INFLUENCED: A Good Girl, Bad Boy Love Story Read online

  “Spencer, just let me go,” I begged as I joined him in crying.

  “Just listen, you don’t have to take me back, but I need you to hear the whole story, that’s all I’m asking. Can you do that for me?”

  “Okay,” I whispered. I had no idea what he was going to tell me, but Joe had been right, I needed to hear him out; I needed to hear his side, at least. I swallowed, scared of what I might learn, but ready to face it.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Spencer

  “Can we go somewhere?”

  I didn’t think I could do this standing outside of her dance studio. Hell, I couldn’t even believe she acquiesced so easily. I was prepared to beg, to plead, to get down on my hands and knees and kiss her fucking feet if it meant she would talk to me, let me in.

  “I-I don’t know if I can, Spencer. I don’t know if I can trust you.”

  The way her eyes spoke to me ate me alive inside. She couldn’t trust me? Twenty four hours ago, we were in love and planning our future, and now she thought, what? That I was going to rape her? The thought killed me. Gutted me.

  “I’m not going to hurt you, Megan,” I choked out, a giant lump forming in my throat.

  She sighed and dropped her head, tears already dripping down her cheeks. I reached my hand out to wipe them away. but was delivered another blow when she flinched and backed away.

  “I know you’re not going to hurt me,” she said, looking me in the eyes, “I just---please, don’t touch me, ok?”

  “Alright,” I whispered.

  I followed behind as she walked across the street to a bench under a well lit street lamp. This wasn’t going to be a sweet, romantic discussion. This was going to be full of hard truths, and an ugly past. A past I didn’t want to drag her into. A past she had been forced into hearing.

  For minutes or hours, I wasn’t sure, we sat on the bench, not talking. Both of us staring off into space, waiting for the other to make their move.

  “Spencer, I--”

  “Megan, I--”

  Our words started at the same time, and were followed by mutual nervous laughs.

  “Go ahead, Megan,” I volunteered, letting her say her piece before I told her the story I had been rehearsing for several hours.

  “I need to know what happened. I need to know all of it. I’m pissed that you didn’t tell me before,” she spat out, anger and sorrow laced in every word she spoke.

  I couldn’t blame her, though. She had every right to be angry with me.

  “I told you about Chloe,” I started, watching her as I spoke. Her arms were crossed over her chest; it was obvious she was blocking me out. If I was going to tell her, I needed her to be open.

  “Megan, please look at me. I need to know you are hearing what I’m telling you. This is hard for me, too.”

  “Hard for you, Spencer? Hard for you? You lied to me! After everything I’ve been through with your brother, and this is hard for you? Unbelievable.”

  She shook her head, anger clear and evident in her eyes. My anger was surfacing as well, but I stomped it down. There was only room for one of to be angry, and although warranted, mine would need to take a back seat to hers. At least for now.

  “I know, Peaches, I know. I’m sorry. Please, just let me tell you and then you can decide if I’m enough for you anymore. Please?” I asked, the desperate tone to my voice noticeable.

  Megan must have realized it too, because when she looked at me, there was a sliver of sympathy for me lingering behind her gorgeous brown eyes.

  “Ok, Spencer. I’m listening.”

  Her voice was calmer now, more responsive.

  “When I was in Europe, I met Chloe. I told you this, but I was with her for a while. What I didn’t tell you was, she was younger than I was. The age of consent in Malta is sixteen, so what we did wasn’t illegal, but her parents pressed charges.”

  “So, you’re saying she consented to this?” Megan asked me, her eyebrows raised in disbelief.

  “We dated on again and off again for several years. It was always consensual, Peaches. I’m not like that. I had hoped you would have known that.”

  She didn’t respond, the only sound coming from her were more sniffles and sobs. I ached to put my arm around her and hold her while she cried. She wasn’t only crying for herself, she was crying for me. I wasn’t sure how I knew that, but I just did.

