“I can do that,” he said, and his voice echoed what his expression had already told me. He dipped his fingers lower, sliding one of his legs between mine to spread my legs farther apart. A strangled sound came out of him when he reached all the way down. “God, you’re so wet for me already. I can definitely work with this.”
Before I could ask what he meant, he was spreading some of my own juices up and using them as lubrication as he circled my clit. I tightened my grip on his shoulders, suddenly sure I was going to need to hang on for dear life.
I’d never come standing up, but I was pretty sure he was about to make it happen. Sure enough, pleasure coiled tight in my belly as his fingers thrust into me first slowly and then speeding up in response to my reactions.
His thumb played with my clit, his pressure perfect and staying that way. Without me having to say a word, he gave me exactly what I needed until I shattered around his fingers. The back of my head pressed into the hard wall behind me, but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except for the sheer pleasure rocketing from my core to my extremities.
When he’d brought me all the way back down, there was more than heat in Archer’s eyes. They were on fucking fire. “I’m going to need you to lie down for this next part. You’ll be more comfortable that way and I won’t have to worry about you falling.”
He had a point. I very well might have gone crashing to the floor before. “What next part?”
I’d kind of figured I’d return the favour right here, but it looked like Archer had other plans. Surprising me by taking my hand and running his thumb across my knuckles in a gesture that was almost sweet, he led me through his house and into a giant bedroom.
I didn’t get to take much of a look around the house or the bedroom, but everything was big, modern, and yet still surprisingly comfortable. It was the bed that caught most of my attention, though.
It was big. It looked so soft. I could have gone for a nap, but Archer was having none of that.
As soon as I came to a standstill in front of his big bed, he undressed me with deft fingers. His mouth came crashing back down to mine, and almost instantly, he had me right back on that precipice of desire as his fingers skimmed across my breasts, my thighs, my sides.
His tongue stroked me as expertly as before, but being naked made it all feel that much more intense. Curling my hands into the fabric of his shirt, I realised that he was still wearing way too many clothes.
He let me undo about half of his buttons before grabbing hold of the back of his shirt and pulling it off himself. I reached for his belt and undid it, flicking the button open and tugging down on his zipper almost all in the same movement.
Archer toed off his shoes, and when his pants and undies dropped, he stepped out of them without breaking the kiss. The feel of him hot and hard against my stomach was too tempting, but I realised with a start that I didn’t have to resist the temptation. Just for now, for tonight, he was mine to touch, mine to do with whatever the hell I wanted to. And there’s so much I want to do.
Bringing my hands to his shoulders, I pushed back until I felt him sitting on the bed. Lowering myself between his knees, I wrapped my fist around his shaft and pumped him once, twice. When I swiped my thumb over his tip, I gathered the wetness I found there and slid it back down his hardness.
Archer’s stomach dipped, his muscles tensing as his throat worked. Since he hadn’t made me wait, I wasn’t planning on letting him do it either.
My eyes feasted on his leanly toned body. Dark whorls of ink I couldn’t quite make out the shapes of in the dark decorated his already gorgeous skin. His cock was as big as I’d expected it to be, considering how he walked around like he was the king of the world. But it was kind of pretty too, all elegantly curved and thick, long.
As I started speeding up, he caught my wrist and reached for the free hand that had been inching towards his balls. “That’s quite enough of that. I’m not a fucking superhero. If you keep that up, this is going to be over before we even get to the fun part.”
“You aren’t having fun yet?”
“I’m having too much fun to blow it now.” He smirked, sat up, and clutched my knees in his big hands. “Lie back, babe. I wanted you on the bed for a reason.”
The first lick right through my heated core made me tremble, but Archer soon had me writhing, and before I even knew what was happening, my second climax for the night slammed into me. He didn’t stop. He stayed with me for every aftershock and then just lay there beside me, stroking my hair and my belly as I recovered.
It was surprising, the way that he approached this. I’d have thought he’d be all domineering, demanding. But he wasn’t. Well, he was that too but not in a bad way.
Everything so far had been about me. I could barely move, but I managed to sit up, and when I saw the raw need in his eyes, my resolve strengthened.
“Your turn,” I said as I threw one leg over his hip to straddle him. “I’m assuming you have condoms.”
Unfortunately, as not-sexy as it was to have to talk about these things, it was necessary. Archer didn’t seem put off in the least, especially not when I reached for the packet he pulled out of his bedside table and ripped it open with my teeth.
Once we were safe, I sank down onto him and fed him into me inch by inch. My eyes rolled back in my head from the incredible feel of him there, and when I wrenched them open to look at him, he had an almost tortured expression on his face.
“You’re too hot for your own good,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
“I’m pretty sure that’s supposed to be my line,” he gritted out, his hands on my hips and moving them the way he wanted them to. “But you are, you know.”
“Thanks. Now fuck me, will you? Stop holding back.”
I liked seeing the way surprise darkened his eyes in the heat of the moment, but I freaking loved the wildness that came into them in the instant before he really began to move. As I’d suspected, he’d been holding back.
