Page 86 of Terms Of Un-Endearment
I tilt my head. “Workingforyou?”
Archie’s brow wrinkles. “Yeah. That’s the gist of what Stella said.”
I snort. “That’s whatyouheard.”
Archie’s brow creases, then quickly smooths with a laugh. “See? Bonkers idea. We can’t even agree on what we both heard.”
He stands and walks to the kitchen, leaving me stunned. He’s wrong on so many levels. I push myself from the couch and follow him.
“You’re the one who said working together was crazy. I don’t think it’s a terrible idea,” I say to his back as he opens the fridge.
He faces me again with a jar of pickles in his hands. “But you said you wanted your own line under your own name.” With a slow twist of his wrist, the jar lid pops.
A whiff of vinegar hits my nose, and I step back. The smell is still strong, but with the distance, it’s more briny than vinegary. Closer to the ocean at high tide, which starts the wheels turning in my head.
“Workingforyou would be very different from working together,” I say slowly, trying to stay focused on our conversation while also not losing the thread of an idea I’ve just had. “Stella’s got me excited about building my own brand. The only way I’d design for Bombora is if I got credit as the designer. But…I might consider designing under the Bombora name if I had the title of partner next to my name.”
Archie raises an eyebrow as he digs a pickle from the jar. “You’d want to build Bombora together?”
I shrug and step close enough that only the jar is between us. “Just because we hate each other doesn’t mean it couldn’t work.”
Archie grins down at me. “That was you hating me back there in the gym?”
His eyes move to my lips, scouting out where he’d like his mouth to explore. Forget that we’ve been at war for years, I’m ready to put that aside and go exploring together. Adventure awaits, and I amherefor it.
“Maybe I don’t hate you as much as I thought I did.” I bite my bottom lip and tempt him closer.
Still holding a pickle in one hand, Archie sets the jar on the counter behind him so there’s nothing between us anymore except a small space so charged with electricity I hear buzzing. “I’ve put a lot of planning in already,” he says in a voice that makes me forget everything we’ve talked about besides kissing. “I’ve got a business proposal in the works. What’s my incentive for letting you step in as a partner?”
The wordpartnersnaps me out of my trance. I swipe the pickle from between his fingers, my new idea fully formed. “Because instead of releasing the New York-inspired designs Valente stole, I’ll create a California-inspired line using the same boro techniques, but without the risk of Valente claiming I’d stolen from them.” I take a bite of the pickle and smile. “Whenthey release their line in six months, they’ll risk looking like they’ve copiedme.”
Archie’s eyes widen. “That’s brilliant, Piper.”
“Thank you. The best part is the new designs will be perfect for an up-and-coming surf wear brand.” I give him a pointed look then take another bite of the pickle. I don’t even like pickles, but I’m enjoying this one almost as much as I’m enjoying the pleased look on Archie’s face.
“I can do a soft launch with a limited supply and a promise that Piper Quinn designs will be available exclusively under the Bombora brand when it launches.” I hand the pickle back to him. “Or I can launch under my own name and build something by myself. But I think we’ll both have a better chance of success if we combine forces.”
His slow grin stops my pulse. “You’ve got killer instinct, Piper.”
The admiration in his voice hits me even harder than his grin. It’s one thing to have Archie clearly attracted to me. It’s another thing all together to have him compliment my abilities. This is such unfamiliar territory that the only way I know how to respond is by joking.
“Why, Archie Forsythe, aren’t you full of compliments tonight?” I say in a high voice while fanning my face and batting my eyelashes.
Archie laughs.
“When did you start being so nice?” I ask.
His grin deepens and hunger fills his eyes again.
My breath hitches, and I drop my act. I lean forward, tilt my chin, lick my lips; all but beg Archie to kiss me. Every nerve catches fire with the anticipation of finally receiving what he teased me with hours ago.
He’s not grinning anymore. His chest rises and falls in short breaths. The green in his eyes dances between spring sage andevergreen. I want to capture all the variations and color them into my designs with traces of the red-orange flames coursing through my veins.
“Piper,” Archie whispers, then brushes my cheek with the tips of his fingers, tracing them down my neck, to the thin tan line at my collarbone. “I really want to kiss you.”
“Ireallywant you to kiss me,” I say breathlessly.
His mouth twitches as if he might smile, and I close my eyes, waiting.