  “Toward the end of my stay in Europe, Chloe grew too attached. She started sending me odd little love notes and she would call me over a hundred times a day. I had enough and I broke it off with her. The next day, I got hauled into the local law enforcement building, and arrested for statutory rape.”

  Megan gasped next to me, finally listening to my side of the story. I felt the bloom of hope take root in my chest, but I wouldn’t let it grow. Not yet. Not until I knew she not only believed me, but trusted me.

  “My parents, of course, hired local lawyers who contested everything, but I found out later that Chloe told her parents I had raped her, and that she hadn’t consented, all in the hopes of winning me back. She couldn’t back it up, because it was all lies, and I had too many alibis that spoke of our time together over the previous years. They all knew it was a bunch of bullshit.”

  “Oh, Spencer,” Megan sobbed, her hands resting in her hands.

  “The charges were dropped once her parents found out about her lies. I’m not even sure how your mom got a copy of the original charges to begin with. Unfortunately though, I lived in a small town with Chloe and her parents, and even though half of the people knew I didn’t do anything wrong, the other half still believed me to be a rapist, and they tormented me, forcing me to leave. That’s when I decided to come home.”

  Megan didn’t speak, which extinguished the hope that was now growing rapidly in my chest. This wasn’t working. She still didn’t believe me. I could feel the carefully constructed walls around my heart tumbling and shattering. I couldn’t lose her. I didn’t want to lose her. I needed her like I needed the oxygen in my lungs.

  Maybe she just needed space, and time to process. I could give her that. I didn’t want to leave, not when things were so fresh in both of our minds, but I knew I needed to let her take time and come to me. I could only hope she would.

  Against my better judgement, I slowly made my way to my feet, taking one last glance at the beautiful woman still clutching her face in her hands.

  “I love you, Peaches,” I whispered before turning and walking away from her.

  “Spencer! WAIT!” she called.

  I turned on my heel, faster than humanly possible, making me stumble. Luckily for me, the most perfect woman in the world was there as I came crashing down.

  “You saved me,” I mumbled.

  “God, I’m such an idiot. How could I ever believe you would do something like that? I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry. Please forgive me. Please.”

  I knew what was coming, even before she did. Letting her go, a confused look on her face, I ran to the bench and dumped out the contents of her purse.

  “Spencer?” she cried.

  Turning around, Megan was huddled on the ground, her chest heaving in and out, a full blown asthma attack taking hold.

  Finding the red inhaler, I sprinted back to her and popped open the cap, shaking it vigorously.

  “Breathe in, Peaches,” I commanded, sticking the mouthpiece between her lips and pumping the aerosol into her lungs twice.

  “Breathe out,” I said a few seconds later.

  Hunched down behind her, I gathered her into my arms on the concrete, and rocked her back and forth, her heartbeat beating wildly, but slowly returning to normal. When she was back to her normal self, I kissed the top of her head, unable to resist any longer. She looked up at me, eyes blazing with emotions so strong they nearly choked me.

  “You saved me,” she whispered, mocking my earlier words.

  “I’ll always save you, Peaches. You’re my wife.”

  “I love you so much, Spencer.
I’m sorry. I truly a--”

  With my finger to her lips, I halted her apologies.

  “Don’t apologize. It’s me who should be saying I’m sorry. I fucked up by not telling you. I wanted to keep my past buried in the past, but as usual, it is coming back to bite me in the ass. “

  “What can I say? I feel like a fool, Spencer.”

  “Say you’ll come back home. I need you in my bed, Peaches. I need you in my arms.”

  “Yes, please take me home,” she murmured into my chest.

  I picked her up and walked back to the bench to retrieve her things. Her car would be fine here overnight, but if she worried, I would call Joe and ask her to pick it up for us. Nothing was separating me from this amazing woman again, and that included the twenty minute drive home.

  The last twenty four hours had been an exercise in control and the worst roller coaster ride of the century, but tonight, I would connect with my wife once more, in our bed, and remind her just how much I fucking loved her.

