“No pressure, and I promise not to peek. You don’t need a death grip on it.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that you’d⁠—”

  “You didn’t. And it’s okay.” Spencer reaches out, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. “You had someone close to you break your trust, so you’re hesitant. It’s understandable.”

  “You’re really sweet, you know that?”

  “For you.” He winks at me, and I have to turn around and start packing again to distract myself.

  While I pack my clothes and toiletries, I show Spencer what items I want to take with me so I have things to work on. A little while after that, I hear a knock at the door and flinch.

  Spencer is immediately by my side. “It’s okay, I’m here. Whoever it is would have to get through me first.” He places his hand gently against my back, and I relax.

  “Good thing for me, because I don’t think that would be an easy feat.”

  "Especially when I’ve got someone worth protecting." He walks over to the door, and this time when he opens it, there’s a man in slacks and a buttoned-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He’s got lots of tattoos, and he's built broader than Spencer. He might not be as tall by an inch or two, which isn't saying much. It still puts the man well over six feet.

  "Spencer," he greets before giving me a chin nod. "What you got for me?"

  “Laptop,” Spencer says and hands it over to the guy. “I need your phone too, babe.”

  I momentarily pause, wondering if I heard Spencer correctly. Did he call me babe? It might be a name he uses as endearment, but I can’t see Spencer calling random women babe. He’s not the type, but what do I know? I’m shit at thinking I know a person.

  “Oh yeah, right.” I grab it out of my purse and hand it over to Taylor.

  “I’ll see what I come up with and let you know tomorrow. Unless something big pops off.”

  “I appreciate it,” Spencer says.

  “Anything else?” Taylor asks, his eyes bouncing between the two of us.

  “That should do it.” Spencer looks at me, and I nod.

  Taylor lingers in the doorway. “Is this why Scout cut out early?”

  “I told her she could leave early if she wanted. Why?”

  Now I’m watching the two of them. I’m missing something, but I’m not sure what it is.

  “No reason. I’ll be in contact.” Taylor steps back before disappearing out of sight, and Spencer lets the door fall closed.

  “Are you okay?” he asks when he turns to face me.

  “Better than I was this morning.”

  “I’ll get you a new one,” Spencer says.

  “A new what?” I’m not sure what he’s talking about.

  “A new phone.”

  “Oh, no, it’s fine. You’ve done too much, and I don’t need it for anything, really.” I’ve isolated myself so much that all I’ve been using it for since I deleted my social media is ordering groceries.

  “It’s fine, I’ll get you one.”

  “You’re going to make me feel bad. You already paid a hundred bucks to make the daisies disappear.” At the mention of the flowers, Spencer clenches his fists at his sides.

  “It’s nothing,” he says and comes over to me.

  “It’s not nothing.” Right now, it means everything to me.

  “I’m saying that a hundred bucks is nothing to me. I’m not telling you to be cocky or brag, I only want you to know so that it doesn’t bother you.”

  This man can’t be real.

  “Thank—”

  “No more thank yous,” he cuts me off. “Let’s finish. I’m going to tell my driver we’re almost done.” I nod and put the rest of the items I want to take into my bags.

  When we get outside, I hand the small bag that I carried over to the driver. I had to basically beg Spencer into letting me carry one.

  “Are you thinking city or country?”

  “What do you mean?” I ask, confused by his question.

  “I have a place in the city and one in the country. Which would you prefer?"

  “Whatever works for you.” I don’t want to be more trouble.

  “What works for me is you picking.”

  Okay, so he’s not going to make this easy on me. I let out a small laugh.

  “Normally I’m a city girl, but the country sounds nice right now.”

  “Country it is,” he says and helps me into the car.

  With every mile we drive away from the city, the more relaxed I become. If I don’t think about it too much, it could almost feel like I’m going on a vacation.

  “It’s been a minute since I’ve been there, so it will be good to check on the place.”

