“You have twenty. I counted.”
He rested his finger on my chin and bent down to kiss me, sliding his legs down so that he was on top of me. His cock fell into place. “That’s it.”
He pressed in deeper, and I felt something trickling out. I couldn’t control it. He’d taken hold of my senses, and I was blind with desire. Deeper still, and I tensed up. A cataclysmic burst was rising to the surface.
He moved his head down. His lips pressed against my chin, his breath fell over my neck, then my chest as he pulled lower. I could feel his hands around the edge of my bodice. I thought he was going to rip my dress down, but his hand was moving over my stomach, and the other was circling my areola. His eyes met mine, and the sharp jolt of the fiery green globes pressed in, revealing a deeper layer of golden yellow and a ring of orange enclosing the pupil.
He dove down again, pressed his lips into the space between my breasts, and edged my dress down further. The anticipation was killing me. He looked at me again, pressed his lips against the space just above my bodice, and lowered it further. Another kiss, another look, a little further now. Each kiss was a sign of devotion, reaffirmed by his look.
He pulled the dress down below my waist and kissed my stomach, a little lower, lower still, each time another kiss, left then right, then below my belly button. His breath hit my clit when he lifted his head and pulled the dress lower. It was like falling through a cloud of never-ending steam.
He stood up and lowered my dress down all the way, then grabbed my ankle, and lifted my leg up. His hand slid down my hips and into the space between my thighs while he took in the sight of my bare leg. He slid up, over my thigh, my knee, and finally my ankle, where he began unbuckling the straps of my shoes.
He was gentle, more intrigued by the sight of me than the act of undressing me. He pulled the shoe off and kneaded the ball of my foot. “Oh,” I sighed. Then he started on my other foot, giving it the same care and affection.
He was pushing my patience to the limit. My body had needs that couldn’t be fulfilled with his simple touch. I needed him to pound into me, but he wanted to appreciate me, worship me, and take his time to make sure that I knew I was loved.
He pulled my legs apart and pulled me forward so he could kneel down at the end of the bed. Then, all at once, he dove in between my legs and whipped his tongue out, pressing it through just enough to give me a taste.
I needed more. I pushed forward, hoping to take his tongue in, but he pulled back, met my eyes, and said, “I love you.” He kissed my opening, his tongue swept through, and he pressed my clit gently between his fingers, moving them back and forth over the surface.
The intensity was so overwhelming that I could barely withstand the shock. My lips were quivering, and I felt myself throbbing, opening and closing, reacting to every touch and every breath. I never wanted this moment to end. I wanted to feel that way forever, but I knew that at some point the pressure would be too much, and I’d explode.
He pressed his finger through and focused his tongue on my clit. He pushed his finger in, drew back, then in again, all while watching my expression. He grazed my spot, and I knew that there was no way I was going to make it. This explosion was coming. I couldn’t stop it.
He was focusing on my spot now, massaging it, back and forth, back and forth. I clenched my muscles, hoping to put up a wall to delay the explosion, but his finger was slicing through it, and I could feel the warmth starting to pour out. It was like jumping out of an airplane, and those few precious seconds when my body sat weightless in the air before gravity started to pull me down.
“Fuck me.” I was breathless.
“No.” He pressed my clit between his lips, and the impact was instant.
I was writhing, shaking, pulsing, and crying out. My trembling hands grabbed the sheets, desperate for something to hold on to, but there was nothing but that rush. Gravity had taken hold, and I was falling, my voice flying out. I was going to crash. Nothing this good could possibly end well. I couldn’t survive this.
But it didn’t end. I kept falling, holding onto the blankets as if they could save me, but nothing was going to stop it. Archer stood up and pulled his pants down, his cock fell out, and he rushed in to pierce through me. I crashed and melted to the bed.
He slammed in, his mouth curled up at the side, and hit my spot instantly. I didn’t think it was possible, but another explosion was coming. This wasn’t a meteor, it was hot and sticky, a solar flare, intertwined with the creative forces inherent in the act of lovemaking.
He pulled out carefully, then eased it in, hit my spot, and pulled out again. He was going to draw out the moment and savor it, but that was only going to make it worse. He was stroking my clit, pounding faster, but not fast enough.
The searing, scorching heat became an unbearable force, stronger than a solar flare. This was a star, burning white, licking at my thighs, piercing through, already spreading out over the rest of my body. As the tempo increased, so did the pressure. He was pinching my clit between his fingers, then winding it around the tip.
“Oh, God.” He drilled his cock through me and rested it on my spot. Then, he bent down to kiss me. I wrapped my arms around his back and raked my fingernails up his shoulder. He lifted his head, bit his bottom lip, and smiled, then began kissing me again.
I could feel his cock pressing in, pulling out, a little faster, but not enough. The heat was growing to unimaginable proportions, and I could see that he was just as strained as I was. His lips began a frantic dance, his tongue pressed through, pulled out, then in again as his hips took on the infectious excitement that was all around us.