When he wasn’t trying to control himself, the guy was an animal. He was as aware of my reactions as he had been before, though. He sent me hurtling over the edge once more, very unexpectedly this time, considering how sated I’d already been, and then finally—fucking finally—followed me over it.
As the waves of pure bliss subsided, I cuddled into Archer’s wide, strong chest. His body was hard against mine, his fingertips gliding over my back in the softest strokes.
The cedar and pine scent clung to him, albeit faintly after the day and all we had done. It reminded me of that first time I caught a whiff of it in the stairwell, of how I wouldn’t have imagined that man to have this side to him.
I’d enjoyed our dinner together more than I’d have thought, and honestly, I wouldn’t have taken him for a tender lover. A thorough one, sure. But tender? Attentive?
Never.
And yet, that was exactly what he’d been.
It hadn’t been making love by any means, but it hadn’t been a rushed, quick fuck up against that wall either. I appreciated him asking if he could kiss me, telling me what he wanted but leaving it up to me to make the final decision. Recalling the soft touches and the way he’d checked in with me all the time made me feel like he respected me, and that wasn’t something a single girl found all the time.
Being made to feel respected, adored, and sexy all the same time was something I was looking for in a potential partner, but it was too bad Archer could never be that.
Why not? My subconscious questioned quietly, but I shut her down. He’s a client, not a potential partner. Never that. Besides, he’s an arse too.
Regret crept up on me for sleeping with a client. I’d gone into everything fully aware of what I was doing, but now I was starting to realise that it never should have happened.
Shit. I had to work with this guy for another few weeks. How was I going to look him in the eyes and not remember how he could make me feel?
“If you’re going to be able to forget it,”
he mumbled into the relative darkness of his room, humour in his tone despite how low it was, “I obviously didn’t do a very good job. If you give me a minute, I’m sure I’ll be able to blow your mind.”
“Consider it blown,” I said as I extricated myself from him and sat up, bringing the sheet with me to cover my lady parts. “How did you know what I was thinking?”
“You said it out loud.” With the sheet draped across his waist even as I clutched it to me, he sat up too. “I’d have been rather offended if you would be able to look at me without remembering. I’m sure as hell not going to be able to look at you without thinking about it.”
Fuck. This had been such a mistake. Now I was going to have to contend with the memory of him saying that and knowing what he was thinking about each time he looked at me. It was going to be a form of cruel and unusual punishment if you asked me, knowing what he was thinking about and not being able to touch him.
“Where are you going?” he asked when I began to move towards the edge of the bed, a smirk tugging at the edges of his lips. “I thought we might go for round number two anyway, just to make sure it really was that good. You know, to ensure my memories of the act aren’t warped.”
“Thanks, but I really should get going. Don’t bother getting up. We left your door unlocked. I’ll just get another Uber.” I quickly picked up my clothes, getting dressed in record time.
“No. If you really want to go, let me come with you. See you safely home.” He swung his legs to the side, perfectly unashamed of his nakedness as he stood up. No reason for him to be, I guess. Talk about freaking perfect.
Before I could get too distracted by the dark lines of the ink covering his body and the stupidly sexy ridges and valleys of his contoured muscles, I shook my head. “No, it’s really okay. I need a minute to myself anyway. I’ll leave the USB drive with the plans on it for you. Take a look at them sometime and let me know what you think.”
He stilled, his head tipping slowly as his eyes blazed into mine. “You’re being awkward about this. Why?”
My eyebrows climbed up on my forehead as I waved my hand from my chest towards his and back again. “You’re my client and we just… slept together.”
“So?” He remained his position, gaze never leaving my own. “Don’t worry about it, Heidi. It doesn’t need to be awkward. We needed to get this out of our systems. Nothing has changed.”
“Right,” I agreed. Nothing had to have changed. It just felt like it did. I’d never slept with a client before, so that had to be it. That was all it was. First time jitters.
Nodding slowly, I managed to offer him a small smile. “You’re right. Thanks for everything. I’ll speak to you when you’ve had a chance to look over those plans.”
Without waiting for an answer, I turned around and practically ran out of his room.
Shit. First time jitters or not, I felt one massive guilt trip coming on, and despite not meaning to, I was pretty sure I’d just made it a thousand times more awkward.
Chapter 15
Archer
“Just the person I was looking for,” I said to Hugo when I got to the office on Tuesday morning to see him sitting behind my receptionist’s desk. “I need to talk to you.”
“I’ll be done in a tick. I just need to tighten this last screw.” He barely looked up at me when he talked, his attention focused on what he was doing with her drawers.
While waiting for him to finish up, I thought about the night before. It was the first time someone had run off on me without it even being necessary for me to drop a hint about them leaving. Usually, I was the one who was getting dressed before I’d even caught my breath.
To be honest, I didn’t even think I’d have asked her to leave if she hadn’t bailed the second we were done. There had been something appealing about letting her stay for at least another round, possibly even another this morning.
