Page 25 of Hack
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Archer sat at the kitchen table, reading through the current news on his laptop, a hot cup of coffee beside him. He'd slept hard once he'd finally gotten to sleep, but it had taken forever. He was worried about Carter and hoped that he wasn't the one causing him to stress as badly as he was. The last thing he wanted was to make life harder on Carter. The guy had enough to worry about already.
He'd known coming here would open up old wounds, and bring forward emotions about Angel's death that Carter had probably locked away, but he'd hoped it wouldn't be too severe. After seeing him walk in looking like death last night, he wasn't sure coming here had been the right thing to do. Maybe he was better searching alone. Then again, it was too late to change things now. He was sure Carter wouldn't be walking away after digging into the case as heavily as they had been doing.
He was glad he could help ease Carter's pain. He hadn't given it a second thought when Carter told him it was a headache. Back in college, Archer's roommate had suffered from debilitating migraines. He'd learned quickly how to help him through them as best he could. While his roommate's had been a lot worse than Carter's, he had been sure working the pressure points would help ease him, and it seemed to work.
What he hadn't expected was the burst of attraction he'd found himself having for Carter as he'd run his hands up and down his back. As his fingers had worked the muscles and lines of his back, he'd imagined trailing his mouth over the same areas. It had been a while since he'd found himself aroused by another man and he wasn't sure how to feel about it.
It wasn't that he had a problem being with a man, he'd done that often enough in his past, but it was that there was a stirring of emotions that went beyond the sexual desire, and that made him uncomfortable. He avoided serious relationships and emotions because they never ended well for him. Any time he allowed more than just his cock to get involved in something, he fucked it up.
He hadn't been with anyone in over a year, and when he last had, it had been some woman he'd picked up at a bar one night when he'd been working a case in Florida. It was a simple one-night thing, and he hadn't thought anything more about it than serving a need. She'd left that morning and they'd both gone their own way.
"Morning." Carter walked into the kitchen, still in his sweatpants and looking as if he was sporting a hangover.
"How are you feeling?" Archer asked, sure that what he was seeing wasn't from any hangover but the remnants of the headache.
"Better than I was last night, but still struggling. It's like there is a faint throb, and I'm just waiting for it to come back full force." Carter poured himself a cup of coffee and made his way to the table, sitting down with a loud sigh. "Thanks for helping me last night. It really made a difference."
"I'm glad I could do it. You looked ready to break when you walked in."
"I was. I haven't had a headache that bad in years. I'm not shocked, with as much time as I've spent working the last week, but it came out of nowhere and hit hard." He took a sip of coffee, cringing as if it burned his tongue. "Where did you learn to do that?"
"College. My roommate got migraines. They were the kind where he'd throw up and need three days to recover, but he would have me give him a massage. Said it helped. When you said it was your shoulder tensing up, I hoped it would help you too." Archer took in Carter's ragged hair and the redness in his eyes. "You should take the day off and rest. Stay away from your computer."
"I plan on it." Carter rested his elbows on the table. "I wanted to grab a few more pills, get coffee, then decide if I want to sleep or just sit and read through the files."
"Sleep, give your brain a rest. One day isn't going to make a difference."
Carter lifted his gaze to meet Archer's. "It's hard not to work knowing we have all that information there."
"I know, but it's not going anywhere. We'll get through it. We've been hitting it hard the last week. Rest today. I'll cook dinner for us and you can just take a day to heal. I know the after-effects of a headache like that can last for days. You don't want to do anything to bring it back. If you want another massage later, just let me know."
A smile spread over Carter's face. "Careful what you offer. I was thinking last night of offering you a job as my masseuse. I've honestly never had a professional massage. Of course, Beth would rub my back when we were married, but it was nothing like what you did. You knew just where the pressure points were, the places I needed it the most."
"Because I took classes. I enjoyed giving them back then. I could make fifty bucks on the side by helping out friends or other guys in our dorm. I haven't given one in years until last night, but it all came back to me. If you want more, just ask. The key is to not let those muscles tighten up on you, to stop it before it gets as bad as it did last night. Your shoulder was tight, the tension immense. I can imagine the pain it caused." Archer hoped he wasn't being too open about offering to do it again. The last thing he wanted was to have Carter know how much he enjoyed having his hands on his body. He needed to keep this professional, or at least friendly. There was no room in either of their lives for more, besides, Carter was straight, having been married to a woman. This wasn't going to end well if Carter realized there was an attraction forming.
"I knew better than to ignore it when I first felt it tense. Usually, I know to take the day off, get away from the computer for a bit, but I've been so focused on the case. Besides, my other job needed me. I'm calling them and letting them know I won't be in today. The rest of the team can handle things." Carter took a long drink of coffee. "Oh, and I can pick up those tracking devices tomorrow, so you can go put them on their vehicles any time after that. We'll be able to track them from our phones."
"That's great. I'll leave tomorrow night and head to Atlanta. I shouldn't be gone longer than a day or two, unless you need a longer break from me." Archer grinned as he stood to pour himself another cup of coffee.
"You're welcome here anytime," Carter said.
"You know, you could come with me. It might do you good to get away for a few days and get away from the computer. That way you can show me exactly how to put those devices on the vehicles." Archer leaned against the counter. He wasn't sure what made him invite Carter to go with him other than he did need some time off, and something told him Carter hadn't had any kind of vacation in a very long time. Not that this would be a vacation, but it would be away from the computer and stress.
Carter's eyes widened. "To Atlanta?"
"Yeah, why not? How long has it been since you've taken some time away?"
Carter shrugged. "I was in Denver a while back."
"Working?" Archer asked.
"Well, yeah, but it was away." Carter gave him a weak smile.
"It was still something to do with work and on a computer, wasn't it?" Archer cupped his coffee between his palms as he stared pointedly at Carter.
"I have to stay in touch—"
