by Swan, T L
“Spence.” The bathroom door opens, and Julian comes into view. His face falls when he sees me.
“What the fuck, Masters?” Spence yells.
“Oh, shit.” He turns his back immediately, although too late. He’s already seen everything. “Sorry.” He winces. “I thought you were alone.” He hunches his shoulders as if excited. “Hi, Charlotte.”
I smile as I look up at my beautiful man and cup his face. “Hi, Jules.”
“I was just coming to see if you… well, both of you now, wanted to come to the beach. But I can see you’re busy.”
Spencer’s eyes hold mine. “We’ll meet you there.”
I can’t stop kissing him, even though Julian is still in the room.
“Although Charlotte may be in a body bag by the time I’ve finished with her,” Spencer adds dryly.
Julian chuckles. “Okay, well, just make sure that her bodyguards don’t see you kill her. I’m not sure I could get you off that one, and you’re way too pretty to go to prison.”
I smile softly, and in that moment, I know it’s going to be okay.
We are going to make it through this together. His friends, my friends, and our families combined will make it work… whatever it takes.
“See you later,” Julian says as he walks out.
I frown, confused. “Where’s Julian staying?”
“He, Bree, and the kids are three doors up, and Seb is in town. They wouldn’t let me come alone in case you didn’t show up.”
“Why weren’t they with you yesterday?”
“I wanted to be alone. I was waiting for you.”
I stare up at the beautiful man in front of me. “Can you ask me to marry you now?”
“No.” He kisses my lips.
My face falls, and I think for a moment. “Fine. Then Spencer Jones… will you marry me?”
“Again, no.”
“Spencer,” I whine. “You’re supposed to say yes.”
“And you were supposed to stay by my side when things got rough.”
My heart drops. I hate that I let him down.
“I will now. I promise.” I pause and smile. “Do you know what this is, Spence? It’s a new beginning for us.”
He exhales heavily and hangs his head. “The last two weeks…” His voice trails off.
I stare into his big blue eyes, and the hurt in them breaks my heart wide open. “Baby,” I whisper. He wraps his arms around me and holds me tight. We stay in each other’s arms for a long time and it’s like the longer our bodies touch skin to skin, the more I can feel the emotions run between us.
“Let’s go back to bed,” I suggest quietly.
He nods, and we step out of the shower. I dry us both off, and then he leads us into the bedroom. I lie down beside him.
“I love you, Spence.”
His eyes close as if hearing me say that pains him, and then he kisses me. He really kisses me with his heart on his sleeve and without holding back.
It’s long and slow and deep and everything I’ve missed about us.
He rises above me and slowly slides in deep. Our mouths fall open in the overwhelming pleasure of each other’s bodies. I’ve missed this. I’ve missed him.
“I love you.”
His eyes search mine.
“Spence…?”
“I love you too, angel.”
Our lips crash and we cling to each other as tight as we can as we try desperately to banish the fear of losing one another ever again. I don’t know what kind of Hell we’ve just been through, but now I can see a glimmer of light at the end of the dark tunnel.
If we hold each other tight enough, we might just make it through.
* * *
“Are you ready to do this?” I ask him.
Spencer shrugs, and I take his hand in mine. We’ve just landed at Heathrow Airport and we’re just about to walk out into the arrivals lounge. I already know that the paparazzi are waiting for us. Security have called the boys to let them know, so I take my mother’s ring off my right hand and slip it onto my wedding finger.
“What are you doing?” He frowns.
“Giving them something to talk about. If they think we’re already married, they won’t notice when we do actually get engaged. And besides, from now on I plan on giving them as much bogus material to publish as possible. I want the world to know that they can’t trust what they read in this trash.”
He rolls his eyes. “We’re not getting engaged, Charlotte. That ship well and truly sailed when I threw a quarter of a million pounds over a fucking cliff.”
I smile up at him. Anthony, Wyatt and I searched that damn cliff for two days looking for my ring… with no such luck. Spencer wouldn’t help us, of course. He stayed on the deck by the pool drinking cocktails. He said that the ring was bad luck and a sign that he should never get married. I plan on proving him wrong if it’s the last thing that I ever do.
“Have you got a ring you can put on your ring finger?” I ask.
He looks at me, deadpan. “No, because I’m not getting married.”
We’ve had a good week in Santorini—a wonderful week—and even though I know he’s still holding a grudge against me, we’re together, we still love each other, and every day we get a little bit closer to where we used to be. I really messed things up between us, and every time he tells me we are never getting married, I silently freak out.
“Okay.”
“I fucking mean it,” he whispers as we come into view of the photographers.
“Charlotte!” the photographers all cry. “Over here, over here.” I smile at the cameras as I grip Spencer’s hand with my right hand and wave with my left. He keeps his head down and concentrates on moving us forward.
“The car is out the front,” Wyatt says as he ushers us forward towards the doors.
“She’s wearing a ring!” someone calls out, and they all push forward.
“Charlotte, did you marry Spencer Jones? What does your father think about this? What about William? Have you seen your lover Penelope Prescott, Spencer? Were you on your honeymoon?”
