Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

SPENCER

M y head rested against her forehead as I struggled to slow my breathing. I felt like I was spinning. My body jerked inside her. Suddenly, I was very aware of the fact I was inside her—unprotected. I stepped away. "Shit," I murmured. "I didn't use a condom."

She looked a little dazed. "I'm on birth control."

I nodded and pulled up my underwear. My mind was a whirlwind of confusion and regret. I jerked my pants up as she hopped off her desk and picked up her panties. I couldn't resist looking at her beautiful body. It had happened so fast. Never would I have done anything like that with anyone. Ever. I never messed around with my coworkers.

But there was something about Marlow. She was not just a coworker. She was Marlow .

The woman had dominated my thoughts for weeks. Not touching her was beyond difficult. This moment was inevitable. With the tension high between us, the only thing left to do was have sex. Sex or fight and I wasn't ever going to lay a hand on a woman.

We dressed quickly, our eyes locked on each other. The room was quiet, the only sound being our ragged breaths. I didn't know what to say, so I said nothing and just stood there, trying to process what had happened.

I was about to apologize for being an ass when we heard the unmistakable sound of the elevators opening. People were returning from lunch. We could hear the voices and both panicked a little. I snatched my tie and pulled it over my head before frantically trying to button my shirt.

"Shit," Marlow hissed, scrambling to put on her sweater and hide the fact that I had busted all her blouse buttons, which now lay scattered on the floor.

"It's not a big deal. Nobody will think anything of it."

She gave me a look. I was trying to calm her down, but her cheeks were flaming red. I could see the embarrassment written all over her face.

The voices were getting closer, and in a split second, I took matters into my own hands. I shoved her down onto her sofa, eliciting a yelp from her as she landed hard.

"Knock it off!" she whisper-yelled, trying to sit up. "They're coming!"

Without thinking, I wrapped a hand around her ankle, applying just enough pressure to leave a red mark but not enough to hurt. She swatted at me, smacking my shoulder. "What are you doing?!"

"Trust me," I said, meeting her confused gaze with as much reassurance as I could muster.

She slumped against the sofa, covering her face with her hand just as Kyla walked into the office.

"Oh my gosh! Are you okay?" Kyla rushed in, followed by a couple of the guys from the office.

Marlow peeked out between her fingers, still confused and clearly embarrassed.

"She rolled her ankle," I explained, showing everyone the red mark on her ankle. "These heels are dangerous." While nobody was looking, I discreetly nudged a couple of stray buttons under the sofa. Marlow and I locked eyes. I could see the relief in her expression when she realized my plan was working.

"Do you need to go to the hospital?" Max asked with concern.

"No," Marlow and I said at the same time.

"I just twisted it," Marlow insisted.

I noticed her blouse gaping a little in the middle. She didn't get a chance to pull on her sweater. I needed to get everyone out of the office so we could finish getting dressed. My shirt wasn't tucked in, which seemed to be escaping everyone's notice as well.

"It might swell a little," I said casually.

"I'll get some ice," Jax said.

"I think I have some Tylenol in my purse," Kyla said.

"Thank you," I said.

"I'm fine, guys," Marlow said. "It's already feeling better."

Jax and Max both left. Kyla rushed out as well.

Soon enough, the fuss died down, and we were alone again. She gave me a coy smile. "That was clever."

"I've been known to have my moments," I said, with a grin.

"I'm still mad at you," she said, though her tone was softer now.

"I can live with that." I gently pushed her boot on and slowly zipped it. "But can you forgive me?"

She nodded, and I helped her to her feet. Her blouse gaped. I turned her to face me. People were still watching, and I didn't want them to see her dishevelment.

"Sell it," I said quietly.

"What?"

"You have a twisted ankle, remember?"

"Oh yeah."

She did a little wobble, holding on to my shoulder for support. I couldn't help but chuckle. She looked up at me with a smile.

"You could have been an actress," I said.

"I used to want to be," she replied.

That surprised me. "Really? Did you go for it?"

I kept my hand on her while leaning over to grab her sweater from the couch. I handed it to her and pretended to hold her steady while she pulled it on.

"Too many people told me I was too fat," she said, her head popping through the sweater. "After so many times, you start to believe them."

I was shocked. How could anyone think that? "That's bullshit," I hissed.

She smiled at me. "Don't feel bad for me, Spencer. I love my life. Hollywood would have eaten me alive. And besides, I like my body. I never roll an ankle. I'm too sturdy. I can hike Mt. Everest in heels. I've actually gone hiking in wedges. I have a feeling Kyla knows that and she's going to have some suspicions about how I managed to twist my ankle in what really are some very normal heels."

Just then, Kyla and Jax returned. Jax frowned when he noticed she had her boots on. "Don't you want ice?" he asked.

