Page 6 of Archer's Awakening

Damn, lube.

I pivoted back, went to the case, found the lube, then resumed my journey to the bathroom.

Once inside, I judged the height that would give me the perfect angle, then positioned the dildo using the suction cup.

Almost like I’d known I would be using this alone.

Well, I probably wouldn’t have had the courage to ask some random stranger to use it on me. Because that would’ve been too weird.

Right, but hooking up with a total stranger isn’t?

Even though you’ve never done it before.

Before I turned on the shower, I made my way to the sink.

And looked into the mirror.

Something I rarely did these days.

Unless to ensure I didn’t nick myself shaving.

Muscles that rivaled most of the men I knew who worked out regularly—only many of them went to the gym to show off. I chose to stay home and use my personal equipment.

Defined chest with just a smattering of chest hair I refused to wax, no matter how often Thea spoke of my sternum derisively.

Long, blond hair better suited to a model than a lawyer.

A strong jaw that resembled my favorite action hero, Cole Hamilton’s. His even longer black hair gave him a roguish look. He and his two perfect ménage partners, Caressa and Michael, were expecting a baby.

A baby.

Hope none of them ever come to me to request an uncoupling.

Finally, I stared at my dark-gray eyes.

Mine, not Cole’s. Not that I’d ever compare myself to my man crush…but his piercing baby blues were spectacular.

In contrast, my eyes were often shadowed. From having seen too much pain. Too much grief.

Who knew being a divorce attorney would be so emotionally taxing?

Certainly not me, when I left law school with lofty dreams. Even my expensive office, with all the accouterments of wealth, didn’t mitigate what I’d witnessed within those walls.

I pressed my hand to the mirror, attempting to obliterate both the image of myself and the dark memories I carried.

A shiver wracked my body—whether from the actual cold or some long-buried horrendous memory—I couldn’t be certain.

Because I certainly wasn’t innocent, although I tried to pick my clients carefully. If my clientwon,then the other sidelost. All by inches or degrees…but that could be millions of dollars or visitation of minor children—which often held more importance than money.

I moved to the shower and flipped the water on. I held my hand under the spray until I had just the right temperature. Then I stepped into the luxurious stall.

Scalding water cascaded down my body. My first instinct was to moderate the temperature, but I loved the heat as it permeated my muscles. As it sank deep into the marrow of my bones. As it tried to warm me from the outside in.

I wet my hair and used the very expensive shampoo to wash it. A silly exercise, really, since I’d showered and groomed meticulously before heading out tonight. All that effort for myhookup.

Never let it be said Archer Chamberlain didn’t always look his best.

After rinsing the shampoo out of my hair, I snagged the bottle of lube.

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