“Why don’t you say something? I’ve seen you in the courtroom. You’re a beast.”
“It’s not my place,” I said.
Archie stepped back but kept his hands wrapped around my bare arms. His brow was furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean? You’re a part of that family, Layne.”
“Not really.” I know that this only caused Archie more confusion, but it was still so hard for me to say the words. “Samantha Hall isn’t really my mother. And Sadie is my half-sister.”
Archie sighed heavily. “Well, that kind of explains a lot. Why do you call her your mother, though?”
“Because for twenty-five years, I thought she was my mother. When I started practicing law, my father told me because he didn’t want anyone to find out and use the information against me.”
“What happened to your real mom?” Archie was asking all the questions that I asked my dad the night that he told me.
I shifted nervously, my heels sinking into the soft ground beneath my feet. “She died from a complication during birth. My father had been having an affair, and my mother, Samantha, was unable to conceive again after Sadie was born. So, she agreed to raise me as her own.”
But that wasn’t really true because, at times, I felt a bit like Cinderella. Samantha Hall, the only mother I’ve ever known, acted more like a wicked stepmother than a loving parent.
“She still shouldn’t treat you like shit. You matter, Layne. Your life is just as important as Sadie’s, and I’m sorry that until now, you haven’t had someone to defend you.”
I smiled weakly. “Are you going to defend me, counselor?”
“Happily,” Archie replied before sealing his words with a kiss. “Ready to go home?”
“Absolutely.”
Mrs. Jordan, my parents’ longtime housekeeper/cook, was waiting for us when we made it back to the house. She always sent me home with perfectly packed leftovers.
“Where is everyone?” I asked her, taking the paper bag from her.
“Sadie and your mother are working on wedding plans, Jacob is doing whatever Jacob does, and your father is in his study.” She gave me a look that said, “He’s upset, and you need to make things right with him.”
I nodded and handed the bag off to Archie. “Give me five minutes.”
“Oh, no,” Mrs. Jordan interjected. “He should go too. You can pick this up when you’re done.”
Archie followed me into probably the only room in the entire estate where I felt comfortable, aside from my own bedroom. My dad’s study was like a sanctuary with its light walls and overstuffed chairs. I found him sitting his favorite chair, holding a crystal tumbler of scotch, facing the backyard.
“Hi, Daddy,” I said softly entering the room.
“I knew you’d come back,” my father replied, reaching his free hand out to me. The chair that he favored was big enough for two people, so I scooted in next to him and placed my head on his shoulder. In private, we had such a warm and loving relationship, and it was hard to see him ignore the way my mother treated me in public. “I’m guessing you told him?”
“He deserved to know,” I answered. Archie stood off to the side, watching us. I flicked my eyes up to meet his and smiled.
“I know things are tough right now,” my father said in his usual gruff tone, “but it’ll get better after the wedding. I promise.”
I sighed and slipped out of the chair and moved over toward the wall of bookshelves. My fingers danced lightly along the spines. For years, my father had been saying some version of “It will get better,” but it never did; I was starting to think he was lying.
“What’s going to change?” I asked. I rarely challenged my father because I respected and admired him.
“I’ll talk to them both about adding Archie to the guest list. I’m paying for the damn thing after all.” My father made a ton of money in his lifetime, enough to keep his future grandchildren and great-grandchildren comfortable, but he hated spending it on frivolity, and from the tone of his voice, I knew he thought Sadie and Jacob’s engagement party was an unnecessary extravagance.
“I guess,” I said absently. It was a start, but it wasn’t nearly enough to make things right or to make me feel like I belonged. Archie was willing to defend me, to fight for me, but was my father willing to go to those same lengths? Only time would tell, and I wasn’t about to risk alienating him right now.
“How long has this been going on?” My dad waved between the two of us; it was a welcome change of topic that immediately cut through the tension that filled his office.
