“I always wondered if you were going to cave in and let your dad give you something you couldn’t get rid of.” Her eyes lifted to mine. “It’s pretty.”
It was hard to think of what to say because I was kind of confused by her words, but mostly because her hands were tugging my jeans open. There was no hiding my reaction to being this close to her or how much I liked kissing her. I was hot and hard, becoming even more so when I felt the brush of the back of her knuckles against the straining flesh behind my boxers.
“You’re pretty.” The last person I needed on my mind when I was seconds away from getting Bowe into bed was my dad.
I grasped her face in one hand and bent my head so I could kiss her. I backed her toward the edge of the bed, using my free hand to skim up her side and around her ribcage, following the line of her bra to her back so I could finesse the clasp open. I felt like she’d been teasing me all night with the glimpses of it peeking out from her shirt. Her risqué style suited her and inspired a lot of wayward thoughts.
When the slinky material slid down her shoulders and off her arms, I followed the progress with hungry eyes. I ran the backs of my fingers across the upper swell of her breasts, noting that those had changed a bit from the last time I had unfettered access to them. Her perky little nipples still looked like raspberries, but her breasts were now fuller than a handful. She wasn’t overly curvy, but it didn’t matter. She used what she had to her advantage, and I liked everything she was working with just fine.
I kissed her mouth hard and fast, then let my lips skip down the side of the neck as I bent her backward onto the mattress. Once she was beneath me, I kissed across her collarbone and lifted a hand to hold the weight of one breast while using my thumb to lightly circle a taut nipple. Bowe’s mouth opened with a tiny gasp and she lifted her arms to wrap around my shoulders. I remembered that soft, sweet sound from before. I remembered the way she tasted across my tongue when I savored her. I never dreamed of being able to put my mouth and hands on her again, and it certainly hadn’t been on my agenda when I left Denver. But all of it immediately felt so right and so good; I was furious at myself for being the one who deprived us both of a chance to experience more of this over the last few years.
I chuckled against her warm skin when she wiggled impatiently and shifted so she could pull the rest of my clothes down around my hips. She used both her hands and feet to get me to an acceptable level of undress. Her eagerness was cute, but it turned into something much more serious when her warm hand wrapped around my straining dick. Her touch made it throb and sent shivers dancing across my skin. It was impossible to think of anything but how good she made me feel when I had her hands gliding across my body and her lips whispering my name.
I placed wet, sucking kisses all along the valley between her breasts until I reached her other nipple. I pulled her nipple into my mouth and used my teeth to gently nip at the tight bud. The little sting I left had her hand tightening on the rigid flesh between my legs and made her shift restlessly beneath me. I smiled against her skin, moving so I could drag my tongue down the length of her body until I reached the edge of her tights. I hooked my thumbs through the high leg holes in her black panties, making sure to collect the fishnet material as well. I pulled all the sexy, black fabric away from her skin, getting on my knees between her sensually parted legs.
I put a hand on the inside of her knee and looked at her as she lifted herself up on her elbows so she could see what I was doing. Foreplay hadn’t really factored into our youthful foray into sex and intimacy, but this definitely wouldn’t be the first time I had my mouth on her most private of places. I wondered if she remembered every little detail of everything we’d ever done to one another the same way I did.
I arched my eyebrows at her and asked, “You ready?”
I still wanted her to have an out if she came to her senses and realized she would regret this when she was thinking straight.
She simply smirked back at me and told me, “Show me what you got, Archer.”
Gladly.
I was happy to show her that what I had was a ravenous appetite and a raging desire to leave the same kind of impression on her that she’d left on me all those years ago. I wanted her to think of me long after I was gone. I wanted her memories of me to invade her every thought and feeling, and make her long for me the way I longed for her even when I was trying to fool myself into thinking I’d gotten over her.
I licked my way up her thigh, pausing to lift the toned limb over my shoulder when I reached my target. Her skin was so soft and smooth, and all her pretty pink places were already damp and slippery. She made my mouth water.
