Page 41 of My Darling Mayhem

“So you want to be friends.”

I didn’t phrase it as a question but rather as a summarization of what he was getting at.

He was silent while looking at the floor. “Yeah…I haven’t had a real one of those in a really long time.”

My stupid heart turned to goo at his confession and how his voice cracked.

I crossed my arms, then let out a resigned sigh. “I can do that.”

His head lifted, a smile stretching across his face. “Really?”

“Yes, really. We can be friends, Archer. I’m good with that…but just so we’re clear…I don’t want to be friends with benefits or anything like that. If you ever touch me again…” I hesitated, scared of saying this next part, realizing how dangerous it was, but feeling it so strongly I couldn’t stop it from coming out, “You better not stop.”

His eyes were pure fire as he stared at me. His mouth parted as he was about to reply, but then his phone went off.

“You should probably head out,” I suggested, turning away from him.

He stared at his cell, silencing it, then glanced back up at me. The silence stretched, and then he scratched at his jaw before closing his eyes again as if he were having some kind of internal battle.

I needed to recover from his rejection. Even though it was kind and considerate…it still stung.

His phone went off again, and with another frustrated sigh, he finally turned away from me. “Right…night, Wren.” His hand went to the handle as he let himself out through the back door.

I stared at the empty glass door for another five minutes before I finally registered that he’d really left, and it was better that he did.

At least, that’s what I told myself as I headed to the shower to finish what Archer had started.

ELEVEN

ARCHER

My neck achedfrom looking over my shoulder so many times, hoping Wren would come out and check on me. I had started early, not wanting to wake her or Cruz, so I just slipped through the gaping hole in my fence, setting up all the materials. I had contacted Thistle and another member, Gunner, to come out a little later, but until noon, I wanted to be the only person in her yard.

Her back patio was a small square of cement with two loungers and a myriad of toys covering the surface. Chalk drawings covered the free space leading up the small step to her glass sliding door, but I noticed another entry point to where her bedroom door probably was. There was another small slab of cement with a plant sitting outside of it, and covering the glass window of the door was a long shade closed for privacy.

Her grass looked like it had recently been cut, but tire marks had cut into it, creating patches from where Thistle had run through the gate. I’d have to find a way to fix her grass, too. She hadn’t mentioned if I’d need to contact her landlord; it seemed she was dealing with everything. Honestly, I was still shocked that she hadn’t called the police on us.

Glancing over my shoulder again, I checked her slider and secondary patio door to see if she’d come out and say hi.

It wasn’t like I needed her out here with me while I fixed her fence, but after last night, something was sitting in my chest that needed her to come tell me we were okay. I wasn’t lying when I said I wanted her as a friend. I just also really wanted to fuck her last night, and she will never know how close I was to lifting her off that couch and walking her back to her room.

It took all of my strength to stop, and it was for this reason right here. I didn’t want to feel like she’d shut me out.

My muscles shifted as my mind churned over the details of last night and how I probably fucked all this up regardless of my hope for her to see me as something other than a random hookup, but by noon, she finally came out. Arms crossed over her chest, she held her sweater closed.

“Archer. Hi.” Her eyes were bright, but her tone was curt.

Guilt tugged at my heart, making me want to kick my own ass for making her feel embarrassed. I wanted to explain to her that this was more to me than just something physical …that something had shifted in me while I sat there with her last night.

She’d told me she wanted a fairy tale and how impossible it would be for her to ever have it, and then I’d broken her trust by breaking the fence. Instead of pushing me out, she pulled me in. She’d asked questions about me like she genuinely wanted to understand.

She let me near her son. She sat next to me, felt comfortable enough to touch me…

It was a very odd realization, this clear and perfect moment where I looked around, saw her and Cruz, and discovered that I had a fairy tale of my own that I wanted.

Something I would be a fool to ever hope for but still wanted regardless.

“Hi.”

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