“It’s pretty new, sir,” Archie dared to answer. “But we’ve known each other for years.”
“You’re a lawyer too?”
“He works for the enemy,” I whispered. “Archie kicked my butt when I tried my first case.”
“Do you love my daughter, Archie?” My dad was often blunt and valued honesty more than anything, which was ironic considering our big, ugly family secret. He did business honestly and expected the same in return, but this was embarrassing.
“You don’t have to answer that,” I said.
“I’ve been in love with Layne since the moment she first stepped into the courtroom and sat down across from me.” Archie was looking right at me, his blue eyes intense and sincere. I swallowed a phantom lump that seemed to form spontaneously.
Hastily, I rushed to kiss my dad on the cheek. “Okay, we’re gonna go now. Bye, Daddy.”
I hurried out of the study, grabbed the paper bag full of leftovers from the kitchen counter, and hustled out to the driveway where I waited almost ten minutes for Archie to appear.
“You have got to quit running, sport,” he said once he was settled in the driver’s seat.
“And you have got to stop calling me that!” It was the only thing I could focus on because thinking about the other thing…was too scary.
The ride back to Archie’s house was short and uncomfortably quiet. When he pulled into his driveway and put the car in park, he sighed and turned toward me. His mouth opened like he was going to say something. Instead, he cut the engine and got out. I followed, my mind still reeling from what he told my father.
Inside the house, Archie took the bag with leftovers from me and walked into the kitchen where he placed them inside the refrigerator. I waited nervously next to the island for Archie to say something. Instead, he remained silent.
“You seem really mad,” I finally managed to say. “Did I do something wrong?”
It was bad enough that I wasn’t good enough for my own family. Now, I feared not being enough for Archie, despite what he said to my father.
On the other side of the island, Archie spread his arms wide and let his head fall. “I tell you that I’m in love with you, and you run. What do you want me to think?”
“Technically, you told my father. He asked a question, and you answered.” I was walking a thin line with my smartass comment.
Archie growled in frustration, and his head popped up. His heated blue gaze landed right on me. “Semantics, counselor.” He stood to his full height and rounded the island. Approaching me slowly, he forced me to back up until my backside hit the wall. He placed an arm on either side of me, effectively caging me in, and studied me. “Are you afraid of me?”
“No,” I murmured. Truthfully, I wasn’t. An uncomfortable but surprising truth had been eating away at me since I ran from my father’s study.
“Then why are you shaking?”
“Because I think I’m in love with you too.”
The force of Archie’s kiss was enough to knock me over. I clung to him tightly while he devoured my mouth. His tongue swiped at my lips, demanding entry into my mouth. Our teeth clicked as they collided against each other. My knees weakened, and my head was dizzy. Archie slowed down, peppering my chin and cheeks with light kisses before resting his forehead against mine and slipping his hand into my hair.
“Say it again,” he demanded, his voice hoarse and needy.
; “I’m in love with you,” I told him. “I love you, Archie.”
9
We made it into the bedroom. Barely. We were a haphazard tangle of limbs and lips as we made our way down the hall, tearing clothes from our bodies until Archie finally grew frustrated and resorted to carrying me the rest of the way. He dumped me unceremoniously onto the bed.
“I’m going to give you a family,” he announced as he covered me with his body, letting his lips trail up and down my neck and then along the ridge of my shoulder. His hand swiped across my belly and then dipped between my legs. “I’m going to love you the way you should have been loved for years. I’m going to worship every inch of this body because it’s going to bear my children. Our children.”
I was so lost in the feel of his lips as they brushed against my sensitive skin that I almost missed the warning bells sounding in my mind.
“Whoa,” I said, trying to scramble away the moment I realized he was talking about having children with me. “We’re moving a little fast, don’t you think?”
Archie smiled wickedly. “You’re running from me again, Layne.” He had me pinned below him and held me tight with his hands and his piercing blue gaze. “I’m not letting you go.”
