He rolls his eyes. “And here I was all this time thinking you were cultured.”
I giggle against my wineglass and watch on as he pours the food into the three saucepans.
“Have you thought about where you are going to live when you move to London?” he asks.
I shrug. “Not really. I guess I’ll have to start thinking soon, though.” I watch him for a moment. “What are your thoughts?”
He continues stirring. “I have a few.” He sips his wine. “The Spencer Jones in me wants you to get your own kickass apartment and decorate it however you want. To have your own things and come and go as you please.”
I smile and wait for him to go on.
“He wants you to gain your independence and live life without the restraints from your family.” He thinks for a moment. “I mean you should. That’s what you should do. That’s the smart thing to do.”
It’s clear he has something else on his mind, though. “And what do you want?” I ask.
His eyes find mine.
“That’s what Spencer Jones wants me to do,” I say. “What do you want me to do?” I ask. “The selfish little boy inside of you… what does he want?”
“Well…….” He pauses, his eyes hold mine as he decides whether to share. “The selfish little boy in me can’t stand the thought of spending even one night without you, and he wants you to move in here.”
**
Charlotte
What?
“I mean…” He shrugs as if embarrassed by my shocked reaction. “That’s only if you wanted to, and I’d completely understand if you didn’t.” He’s speaking way too fast, tripping over his words as he tries to recover.
I smile and remain silent as I watch him.
He continues to stir the pot, shaking his head as he thinks. “That was…” His voice trails off. “That was a bad idea, forget I said anything.”
“Spence?”
He keeps stirring with his head down, unable to look at me.
I get off the stool and walk around in front of him, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Spence?”
His eyes meet mine.
“Why don’t we just see how we go?”
A frown creases his forehead. “What does that mean?”
“It means that we’ve been together for five minutes, and I think that maybe we should stop moving so fast.”
“You don’t like the way things are going?”
I kiss him softly. “I love the way things are going, but this isn’t a race.”
He holds me tight. “It feels like it is.”
I pull back to look at his face. “Why?”
He shrugs. “I’m waiting for the shoe to drop and everything to turn to shit.”
“Spence,” I breathe. “It’s not going to.”
“This is new for me, angel. All this.” He shrugs. “Feeling…”
I giggle. “You think this is new for you? Try being me for a moment. I’m getting used to having sex, falling in love, as well as an ex-girlfriend of yours who is slipping keys into your pocket.”
He smirks and pulls out of my arms. “Oh, I saw her today.”
My face falls. “You saw her today?”
“Yeah.” He goes back to stirring his pot of Indian food, choosing not to elaborate.
“And?” I frown.
“Long story.”
“I’ve got time.”
He dishes out our meals and places them on the counter in front of us. He refills our wineglasses, too, leaving me to just… watch him.
He sits down and begins to eat, as if he hasn’t a care in the world.
“Spencer! Are you going to tell me what happened or not?”
He blows out a deep breath. “It was the day from Hell.”
“Why are you always so dramatic?”
He chuckles. “No, seriously, today was a day from Hell.” He shovels some food into his mouth. “Like… literally.”
I take a mouthful of food for myself. “Why?”
“So, Sheridan turns up and tells me she loves me.”
My mouth falls open in surprise.
Don’t say anything, don’t say anything.
“She wants to move here and make a go of it with me.”
“I thought you said you were just having sex?”
He shrugs. “I thought we were, too. I was bowled over.”
“Well, what did you say to that?”
“I said no, that we were never like that.” He chews his food casually, as if he has this conversation every day.
“And you’ve told her you’re with me?” I ask. Damn this sneaky bitch.
“She knows I’m in love with you. I told her.”
“You told her that you love me. In those words?”
“I think it was in those words.” He shrugs. “Anyway, she knows.”
“How come you tell her you love me, but you don’t tell me you love me?” I ask.
He looks at me, deadpan. “Really? That’s all you got out of that sentence?”
I raise my eyebrows. Hmm, his snarky attitude is pissing me off tonight.
“Anyway, so I’m dealing with her crying and shit.”
“How were you dealing with her?” I frown. “Define dealing with her.”
He rolls his eyes. “I was hugging her.”
I get an image of them in a passionate embrace while he comforts her. “Did you kiss her?”
