Knees weak, as soon as she pulled off, I dropped to the floor next to her and kissed her. The lingering flavor of me was not remotely a deterrent. Arms around me, Frankie returned the kiss with enthusiasm. Fuck, we had a bed like ten feet away…
“Yo,” Jake called as he knocked on the bedroom door. The sound stripped away my next fantasy. “We need to get a move on. The car is here. Dress now, fuck later.”
“Who says we didn’t already?” Frankie called, a daring grin on her lips. “You know, two or three times. Enough that I’ll be a little sore for whatever we’re doing next.”
“You’ll be fine,” I assured her. “The flight isn’t that long, and we’re gonna be at the airport. I guarantee Archie will have a car waiting for us on the other side.”
“Lucky bastard,” Jake called again, then hit the door with one thump. “Glad you’re enjoying yourself, Baby Girl. But let’s go. Get dressed so we can get this summer vacay off to a great start.”
Frankie burst out laughing and grinned at me. “Be hard to top this.”
I opened my mouth to retort, then froze. I actually had an idea of where we were going and why. “Oh, sweetheart,” I said slowly. “I am so proud of you. Were you determined to screw my brains out so I’d slip and tell you the surprise?”
A saucy smile curved her lips as she stood, and a lone drop sliding down her breast to linger over her nipple before it finally fell held me transfixed. “No,” she assured me. “That was just a perk.”
Brat.
I pinched her ass, and she laughed. We goofed around, but we did manage to dry, Frankie blew out her hair real quick, and then we both dressed. All of the guys were waiting for us when I opened the door.
The stares I got just made me grin. Not my fault she picked me over them. Archie just laughed though and shook his head as he held out a hand to Frankie. “You ready to go for a magic carpet ride, babe?”
“Magic carpet…” Frankie said slowly, and then her eyes got huge. “We’re going to Orlando.”
“That wasn’t a question,” Jake teased as he kissed her behind one ear before thumping me. We all set off together, and Frankie practically danced in place as we made it to the stairs.
“Are we going to Disney World?”
Archie made a point of looking thoughtful. “Do you want to go?”
That earned him a stare we would normally all avoid, but not Archie. He took that look like a challenge every time and just waited her out. Finally, she rolled her eyes and said, “Yes!”
“Good,” Archie told her as Jeremy opened the doors for us to reveal the limo all decked out in festive black, round ears that also sparkled under the summer sun. “Because your magical carpet ride starts right here…”
Chapter Fifteen
Happiest Escape on Earth
Frankie
Laughter vied with disbelief, but both failed against the utter joy of the surprise. “Really?” And yes, it came out like a damn squeal. I didn’t even care as I bounced up to throw my arms around Archie. He caught me close and hugged me. Then twisted to hand me to Jake. His arms tightened around me briefly before we turned, and then Ian just picked me up, laughing, and buried his face against my neck. I caught Coop’s gaze over his shoulder, and the wide grin on his face just had my heart doing somersaults.
“Did all of you know?” I demanded, and Archie hooked an arm around my middle and tugged me back to him.
With a nip at my ear, he said, “They asked me to plan it because they figured I’d do it anyway.”
At Jake’s and Ian’s equally pointed and exasperated looks, I laughed and rubbed Archie’s arm. “I’ve always wanted to go to Disney World.”
“We know,” he told me, indulgent if a little smug grin in place. “Now, get in the car, Cinderella, we have a plane to catch.”
I didn’t have to ask if they’d packed for me, ’cause they probably had. It also explained the various shopping trips I’d been invited on, both with and without the guys. Jeremy waved us off. We definitely needed to bring him a souvenir.
The guys were teasing each other about what we had to do first when we got to Florida. I settled between Coop and Archie and just grinned at their teasing.
“Maybe we should ask Frankie what she wants to do,” Ian pointed out with a wink toward me.
“That’s easy,” Jake said with a snort and an affectionate grin.
“She wants to do everything,” Coop finished before nipping my ear, and I laughed. They weren’t wrong.
“I’m just glad to escape together.” The words kind of dimmed the humor, just a little bit. Escape seemed like a weird word. We were moving. We’d graduated. We’d already escaped. But since graduation, I’d been waiting for the other shoe to drop with Maddy. Not that she’d made a single appearance. I’d heard from Patience regularly. My dad’s—Hank’s text messages arrived right on time. In fact, I got one at the airport while we were waiting for our flight to board. He told me to have a great time, and I had to laugh. Of course the guys had told him.
I caught Archie watching me, and I shifted over two seats while Coop and Jake were hunting coffee. Ian was on my right now and Archie on my left. “You told my dad.” It wasn’t a question.
“I’m a Standish,” Archie told me. “I have a lot of ground to make up for with your father. I figure this is a little way I can prove to him we have his little girl’s interests at heart.”
Ian said, “It’s a good idea, Angel. We don’t want anything to get in the way of this relationship. As long as it’s what you want.”
“Exactly. Not who I am or…”
“Stop,” I told Archie with a hand over his.