He sealed our mouths together, devouring my lips and stealing my breath. I squirmed with annoyance and with delight because something about what he said hit me deep. Archie wanted to give me the one thing I stopped dreaming about years ago because it seemed so far out of reach.
“Yes,” I gasped as we broke apart.
“Yes what, Layne?”
I met his gaze and said, “Yes, I want that too. I want everything, Archie.”
“You deserve it,” he said with a satisfied smile before sinking his fingers between my thighs and into my soaking wet center. I writhed against him immediately because his fingers weren’t enough.
“More,” I begged, licking my lips hungrily.
Archie chuckled low as he worked his fingers in and out, spreading my juices along my slit before plunging them back inside. “Do you want more of my fingers?” His thumb brushed against my clit, and I moaned. He continued working me into a frenzy of need. I was so close to the edge, ready to tumble into ecstasy, but he denied me.
“Tell me,” Archie demanded as he sat up on his knees. Through my hooded gaze, I watched as he fisted his thick cock and stroked it, taunting me. Teasing the words from my lips.
“I want your cock,” I said breathlessly.
“Where?”
“In my mouth. In my pussy. In my…” I was delirious with desire, with need. The words just tumbled from my mouth as I watched Archie stroke his cock slowly, leisurely, like he had nothing else to do.
“In your ass, Layne?” His eyebrows shot up, and his smile was lascivious. “Eventually, your ass will be mine, but for now, we can start with your mouth.”
Archie got off the bed and stood at the edge, holding his cock out to me. I scrambled to my knees and crawled across the bed where I watched him pump his shaft a few times before spreading the tip across my lips. I licked the few drops of pre-cum that oozed from it and then swiped my tongue across his head. His hand fell away, and I quickly took control.
The first taste of him was like heaven. His skin was velvety soft against my tongue.
The second taste of him was like hell. He was big, hard and filled my mouth.
I wanted every inch.
He groaned when I sucked him deep, and the head of his cock skimmed the back of my throat. His hands closed around my head, holding me there for what seemed like forever. His cock slid from my mouth, leaving a trail of saliva as it slipped from my lips.
“You’re too good,” he moaned as he rubbed the head back across my lips. “I’m fighting a battle I can’t win, Layne. I want to bury myself in your pussy and fill you full of my seed, but I want to watch you gag on my cock too. What should we do?”
My pussy throbbed, and I rubbed my thighs together to soothe the ache of need. I understood his dilemma because I was eager to have Archie’s cock inside me, to feel it stretch and fill me.
“I think it’s only fair that I get a taste too,” he said softly. “Lie back and spread your legs, Layne. I’m going to feast on you.”
Baring myself to him felt like the bravest thing I had ever done. I stretched out along the bed and spread my thighs wide. Archie sucked in a sharp breath as he gazed at me with dark eyes. He licked his lips appreciatively before dropping to his knees and reaching out to pull me toward his eager mouth.
The first hot kiss of air against my sensitive skin made me groan. The first swipe of his tongue along my soaked slit made me moan. The first tease of teeth on my clit made me squirm. He hummed with satisfaction as he lapped greedily. He held my thighs firmly as he consumed me over and over until I was a trembling, needy mess. My fingers dug into his hair, tugging at the strands as I worked feverishly to get as close as possible.
He left me teetering on the brink, licking slowly until he finally pulled away and grinned satisfactorily. His lips were shiny with my juices, and he used his talented tongue to swipe at the remnants. “You taste like the sweetest fucking honey,” he said, his voice husky with desire.
Archie leaned forward to brush his lips against mine. I could taste my musky sweetness on his lips. When he pulled back, his expression was now serious.
“Nothing between us ever, Layne. I want to feel your pussy wrapped around my cock,” he said firmly.
I nodded my approval because I was more than ready for him to fuck me, for him to fill me.
