Archie didn’t look away.
“I know you cry at the end of sappy movies, even if you don’t want anyone else to know. And I know that for a while you had nightmares that used to wake you at two a.m. every night.”
“I would call you, and you always answered your phone,” Archie murmured quietly.
“But in—six days? I went from being the untouchable girl, lonelier than I’ve ever been, to dating all of you. It’s intense and takes my breath away. If we have sex for real, it’s going to change things, and that scares me.”
The waitress slid by the table with the check, but Archie already had his card out, so he just gave it to her. As soon as she left again, he leaned toward me. “I know you’re dating the guys. I know everyone has told you they like you. Bubba jumped right in with both feet to invite you to homecoming, and Jake spent the night at your place.” He gave it a beat. “I’m not asking what you do with them…”
“They don’t tell you?” I found that hard to believe. They always talked about their dates.
“We’d never talk about you like that, Frankie,” he said quietly. “Never. And I meant what I said earlier. Nothing happens unless you want it to happen. I can keep my hands to myself. I just don’t want to call it this early, even if the rain is spoiling some of our plans.”
“We could always go walking in the rain, but that would probably get cold and uncomfortable.”
“True, but again, if you want to do it, I’m game.”
Walk in the rain? Hot tub? Or go home? It was all happening so fast. Yet, it all seemed perfectly natural. I knew them, but the shift from platonic to very much not made my head spin.
I knew what I wanted, I just… “C’mon,” Archie said after the waitress returned with the check and his card. Two minutes later, we were out front waiting for the valet to bring up the car. It was still raining, and the temperature had dipped beautifully. Goosebumps raced over my skin, but I didn’t mind. Especially when Archie wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
Once we were in the car, he looked at me, “Where to?”
“Hot tub,” I said and his smile grew. “But I need to borrow a suit, and I’m not saying yes to sex yet. I just don’t want the night to end so early.”
My libido flipped off my logic, but I had to make the choices for the right reasons and not just because I wanted to feel him up.
“Split the difference?” Archie asked as we pulled out.
“How do we split the difference?”
“We both go topless.”
Laughter bubbled up through me and I leaned my head back against the seat, staring at him. “That seems really unfair to you.”
“How so?”
“I’ve seen you without your shirt before.”
“Are you saying you’re not impressed?” He threw me a playful glare before focusing his attention back on the road.
“Definitely didn’t say that. Just—I know what seeing you in very little does to me. You’ve never seen me topless.”
“I saw you bottomless,” he offered. “I’m good with both of us wearing tops and no bottoms.”
I laughed. “You’re terrible.”
“Hey, whatever makes you comfortable.”
The drive to his place took longer; he lived in an actual gated community with a security guard where the houses had actual acreage between them and privacy woods as well as fences. There were always cars in his garage—which was nearly as big as his house. I’d never asked and had zero intention of asking now, but Archie once joked his parents gave up a lot of money when they cut ties with his grandfather.
I had to wonder if he was being ironic or if there was more money than what they had here. The house was huge and had two wings. His parents lived in one, and he had the other. He had an actual media room and his own living and sitting room. If he didn’t need to eat, he’d never have to come out of his side of the house.
He eyed the BMW parked next to him as we got out, but then held his hand out to me. Hand in hand, we headed inside. The other difference between Archie’s life and the rest of ours—he had actual staff. A gentleman named Jeremy greeted us as we came inside.
“Good evening, Mr. Archie. I was just about to retire. Can I get you or Miss Frankie anything?” Jeremy was cool. He intimidated the hell out of me when I first met him, but he had a dry sense of humor and I only had to ask him to call me Frankie—not Francesca—once.
“Go take a load off, Jer, we’re good. See you tomorrow—oh…” Archie slowed as we passed Jeremy on our way toward his wing. “Is everything ready for the party?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And Edward and Muriel are still out of town?”
Jeremy gave him an almost benign look. “They have not returned, Mr. Archie, that I am aware of. Though there is a less than one percent chance they have snuck in and are currently camped out in one of the guest rooms not making a sound.”
With a snort, Archie grinned. “Good to know. Sleep well.”
“Will Miss Frankie require anything for breakfast?”
“I don’t think so, Jeremy,” I assured him. “Not sure I’m staying over yet.”
“If you do, I’ll make you French Toast in the morning. As I recall, that was your favorite.”
He wasn’t wrong. I squeezed Archie’s hand. “Thank you, Jeremy.”
Upstairs, Archie led me toward his rooms, and I slowed a little. “Are we using the hot tub in your bathroom?”
“Would you agree to that suggestion?” He gave me a sly grin.
“No, absolutely not.”
“Damn,” he complained, though it lacked any heat and he winked. “No, I’m grabbing my suit and there are some suits in the guest room that will fit you. I think one of your old ones is still there from last summer.”
“Pretty sure that’s a one piece.”
“Well you can’t go topless in that.” He made a face. His room was exactly how I remembered it. The big bed that sat on a raised platform a couple of steps up from the rest of the room. A huge seventy-inch television with game systems hooked up and controllers pulled out like he’d just let them there the last time he played.