I leaned in as close to her as I could get my mouth fully buried in her warm, wet center. I heard Bowe let out a low moan and felt her fall back on the bed with the first swipe of my tongue. One of her hands reached for the top of my head, her fingers threading through my hair as she writhed against my mouth. Her familiar flavor took me back in time and made me determined to make sure this wasn’t a one-time thing. I wanted her to want me the way I wanted her, against my better judgment. I wanted her to need me so viscerally that she could feel all the way down to her bones, the same way I needed her.
She moaned my name, and her legs twitched enticingly next to my ears. I pulled her even closer as the tip of my tongue dipped inside her fluttering opening. One of my hands pressed along the crease of her inner thigh, holding her still so I could dive as deep as possible. I loved the way her body clenched in response. My dick got even harder and started to leak at the erotic sounds she was making. It ached in a way that brought my hand to it so I could squeeze the shaft to keep myself in check. I’d never forgive myself if I lost it before I got my chance to be inside her again.
I bit back a moan as her heated insides quivered against my tongue. I wanted to drown in the wetness that exploded with every lick and flick. I moved so I could circle the sensitive little spot hidden within her slippery folds. The first pass made her back arch up off the mattress and caused her fingers to clasp my hair in a painful grip. She practically yelled my name, and I was pretty sure it sounded even better than having an entire stadium cheer for me when I scored on the field. It was a sound I wanted to hear over and over again, not just when she was looking for an escape from her troubles.
While I continued to make her crazy with my mouth on her clit, I added my fingers to the mix, stroking them through her wet heat and teasing her sensitive opening. I pumped them in and out of her twitching body, nearly losing it when I imagined my cock doing the same thing. Almost against my will, my palm started to slide up and down my dick. I wanted to be inside of her so bad I was shaking.
Bowe pulled on my hair with even more force when I used the edge of my teeth on her clit. She jolted so hard, one of her legs slid off my shoulder. She sat up, which forced me backward, and used her hold on the top of my head to pull my face up so I was looking at her. Her eyes glowed as she reached out and used her thumb to rub through the wetness that was clinging to my lips.
“Enough. It feels amazing, but that’s not what I asked you for.” She sounded breathless and impatient. “I want you, Ry.”
Her words were pretty much my dream come true, and there was no way I would ever be able to deny her anything when she said what I’d always wanted to hear.
I grunted my agreement, and after taking a moment to make sure we were responsible and protected, I leaned over her again, caging her underneath my body and bracing myself above her with an arm bent around her head. Her black and purple hair fanned out around her head in disheveled disarray that was really pretty. She was colorful both inside and out. I was so dumb for being afraid of all her brightness and intensity all those years ago. How had I lived being able to face down three-hundred-pound lineman, but constantly afraid of how this girl made me feel?
It was a joke. But it wasn’t funny.
Bowe wrapped a leg around my hip and nudged the base of my spine with the heel of her foot. I smiled do
wn at her before dropping a kiss on the tip of her nose.
“I really missed you, Bowe.”
Of course, I wanted her to say she missed me too. I wanted to know I wasn’t alone in this, that I mattered to her and wasn’t just a convenient cock.
But, true to who she was, Bowe muttered, “Then you shouldn’t have made sure I had no other option than to hate you.”
She was right, but I wasn’t the kind of guy who made the same mistake twice.
I kissed her so she couldn’t use any more words to wound me. I snaked a hand between our bodies and grabbed a hold of my cock. It didn’t take much maneuvering to press myself inside her. We both made a slightly tortured sound as I sank into her heat, inch by inch. The intensity of everything I felt as she let me get as close as possible to her was overwhelming. I forgot to breathe for a long moment, and I was pretty sure I saw stars. My heart was beating so fast I was worried I might pass out, but I was determined to see this through to the end because I couldn’t fathom letting her down again.