He climbed atop the bed between my spread legs. He gripped his cock in his fist and dragged the head between my slippery folds before notching it at the entrance of my pussy. With a flick of his eyes upward, he drove into me. I screamed out from his size pressing forward into me.
“So tight,” he growled. “So fucking tight.”
We remained still for a time before Archie began to thrust in and out, slowly at first. He kept muttering about me being “fucking tight,” and every time he buried himself to the base, his eyes practically rolled back in his head.
“I don’t think I can make this last any longer,” he admitted.
“Me neither,” I panted. I felt like I had run a marathon. I was exhausted; my legs shook, but I was holding out for the sprint at the end.
Archie grabbed my legs and brought them together. He groaned loudly when he plunged his cock back inside. He kept a firm hold of my legs as his pace increased. I whined pitifully because this angle made me feel impossibly full, and the contact of our bodies colliding sent me soaring.
“Oh, yes,” I managed to utter breathlessly.
Archie surged forward, and I felt his cock swell, and with a feral groan, he came, exploding deep inside me. I tumbled right with him, moaning loudly and shaking until finally, we collapsed together, sweaty and satiated.
“I’m going to fuck you forever,” Archie mumbled, his eyes glassy with bliss.
The next morning, after Archie had his way with me in his bed and then again bent over the kitchen island, I felt obligated to tell him that I was on the pill. That conversation did not go well.
“I said no barriers.” His voice was serious, and the look in his eye? Deadly. Archie had just gotten out of the shower and was wearing only a pair of dark gray sweatpants. The rest of him was a feast for my eyes. I loved how lean and muscular his body was; he was damn near perfect. His broad chest narrowed into a trim waist, and he had those deep cuts of muscle that led right to an impressive piece of equipment.
“It’s not necessarily a barrier,” I argued.
“Does it prevent you from getting pregnant?”
“Yes,” I conceded.
“Then it’s a barrier.”
“Archie, please be serious. What if this doesn’t last?”
His brows knitted together, and his lips thinned to a hard line. “What do you mean if this doesn’t last? Layne, I’ve wanted you since I first set eyes on you, and after last night, I don�
�t plan on ever fucking leaving.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Archie, I don’t want you to be with me out of pity.”
Archie placed a large hand on my cheek. “It’s not pity, Layne. It’s love.”
“Why the urge to have a family so soon? I mean, one might think you have family issues and not me.”
He snickered. “I don’t have any family issues, Layne. I love my parents, and they’ve been married for a long time. They’re pretty much June and Ward Cleaver.” He wrapped the other hand around my waist and pulled me close, forcing my arms to fall. “I know what I want when I see it, and I won’t stop until I get it.”
I placed my head against his chest, listening to his heart beat out a soft rhythm. This man was offering me not only love but also family. He promised to defend me. Maybe Grace Graham really did know what she was doing when she matched us.
“If it’s commitment you want, then it’s commitment you’ll get.” Archie gently pushed me aside and reached for a bowl of Hershey Kisses. He unwrapped the silver foil from around the chocolate candy, popped it in his mouth and then balled up the foil. He turned around, his eyes searching for something until he found the bread on the counter. He unwound the twist-tie from the bag and then used it to fashion a ring with the tiny ball of foil. He held out it to me in the palm of his hand. “It’s not a diamond from Tiffany, but it’ll do.”
My heart was beating uncontrollably fast. “Oh my god, Archie,” I whispered. “What are you doing?”
“Showing you that I’m a man of my word.” Archie took my hand in his and slid the makeshift ring over the fourth finger on my left hand.
There was no getting down on one knee. The traditional words weren’t even spoken. It was just him, staring right into me with eyes filled with such love and reassurance that I knew it was the right thing to do.
I looked down at the silliness of the “ring” on my finger and laughed. “There better be a diamond from Tiffany eventually,” I joked before wrapping my arms around him and pressing my lips against his, sealing his promise.
Dear Mr. Temporary (The Matchmaker Series ) Page 4