There was a desk in the corner next to a window and it was orderly, if cluttered with spare parts and a half-built drone from the looks of it. He had a bookcase stuffed with tech books and miniature robots and other half-finished pieces. He was always building something or taking it apart.
I slid my shoes off and sank my feet into the plush carpet as he let go of my hand to open another door that linked to the guest room. “Go ahead and change. You can hang your dress up if you want, and if you don’t want to put that on later, you can borrow some sweats and a t-shirt.”
Biting my lip, I pivoted to look at him. “Archie?”
He paused in the middle of loosening his tie. “Yeah?”
“Thank you for tonight.”
“Night’s not done, babe. Go change.”
In the guest room, I paused to take a deep breath. We’d only had water and iced tea at dinner, but I still felt more than a little drunk. In the dresser, I found three different suits. One was indeed my old suit, a black one piece. There were two bikinis.
One I’d seen before and I stared at it for a minute trying to place it. Yellow with black trim, it was pretty and…I dropped it back into the drawer. Patty had been wearing it at Ian’s birthday party.
Yeah.
No.
“Archie?” I called, holding the red bikini top and bottom.
He strolled through the door in his swim trunks, which hugged his trim frame and did absolutely nothing to hide the fact he was still half-hard. Where Ian and Jake were broad chested and denser muscled, Archie was trim, lean and very cut. You could tell he spent time in the gym, even if he wasn’t training for any sports.
“Problem?” He asked when my gaze finally reached his eyes. His smirk was adorable and aggravating in equal measures.
“Black one piece, mine. Patty’s bikini.” I held up the red two piece
s. “Who owned this one?”
Smile fading, he studied me then the suit. “Honestly? I have no idea. I didn’t even remember that yellow one was Patty’s… you sure it was hers?”
“She wore it to Ian’s birthday party.” The sting remained, but I kept my gaze determinedly on him. “I don’t want to wear someone else’s suit. Especially not someone you had sex with.”
After crossing the room to me, he plucked the yellow suit out of the drawer and walked over to the trashcan in the corner. “We talked about Patty, Frankie. I’m not asking you to do anything you don’t want to do much less treat you like you’re a plug and play replacement.”
The bluntness eased something in me I hadn’t even realized I was holding onto. Guilt flooded me. I was the one making out with our other friends… I looked at the red suit then at him. “I know you aren’t.”
“No, you don’t.” Archie held up his hands before I could respond. “It’s okay. You trust me as your friend. I gotta earn some boyfriend cred, and we already know I’m starting a little more in the negative than you are.”
“Except you’re not dating anyone and I’m…”
“Nope,” he said quietly, then closed the distance between us to cup my face. “Hey, look at me. We’re not doing that. No guilt. No being mean to you. Now, I said suits were optional. I can still keep my hands to myself. Granted…that will be a true test of willpower, but I can. Or you can try this one on and understand the only thing that matters to me is that you are here, not what you wear or don’t wear.”
I made a face. “I sound like a brat.”
“You sound like you don’t get why we all like you and worry that I only want sex.”
I grimaced. That sounded even worse.
“To qualify that statement, I absolutely want sex. I’d fuck you in a heartbeat. But fucking you isn’t why I’ve spent four years trying to make sure I had your attention and time squared away with you. I wanted every Friday night this year not because I thought I was getting laid, Frankie. I wanted them because I want you.”
The command in his voice sent a shudder through me. He lifted my hand up and ran his fingers along the bracelet.
“Archie and Frankie’s first date, remember?”
Tipping my head back, I said, “You’re really sexy when you’re all fierce and determined.”
“Does it get you wet?”
A giggle escaped. The conversations he and I kept having, “Very,” I admitted. His sharp inhale did wonders for my ego. “Not as wet as I’ll be in the hot tub.”
He grinned. “Good. That gives me time to up my game. While you get changed, you want me to go raid the bar? We can try some wine.”
“Ah, ah, ah,” I said, waving a finger at him. “If we drink, then I have to spend the night.”
“We have time for me to sober up and if I’m that drunk, trust me, I’ll have trouble getting up to my room much less getting it up for you.”
“So, you’re telling me wine means no sex?”
He opened his mouth, then closed it and then moved his head from side to side. “One glass each? Keep our options open?”
A groan worked its way up, but I swallowed it. The eddying shivers in my system coiled tight then unfolded again. We were both playing with fire. Then Marsha’s voice echoed in my ear about not wanting me to miss out on anything and all the things I wanted to experience
“You know what…yes, I’d like a glass of wine and to sit in the hot tub and to hang out with you.”
“Done and done.” Then he kissed me, a hard, fierce kiss where he tasted like chocolate. “Hmm… I’ll get the wine. You remember where the tub is, or do I need to come back and get you?”
“I remember.”
After he left me, I had to fight the urge to flop back on the guest bed. I laid my dress over a chair after I’d changed into the suit. The red bikini was skimpier than anything I’d ever worn. The thin triangles hid nothing, they were mostly window dressing.
It also put my breast hickey on prominent display.
Before I went downstairs, I slid back into his room and then ran up to jump on his rumpled bed. Turning my face into his pillow, I took a deep breath and sigh. Okay. Wine. Hot tub. Archie. I pulled my hair back and rolled it up and tucked it into a knot atop my head before I left the room.
