Reckless

Chapter 32

Knowing how quickly Toni signed herself out of the hospital when she was injured, Spencer wasn't really surprised when her brother opted to sign himself out against medical advice. The reason Benny gave for not wanting to stay for a night of observation was that the hospital beds were too small. This was a hard point to argue against, given that it was true. Not that any of his siblings seemed to have any interest in encouraging him to stay in the hospital. Toni and her other brothers seemed to be in just as much of a hurry to leave the hospital as Benny was.

Once they were back at Toni's apartment, Benny agreed to participate in a cognitive interview. He made it clear that he was as eager as Spencer was to catch the man that did this to him. He'd do whatever he needed to do to help. True to his word, Benny relaxed back onto the floral bedspread on Toni's bed and answered every question Spencer asked him, even though Spencer knew recalling the way Peter Lewis tortured him was probably disturbing. Unfortunately, Benny's discomfort didn't lead to a break in the case. None of the details that he was able to recall provided any new information about Peter Lewis. This left Spencer with a growing sense of frustration. Hunting for Lewis was starting to feel like being stuck in an endless loop. The BAU kept waiting for him to strike again, hoping they would be able to catch him before he was able to carry out his plans. But every time he struck, Lewis was able to slip away without a trace. They'd yet to even get close to catching him. Spencer was ready to try a more proactive approach, but he was lost as to what they could do that they weren't already doing.

"He's not smarter than you," Toni said, lowering herself down onto the arm of her couch next to Spencer. He responded by glancing up at her in confusion. "Lewis," Toni clarified. "Just because we didn't catch him, doesn't mean he's smarter than you."

Spencer smiled up at her before he spoke. "How did you know I was thinking about the case?," he asked.

"You had your case thinking face on," Toni teased. She ran her fingers through the back of Spencer's hair, trailing them down to rest against his shoulder. After a brief squeeze of reassurance, she pulled her hand away. From the way she was looking at him, Spencer suspected the only reason she hadn't dipped her head down to kiss him was because her brothers were watching. They seemed to have given their unofficial approval of him, but Spencer guessed they still wouldn't appreciate him groping their baby sister right in front of them.

"Split a beer with me," she offered.

Toni had her shoulder brace back on, a glass beer bottle balanced carefully in her immobilized hand. Her hair was still tied back in the sloppy ponytail from earlier that morning. She pulled her hair up after they climbed out of her bed together. The day stretched out after that, taking so many wild turns that it made that morning seem like it happened years ago instead of hours before.

Spencer took the beer from her, the condensation on the bottle wetting his fingertips. "You don't drink beer," he mentioned before he brought the bottle to his own lips. He didn't drink much himself and never had much occasion to drink beer before. Just the smell of the beverage alone was usually enough to give him pause. But everyone else around them seemed to be enjoying it, so Spencer lifted the bottle to his lips. The taste of the lime Toni stuffed down the neck of the bottle hit him first, followed quickly by the sharp tang of carbonation. The liquid itself was more bitter than he expected, but not altogether unpleasant.

"You don't drink beer either," Toni replied with a soft smile. She reached for the bottle, tipping it up and taking a sip for herself. Her observation made Spencer smile back. He never expected to find a girlfriend, let alone one that seemed to enjoy all his little peculiarities. Taking the bottle of beer back, he freed Toni's hand so he could grasp it with his own. His fingers intertwined with hers and for a moment, it was like everyone else inside her crowded apartment faded away.

"Hey Big T!," Benny hollered, purposely breaking the spell between them. "Bring me one of those?"

"You're not getting a beer," Toni scolded, ignoring his repeated use of her least favorite nickname. Her smile went from promising to platonic as she grinned at her brother. "I'll get you another gatorade from the fridge if you're thirsty," she offered.

Benny groaned in complaint. But ultimately, he took his sister up on her offer of a blue gatorade from the kitchen. Toni hustled off to retrieve it for him, carefully twisting the cap open with her one arm still pinned to her chest before she handed it over.

