Strike (32 page)

Spencer chuckles low in his throat, and I bite down on my lip to stop from doing the same.

“And then she tortured me,” he says, taking my right hand in his.

I can’t help but smile. I did. I tortured the poor boy. But I’d do it again.

“It was the sweetest form of torture I have
ever
experienced. But because of that I got to know her. I began to fall for her, because she made me fight. And every single day I’m grateful she did, because she is the most precious gift I could ever have. I will never stop fighting for her, as long as I live.”

“Oh, Spence,” I choke out. I wipe the sleeve of my shirt under my eyes to catch my tears. There’s no way holding them in is an option. Needing to be close, I kneel in front of him, our knees touching.

He nods his chin towards the box. “Untie it, April.”

I tug at each end of the bow, the ribbon falling to side. He flips open the lid.

Sweet Lord.

The light catches on a stunning platinum band with a perfectly cut mother of a diamond somehow floating on the band. It’s not a princess ring; it’s not over the top. It is the kind of ring that I would choose. This ring is me. And Spencer knows me like no other. The fact that he picked it, without my help, has tears flooding down my face. When did I turn into such a cry baby?

He takes the ring from the box, holding it between his thumb and forefinger.

“April Rose MacIntyre, will you let me fight for you, love you like you deserve, and let me be there for you always?”

I slowly nod.

“Will you marry me, beautiful?” he asks, running his thumb over my knuckles, his baby blues filled with adoration.

“Yes, Spencer,” I declare as warmth builds in my cheeks. As he slides the cool metal down my ring finger, I add, “I’ll marry you, but only on one condition.”

He stills, his mouth curling to the side. “Name it,” he says, almost daring me.

“Only if you let me fight for you and let me love you like
you
deserve.”

“Beautiful, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

He pulls me to his chest and I wrap my arms around him tight. He slams his mouth into mine, and kisses me something fierce. I want more, but Spencer pulls back. I breathe in deep and our eyes lock in a lovesick gaze.

“And I would have done it without it,” he says, “but I got Mac’s blessing.”

Happy tears fall helplessly down my face. “He knew about this?”

“Yep. Even hugged me and shit. He nearly cracked a rib, I might add, but I got his blessing.”

“As if he wouldn’t. He knows we were meant to be.”

“Yeah, we are.”

I tug at his shirt and rip it over his head, my need to be close compounding by the second. I run my hand over his chest, his nipples perking beneath my fingertips. I kiss his neck, licking and biting as I taste his salty skin.

He wraps his arms around me, and once again his breath tickles at my ear. “Babe, we shouldn’t …” he says and holds an arm up to check his watch. Is he nuts? I look at his wrist and then at his face in disbelief. I suddenly have the urge to rip the watch right off his arm.

“I
need
you, Spence,” I say, sliding my hands into the back of his jeans.

“I know, babe. But we can’t now.”

Huh? We’re going to get married and suddenly he doesn’t wanna have sex with me?

Hell no.

Marriage will never change our sex life. I’ll put in in our vows if we have to.

I just have to be convincing. And I know exactly how.

Down-casting my gaze, I swiftly unbuckle his belt. I lower the zip, and slip my hand inside his boxers. As predicted, he’s hard. Real hard.

“April,” he says, only this time with less negative conviction. He lifts my chin to meet his gaze. I pull his boxers down and push his chest so his back leans on the front of the couch. In one long stroke of my tongue, I lick from the bottom of his shaft up to the swollen head, and then take enough of him in my mouth to flick the crown with my tongue.

“Fuck,” he groans, weaving his fingers into my hair, but his body is still tense. I take him right into the back of my throat, slowly moving him in and out, sheathing my teeth with my lips. He begins to relax. Cupping his balls, I feel them tighten as I move my mouth faster. Spencer groans, like he’s almost in pain. He’s almost there.

A loud sound shrills in my ears and I spring back in shock. It’s a sound I’ve never heard before.

“What … what the fuck was that?” I mutter, wiping at my lips.

Spencer chuckles like a crazed man, and pulls up his boxers and jeans.

“What the hell are you doing?” I ask, dumbfounded he doesn’t want me to finish, or at the very least, let me ride him like a rodeo girl.

He buckles his belt and then stands, holding out his hand to me. I blink rapidly for a few seconds, trying to work out if I fell asleep from exhaustion.
What is happening?