  All.

  Night.

  Long.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Megan

  “Spencer!” I squealed as my husband came over me, a grin on his face that I knew too well. “Spencer, we need to get ready.”

  Tonight was the Paralegal’s of Atlanta Ball, which Spencer and I would attend, but we wouldn’t make it out of the house if he continued at this rate. I’d been in the bathroom, standing in my lingerie for the evening, and spritzing on my favorite scent when Spencer found me and his hands and lips refused to leave my skin.

  “Well, you shouldn’t waltz around in lace like that around me,” he grumbled, his lips to my collarbone as his fingers slipped into the lace of my thong.

  “I wasn’t waltzing, I was getting ready to get dressed,” I protested with a laugh as his newly grown whiskers were tickling me. Spencer decided it was time for a change and was growing out a beard. I wasn’t much of a girl for facial hair, but what he had so far was pretty sexy and I wouldn’t protest just yet.

  “Whatever you say, Mrs. Grant,” he whispered seductively, which made my core tighten and heat; he knew how to get me every time.

  Mom flipped the fuck out when I took Spencer back, I’d never seen her that angry.

  “Have you lost your goddamn mind?” Mom shrieked so loud I thought the windows of my parent’s house would break.

  After spending a couple nights with Spencer, he’d taken me to get my things from the house, as I was moving back in with him. I stood, Spencer squeezing my hand tight as we stood in the entrance hall.

  Lucinda came from the kitchen and saw us, a smirk lining her lips as she leaned against the doorframe and watched the drama unfold. I wasn’t for poaching employees, but Spencer and I had talked about hiring Lucinda at our place. She’d get better pay and more vacation time.

  “You heard me, mom, I’m moving back in with Spencer, my husband,” I asserted as I took a step forward. “I’m here to get my stuff.”

  “You’re choosing a rapist over a decent future?” she asked, hands on her hips, steam coming from her ears.

  “He’s not a rapist and my best chance for a decent future is with him. My entire life, you’ve made it all about you and led me on the path you wanted. Fuck that, mom. My life is going to go in the direction I choose now and with my husband. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have my things to get.” I stepped right around her and started up the staircase with Spencer still firmly holding my hand.

  “You’re amazing, you know that?” Spencer whispered in my ear.

  “I had a bad influence,” I joked with a smirk in his direction.

  Dad, on the other hand, took the time to hear Spencer out and they had some heart to heart man talk, which Spencer told me was my dad threatening him to take care of me and not hurt me because he knew people that could make Spencer disappear. I’d laughed when Spencer told me.

  The internship came to an end and there were only a few weeks until school was to start back up. I spent my days at home, taking care of the house and having dinner waiting for Spencer when he got home. I hadn’t exactly told Spencer about the baby yet, but I had a plan to surprise him.

  Joe came with me to my first doctor’s appointment. I was nervous as hell and she helped calm my nerves. Once I saw the baby on the screen, an instant calm washed over me, it was the child I’d made with the love of my life, nothing could be better.

  “Peaches, I swear your tits are bigger, and I fucking love it,” Spencer mumbled from between my growing chest.

  His fingers took hold of the lace cup covering my sensitive nipple and pulled it down to expose my flesh. I gasped as he blew air on my hardened nipple, aching for his touch. Damn Spencer, I already had a thirst for him, but being pregnant, my thirst had gone wild.

  “Spencer,” I hummed, my eyes fluttering closed.

  Spencer chuckled, knowing that he was dragging me under his spell, he always knew.

  “Tell me, Peaches,” he insisted as his hand in my thong slipped into my folds and his thumb began to run slow circles around my clit. “Tell me what you need.”

  There was something about how deep and gruff his voice got when we were in heated moments that made me want him even more. He knew just the tone of voice to use to make my panties soak through and he’d insisted on using it on me when we were having dinner with his parents.

  “Make love to me, Spencer,” I breathlessly whispered, keeping my eyes closed, attempting, and failing, to keep my breathing steady under his touch.

