Page 49 of Archer
I paused to think about it, tapping my cheek before giving a nod. “Yeah, good call.”
“Get your sexy ass over here,” he growled, and I beamed, practically prancing to join him on the bed. Lifting his head, he stretched his right arm for me, and I flopped onto it as if we’d done it dozens of times before. He pulled me in closer, so I was nuzzled into his chest, feeling so content with everything.
Rolling onto my back for fresh air, I gave a quirky smile and stared at the ceiling. “So that’s sex, huh?”
There was a unique scent in the air I’d never smelled before. It wasn’t exactlybad,but it also wasn’t pleasant. Musty and sweaty but mixed with hints of Archer’s piney cologne.
Taking a deep breath that filled his lungs, he exhaled with a grin before saying, “Yup. That’s sex.”
“It feels weird… not being a virgin…” I said, pursing my lips to the side. “But also, not different at all.”
“Ha, yeah. I remember feeling kind of like that my first time.” He smiled, appearing to reminisce over it. “Fuck, I don’t know how that was for you, but the whole thing went way smoother than my first time. Lemme tell you that.”
“It felt good,” I said, sounding a little surprised. “At first it was a little… or a lot… of pain. But then it felt really, really good.”
“Do you feel like a badass now?” He asked, nudging my rib. “Wanna go rob a bank or something?”
“I think it’d be a good time to join a gang myself, actually. Not a motorcycle one, though,” I said, and he laughed at the long hypothetical scenario. “I want to be in like, a street fighting gang or something. Yeah, that’ll be perfect.”
“You know, you’re really funny for a chick?”
“Ugh,” I said, though was beaming, clearly flattered by the compliment. “That’s such a guy thing to say.” I lay on my side and wrapped my arm around his stomach, resting my ear on his chest. On his abs, I rested my hand, marveling once again at how solid and defined they were. My eyes had fluttered closed, listening to his heartbeat, when Archer’s palm covered my hand on his stomach.
Smiling, I squeezed his hand and quietly, almost hoping he wouldn’t hear it but still needing to say it, said, “I like this.”
“Hm?” he said, busting my sad attempt at keeping it to myself. “Like what?”
“This. Lying here. With you,” I said. “I’ve never done this with anyone. Like, even just cuddling. I like it.”
“Me too,” he said, and began fiddling with my fingers unconsciously. “I mean, I don’t know, guess I’ve done it a lot before. But… I never like it. And I like this.”
Squeezing his torso like a hug, I loosened, collapsing my face into his chest again. I had no idea what was happening. Was this going to be a regular thing?
I hope so…
I bit my thumbnail as I couldn’t stop my mouth from curving upward. A powerful giddiness that was brand new to me took over, making my cheeks hurt from smiling so much. I didn’t know what this meant, but I wanted to stay in his arms for a long time. There was so much comfort and safety I felt when I was with him. I had to give him credit. Even though I often made him out like he was nothing but a pain, he did make me feel protected. Whenever he was home, I felt safe.
“I feel happy,” I said, and he squeezed my hand, then pressed his lips on top of my head. My heart melted into him. Almost shaking my head in disbelief, I reflected on how I ended up lying on top of him, feeling so soothed by his fingertips running through my hair. Only a month before, I considered him any other vulgar player, then adding in the whole motorcycle club thing… well, I thought one of us would have killed the other from annoyance before this happened.
But now that it did, it couldn’t have been any other way.
Unable to stop, I gave a quiet giggle.
“Better not be laughing about my performance, missy.”
That made me burst into full laughter, considering teasing him, but figured that was the one thing younevertease a guy you’re into about. I flipped onto my back so I could see his eyes, and said, “No, I was just thinking about how much we’ve… done to get here.”
“Yeah,” he said with a chuckle. “I thought you were gonna kill me at times, not going to lie.”
“Afraid of you? I weigh less than one-twenty!” I said. “I thought you were going to starve me the first day.”
“Starve you?” Archer scoffed. “I cooked you breakfast the first morning!”
“Yeah, but I thought that because I was a bitch to you after that, you’d starve me or something crazy.”
“What do you take me for? Yeesh.” He pulled his hands to his chest in mock offense. “I’m clearly a giant softie.”
“Yeah, I realize that now,” I said, unconsciously stroking his cheek and he smiled at my touch, kissing my palm. “You’ve surprised me, I’ll admit it.”