Benny was leaning back on her couch. His long legs were resting on an ottoman and part of another loveseat that had been shoved together to accommodate his height. From how quickly Toni re-adjusted her furniture, pushing it around like a giant puzzle, it was clear that she'd pieced that same setup together for her brother before. Benny was surrounded with a mound of blankets and spare pillows that nearly engulfed his giant frame. Romeo was cuddled under the pile with him. Only his head and the hand that his new E-reader was clutched in were visible. From time to time, Benny would snuggle his nephew closer to him or reach a hand up to ruffle the boy's wild head of dark curls.

Carlos was in Toni's small kitchen, making Lucia giggle as he contorted his body around in the tiny space to avoid making physical contact with her. They were cooking up what looked like enough fajita fixings to feed a small army. Toni's other brother Matias was sitting at the one small table in the space, playing a rowdy game of cards with Penelope and Luke. With four brothers herself, Penelope seemed to fit into the group like she'd known them for years. Everyone was speaking in a mixture of English and Spanish, with some sign language thrown in to help Lucia follow the conversation.

With the number of people crowded into Toni's matchbox apartment, it wasn't an environment where Spencer would have thought he'd be comfortable. But after their initial interrogation at the hospital was over, Toni's brothers had been more friendly towards him than Spencer expected. All three of them made attempts to include him in their conversations. But Benny, in particular, seemed genuine in his desire to get to know him better. Spencer wasn't sure if it was because he helped save Benny's life, or if Toni's brother saw something about him that he liked. Or it might be something else completely. No matter the reason, Spencer wasn't going to complain. Toni's family seemed to approve of his newly acquired place in her life. Even outright hate and disapproval wouldn't have been enough to scare him off. He liked her that much. But Spencer was still relieved that wasn't the case.

"You're coming camping with us this year then?," Benny asked. He directed his question towards Spencer, but flashed a quick glance at Toni to see what she thought about his proposal.

"Camping?," Spencer asked, also looking at Toni and hoping she would elaborate on her brother's question.

"We do a big camping trip together every summer," Toni explained. Every year, her oldest brother Miguel picked a different place and they spent a week or two hiking, swimming, making campfires, and just having fun together. Toni's dark brows knitted together in concern as she took in the hesitant expression on Spencer's face. "But you don't have to go if you don't want to," she added.

"I've never been camping before," Spencer admitted. Sleeping in a tent didn't really appeal to him, but that was overshadowed by his desire to make Toni happy and be a part of her family. He would sleep anywhere, even on the bare ground, if it meant he was sleeping next to her.

"Hey T! You could always rent him a camper, like I do for Bambi," Carlos offered, bringing on a round of laughter from Toni's other brothers. Spencer wasn't exactly sure what the joke was, but he was quite sure he didn't need equal accommodations to someone named Bambi.

"Shut up Carlos," Toni jibed back. "You act like you don't sleep in the camper right along with her ass!" This brought on another round of laughter. Toni giggled as she slid down the inside of the couch arm, nudging Spencer over so she could squeeze in next to him. "Don't worry," she told him. Her voice was significantly lowered, since she was speaking only to him. "I have a really comfortable air mattress." Toni reached for the beer in his hand, taking a sip before she added, "...and I'll get Romeo his own tent this year."

Benny, who was close enough to hear her comment, started laughing at the prospect of his sister wanting to be alone in a tent with her boyfriend. But while Toni's cheeks turned pink, Spencer did a little computing in his hand.

"He didn't have his own tent before?," Spencer asked. "Where was your ex sleeping?" While it wasn't what he intended, Spencer's question brought on another round of laughter from Toni's brothers. This was followed by a few choice comments regarding their opinion of Toni's ex-husband.

"Fletcher was always busy working," Toni explained. "...and he didn't get along with my brothers." Spencer nodded his understanding before he reached for the beer in her hand, tipping it up to finish what was left.