  There was this raw passion that Spencer and I shared from our first moment. It was a whirlwind that left us panting for breath and entangled in pleasure. Nothing else could explain it, we were soulmates and meant to be together, through any challenge and fight. We’d both fight to the end for each other.

  Without prompting, Spencer slipped my thong off my legs and spread them for him. Spencer had been my first and was definitely my last.

  There was this way that Spencer worshipped my body and right then, he did just that. His hands slowly took in my legs and wide hips before he slid into me, making me gasp as he filled me.

  My eyes peered into his sapphire ones and I knew all I needed to know, Spencer loved me and I loved him more than anything. He showed me his love through his actions every single day.

  “I fucking love you, Peaches,” he whispered and I allowed a single tear to fall, I loved him too.

  It was funny, Spencer had always been pegged in my life as a bad boy. He wasn’t a bad boy at all. He was a guy who wasn’t going to let anyone take control of how he lived his life. He’d showed me how it could be and he’d influenced me to no longer let others control my destiny. I controlled my life and nobody else, I learned that, and I would have never done so without Spencer Grant.

  * * *

  With his hand extended to me, Spencer helped me from the passenger seat of the car. I stepped out in my gold sequin gown that made my entire body sparkle.

  Once into the warm air, Spencer placed his hand on the small of my bare back and kept me close as we entered the hotel and followed party guests into the ballroom.

  “Champagne, ma’am?” a waiter asked me.

  “No, thank you,” I responded kindly, to a questioning look from Spencer.

  “You’ve been avoiding drinks for the past week, is everything okay?” Spencer asked, concerned.

  “I’m fine. I promise you, I’m perfectly fine,” I told him honestly. “Come on, let’s dance.”

  I took Spencer’s hand and pulled him with me to the dance floor, where other couples were moving together to the smooth jazz. It really wasn’t my type of dancing, but it would do. As long as I was close to Spencer, I was happy.

  Things were going to get a little difficult, I’d decided that, before the statute of limitations was up, I would press charges against Chase. It was a scary idea, going in front of a jury and telling my story, making my story public record. I had to do it, not just for myself, but for the apparent other girls out th
ere he’d attacked. A monster like Chase didn’t deserve the freedom to walk the earth.

  Spencer took my hips into his grasp and pulled me close to him, breaking my thoughts of his wayward twin brother. I inhaled his smooth scent and grinned up at my husband.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” Spencer asked, still concerned about my rejection of alcohol.

  “Yes, Spencer, I’m fine. I’ve been thinking though, about going back to school.” I had a few weeks before I was to head back to Boston. Dad had agreed to continue to pay my tuition, despite mom’s anger over my decisions. “I’ve decided to transfer schools. I’ve spoken with the dean at the University of Georgia and the dean of the law school, who is luckily an old friend of my dad’s. I’ve been accepted to go back and to fast track my next semester.”

  “Fast track, why?” Spencer asked as he stopped dancing and we stood in the middle of the dance floor.

  “I’m going to need to take a few semesters off after.”

  “Why?”

  “Because we’re having a baby,” I slyly said to the shock on Spencer’s face. He beamed like I’d never seen him before and, without warning, he grabbed me into his arms, lifting me into the air, all eyes on us. “Spencer, put me down!”

  “Not until you tell me that you’re not joking,” he said, partly not believing it was true.

  “I’m not joking, I’m pregnant. I found out the day my mom tried to break us up. Now please, put me down,” I demanded with a laugh.

  Spencer pulled me into his arms and cradled me like a baby. He peered into my eyes with so much joy, I wasn’t sure how he was containing it all.

  “I can’t believe it. We’re having a fucking baby?” he questioned.

  “Not a fucking baby, Spence. A baby, we’re having a baby.”

  With that, he pressed his mouth to mine and kissed me with so much strength. Who needed the plans I had in mind? Those plans had be laid out by my parents, now it was time for my plans and nobody would hold me from them.