The black Mercedes wagon comes into view, and pulls up by the kerb. Spencer opens the door, and then hesitates when he sees my father and Edward already in the car.
“Get in,” I urge as the cameras are clicking away.
Spencer gets in and slams the door shut, and I hold my breath. The car pulls away to escape the madness.
“Hello, Spencer,” Edward says.
“Fuck off,” Spencer mutters. “Drop me home now.”
Edward and my father exchange looks. “We want to talk to you.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve got nothing to say.” He keeps his eyes cast out the window.
I take Spencer’s hand in mine, resting it in my lap, and I remain silent.
“We need your help,” my father says.
Spencer’s eyes rise to theirs and he smirks. “You’ve made it quite clear where you and I stand. Don’t come to me when you need help to get rid of her.” He shakes his head in disgust. “I won’t be used.”
I grip his hand tightly.
“Charlotte, talk some sense to him,” Edward says.
“No. I won’t, and he’s completely right. Leave us alone. I’m telling you right now that if you don’t accept Spencer into our family, you will not see me, either.”
They both glare at me.
“Spencer and I are getting married. Whether you come to our wedding or not is up to you.”
Edward clenches his jaw.
The car pulls up at Spencer’s building, and he gets out in a rush. My father and Edward jump out behind me.
“What are you doing?” my father asks.
“I’m going home, Dad.”
“Your home is Nottingham.”
“My home is with Spencer. Wherever he is is home to me.”
Tenderness fills Spencer’s eyes as he watches on, not saying a word.
“Now, if you would both like to come to London next weekend and have dinner
with us then that would be great. If not, I’ll see you around.” I rise up to kiss Spencer, and I take his hand in mine.
Edward inhales deeply, clearly trying to hold his tongue.
My father smirks and glances between us. He knows that this is it. I won’t back down again.
“Dinner would be lovely, darling. See you both next weekend. I’ll look forward to it.” He kisses my cheek, and he holds his hand out to shake Spencer’s. For a moment, Spencer just stares at him. I hold my breath as I watch on. There’s so much history, so much heartache…
Please just shake his hand.
Eventually, good manners prevail, and Spencer gives in and shakes his hand.
“Look after her,” my father whispers.
Spencer gives him a curt nod and turns, leading me into the building. We get into the lift and the doors shut behind us.
I smile at the beautiful man in front of me, grateful that he is willing to move on from all of this.
“I love you,” I whisper.
He wraps his arms around me. “You can show me how much in a minute.”
I giggle. “Swoony Spencer Jones at his romantic best.”
He gives me a sexy wink and we kiss as the elevator takes us higher and higher.
It doesn’t matter what happens from here because I know everything is going to be okay.
He loves me and I love him.
He is my everything.
THE END.
Epilogue
Spencer
Two years later
Beyoncé’s voice pours out the lyrics to “Naughty Girl.”
I stand on the side of the dance floor with Masters and Seb as we watch the girls. Bree, Beth, and Charlotte are solid friends now. They laugh and giggle at a private joke as they dance. Charlotte’s business is booming. She now has six lawyers working for her, and they just won an award for best charity of the year. Sarah and Paul are still there for Charlotte’s moral support, supplying her with plenty of laughs.
Apparently Hot Dick City is a real place. Who knew?
Life is good. We still live in my apartment in London. We’re also still madly in love and nothing much has changed. Actually, nothing has changed. Things between us have only gone from strength to strength.
Charlotte got a grey and white kitten and we called him Greyson. That cat is the most adored thing on Earth and he runs rings around the both of us. He rules our apartment.
I testified in a private court hearing against Penelope twelve months ago, and William and her now share custody of Harrison. Strangely enough, Edward and I now get along well. He’s not a bad bloke underneath all the power tripping bullshit he has going on. Harold is insisting on teaching me parts of the business so that I could help Edward if anything were to ever happen to him.
William and I are… complicated. He’s a great guy, and I respect him immensely, but he will never forgive me and I don’t blame him after what he walked in on. It’s a guilt I have had to learn to live with. We are amicable, and I know he’s happy that Charlotte is happy, but that’s about it. He lives in London now and Charlotte sees him regularly. I see him at family events only.
I watch Charlotte’s sexy little arse move to the music, and arousal sweeps over me.
This woman, this beautiful woman came into my life and changed everything about who I thought I was. I smile softly as I watch her laugh with her friends.
She’s perfect. Inside and out.
“Is Charlotte still on your case about getting married?” Masters asks.
“She hasn’t mentioned it for a while. Hopefully she’s given up.”
“You’re fucking mad.” Seb scoffs in disgust.
I roll my eyes and sip my beer.
“Every time you’re in a room with her, you watch her like an awestruck little schoolboy.”
“Yeah, well, we know what happened last time I tried to propose. Getting married is fucking bad luck for me.”
“Bullshit.” Masters huffs. “You’re just scared.”
I sigh and continue to watch my angel’s behind. I’m going to fuck that beautiful ass tonight.
“How much did you pay for that ring you threw off the cliff like a madman?” Masters frowns.