Then, like the quiet before a storm, he stopped, lifted his head, and said, “I love you.”
I lost it. The explosion began with a simple tremble, like a note piercing through the air, growing in momentum, gaining force, until it became a supernova, and I was holding onto him, screaming, moaning, then I stopped. I couldn’t move. The heat, the rush, the thrill—all of it combined into a shock that cracked open the space around me and replaced everything else, and I was drowning it.
I was vaguely aware of the sound of him moaning and the feeling of his body pressing against mine when he collapsed at my side, but I was too caught up in the moment to think of anything else but the sensation of losing myself in the current.
It didn’t go away immediately. It lingered inside me, always threatening to rise back up, then diminished, leaving another kind of thrill. There was the pressure of his arms wrapped around me, then his chest against my cheek, and finally the sound of his heartbeat.
That was proof enough that we were doing the right thing. He was perfect, even with his flaws. So long as he existed, I knew where I belonged. “I love you, Archer.” I kissed him and closed my eyes.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Archer
“Heh.” I heard what sounded like the beginning of a sob and sat up to look at the TV. Abel had rolled over, that was all, and he had the cutest way of sucking on his thumb. I wanted to run into the nursery to pick him up and cradle him, but I couldn’t leave Zoe. She was just as sweet, holding onto her pillow, facing me.
I decided to lie back down and close my eyes until I heard the sound of the sheets rustling and Zoe standing up. “You’re awake, aren’t you?” She kissed me on the cheek.
“Abel woke me up.”
“Did he cry?”
“No.”
“It’s been a week, and they still haven’t caused us any trouble.”
“They were like that last time you stayed, too.”
“It’s the woman’s touch.” She pulled off her night shirt and walked into the bathroom to take a shower. I waited, with my arms folded behind my head, for her to walk out naked with water dripping down her body.
My cock was so hard it was aching, but there wasn’t time. All I’d get was that one moment then I’d have to run to work. When she came out, she didn’t disappoint. She took her time getting dressed, waving he
r butt around when she walked, and when she pulled her pants on, she faced me and bent down so that I could look down her shirt.
“You’re enjoying yourself, aren’t you?” she asked when she buttoned them up.
I pulled the cover aside to show her my cock. “I’m dying.”
“I know.” She walked over and bent down to kiss me, then flicked the tip.
I pressed my hand against the back of her head and made sure the kiss lasted. “You’re going to get it tonight,” I told her when I let her go.
She walked out with her hips swinging. Mona was standing next to the nursery talking to her when I walked down. “Are you sure you didn’t drug them?” Mona asked.
“Positive.”
“Well, I’ve never seen them go this long without throwing a fit.”
“It’s Zoe.” I kissed her on the cheek and whispered, “Tonight,” in her ear.
“Oooh.” Mona seemed to burst with energy. “I just can’t get over how glad I am to see the two of you together. Let me make you dinner tonight. Please.”
“Nope,” I said. “We’re having alone time with the boys.”
“What happened to the Soap Network?” she called out when I started to walk down the stairs.
“No idea,” I said.
“Oh, yes you do.” She ran after me. “You blocked it.”
“That’s okay,” Zoe reassured her. “I know the password.”
“Hah! Take that.”
I laughed and walked out to get into the car. Work had been busy. We were finalizing our agreement with the air force, and the marines were sending orders every other day. We were shipping Palantirs to bases in both the eastern and western hemispheres, and we were getting nothing but praise for the work Rick was doing on the new model.
He came to my office early that morning. “How are you?” He sat down.
I dropped my pen and looked him over, then eased up. “I’m all right. I’m sorry about the other day.”
“Nah, it’s cool. What happened? You got back with her?”
“Yeah.” I couldn’t help but smile. “I went down to her work to talk to her.”
“That was all you had to do, wasn’t it?”
“I was so worried.”
“But you got her. I knew she was right for you.”
I shook my head in disbelief, but I didn’t say anything. “How’s the new model coming?”
“We’ve got the software up and running. We’re syncing it to the device. I think it’s going to take us another month to have a working prototype.”
“Good. Have you heard the news?”
“The contracts? The entire base is talking about it. Are you really planning to open up a California office?”
“It gives us proximity to the naval base, as well as a reasonable travel time between the air base in Tucson and, of course, the testing facilities in Nevada.”
“East and west coast.”
“That’s just the beginning. The marines and the air force are already talking about ordering our propulsion systems.”
“Can I test one?” He looked like he was ready to hop up and run out to the airstrip.
“When you test one.” I was still punishing him for his behavior before.
“Ah,” he groaned. “You mean when I discover a new means of jet propulsion.”
“You’re grounded.”
“Fine.” He threw up his hands. “I deserve it. I’ve been a total prick about the whole thing, but I’m glad you’re happy.”
“Thank you. Take some time on the new Palantir. I want all the bugs completely eliminated, and I want it tested fully. This is a completely different kind of system we’re building, and it’s going to depend largely on the software itself.”
“How long?”