  “How many homes do you have?” I tease. I’ve been in isolation for a while, so I’m not used to conversations, but something about Spencer makes me want to keep talking to him.

  “The ones I own myself, or do I count the ones I own with Landon and Gideon?”

  “Is this you not bragging again?” I laugh.

  “Damn, I forgot to mention the beach house. I should have offered that instead.”

  “No swimsuit.”

  “You’re in luck, it’s a private beach.” He wiggles his eyebrows, and another laugh bubbles free. It feels nice to be laughing and carefree. It’s been so long, and I know that with Spencer I’m safe.

  "You're being serious, aren't you?" I say, when he doesn't laugh with me.

  "There is a cabin in Aspen too if you'd rather have snow."

  “You own those with Landon and Gideon?”

  “I do. It’s convenient for us to share.” That makes sense if they are vacation homes. I can’t see them putting their houses up on Airbnb.

  “That sounds nice. Having friends like that.” After high school, my friend group broke apart, and I didn’t have the means for college. It’s not so easy making friends as an adult. Plus, a lot of people think my hobby is strange.

  "They actually took off on vacation today with their new wives."

  Oh, shit. My eyes drop to Spencer's hand to see if I somehow missed a ring. Thank goodness there’s not one, but he catches me looking.

  "Oh, I’m single. Well, unless you count being married to the job. But I guess all three of us have been at some point."

  He’s young for how successful he is, so I imagine he had to devote all of his time to the firm. Spencer is a great guy, so it’s the single part that surprises me the most.

  Chapter Six

  SPENCER

  How is it that I met this woman today and now I’m taking her to my place upstate? On paper, this might be the beginning of a horror story. Although from everything that Abbie told me, her life while working with Geoff more closely resembled that.

  We got to the house about an hour ago, and since then, I’ve been showing Abbie around and helping her settle in. There’s a husband and wife that live at the edge of the property and take care of the place when I’m not here. When I texted them that I was on the way, they were kind enough to restock the kitchen. What I didn’t mention was that I was bringing someone with me, so they only got one bedroom ready.

  “Are you sure it’s okay to put my stuff in here?” Abbie looks around as I place her bags on the bench at the foot of the bed.

  “Absolutely. I showed you the other rooms. I’ll find one to crash in.”

  “But there aren’t any beds in them.” She bites her bottom lip nervously.

  I wasn’t in a rush to furnish the place since it was only me that came up here when I needed some alone time. “It’s fine, really. I promise.”

  “Spencer, there’s no way I’m staying in your house and making you sleep on the floor. I can’t even make myself feel better about you sleeping on the couch because it’s not big enough to hold you.”

  “People really have no idea how difficult it is to find a couch big enough for a seven-foot person to stretch out.” I’m teasing, but it has the opposite effect, and she frowns. “That was a joke. I promise I’ll be fine.”

  “No,” she says with finality, and it surprises me. “If you’re sleeping on the floor, so am I. Besides, I know this bed is yours and not just a random one because it’s as big as a boat.”

  She’s right; I had this one specially made to fit me. Just like the other beds in all of my houses. “You’re not sleeping on the floor.” The thought alone raises my hackles. She deserves to sleep on a bed made of clouds and angel feathers.

  “Then I guess we’re sharing.” She crosses her arms over her chest defiantly and scowls.

  I move closer and lean down so she can see me narrow my eyes at her. “Is this our first fight?”

  That does it. She bursts into laughter and shakes her head at me. “You’re ridiculous.”

  “What’s the point of life if you can’t be silly?”

  Her smile softens as she looks up at me, and there’s something in her eyes that makes my chest tighten. “I don’t know if I’ve ever heard another person say that out loud before.”

  “But you have?” I ask, and she nods. “Looking back, I think that’s what drew me to you in the first place. To your page, I mean.” I feel heat creep up my neck, and I bring a hand up to rub the back of it. “Well, that and how beautiful you are, obviously.”