“Way too much.” I smirk. I was going mad that night, without a doubt.
“You know she wants a baby,” Masters says casually as he sips his beer.
“What?”
“I heard her tell Bree the other day when they were in my kitchen. She was holding Henry and she said that she would love a baby.”
I frown. “She’s not mentioned anything to me.” Fear swirls in my stomach. The thought of changing the dynamics between us terrifies the fuck out of me.
“Why would she?” Seb snaps. “You won’t even fucking marry her.”
“You know why I won’t marry her. It has nothing to do with how I feel about her.”
“Does she know that?”
“She does know that.”
I watch her dance as my stomach clenches.
Marriage and babies… with Charlotte.
My biggest dream.
My greatest fear.
My true destiny?
Charlotte
Six weeks later
I wake to the feeling of Spencer curled around me from behind, and I turn my head as he kisses my temple.
“Good morning, Mr Spencer.”
I feel him smile against my skin. “Good morning, Miss Prescott.”
“It’s Saturday.” I smile sleepily.
He pulls me closer to his body and I feel his erection up against my hip. “My favourite day of the week. I get you all to myself.” His lips drop to my neck.
I look around the room. “Where’s Greyson?”
“Hmm. Who cares? Probably ripping up the sofa downstairs.”
I giggle.
We hear his little bell, and then something smashes downstairs. “Fucking cat,” Spencer mutters under his breath.
I laugh and climb out of bed. I throw my robe on and go downstairs to investigate. A pot plant has been tipped over and there is dirt everywhere.
“What are you doing?” I whisper to the naughty kitten as he rubs against my legs as if proud of himself.
“Greyson,” I sigh, assessing the damage. Spencer pretends to hate our cat, but I know he secretly loves him. Every time I come in they are snuggled up together on the sofa. I clean up the dirt, make us both a cup of coffee and then head upstairs. I walk into my room to find Spencer in the bathroom at the sink. I place the coffees down on the bedside and walk in to put my arms around him. I glance down his body in the reflection of the mirror, and I see he has an erection.
The man always has an erection.
I smile and reach around to stroke him, and I feel something. “What’s that?”
He turns to me and I look down. He has a red ribbon tied in a bow around his hard dick. “What in the world?” I laugh, this man kills me.
He smirks, with that mischievous look that he does so well. “You better unwrap your present.”
I giggle and bend to take him into my mouth. I begin to untie the bow when I notice a ring on the ribbon.
I frown as I stare at it. It’s a huge solitaire diamond sitting on a rose gold band. My eyes meet his.
“Marry me.”
“W-hat?” I breathe.
“Marry me, Charlotte.” He smiles.
“You tied my engagement ring to your dick and asked me to marry you with your dick in my mouth? Spencer Jones!”
“It was either tied to that or to your butt plug.” He shrugs casually. “And I wanted a story to tell our grandkids.”
I laugh out loud as he pulls me to my feet. “You are the craziest man I know.”
Our lips meet in a kiss. “Marry me, angel.”
Our foreheads touch. “That depends…”
“On what?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” I stroke his dick and widen my eyes. “Things.”
His eyes dance with delight, and he grabs me r
oughly and slides the ring onto my finger. “I’m asking one more time before I fuck you unconscious. Will you marry me, Charlotte Prescott?”
I kiss his lips with a huge smile. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. Now answer the damn question.”
“Yes, I’ll marry you.” I grin.
We smile broadly at each other; this proposal is just so Spencer.
“Good. Now get on your knees and finish what you started.”
Five years later
It’s 11:00 p.m. and I’m watching my beautiful man walking around the living room with our daughter in his arms as he tries to console her. Amelia is eighteen months old, teething, and in a world of pain.
“It’s okay, baby. It’s okay, daddy’s here.”
If you thought Spencer Jones was swoony before, you should see him with a daughter. He worships the ground she walks upon.
I’m heavily pregnant with our second child, sprawled on the sofa, defeated by exhaustion. It’s been a long week.
This teething thing is tough. We’ve had no more than three hours sleep on any given night… and it’s about to get tougher.
“Babe,” I whisper.
“Yeah, angel.” He sits down on the couch at my feet. “Look how tired mummy is,” he says to Amelia as he rubs my feet.
“I’m having contractions.”
His face falls. “What?”
I nod.
“Now?”
“Uh-huh.”
He looks at me, deadpan, and he rushes to sit on the floor beside me, watching me for a moment.
“Lie to me,” he whispers. “Give me something to hang onto here.”
I smile softly. It’s such a Spencer thing to say. I reach up and run my fingers through his stubble. “We are on a yacht, sailing around the Caribbean.”
He smirks. “Yes.”
“And I’m wearing nothing but a gold string bikini.”
He leans forward and runs his fingers through my hair. “God, this sounds so good.”
“We’ve been having crazy sex all day,” I whisper.
“Yeah I like it. What am I doing now?”
“Sleeping uninterrupted.”
He smiles and then bursts out laughing. “You’re right; sleep is my ultimate fantasy at the moment.”