Spencer's interaction with her ex was limited, but in that short time he'd been able to easily discern that Fletcher Flynn was a textbook narcissist. As such, it was likely that he actively tried to cause a rift between Toni and her family while they were married. The more isolated she was from her support system, the easier she would have been for him to manipulate and control. The thought of someone mistreating Toni made Spencer's fingers momentarily clench into a fist. As he forced himself to relax, Spencer glanced to his right. He caught Benny's eye and realized from the expression on his face that they were having the same reaction to Toni's comment about her ex husband. Benny gave Spencer a subtle nod of his head, before he went back to reading and cuddling with his nephew.

"Are you sure you want me to stay?," Spencer asked.

Toni turned towards him, scrunching at her damp hair with a towel. They were alone in her bedroom with the door shut. But Spencer could still feel the presence of her brothers just a thin bedroom wall away from them.

"You don't have to," Toni replied. Her dark eyes went soft with concern. "If you'd rather go home to sleep, I understand. It's been a long day." She moved towards him, reaching up to brush the backs of her fingers along the line of his neck.

"It's not that, I want to stay," Spencer promised. He wasn't sure how it happened, but at this point he wasn't even sure if he'd be able to sleep without Toni in his arms. Spencer lowered his voice to a whisper. "It's your brothers. Are you sure they don't care that we're sleeping in here… together?"

The low volume of his voice, along with his concern, made Toni giggle. Her brown eyes turned darker as she flicked them down over his body. As she grazed her hand grazed his chest, her tender touch warmed the skin beneath it. "If you don't want them to know what we're doing in here," she teased, "...you better keep quiet" When she reached his groin, Toni turned her hand. She pressed it flat against Spencer's growing erection, rubbing her palm softly up and down as she attempted to elicit a groan of pleasure from him.

Spencer caught Toni by the wrist, stopping the motion of her hand. He tried not to laugh at the mischievous glint in her eyes. "Do you want to get me killed?," he teased.

"Okay, okay," Toni relented with a heavy sigh. "I'm tired anyway. We can just go to sleep."

Spencer nodded his agreement, though as he watched her shed her robe the bulge in his pants began to grow painfully hard. Her dusky nipples puckered up against the cooler air of her room, poking against the thin material of the oversized t-shirt she pulled over her head. The bruises on Toni's hip that she sustained when she saved him from drowning in grain were starting to turn dark. But they didn't detract from her appearance. Toni's long tan legs extended down from under the hem of her shirt, the muscles clearly defined under her soft skin.

Toni clicked off her bedside lamp before she climbed under the covers. Spencer crawled in on the other side, scooting down until his head was resting on the pillows. He was already reaching across the bed for her as Toni slid into his arms. The feel of her soft curves was accompanied by the hard press of her nipples against his chest. Spencer dipped his head down to kiss her, but she pulled her head back, teasing him with a soft flick of her tongue across the seam of his lips. Toni was smiling into the kiss when his lips crashed down on hers. She kissed him back with fervor, her thighs parting as she hiked her leg over his hip. Her tongue slipped between his lips, exploring his mouth. Pulling it back, she teased his tongue between her lips so she could suck on it. The heat was building between them when Toni abruptly stopped their kiss. Her leg slid down off his hip as she finished their kiss with a rough peck on the lips.

"I guess we better go to sleep now… Goodnight," she chirped, taking obvious pleasure in his shock and confusion. Toni rolled over, pulling Spencer's arm with her so that they were cuddling like two spoons on edge. She rotated her hips, pressing the round curve of her backside flush against his groin. When Toni pulled on an oversized t-shirt to sleep in, she didn't put anything on under it. This left only the thin material of his undershorts between his hard length and the warmth radiating out from between her legs. It wasn't until Spencer felt Toni's body shaking with soft laughter that he realized she was teasing him when she suggested they stop fooling around and go to sleep.

Now that he understood her joke, Spencer chuckled along with her as he peppered the back of her neck with kisses. He nipped at the spot where her neck met her shoulder, smiling when the sharp contact made her hips rock back against him. He softened his bite with a kiss before he rolled away from her to shuck his shorts off. When he rolled back, they shifted their bodies under the blankets until he was spooned in behind her with as much of their skin touching as possible. The heat coiled low in his belly when he felt the head of his dick slide against her slicked opening.