I didn’t have to go far to find him. He waited for me at the bottom of the stairs. It was chilly inside the house in only the bikini, but the rake of Archie’s gaze over me warmed me right up.
“I wish I had my phone,” he admitted as he held out the wine glass. It was a clear, almost golden color. “I want a picture of this.”
The blushing returned in full force. “I don’t mind as long as I don’t end up on your Instagram.”
“Oh, babe, no this would be all for me.” He trailed his knuckles down my arm leaving shivers in his wake. “Next time, yeah?”
Outside, the rain continued to come down, but the hot tub bubbled away cheerfully, hints of steam rolling off the top. It wasn’t that cold, but my nipples were twin peaks of stiffness. I tried a sip of my wine—it was so sweet—before I slid into the water. The lights were on, but they were only fairy lights strung over the awning and gave a low glow. He reached over and hit a switch to turn off the lights in the water.
The dim light transformed it, made it easier. Then he climbed in and sank in next to me with a sigh. I tried another sip of the wine before I set it on the edge and then turned back to lean against the side. The water eddied around me, lifting and soothing. I hadn’t even realized how tight my muscles were until we got in.
The heat was wonderful. Archie found my hand in the water and slid his fingers between mine. “Good idea?”
“Great idea,” I sighed. “Better than a walk around the lake.”
“I liked the walk around the lake,” he told me, giving my hand a squeeze and then tugging me a little closer. “I even like mini-golf when I do it with you.”
Snickering, I tilted my head back. “You never said you didn’t like mini-golf.”
“Confession time—not my favorite thing. It’s ridiculous and goofy. But it’s fun when I go with you.”
“Archie, we were going every weekend for a while there.”
“Yeah,” he said with a sigh. “I know, and I’d go every weekend with you now, if you wanted.”
Elbowing him, I turned in the water so I could look at him. “You can’t do that. You have to tell me when you don’t like something.”
“I told you, I liked the time with you. Didn’t matter much what we were doing.”
Sometimes… “You say the damnedest things.”
Dipping his head to press a kiss against my shoulder, he whispered, “I know there are things you do for us or with us that you aren’t a fan of and you do it anyway.”
“Hmm…” I sighed when he mouthed a kiss to my throat.
“You know, I keep looking at these hickeys—and I want to leave one, too.” There was something possessive in his voice, and it sent a shudder down my back.
“Covering them up is already a challenge,” I muttered.
He slid his arm around me and lifted me off the seat and turned me until I straddled his lap. “I’ll leave it somewhere you can cover easily. Promise.”
“Tempting,” I admitted as he nuzzled a kiss to my other shoulder.
“Good,” he said with a chuckle. “So come on, ‘fess up. What have you done with me that you didn’t enjoy?”
“Marathon sessions of Resident Evil.”
He leaned away in mock horror. “Oh, Frankie, say it isn’t so. We spent hours doing that.”
“I know,” I said, biting my lip. “Whole weekends, sometimes for twenty-four hours straight, all four of you slaughtering zombies.”
“Hey, you helped slaughter some.”
“I did.” Truth be told, I’d liked it in the beginning. “But I think after hour five hundred and five, I was over it.”
He rubbed his hand against my bare back above the bikini bottoms.
“Damn…okay if we’re playing a game to death, tell me.”
“Or I’ll make you go mini-golfing with me.”
He laughed. “Fair deal.”
“What else?” I looped my arms around his neck as I balanced on his thighs. The hot water and Archie were a nice combination.
Keeping one arm around me, he retrieved his wine glass and took a sip before putting it back and offering me mine again. I had to loosen one arm to take it. It was colder than the water we were in and really sweet.
“You want to sit here and discuss all the things we don’t like doing that we do with each other?”
“Or things we don’t like about the other.”
“Oh no, no, no, Little Blonde Riding Hood, down that path lies danger and wolves dressed up like understanding.”
I giggled. “Seriously?”
“Um?” He raised his eyebrows and looked at me askance. “Seriously. I’d rather talk about all the things we like about each other.”
Licking my lips, I pretended to give it some thought. “I really like that you don’t look down on me or any of us really.”
He blinked. “Excuse me?”
“Archie—you have money. Lots of it. You’ve traveled. You drive a Ferrari. I live in an apartment with my mom and work twenty-four to thirty hours a week so I can save up for college. We come from two different worlds, but you never look down on me on any of us. You never have.”
“Okay, so you like that I’m not an asshole. Got it.” He made a face and I grinned.
“Your turn.”
“I like that you’re Frankie. You looked at me on the first day of high school, when I didn’t know anyone and said, ‘Hi, I’m Frankie. You can sit with me if you want. My friends will be here in a minute.’” With care, he took the wine glass from my hand and set it back on the side before lifting my hand back to his shoulders and I looped both arms around his neck again. “I went from being the new kid to one of the guys in the space of a day because you made room for me. I got great new friends, people who didn’t care about my name or my family or my money. For some weird reason, they just liked me.”
My heart twisted.
Rules and Roses: Untouchable Book One Page 32