“No, I did not kiss her. Will you let me tell the fucking story?”
I shovel food into my mouth with force. Do I have to? I hate this fucking story.
“Anyway, so she’s crying and begging for two kids and a house in the countryside.”
My anger begins to rise. Is she kidding?
“She asked you for two kids?” I snap.
“Because she thinks that’s what I want with you.”
I stare at him. “Is it?”
“Is it what?”
“Is that what you want? Two kids and a house in the countryside?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know, you’ve got me thinking all types of crazy shit that I haven’t ever considered before. I did just ask you to move in with me and got shot down in flames for my trouble, didn’t I?”
“I did not shoot you down in flames.” I smile. “It more like a gentle slingshot.”
He rolls his eyes. “Whatever you call it, you didn’t say yes. So, Sheridan is in my office crying and shit, and then my receptionist buzzes through to tell me that Edward Prescott is there to see me.”
My eyes widen. “What?”
“Yep.”
“What the hell?”
He holds up his hands in the air. “Fucking crying ex-girlfriend in my office. New girlfriend’s crazy ass brother in the waiting room ready to kill me.”
“I thought you said she wasn’t your girlfriend.”
“Again with the pointless shit from that sentence.” He rolls his eyes. “The part of the sentence you should only have heard to was ready to kill me.”
I smirk. “You are an idiot.”
He gives me a sexy wink as he bites the food from his fork.
“So, then what happened?”
“I got rid of Sheridan, and then I saw Edward.”
“And…?”
“Nothing really. Stupid Alexander York told him I was sniffing around you.”
“Sniffing around?” I frown. “That’s uncouth.”
“I really did want to tell him how good you tasted. You know… to infuriate him more.”
“Spencer.” I smirk. “Now you’re being uncouth. Will you stop joking around and tell me what the hell happened?”
“Nothing other than he warned me to stay away from you. I told him that it was none of his business. He told me he didn’t like me, and then I kicked him out of my office.”
I stare at him as my brain misfires.
He winks that cheeky boy wink again.
“Tell me you’re joking.”
“Nope. That’s exactly how it happened.”
“You kicked him out?” I gasp.
“He told me he didn’t like me.”
“You… you could have tried to be nice to him at least,” I stammer.
“I’m not putting up with his shit, Charlotte. Nobody comes to my office and makes demands without getting kicked out.”
“Sheridan does,” I retort.
He rolls his eyes. “Don’t start that shit.”
“Don’t start?” I snap. “Oh, I haven’t started yet. How did it end? What was the last thing you said to her?”
“I told her I would have dinner with her tomorrow night to talk about it.”
“What?”
He shrugs casually. “It’s the least I could do. I won’t be long. A few hours tops.”
“No.”
His eyes come to mine. “What do you mean, no?”
“I mean no. You’re not going.”
He frowns.
I point my fork at him. “If you think for one minute that I am staying home while you go out with your ex fuck buddy, you can think again.”
His eyes hold mine.
“I am inexperienced, Spencer, not a fucking idiot.”
“She’s just a friend.”
“Who wants two kids and a house in the country with you.” I get up and scrape my plate of food into the bin with force. “She will get there and want a goodbye fuck, and then the two of you will fall back into this pattern of sleeping together behind my back.”
“What?” He stands in an outrage. “I wouldn’t do that to you.”
“But she would, and I’m not giving her the fucking chance.”
“Since when do you swear every second word?”
“Since fucking sluts piss me off!” I yell.
“Don’t call her that.”
“If the shoe fits.” I storm upstairs.
“You don’t even know her,” he calls after me.
I turn and storm back down the stairs. “Oh, but you do. Very well indeed. Isn’t that right, Spencer?”
He narrows his eyes and puts his hands on his hips. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means if you want any type of relationship with me, you will cut all ties with her immediately… or else.”
“Or else what?” he fires back.
“Or else I’m out of here, and you can go back to sleeping with her whenever you want.”
“I don’t want to sleep with her. Stop being a fucking bitch about it.”
“A fucking bitch?” I yell. “You haven’t seen a fucking bitch yet.”
“I think I just have!” he yells. “They can see your bitchiness from space. NASA is picking you up on bitch cam right now.”