Bowe curled an arm around my neck and started to rock her hips upward. I met her eager thrust with one of my own and watched as her eyes fluttered shut and her mouth dropped open in pleasure. I wanted to demand that she look at me but took a moment to appreciate the blissed-out expression etched on her features as we started to find a hurried rhythm, moving against one another in a nearly frantic way.
Her nipples dragged across my chest. Her breath made the crook of my neck warm and wet. Her pussy clenched and unclenched in a passionate caress that had my erection swelling and kicking with excitement inside of her. I loved the way she was clinging to me. I could fool myself into thinking she didn’t want to let me go when she held me this way. It was a nice delusion, one I didn’t want to rationalize away.
I kissed her eyelids and the curve of each cheek. I traced the outline of her ear with the tip of my tongue and used my teeth on the delicate shell. I loved the sounds that escaped her when I kissed all over her face, and I nearly came when those sounds changed as I slowed my pace and started to grind against her, deliberate and deep. I also wiggled my fingers back between our bodies and maneuvered what some had called my ‘million-dollar hands’ back between her legs. My fingertips were instantly coated in silky wetness as I unerringly found her hot spot. I stroked her tiny little clit fast and slightly rough while I continued to rock in and out of her body with an achingly slow pace.
I could tell it was driving her crazy by the way she writhed and undulated under me. Her honey-colored eyes popped back open, and her mouth pursed into a cute pout. She used the heel on my lower back to press me to her impatiently, and I could see that she was on the verge of flying apart as a flush moved over her chest and neck.
“Don’t play with me, Ry.” The bite in her voice made my dick pulse with pleasure deep within her. I hoped she could feel it because it felt really good.
“But it’s so much fun.” I grinned against the side of her neck before taking a bite out of it. I would force her to think about me even as I knew she was going to try and force herself to forget.
Pretty soon, I was unable to keep drawing things out and tormenting us both. Her body was making demands of mine that I couldn’t ignore. I heard her breath hitch and felt the way every single part of her started to clench and quiver against mine. There was a rush of wetness and heat that pulled me under. Desire unspooled throughout my veins as pleasure burst to life along my spine. I felt Bowe’s nails dig into my shoulders and heard her mumble my name incoherently. All of it was too much to resist, and there was no more holding back or denying myself the ultimate satisfaction.
I shuddered as I thrust through my orgasm. I felt it from the tips of my hair to the soles of my feet. It was a lot. Almost too much. I forgot who and where I was for a split second. I forgot about all the history between the two of us, and all the wrongs that needed to be set right before we had a fighting chance of figuring out what we really meant to each other. I forgot that I decided I was going home in the morning to a messy situation of my own making. I forgot that I suddenly had no clue who I was or what I wanted.
None of that seemed to matter, because I knew without question that being with Bowe was the one and only thing that always felt right, regardless of how complicated it might be.
I collapsed on top of her in a boneless, sexed-out heap. I hid a smile against her skin when I felt her lightly stroke my hair as she sighed with approval.
“I’m going to head back to Denver in the morning.” Before she could say anything and ruin the mellow, pleasant mood, I whispered against the small bruise I left on the side of her neck. “I’m so sorry, Bowe. For everything.” Being with her like this would’ve been worth the wait. If I’d gotten the timing right back in the day, it wasn’t hard to imagine me and her being unbreakable when we were together. Instead of coasting along, she forced me to be strong, to face my weaknesses, and admit I had them in the first place.
She stiffened underneath me, and I felt her pull on my hair. “What are you talking about, Archer? What did you do wrong now?” She didn’t sound shocked or surprised by the announcement of my sudden departure.
I didn’t answer her because there were too many things to name that I’d screwed up. I owed her more than simple words, but those would have to do for now.
I needed time to show her that I was truly sorry for pushing her away because I was afraid, and for not being able to let her go for the exact same reason.
