Page 40 of Hack
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Archer was sore, and it was the best feeling in the world. His ass ached in the best way. It had been so long since he'd had sex that his body was in a form of shock, unable to digest the bruised ache, but yearning for more.
There was no doubt the sex between them was going to be good, but it had been so much more than he could have wrapped his mind around. After they'd finished, he'd slept hard, not waking until his cell phone's alarm went off at eight in the morning.
He'd been glad to see that Carter had slept in as well. Though they had a ton to do, and now wasn't the time for them to start being lazy and sleeping late in the mornings. They only had a couple of days to get what they needed done, so they had to take advantage of the time they had.
He slowly forced himself out of the bed, rolling his shoulders, then stretching. He needed a hot shower, but first, he needed coffee. Thank God for the small coffee pot on the bathroom counter. It would get him by until he could get downstairs and find a refill.
He quickly got the pot going, then stared at his reflection in the mirror, rubbing a hand over his jaw. He needed to shave, but that was the last thing he wanted to bother with this morning.
"Morning." Carter came up behind him and leaned against his back, looking at their reflection in the mirror.
"Morning." He arched back, enjoying the closeness. "Sleep well?"
"Like the dead." Carter kissed his neck, then pulled back. "Got to piss, so step out if you're shy. I don't mind either way."
Archer shrugged. "You've got nothing I haven't already seen." It wasn't like using the bathroom here was any different than using a urinal in any public restroom. He ran his fingers through his hair, hating that they needed to leave the confines of their small room. He liked being alone with Carter, away from the stress of the world outside. "Figure we can eat downstairs, then head into town. I need to drop by and see a friend at the sheriff's office. Find out if we can get info on Lyle's parents' murder. I messaged him yesterday to make sure he'd be in. You're welcome to join me."
"Actually, I thought I'd see if there was some sort of historical society in the area or anyone who can lead me to people who were in the area back around the time of the murders. I want to talk to people who knew Lyle when he was younger." Carter flushed the toilet, then turned on the shower. "You want to join me again?
"In the shower? Hell no. We won't get out of here until noon if I do that. It's safer to shower alone in the mornings."
Carter laughed. "True, but not what I wanted to hear."
"Sorry, one of us has to be strong." Even as he spoke, his cock stirred to life as if it was objecting to his choice. "I'll jump in after you're done. I'll enjoy my coffee while I wait."
Carter eyed the coffee as if he was debating on having it first. With a shake of his head, he climbed into the shower. "I won't be long."
Archer left the bathroom, shutting the door and giving Carter his privacy. Even though they'd been intimate, he didn't want to hover and be in his way. They both still needed space, even if his body was craving the closeness.
While he waited, he picked up the room, making sure everything was put away while they went out. He was never comfortable leaving things in the room when he was out. It made him nervous to think of some maid snooping around. He always took his stuff with him.
Once he had his bag and laptop set aside, he reached for his phone, checking his emails, and returning a few text messages he'd gotten from clients he'd worked with. There was nothing pressing, which left him to completely focus on searching for Lyle. He wasn't sure how much luck they'd have around town today, but he was looking forward to getting the trackers on the cars so they could at least have a record of where the brothers went.
He'd dug enough into the brothers' past that he'd made friends with a couple of the police officers in the area. One was a detective who had been more than willing to help him when he needed information. He was going in to see him today, hoping that he would be able to get copies of the murder investigation on Lyle's parents without them having to fill out a ton of paperwork and make a formal request. The one time they really needed Carter's hacking skills, they couldn't use them.
He also liked the idea of dropping by the high school and seeing if they had any records that went that far back, but he wasn't sure that if they did, they'd be willing to share them with him. His private investigator's license only took him so far, and accessing private information wasn't one of those things. He hoped whoever he talked to at the school wasn't aware of that and would give him what he needed anyway, if they had any information at all.
"All yours." Carter walked out, a towel wrapped around his narrow hips, a cup of coffee in his hand.
"You tempt me." Archer grabbed his clothes off the bed, then paused beside Carter, giving him a soft kiss as he fisted his hands to keep from tearing the towel from his hips.
"Save it for tonight." Carter grinned.
Excited at the thought there would be more tonight, he grunted something incoherent and headed to the bathroom. He refused to think about Carter, think about sex. He needed to get in the shower, wash off the sex from last night, and get to work. It was easier said than done as Carter's scent lingered in the humid shower. He was in over his head if he was letting things like smells fuck his head up.
Forcing his thoughts on the case, he quickly showered, mostly just rinsing off the sweat and sex. Unlike Carter, he dressed in the bathroom, not needing to add to any temptation he was already struggling with.
He skipped shaving, not wanting to waste the time, dragged a comb through his hair, then headed back out to the room.
He found Carter at the desk, laptop open, his fingers working over the keys with determination. Not wanting to interrupt whatever he was doing, he sat down at the foot of the bed, waiting quietly for him to finish.
It took only a few minutes for Carter to close his laptop, and like Archer, pack it and his bag to take with them.
"Will you drop me off at the post office? There is a historical society right next door that opens at nine. I'll let you deal with the police." Carter drank the last swallow of his coffee.
"Yeah, no problem. We have time to grab a quick bite first?" He was starving.
