Page 24 of Unmasking Secrets
“Right.” Of course—he remembers.
We continue the game while asking questions.
“What made you decide to work for a security company?”
His brows push together. “It’s just something to pass the time. I don’t know if I’ll do it forever.”
It makes sense. I noticed how happy he was flying the plane; maybe he should be some sort of pilot. Archie has always loved being up in the sky, though.
“Alright.” He hits the center again. “Truth or dare?”
“Dare.” Why not mix things up?
Archie crosses his arms and thinks it over. “I dare you to find your happy again.”
“What?” What kind of dare is that?
“I know it won’t happen tonight. It may not even happen soon.” He steps closer and looks down into my eyes. “I just want you to find it again. Don’t worry about the impression or opinions of others. Find the happiness that soothes your soul and reminds you of hope.”
I swallow. “I’m done playing.” It’s getting too serious again.
I grab my glass, gulp the rest of it down, then leave it on the table to make my way back down the hall and up the stairs.
It wasn’t supposed to be him reminding me my life had gone to shit. Maybe not all of it, but it definitely hasn’t gone according to plan.
“Tabitha.” Archie catches up to me and grabs my wrist.
I twist and look down at where his hand rests on me. “I’m tired. I’m calling it a night.”
“Okay.” He lets go and I turn around. “Wait, what is that?”
I ignore him and pick up my pace to get to the bedroom. He calls after me, but I pretend I can’t hear him. I quickly get in the room and move to the bathroom so I can put a locked door between him. It’s not like I can lock him out of the room we’re sharing, but the bathroom—I definitely can.
Archie isn’t supposed to know about the tattoo. Nobody is supposed to know. It’s my secret. Something that isn’t supposed to change anything. He’ll question things and make a bigger deal out of it than it is.
It’s all in the past, just like our friendship.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
ARCHIE
Her favorite flower doesn’t surprise me. The fact that she got another tattoo surprises me. What I saw—that fucking shocks me to my core. The disguised letters hiding in the center of the flower. It was done so incredibly well, you could blink and miss it.
I can’t do that when it comes to Tabitha. It’s something I’ll never do, overlook something that seems simple to someone else. Tabitha is like a beacon; I notice all the little things. Always have.
There’s only one logical reason she has my initials tattooed on her… I mean something. Tabitha has only one other tattoo, and it means a lot to her. She knew she would get it for years before she actually got it.
There is nobody else with my initials. They’re mine alone.
Mine.
On her fucking body.
Fuck.
I wait until she comes out of the shower, then take my turn. It takes a while for the water to warm up, but the cold shower does a little good. My mind is twisted up and focused on what I saw. I spend more time in the shower than normal, wasting time thinking about seeing that flower on her gorgeous skin. Thinking about all the scenarios that would make me be able to see it again.
A groan slips from my lips as I think about how anyone could see it if she bends over. Then I think about her bent over. My cock hardens and I try to think of something else to make it go down—anything.