But Heidi hadn’t been interested. I’d felt her tense up when she remembered the nature of our relationship. Then I’d seen the panic flaring in her eyes when she’d scrambled away from me.
I’d tried to set her mind at ease, but mine had still been swimming in post-orgasmic bliss. I’d come so fucking hard that I hadn’t been able to think straight yet when she jumped up.
Something told me that my brief statement about nothing having changed between us wasn’t going to cut it with her. I was almost certain that she was still freaked out and I didn’t want her to be.
Which was why I wanted to talk to Hugo. I hadn’t felt the urge to contact anyone I’d been with so soon after in a very long time, but he wasn’t quite as determined to break off contact after the act as I was. Or at least as I had been.
That seemed to have changed, so I supposed my assurance to her that nothing had changed wasn’t entirely true after all. The chair squeaked when Hugo rolled it back and he shot it a glare. “I’ll come take care of that when we’re done.”
He stalked up to me, then waited for me to start walking so he could follow me to my office. I tossed him a smirk over my shoulder. “I know you were only working on that desk to try and get a good look at the woman underneath it.”
Arching an eyebrow, he lifted his middle finger and pointed it at me as he shut my door behind him. “Fuck off. It wasn’t anything like that. The woman’s like, a hundred years old.”
“I thought that would be enough to keep all the dogs in the office away from her. Apparently, I was mistaken.”
Flashing me a crooked grin, he thrust his finger in my direction one last time as he ambled towards the couch he favoured and sank into it. “What’s this about? I can’t imagine you asking me to come in here and then waiting on me if all you wanted was to give me shit over doing my job.”
I rounded my desk and sat down, loosening the buttons on my jacket. It was like there was this prickling under my skin that hadn’t been there until Heidi had practically run away from me, and nothing I did seemed to shake it.
“I needed to talk to you about something else.” I took a breath and watched as his gaze turned curious.
When I didn’t say anything, he grinned and hooked an ankle over his knee. “Do you need me to pretend I’m a shrink or something? Out with it, Lee. I don’t have all day. I need to go fix that chair and about a hundred other things.”
I nodded. I knew he was busy. I had meetings to get to myself. Just get it over with. “I slept with Heidi.”
His dark blue eyes lit up and he applauded me lightly. “The party planner? Seriously? Way to go, mate. I knew you were going to get with her. The way you were talking about her made it so obvious.”
“It did not make it obvious. Besides, that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“I’m pretty sure you know everything there is to know about the birds and the bees,” he joked, but then his head jerked back. “Holy shit. Don’t tell me you didn’t use protection?”
“Of course I fucking did,” I said. “What would make you think it’s about that?”
He shrugged, relaxing again as he sat back on the couch. “I don’t know. I just can’t figure out what was so important you’d call me in here the way you did. Are you in love with her or something?”
“Hell no,” I said vehemently. “Definitely not. I also didn’t ask you to come in here to gossip like a teenage girl. It wasn’t the sex or the fact it happened that I wanted to talk to you about. It’s what happened after.”
“What? Did she run out on big bad Archer Lee who prefers to do the running?” His tone was teasing until he noticed whatever expression was on my face. “No fucking way. She ran out on you?”
I nodded and then had to wait a full minute for his laughter to subside. “Stop that. It’s not funny.”
“It’s hilarious,” he countered, chuckling again as he took in my expression. “You look downright… perplexed.”
“I’m not perplexed. Who uses that word anyway?”
Hugo pointed his thumb at his chest. “Apparently, I do. On the rare occa
sion that my best friend gives me a reason to use it. But please. Tell me why you’re so perplexed. A woman was the one to hit and run this time. It shouldn’t come as such a surprise to you. You’ve certainly done it often enough.”
“Yeah, but I—” I sucked in a breath, not entirely sure how to finish that sentence without sounding like a total hypocrite. I shoved my hands through my hair and released the breath again. “I asked before I kissed her. I made sure pretty much every step of the way that it was what she wanted, but then she bailed right after anyway.”
“That’s what you’re worried about?” He frowned, but then another chuckle broke free. “Mate, how many times have you been out of there a minute after you took your cock out of her?”
“A lot,” I said honestly because this was exactly what I’d needed to talk to him about.
“Were you pissed off at any of the women when you left?” he asked, and the wheels in my head started spinning.
“Of course not.”
“Regretted it?” He grinned. “Okay, let’s say, regretted it enough that you wouldn’t have done it all over again?”
“Not often.”
“Exactly.” He snapped his fingers. “You’re her client. Obviously, she regrets it, even if she wanted it at the time. You’d have felt exactly the same way if you’d fucked one of your own clients.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” I pulled my shoulders back and sighed. “Should I call her?”
“Not today,” he answered without hesitation. “Unless you told her you would. Then you absolutely should.”
“I didn’t tell her I would call. She asked me to have a look at the plans she’d come up with for the party, though. I should probably get on that.”
“Well, you may have ruined the party by sleeping with her, but at least you got something out of it. Other than the initial plans, I mean.”
“It’s not like that.” Shit. “I’m not going to fire their firm over this.”
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