting. “Need to come.”

  He gripped my ass, forcing me to take him faster. “Then come for me, baby.”

  I threw my head back and rocked into him over and over. And when I came, it was all over for him too.

  He collapsed backwards onto his pillow and brought me with him.

  I tried to roll off, but he held me tight, keeping me where I was—sprawled out on top of him with him softening inside me.

  “You’re not going anywhere.”

  I could’ve sworn he muttered “ever” too, but I couldn’t be sure.

  “Dinner’s waiting,” I said.

  “Okay, fine. You’re not going anywhere after dinner except back into bed with me.”

  “Deal.”

  17

  SPENCER

  Sunday morning, my sexy-as-hell girlfriend was standing at the kitchen bench in a silk robe. What was I meant to do?

  “Morning, baby,” I murmured into her ear. My hands may’ve also travelled down her side to her ass.

  She jumped aside. “Cody’s here,” she hissed quietly.

  “Do you know how hard it is to not touch you after a four-day fuck-a-thon?”

  Last night was the first night Cody had been home since Reece decided she’d give us a shot, and not having her in my bed almost killed me. She refused to even sleep next to me when he was here. Although, to be fair, I supposed that might’ve been easier than having her in my bed without being allowed to touch her.

  “We agreed we wouldn’t confuse him, and he could wake up any minute,” she said.

  “I know. Sorry. It’s just hard … oh yeah, I went there.”

  She laughed and pushed me away. I moved to the other side of the bench and clicked the coffee machine on.

  A small voice came from behind us. “I want cereal.”

&nbs
p; “Morning, Cody,” I said, filling my cup.

  Reece gave me an I told you so look.

  “Yeah, yeah, I get it,” I said to her. Sneaking around at home wasn’t going to be an option.

  I watched as Reece made Cody his cereal. Her frizzy blonde hair wasn’t fixed, she had no makeup on, and she was barely dressed. I’d never been one to think having a woman barefoot and pregnant in my kitchen would be a turn-on. But holy hell, things just got a lot harder.

  “What are your plans for today?” I asked when Cody took his cereal to the dining room.

  “Cody said last night he wants to go to the skate park. I normally hate it because I’m convinced he’ll break an arm, but they’ve set up an ice cream van in the parking lot, and I want ice cream.”

  “Ice cream for breakfast?”

  “Yeah. Wanna come?”

  “You want me to?” I asked sceptically. I didn’t know if that was against her rules.

  “It’s just the skate park, Spence.”

  “I don’t care about that. I care if you want me there or not. Because I want to go, but not if you’re asking out of obligation.”

  “I want you there,” she murmured. “But—”

  “As friends. Or … secret lovers. Whatever you want to call us. I got it.”

  “I’ll go get ready”—she stepped closer and rose on her tiptoes to whisper in my ear—“secret lover.” With a giggle, she left the kitchen, leaving me to stare after her ass.

  After sighing, I took my coffee to the dining room where Cody was and sat down across from him. “So, skate park, huh?”

  Cody nodded and shoved a spoonful of Rice Bubbles in his mouth.

  “Are you any good?”

  He cocked his head to the side.

  “At skateboarding,” I clarified.

  “Mum won’t let me. I’m only allowed a scooter.”

  “Ah. If she let me, I could teach you to board so you don’t break anything when you fall off.”

  His gaze snapped to mine. “You know how to board?”

  “Ouch, kid. Way to wound a man. You know, there was a time where skateboarding was for nerds. My generation made it cool.”