"I'm already feeling better," she said. "But thank you so much."

Jax nodded. "Okay. Stay off your foot. It might swell."

"Thank you, I plan on it."

Jax turned and walked away. Kyla held out her hand. "Here. Do you need water?"

"No thanks. I'm good."

Kyla looked from me to Marlow. "You two seem to be working together well," she said, a hint of suspicion in her voice.

Marlow and I exchanged a glance, but there was nothing we could do to dispel her suspicions.

"Yes, we are," Marlow said.

Kyla nodded again. "Well good. I'll be at my desk if you need me."

She walked out, closing the door behind her. Once she was gone, Marlow looked at me with a mix of relief and gratitude.

"I owe you one," she whispered, her eyes sparkling with mischief. I stepped back to tuck in my shirt. "You missed a button," she said, reaching out to point out the missed button.

"Oops." I grinned.

"Do you think they really bought the sprained ankle story?" she asked.

"I think they might have," I said, glancing over at the others.

"That was not something I've ever done," she murmured. "I can't believe I did that."

"Me either," I said. "Sorry I was an ass."

She patted my chest. "I'm sorry too. That you were an ass."

I laughed and straightened my shirt. Marlow reached up and adjusted my tie. Then she looked up at my hair and grimaced. "Yeah, I don't think anyone is buying what we tried to sell."

I reached my hand up to feel it. "I know, it's a mess. Someone had her hands in it."

"Sorry."

I did my best to smooth it down. Her hair was relatively untouched. She pulled down her sweater and leaned her head back. "Did you leave a mark?"

"Oops, sorry." I chuckled.

She pulled up the sweater to hide the evidence of my exuberance. "It's fine. I'm sure I left some marks on your back."

"You did," I admitted, rubbing my shoulder gently.

"I hope it wasn't too painful," she said, grinning.

"It was worth it," I replied, giving her a playful smile. "Let's just make sure we don't give anyone else any more reasons to suspect us."

Marlow nodded. "Agreed."

I looked at the box on the desk still filled with her things. "Shit."

"What?" she asked following my gaze. "Oh."

"Think they noticed?" I asked.

She laughed. "I think we can pretend they noticed nothing. They're pretending they didn't, and I think that is a good approach. We'll all just pretend nothing happened and no one noticed a thing."

We both stood there for a moment, taking in the situation before us. Marlow turned back toward the box. "I'll put the rest of my stuff away and forget this ever happened. But…"

"But?" I prompted.

She looked me straight in the eyes. "Don't you dare yell at me again. I am working hard. I am trying to focus, but you have to tone down your attitude. I'm serious about not wanting a boss."

"I'm sorry," I said again. "I've been under a lot of pressure. It's not your fault. I know you're doing all you can. You are doing exactly what I knew you would. I'm sorry I took my frustration out on you."

"You know, you can talk to me," she said. "You don't need to bottle up all this stuff."

"I'm fine," I assured her. I wasn't about to sit around talking about my feelings. "Do you want me to help you unpack?"

She laughed. "No. I think you should go back to your office before they start thinking there is something going on in here."

I nodded in agreement. "Okay. Well, I'll be thinking about you."

We exchanged a final glance. Marlow started unpacking the box, while I retreated to my own office. I felt like everyone was staring at me as I walked. I told myself it was just in my head. No one beyond Kyla, Jax, and Max would have any reason to suspect anything.

The rest of the afternoon was a haze of meetings and catching up on work. Marlow and I kept our distance, but there was a new understanding between us, a truce of sorts. At least I hoped so. As I sat through a particularly tedious conference call, my mind kept drifting back to our earlier encounter, replaying every word, every touch. I thought scratching the itch would satisfy the craving. It didn't work. I only craved her more. I wanted her again.

That quickie in her office felt more like foreplay. I wanted a bed and privacy. I wanted to spend some serious time worshiping her body.

Later that day, as the office was winding down, I found myself standing outside Marlow's office, hesitating. I knocked lightly on the doorframe. I noticed she had tidied up, everything back in its place. The now empty box was sitting in the corner.

"Hey," I said, stepping inside when she looked up.

"Hey," she replied, her eyes flicking up from her laptop.

"Listen, about earlier?—"

"Spencer, it's fine," she interrupted. "We both said things. Did things. Let's just move on, okay?"

"Okay," I agreed, though it didn't feel like enough. "But I do mean it. I'm sorry. I don't want things to be weird between us."

"Me neither," she said, her expression softening. "We'll figure it out. Together."

I left her office feeling a bit lighter, though the weight of everything unsaid still hung between us. There was a lot to work through, but for the first time, I felt like we might actually manage to do it.