Bowe
I KNEW RY was long gone before I opened my eyes the next morning. The side of the bed where he’d spent the night was cool to the touch, and I could still feel the spot on my forehead where he’d dropped a farewell kiss. He whispered his goodbye and muttered that I shouldn’t take too long to come and get the explanation I was owed.
It was confusing, but all very on brand for Ry. It was totally like him to tell me he was sorry with eyes full of sincerity, but not explain why he was suddenly apologizing or hellbent on making amends. I tried to push him on it and reminded him that I was in no mood for his games, but he evaded me at every turn. He spent the entire night and well into the early morning doing his best to keep my mind off anything troublesome. Instead, he made sure all I could think about were the things he made me feel. It was weird being in his arms again. It was strange to look at him and see both the teenager who had rocked and ruined my world, and the young man—now essentially a stranger—who held my world together for me when I wasn’t able to.
I was very conflicted over how to process it all in the bright light of day, and I was starting to struggle with a hefty dose of guilt.
It wasn’t like Aston and I were the best of friends. I didn’t have the bond with her that I shared with Remy and Daire, or even Glory to a lesser extent. But I wasn’t exempt from twinges of remorse from sleeping with Ry so soon after their breakup. I was with him right before he got with her, and now I was with him right after he left her. It was enough to make me feel like I owed the girl an apology, or at least an explanation. I wanted to defend my actions or explain them away, but I wasn’t sure there was any real justification for why Ry and I always seemed to collide in the worst ways. We were supposed to be done with each other time and time again, but it seemed like fate had different plans for us.
Like Ry said, it was a mistake we seemed bound to keep making no matter how dire the consequences.
After dragging myself out of bed and taking a much-needed shower, I picked up my phone and sent a text message to the one person who might be able to help me make sense of all the chaos I created last night.
~ Can we talk?
I got an immediate response.
~ Absolutely. Can I take you to lunch?
I wasn’t really hungry, but I appreciated the offer. I didn’t really want to try and figure out a new life plan while my room still smelled like sex and Ry Archer.
~ Sure. Just tell me when and where.
A couple minutes later, the name of a cute little brunch spot with
in walking distance of my house popped up on the screen. I replied that the place she suggested was fine and agreed to meet up in a half hour. I used the time before I left to brush my hair, get dressed, strip my bed, and toss everything in the washer. I battled back and forth with myself over sending Ry a text message. Knowing him, he was planning on driving straight through to Denver again, and I wanted to know when he made it home safe. In the end, I couldn’t bring myself to message him, so I compromised and sent one to Daire. I asked her to text me when he got home and tried to subtly ask her for any hints about how he was acting once he returned. I breathed a sigh of relief when she promised she would touch base as soon as she spoke with him. She even sent a winky face, which led me to believe she’d picked up on my message’s subtext. She really was too clever for her own good.
All those damn Archers were.
I couldn’t say it to him, but there was a pretty big part of me wondering if Ry was going to turn my own coping mechanisms back on me. Things between us were still difficult, our personalities still clashed, and we still lived thousands of miles apart. Maybe it was his turn to shut me out and pretend I didn’t exist because it was easier than wading through the emotional minefield between the two of us. I hated to admit it, because that would mean I also owed him a pretty big apology, but the thought of him ignoring me and forcing me out of his life really hurt. I felt a twinge all the way down to my soul.
I popped headphones on and made my way to the café.
My mom was easy to spot. She always was. She was a beautiful woman, but more than that, she carried herself in such a refined, regal manner, it was almost like she was even more famous than my father. She dressed like she was about to take on a boardroom even when she didn’t have to work, and I don’t think I’d ever seen her wear any other type of shoes than sky-high-heels. She was also brilliant. She was a scientist—a chemist, to be exact—and annoyingly logical and reasonable about most things. She was always the one cautioning the twins and me to think things through, to plan ahead, to be accountable. No one would ever guess that she had grown up dirt-poor in rural Kentucky. Even her southern drawl had shifted, so she almost sounded like a native Texan these days.
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