  “Don’t tell me the seven-foot-tall bad-ass lawyer slash bodyguard is getting shy.” I love the way her eyes light up when she’s poking at me. She can do it forever if it makes her this happy.

  “Hey, I’ve got a soft center like any good snack.” When I wink at her, she snorts a laugh and then slaps a hand over her mouth like she didn’t mean for it to happen. “Wait, did you just snort?” I pretend to be shocked as I grab my chest.

  “No, no, no. That was an accident.” Her cheeks flush with embarrassment, but she’s trying not to laugh again.

  “Well, I guess I know what I’m doing for the rest of the night.” She looks at me questioningly. “It’s now my mission to make you do that again to prove it wasn’t an accident.”

  “You’re the worst.”

  She pretends to scowl as I take her hand and pull her from the bedroom. She’s so fucking cute I’ve got to get her out of here before I toss her on the bed and climb on top of her.

  “Come on, I want to show you something,” I say and lead her down the hallway.

  “Is it your creepy basement?”

  “You wish.”

  I swear I hear another snort, but when I look back at her, she’s glancing around suspiciously. “This old house makes weird noises.”

  “Yeah, it’s the oddest thing. The sounds are similar to snorts.” We’re both laughing as I push open the door to the studio.

  “Oh wow.” Abbie walks in and goes straight for the drafting table. “Is this yours?”

  “No, the previous owner left it here. She was an architect, and this was her summer house. She said out of all the rooms, this one had the best light.” It’s dark now, but this room is at the corner of the house with windows on two sides. “During the day you can see the lake.”

  “I can’t imagine having something so peaceful.” Abbie’s voice is almost reverent as she looks around the room at the soft furnishings.

  This is what I want to give her. Peace. I want her to feel safe and protected so that she has the freedom to do what she loves. Everyone deserves that, but I have an overwhelming need to provide it for her. Maybe that’s selfish, but seeing her relaxed and happy makes me want to do it even more.

  “I haven’t done anything to this room,” I admit. “When I come up here, I try not to work, so I purposely didn’t make an office in here or anywhere else. It hasn’t been touched since I bought it, so I’d be grateful if you used it.”

  Abbie whips around with a surprised expression. “Me?”

  “Consider it your space. If you want some time to yourself or feel inspired, it’s yours.”

  “But what about⁠—”

  “You can protest all you want, but I saw your face when we walked in.”

  “Was I that obvious?” She crinkles her nose in the cutest way, and I take her hand again.

  “Come on, the sun will be up in a few hours, and you’ll want to see it in the daylight.” I tug her with me back to the bedroom. “And I’m too tired to argue about who is sleeping where, so we’ll both take the bed.”

  “So I won our first fight?” She goes up on her toes smugly, and I nod.

  “Yeah, but I’m pretty sure you’re going to win all of them.”

  “I’m really liking this arrangement,” she says and grabs her toiletries.

  When she disappears into the bathroom, all I can do is think about how much I like it too.

  Chapter Seven

  ABBIE

  I let out a small moan as I slowly start to wake. My body has that heavy feeling like I’ve been sleeping for a long time. When I turn my head, it feels like it’s against a hard surface, so I reach out to grab my pillow. That’s when a hand wraps around my wrist, and my eyes spring open. I’m about to scream until my eyes lock with Spencer’s dark brown gaze.

  “Ope,” I mutter.

  Not only did I almost hit him in the face, but I’ve sprawled half my body over his. A slow, sexy smile pulls at Spencer's lips as he puts my hand against his chest.

  “Sleep well?” When I nod, his grin spreads. My mind tries to catch up with the sensory overload of my leg thrown over Spencer’s thigh. His other arm is around me, and I’m tucked as closely as possible to his side. “I didn’t know I was a cuddler.”

  “I think it might have been me that did the cuddling.” I’m on his side of the bed, so much so that Spencer is half an inch from slipping off completely. “Sorry.”

  I’m trying to wiggle backwards to give him some space when Spencer's hand on my side flexes gently. The touch makes me pause, and he holds me tighter.

