Page 37 of Reunion With Benefits

He cleaned in silence for the first five minutes. Then he started to talk. “I learned young to shut down. My dad would yell because nothing was ever good enough for him. I’d take myself out of the middle of it. Some days, he and Derrick would go at it.” Spence shook his head as if he were reliving a memory in his mind. “Unbelievable.”

She didn’t say anything. The cadence of his voice comforted her. Getting a peek into his childhood seemed to chase some of the germs away.

“Eldrick Jameson is not a good man. He was a terrible, distant, mean father. Hell, he wasn’t even much of a businessman. Derrick had to rescue the company from Dad’s overspending and bad choices.” Spence folded the towel and hung it on the bar on the stove. “Other kids had it much worse. I get that. We never wanted for anything. Dad kept up the outside appearances. Played the role of family man.”

Abby thought about Eldrick’s series of marriages. Of all the goodwill he’d run through in his life.

Spence walked back into the living room. She moved over a bit to silently tell him he could sit next to her.

He took the hint. Dropped into the cushions and snaked his arm along the back of the sectional. Didn’t touch her. Didn’t even come close, but having him near felt reassuring in an odd way.

“You weren’t the first girlfriend he approached...and I know I’m taking liberties with that word.” He waited until she nodded to continue. “But he’d made passes before. Sometimes the ploy worked, sometimes not. It chipped away at my trust of him and the women I was attracted to. Of myself.”

Spence picked at a spot on the cushion. Sat in silence for a few seconds before continuing. “He knew I was likely to run if he pushed too hard and tested me all the time. Made it clear I didn’t deserve anything in the company or in the way of a home life because I hadn’t proven myself.”

“He really was terrible.” She hadn’t meant to say that. It slipped out but it wasn’t wrong.

“Still is, though Beth might turn out to be one of his better choices.” Spence exhaled. “He’s currently sending us through this list of tasks we have to perform in order for him to turn the company over.”

“What’s yours?”

“I don’t know.” Spence barked out a harsh laugh. “He gave Derrick an envelope for me but I never opened it. I was too busy trying to figure out where we stood.”

We? She had no idea but she wasn’t ready for this conversation either. “Spence, I—”

“I’m not asking. It was just an explanation.” His hand dropped and his fingers moved closer to her shoulder, but he still didn’t touch her.

She sensed he might not unless she gave permission. And that was not going to happen...yet.

“I learned this defense. Carter and I both did. We took off. Carter traveled. I tried to forget everything here and all my regrets.”

She tipped her head back and looked at him. Let her gaze linger over his tired face and the dark circles under his eyes. “Am I a regret?”

“You are amazing. Smart and beautiful, funny and quick.” He shot her a cute smile. “Sexy as hell. That pantry was basically every one of my fantasies brought to life.” His smile faded. “But I messed up before. I do regret running out on you, not believing you. Breaking your trust before I really had a chance to earn it.”

“I guess you had a reason not to trust so easily.” She’d never admitted that before. Never even let it enter her head. In every scenario that ran through her mind, she was the sole victim in Eldrick’s schemes. But now she saw that wasn’t quite true.

“Don’t give me an out, Abby.” His fingers slipped lower then. Right next to her shoulder. Brushing against it in a soothing gesture. “I’m a grown man. I was done playing Eldrick’s games but that doesn’t excuse leaving you here to deal with him.”

“He bolted soon after.” She had been so happy that day. Happy every day since when he stayed gone.

Spence shook his head. “That’s not my point.”

She lifted her hand and covered his. Let their fingers tangle together. “I know.”

They sat there in silence. Images ran across the television screen. She’d turned the sound off when the doorbell rang and hadn’t turned it back on. Now they both watched the show, some detective thing with a lot of running, without any noise or talking.

She tugged him a bit closer. Felt the cushion dip when he slid over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. The sex had been so good. Not smart, because she hadn’t insisted on a condom and at some point they needed to talk about that, but hot and right and almost cleansing in the force of it. But this felt pretty great, too. The silence. The calm.

Her fingers slipped over the remote, but she still didn’t turn on the sound. She didn’t want to break the mood. Not when she could concentrate on the way his breath blew over her forehead, and how every now and then, he would turn his head to place a chaste kiss on her hair.

“I know I need to earn back your trust,” he said into the quiet as darkness fell outside the windows behind the couch. “I just want you to think about giving me the chance to do that.”

Hope soared inside her and her heartbeat kicked up. The traitorous thing. The answer yes screamed inside her head but she didn’t say it out loud. Not yet. Not when Eldrick was still in town and Spence’s propensity to flee hadn’t been resolved. And she still needed to deal with Jeff Berger and whatever stupid thing he had planned for her.

She glanced up at Spence. Let her gaze wander over his lips. “I actually am hungry.”

A smile broke out on his lips. This one genuine and warming. “What do you want?”

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