He pulls me to stand on wobbly legs. Spencer slips his shirt on and then takes my hand again, leading me to the front door.

He presses a button on the wall. “Come on up,” he says, and his voice is met with roaring cheers which make me jump as they shoot from the speaker. Oh, it was the intercom.
I’m such an idiot.

Spencer pulls me against him, and smiles. Yep. I’m definitely having him committed.

“Who’s coming up?” I ask.

A barrage of knocks pounds on the door. Spencer bites down on his lip. I guess I’m about to find out.

He swings the door wide open. A loud “Congratulations!” hits me fair in the chest, and I’m gobsmacked as to who is standing there: Spencer’s mum, dad and his sister, Vicky, Daddy, Aidan, Eevie, Soph, Rocco, and Billy. Like a stampede, everyone filters inside, and we are smothered in hugs and kisses.

“We brought some finger food to nibble on, darling,” Spencer’s mum says, with a plastic bag in each hand. She kisses Spencer on each cheek and he takes the bags off her. At least every few weeks we have family dinner with Spencer’s family, and man, can that woman cook. I’m really enjoying her cooking, but I also love to cook for them just as much.

I look at Spencer and start laughing. Hard.

He pulls me aside. “What’s so goddamn funny?” he whispers.

“I was about to have you certified,” I whisper back, my smile stretching over my face.

Frowning, he asks, “What for?”

“For not wanting sex, and then, I don’t know—”

He buries his head in my neck, distracting me with his lips on my ear. “I warned you we shouldn’t, but once you started with that mouth …” A long breath escapes him. “Don’t worry, beautiful. I’m not sleeping tonight until my future wife has screamed out my name and is
completely
satisfied.”

So now my panties are wet.
Perfect
. Wetter than they were only a moment ago, when I had him in my mouth. And people we love surround us, and there’s not a single thing I can do to relieve the ache deep inside. But at least I know at some point, I’ll be screaming. “Good,” I say, louder than I’d intended.

A small pair of arms wrap themselves around both Spencer and I.
Vicky
. Her mouth wide open, she jumps up and down and squeals in my ear, her long, blonde hair flicking in every direction. She’s wearing this cute little white shift dress with matching earrings. Every time I see her, I’m reminded how beautiful she is—inside and out. I pray she’ll meet a nice guy.
And I don’t pray much.
Vicky’s so shy when it comes to the opposite sex, and I just wanna drag her out of her shell. Being a good Catholic girl, and into her second uni degree, she’d rather sit at home studying than put herself out there. The next eligible bachelor I find, I’m totally sending them her way.
With or without her big brother’s approval.

“It’s official,” Vicky says. “I will never say another bad word about my brother, because he’s just given me the most awesome sister
ever
.”

My heart twinges, and I kiss her on the forehead. “You know what, Vicky? I’m pretty lucky, because now I have one too.” And I mean every word I just said, because I love her. She makes me laugh, we can talk until all hours, and every now and then I get more dirt on Spencer. God knows, sometimes I need it. Spencer tells me I don’t fight fair. I tell him I play smart. And then I usually end up getting fucked.
Like that’s not what I want.
Boys are so dumb.

Spencer turns and gives Vicky a giant bear hug. She squeals as he lifts her off the ground. “Anything for my baby sister,” he says, and turns his head to wink at me.
Aw
. He can really be a softy when he wants to be, and it’s so wonderful to see how Vicky and him have made amends. She slips her arm around my waist, and I pull her to my side.
A sister, hey?

Billy, dressed in a smart, chequered dress shirt and black jeans, appears beside us. Usually when I see him he’s covered in a layer of dirt, sporting his MX gear. The boy scrubs up good. He gives Spencer a manly hug, slapping him hard on the back. “Congrats,” he says, and then repeats it to me as he hugs me like I’m made of glass.

“Have you met Vicky before, Billy?” I ask, wondering if they managed to cross paths when Spencer won the championship last year.

“Ah, no. I haven’t,” he says, jutting his head towards her. “Hi, I’m Billy, obviously,” he mumbles. “Nice to meet you.”

“Vicky,” she says and nods. “Nice to meet you, too.” The flush of colour to hers and his cheeks is almost comical.

