I clapped my hand together. “Oh my God! I forgot about the wild blackberries. So good.”
“I want some,” Sam said, puffing out her lower lip. “Let’s go get some.”
“No,” Erik said, turning sharply. “We stay here. We stay together.”
“It’s not far,” Archer said. “I can keep an eye on them.”
Erik turned. “If you want to stay here, then you follow my rules.”
“Okay,” Archer said, holding up both hands. “Maybe another time.”
“Boo!” Sam said, sticking out her tongue. “You’re such a dad sometimes, Erik.”
He ignored her. Erik was doing what he believed was right. I was thankful for everything he’d done so far.
It was weird, but I trusted Erik with my life even though I didn’t know him very well. There was just something—gut instinct, maybe—that told me he was going to keep us safe.
After we finished eating and the sun went down, we all gathered in the basement. Archer was impressed with Erik’s house and especially the bar. I could tell that Erik wasn’t even the slightest bit impressed with anything Archer did or said.
Sam passed out not long after dinner. Dorian and Erik carried her up to her room, leaving Archer and me alone in the basement.
Erik came back down, cleaned up, but retreated up the stairs shortly after. The house was warm from the heat, and my body was hot from all the wine.
I couldn’t stop staring at the man I had a crush on for an entire year of my life. He was the guy I’d look down the hallway, hoping to see. The guy I’d stare at during lunch. He was the reason every girl attended every basketball and football game.
Everyone wanted to be noticed by Archer. He’d probably worked his way through half the school twice.
I wasn’t someone he had ever noticed, so to be sitting there with him felt very… very… nice. He’d look into my eyes when I talked and laugh if I said anything mildly funny.
Archer finally noticed me.
“So, what did you do after high school?” I asked, pulling my legs up onto the large, fluffy couch.
“Visited Germany for a few months, and then backpacked through Ireland,” Archer said. “When I got back, my dad made me the manager of his hardware store.”
“That’s right,” I said. “I forgot your family owned that place.”
Archer shook his head. “Not much of it left anymore. It’s been looted.”
“Your dad must be pissed,” I said.
“He would have been, but he passed away last year,” Archer said. “Snowmobile accident.”
“I’m sorry,” I said.
“Thanks,” Archer said, scooting closer. “How have you lived here, and our paths haven’t crossed until now?”
His eyes lowered, landing on my lips. He reached over and slid a finger across the back of my hand.
“I don’t live here,” I said, my voice fading as my pulse quickened. “I came to clean my mom’s house.”
“Oh,” Archer said. “Where did you come from?”
“Massachusetts. Sam wants to go back,” I said awkwardly.
Being close to him was making it hard for my brain to work properly. It was hard to believe that he was actually this close to me. That what was happening was real.
I wanted to call up everyone I’d ever talked to in high school and tell them I was with Archer. Everyone needed to know.
“Too bad you’re stuck here,” Archer said, reaching over to tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear. He smiled, and my body slumped closer to him. “I can’t believe we never hung out in high school.”
“You’re were busy,” I said.
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” Archer said, gliding his thumb down my cheek. “I’m kicking myself right now.”
I swallowed hard. My breaths were hitting me so fast. “Well, we’re here now.”
25
Archer’s hand slid around my neck, sending a shiver up my spine. He inched closer and closer—the electricity between us vibrated through my entire body.
He looked into my eyes, and I was suddenly jolted back to being a freshman in high school. The longing I felt toward him was overwhelming.
I was sweating. Shaking. And I felt incredibly awkward.
All I could think about was how badly I wanted him to kiss me. How amazing it would be to feel his lips on mine.
It was like he could read my mind. Archer’s mouth curled into a mischievous grin as he glued his eyes to my lips.
“You are so right. We’re here now,” Archer whispered. “We really need to make up for lost time, don’t we?”
I felt as though I was about to burst into a million little pieces. The wine had gotten to me. I really shouldn’t have drunk so much wine, but if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have ended up on the couch with my first real-life crush.
Sure, there had been actors and other completely unattainable hot guys I’d dreamed about, but Archer had been different. It wasn’t just me that wanted him, it was every girl who ever laid eyes on him.
A haze surrounded me as he brought his lips toward mine. It felt as though I’d been whisked into a dream. I didn’t know what to do… how to act… what to say as I tingled with anticipation.
My muscles relaxed as he pressed his lips to mine. His tongue lazily brushed against mine, savoring me as if I were a delicate dessert.
The skin on my neck sizzled as he slid his fingertips below my ear and into my hair. My head dropped back at the unbelievable pleasure that ripped through my body as his other hand slid up my thigh.
It all felt wrong. I didn’t know Archer. I only knew the person he was in my head. But at the same time, it felt so incredibly right.
No one