Toni held his hand in hers as she arched her back to allow him easier access. Besides the brief kisses they shared, they hadn't done much in the way of foreplay. But that didn't stop her from being eager to feel him inside her. He entered her with one hard thrust. She hissed through her clenched teeth, squeezing his hand as she fought to keep herself quiet.

Spencer slipped his other hand under her, wrapping both his arms around her. Before they were together he would have assumed that the position they were in, not facing each other, would cause the act to lack intimacy. But now that it was happening, he knew nothing could be further from the truth. Toni's entire body was pressed against his. He could feel the dip of her waist and the round curve of her backside, along with every shallow gasping breath she took.

Toni shifted her body, lifting one leg and parting her thighs. The change in position allowed him to sink into her just a fraction deeper. Spencer buried his face in the crook of her neck to muffle his moan of pleasure. Being buried inside her hot, tight channel was like heaven. He could feel his balls drawing up as his pleasure built. Toni hadn't found her release yet so he tried to hold himself back. But when she reached between her legs and cupped his balls in her hand, gently massaging them, he was unable to stop himself from spilling over. His rhythmic thrusts turned rough and erratic. Toni moved her hand as he came, sliding it off his balls to press down on her swollen clit. The pressure combined with the feeling of him coming inside her was enough to tip her over the edge. Toni came in hard waves, her insides clenching around him as she buried her face in her pillow to muffle the noise.

They only shifted their bodies slightly once their needs were met. Spencer fell asleep with his arms still locked around her and his shorts lost somewhere under the blankets. Like every night he spent with her, Toni's warm body kept his nightmares away.

A few hours later, Spencer woke up with a hard gasp. His body jerked and tensed. He had the feeling he was falling fast before he startled himself awake. Reaching across the bed, he was surprised to find it empty. He was alone. Spencer swiped his hair away from his face as he felt under the covers for the undershorts he discarded so carelessly earlier. He pulled them on, clicking on the bedside lamp so he could find his undershirt.

The carpet was rough against his bare feet as Spencer moved towards the bedroom door. He could hear an unfamiliar sound coming from the living room of Toni's apartment. It almost sounded like someone typing on a keyboard, but much faster and more aggressively. He was worried for a moment, though his concern quickly dissipated once he reached the end of the short hallway and glanced into the living room.

The overheard light was off, leaving the glow of tv as the only source of light in the room. It cast a blueish light on Toni and Benny's faces, especially since they were sitting cross legged on the floor directly in front of the device. They each had a video game controller in their hands, which accounted for the aggressive button smashing noises Spencer heard from the bedroom. He wasn't familiar with the game, which featured two small bubble blowing cartoon dinosaurs and dozens upon dozens of levels to defeat. From the speed with which they were flying past the levels, Spencer could only guess this wasn't their first time playing this particular game. Like their matching tattoos read, Toni was player two while her only slightly older brother played as the first player dinosaur.

Spencer briefly considered moving further into the living room. He doubted either of them would mind if he flopped down on the couch to watch them play. But he quickly reconsidered. They looked so sweet, enjoying their stolen moment together. Spencer guessed they were reliving some of the few happy memories they had from childhood. He decided that he didn't want to intrude, especially since the private moment together was probably helping relieve some of the stress from Benny's abduction.

After he allowed himself another moment of watching Toni's thumbs smash against the plastic controller buttons, Spencer smiled as he padded his way back down the hall. He got to Toni's bedroom just in time to see the screen on his phone light up. His body went stiff with anxiety. A call in the middle of the night was never a good sign. He doubted it was work. Penelope had so many beers Luke practically had to carry her out to his car when it was time to leave. Since Spencer didn't have much in the way of family, that left only one person the call could be coming from.

"Mom?," he asked, putting the phone to his ear as quickly as he could. "What's wrong?"