“I can’t believe my Peaches is gettin’ married.” A familiar voice booms with pride. Not having seen him for a few months, and standing only a step away, my eyes instantly gloss over with tears as I throw myself into Daddy’s arms, causing Vicky and Billy to take a step back.

“Daddy,” I choke out. I hold on and squeeze, burying my head in his shirt. Giving me a bear hug, like always, I inhale him, and he smells like home. He’s becoming a bit more soft and squishy than he was a few years back, but I love him just the same. No, I love him even more. He’s been good to Spencer, like he always has, but he’s given him a chance. A chance to have the love of his daughter, and that’s all I could ever ask of him. Spencer had shown Dad that he is worthy of me. Just like I knew he would.

All too soon Daddy pulls away, and with his giant hands on my shoulders, he smiles like he’s got a nervous twitch. Either that or he’s trying not to cry. Yep. Big grizzly bear wants to weep like a baby.

Spencer appears beside me and holds out his hand to shake. Daddy unhooks his fingers from my shoulder and shakes his hand with gusto. Spencer will be lucky if he doesn’t rip his arm off. I inwardly laugh to myself. Only moments ago I wanted to rip that arm off, but for a
totally
different reason.

“Hey, Mac. Thanks for coming,” Spencer says proudly, slipping an arm around my waist.

“I wouldn’t miss it, boy. Not in a million.” Dad’s smile grows wide, his crow’s feet bunching together. “You got there, Peaches. I know it’s been a hard road, but you got there. Today I’m a proud, proud father, and seeing you happy like this, finding the love of your life, it’s my biggest dream come true.”

Daddy always has a way of saying the simplest things, but they pack the biggest punch. I am the luckiest daughter in the world, and one day—not for a while, though—he is going to be THE best grandfather, pop or grandpa, whatever he chooses to be called. I have no doubt.

Spencer’s grip tightens on my hip and I finally lose my shit, overwhelmed by the proposal, and the suffocating love in the room. A sob bursts from my mouth, and the two most important men in my life rush in to hold me. There’s a lot of testosterone in this sandwich. These two don’t know just how much strength they give me.

“Okay, okay. No more tears,” I say and pull back. I wipe at my eyes and take in a few deep breaths. “I need to find Soph.”

Soph had given me a hug and a kiss briefly during the stampede. With Spencer and I travelling, and her and the doctor getting together, we’ve hardly seen each other in months. I miss her face something terrible. We still hang out when we can, but we’ve both got such busy lives. Covering the motocross season, on top of everything else, has been crazy. But I can’t complain. I’ve been killing it when it comes to work, and I’m enjoying it more than ever. My client base is building, and I’m proud to say it’s because of my reputation. I also get to watch Spencer doing what he loves. It’s one of the biggest thrills of my life. Sharing his dream. Living mine. Living ours. But it’s only the beginning for us. We have a lifetime ahead of us.

I walk over to the corner of the kitchen with a fresh glass of champagne that Vicky handed to me only a moment ago. Soph’s hip is leaning against the bench, and she’s positively glowing. She’s done something different with her hair, used rollers or something. In a revealing sequin top and tight shiny black leggings and heels, it’s like she’s ready to rock. She looks totally hot.

“I’ve fucking missed you, Soph,” I say and slap her hard on the arse. It might be awkward for some people, but that’s just how we roll.

Soph pulls me in to a hug, rocking me from side to side. I straighten out my arm to try to stop my champagne from slopping about. I know it’s expensive, because Spencer ordered it for us when we went out for our one-year anniversary, and I went to complain about the bill, but Spencer said that’s was just how much it is. Totally over-the-top expensive, but it’s not every day you get engaged.

Oh my God! I’m engaged.

“Congratulations, babe,” Soph says, a glowing smile on her face.

“Thanks, Soph. I’m just … delirious, and having you all here? It’s like Christmas … but better by a mile. So, how’s the sexy doctor treating you? Is she coming tonight?” I scan the room for the doctor.

She beams, not smiles; she actually beams. “We’re good, thanks. She can’t make it sorry. Got called into the ED at the last minute. They were short-staffed.”

“Well tell her we need a girls’ night out. I wanna know more about the woman who’s put that mofo smile on your face.”

Soph laughs. “Yeah, that’d be great.”

“Hey there, April. Congratulations,” Rocco says, as he steps in closer to Soph.