“You could easily take a year, and it wouldn’t hurt business. In fact, it would help our credibility.”
“Good point. Guess I’m used to rushing and making sure everything is perfect.”
“We don’t have to worry anymore,” I said.
“I can’t believe it. You’re relaxed.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I stiffened up and gave him a quick smile.
“All right.” He got up. “I’m gonna get back to work. The techs get anxious if I’m gone too long. They don’t like being unsupervised. It encourages independent thought.”
“I’m sure you’ll find a way to whip them into shape.” There was enough paperwork to last me a year, so I gave Angela a proposition. She could have one designer outfit a month and a steady lunch budget if she agreed to share part of the paperwork burden on a regular basis. At first, she was furious and accused me of trying to bribe her into giving up her personal life. Then, when I agreed to weekly hair and nail appointments, she softened. The woman was finicky and transactional, but she was effective, and I knew how to work her.
Halfway through the day, she came into my office and sat down. “Yes?” I put down my pen.
“Why are you doing all of this? You could easily hire an entire department to delegate this work.”
“But I have to look it over.”
“Have them send you the finer points, or you could do like most people in your position and train them what to look for.”
I leaned back and thought about it for a moment. I knew that I had options, but I’d always preferred to do things myself because I wanted them done right, but now that the company was expanding and the boys were getting older, I was going to need to free up some time. “Can you do me a favor?” I asked.
“No.”
“I need somebody to help set the department up. Could you be the project manager?” I went on, anticipating her response. “Your new position would include a significant raise in pay.”
“Do I have to keep doing my old job?”
“No, you’ll be training your replacement.”
“Thank you!” She rushed around the desk, hugged me, and ran out.
I went through as many papers as I could and told myself that it was the best I could do. I was eager to get home, so I stopped at exactly five and grabbed my things. Angela glared at me when I left, but I knew that she didn’t mind.
Back at home, Mona was in the living room kneeling on the ground with the boys when I walked in. “Archer,” she called out. “Come here.”
I sat down next to them on the floor, and Andrew crawled over to me and rested his head on my lap. Mona was quick. She had her camera waiting and snapped a picture. “Got it.”
“I don’t think he’s ever done that before.”
“See? They know their daddy.”
“I guess they do.” I rested my hand on his back, and his eyes started to droop. My phone started ringing, and I nearly jumped up, thinking they would both start shrieking, but they didn’t. They just looked at me.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Hey.” It was Zoe. “I’m just getting off work.”
“Report to the house immediately,” I demanded.
“I’ll see you soon.”
“Mona,” I said when she hung up. “I’ll take it from here. Send me that picture, will you?”
“Okay, but they still haven’t eaten.”
“I’ve got it. Just take some time to yourself.”
“I’ve got a date tonight,” she said. “Yup, it’s that bartender.”
“Don’t screw it up,” I said with a somber look on my face.
She laughed and started gathering her things while I took the boys upstairs to feed them. It didn’t take long for me to hear a knock at the door. I put them in their cribs and walked downstairs to answer.
Zoe was sweating and tired, but she looked invigorated. “Look.” She came in and pulled out her phone to show me a picture of a pastry. It was round with candied blueberries and raspberries sitting on a bed of cream cheese at the center.
“Did you bring me some?”
“They sold out.” She came in and followed me into the living room where we sat down on the couch together.
“Chloe and I spent the whole day giving out samples in front of the store. We sold nearly a hundred.”
“Oh my God.”
“It’s called berry bliss, and it’s divine.”
“Yeah?” I scooted closer and wrapped my arm around her neck. “This happened.” I showed her the picture of Andrew resting his head on my lap.
“Oh,” she gasped and covered her mouth. “That is so adorable.”
“His brother was staring at me the whole time.”
“You’ve been so worried about whether or not they’d get attached to you. This is wonderful.”
“It’s because of you.” I reached in and pressed my lips to hers. “I love you, Zoe.”
“I love you, too.” She took my hand and squeezed it.
Epilogue
Zoe
I stood up and stretched with a yawn. The clock on my nightstand said that it was seven in the morning. Chloe was busy training the crew at the new store, and the downtown location was well staffed, so it didn’t matter what time I got up. Still, I had things to do today. I took a quick shower and shuffled through my closet to look for something to wear and settled on a simple, white sundress. It was comfortable and elegant, and I loved the way the fabric swished over my legs when I walked.
I put a pot of oatmeal on to boil, then walked back upstairs to knock on the door to the boy’s room where I heard little feet scampering across the carpet. “Boys.” The sound got louder, and the tapping sounds quickened. They were running away.
I cracked the door open and caught the sound of incoherent whispers passing between them. So far as we could tell, their twin language was simple, but every time they used it, they were up to something.
“What are you two doing?” There was a flash of black hair and baby blue pajamas flying through the air, and they jumped onto their beds.
“Nothing,” they said in time with one another.
“Come on.” I stood in between their beds. “It’s time for breakfast.”
“No.” Andrew crossed his arms over his chest.
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