  “As you can see, I didn’t try to stop you.”

  “Sorry,” I mutter again. “I didn’t know I was a cuddler.”

  “More like a koala bear at a few points.” His teasing smile still manages to embarrass me.

  “Oh my god.” I bury my face into his chest.

  “Abbie,” he says softly while his hand strokes against my back. “I’m certain if you hadn’t ended up over here, I would have found my way to you.”

  “You’re just being nice.”

  When I peek up at him, I shift my leg, and my knee brushes against something very hard. If I wasn't fully awake before, I am now.

  “Careful.” Spencer grins sheepishly and lifts my knee. I’m in such a panic to back up that I roll to the other side of the bed too quickly and almost fall off. “Abbie! Shit.”

  “I’m okay!” I shout as I catch myself before I hit the floor. I’m trying not to look like a complete fool as I make it seem like I was jumping out of bed on purpose. Once I’m on my feet, I dive for the bathroom and accidentally slam the door too hard. “Sorry!”

  Okay, so I’m hiding in the bathroom for my own safety and not because I’m afraid of Spencer or embarrassing myself further. I groan as I lean against the door and put my face in my hands. I was the one that talked him into sharing a bed, and then I climbed all over him.

  “Abbie.” I hear Spencer’s light chuckle through the door, and somehow it relaxes me. “There’s nothing to be shy over, sweet girl.”

  “That’s easy for you to say. I was the koala bear that made your, um…” I trail off.

  “My dick is hard.”

  “Oh my god.” I’m so shocked he said the words out loud that I yank open the door. “Don’t say that.”

  Spencer is standing there with a playful smirk. “You’re a beautiful woman, and I’ve never cuddled before. Can you blame me?”

  It’s silly, but my mind gets caught on the word beautiful before I’m able to reply.

  “Why don't you cuddle?” He shrugs his shoulder lazily and glances away. Spencer said he liked it, so why has he never done it before?

  "It’s not that I don’t; it’s just that I haven’t. This morning was a first, but like I said, I enjoyed it."

  "Why didn't you cuddle your other…you know?" I can't bring myself to say girlfriends because I don’t like the thought of it. In fact, I should step away from this whole conversation. “Never mind. I’m going to do bathroom things,” I say stupidly as I go to close the door. Spencer's hand reaches out and catches it to stop me. “Do you need the bathroom first?”

  “No, Abbie.” He chuckles as he brings his hand to my face and tucks one of my unruly curls behind my ear. “There wasn’t anyone before you.” He makes the confession then steps back. “I’ll start breakfast.”

  Spencer disappears out of the bedroom, leaving me a bit dumbfounded. Then it’s all I can think about as I do my morning routine. Only today it’s closer to my old morning routine. The one where I take my time to get dressed up. I haven’t touched my makeup or favorite clothes in weeks.

  With everything that happened with Geoff and the harassment, I had no desire to do anything to enhance my looks. I got no joy from dressing up or looking cute because all I wanted to do was disappear.

  Now, though, it feels like I’m rebelling against Geoff and what he did to me. There’s even a part of me that wants to look nice for Spencer. Not only do I feel it's safe to be myself here, but I want him to see the real me.

  I put on a white summer dress that’s got little baby ducks on it. It’s one of my favorites because they appear to be yellow dots until you take a closer look.

  Originally it was strapless, but I'd added some material to the bottom to make it twirl better and then used some of the leftovers to make straps. It’s all for show because the top fits snugly before flaring at the waist.

  After finding my matching hair clip, I pull part of my hair up before adding a few touches of makeup. Once I’m ready, I go find Spencer.

  It’s a strange feeling, but I'm missing him. I know I shouldn't because we hardly know each other. Between this and the jealousy of thinking about him with another woman, I know my heart is venturing into unknown territory. Months ago, these feelings wouldn’t have been so scary. I would’ve been excited about the possibility of a crush. Now I'm apprehensive of everything.

 

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