“Christ, do you ever stop talking?”
“I need information. You’ve been very tight-lipped. So, where did you find her?”
“I’m not telling you that.”
She pauses. I can just see her face in my head, her brow furrowed in a frown.
“Why ever not?”
“Because she doesn’t want anyone to know where she is.”
“Well, you have to tell me something.”
“No, I don’t.”
“What if something happens to you? What if something happens here, and I need to send for you?”
“Send for me? What is this, sixteen-sixty? I have a phone. Call me.”
“Archer Steven Montgomery.”
“That’s not going to work, and you know it.”
She sighs dramatically, and I can hear a deep voice in the background.
“He won’t tell me where they are.”
“Is that Kane?”
“Of course, it’s Kane.”
“Tell him to rein in his wife.”
I grin and wait for the sputtering and spitting to come. I’d never have the balls to say that in person, she’d slice me in two, but from this safe distance, I can’t help it.
“Have you lost your bloody mind?” she screeches, making me laugh loudly.
“You deserved it,” I remind her. “We’re safe, we’re fine, and that’s all you’re going to get out of me.”
“Stop hassling your brother,” I hear Kane say.
“Listen to your husband, the way a good wife should.”
“I’m going to slash all your tires when you get home.”
“Goody. See you.”
I hang up as Elena walks out of the glass doors, wearing nothing but a towel.
At least, I think it’s nothing but a towel.
“Turn around,” she instructs me.
“Hell, no.”
She tilts her head to the side and raises a brow. “Do it, Arch.”
I sigh and turn my back on her. “Fine.”
I hear something fall to the deck, the water sloshing, and then, “Okay. I’m in.”
I turn to see her submerged to her neck. She pinned her hair up, and she’s resting against the headrest.
“This is divine.”
My tongue is stuck to the roof of my mouth. She shifts, exposing the tops of her breasts, and I feel my cock harden in response.
“You should join me. I won’t look while you strip down.”
I blink, giving it more thought than I ever figured I would. I want to jump right in and take her, right here and now. The image of us naked and slick, making love in that water is at the forefront of my mind.
But I didn’t plan to take it there tonight. I mean, I want to. But I won’t until she can be open and honest with me about all aspects of her life, not just her body.
“Archer.”
“Yeah?”
“Get in the water. Before I’m a prune.”
I don’t ask her to turn away. I strip out of my clothes and sink into the water. I sit across from her, keeping my gaze steady on hers.
“Who were you chatting on the phone with?” she asks. A droplet of water drips down the side of her neck and runs down her chest to the bubbling surface.
I can’t take my eyes off the wet path that droplet took.
I’ve never been jealous of water before in my life. I guess there’s a first time for everything.
“Arch?”
“Sorry?”
She grins. “Phone call?”
“Anastasia.”
All humor leaves her face as she stares at me from across the tub. “Are you kidding me?”
“She’s my sister.”
“Did she ask where you are?”
“Of course, she did.”
“Shit.”
“That doesn’t mean I told her. Elena, I have to have contact with my family. It’s my family.”
“How could I be so stupid?” she mutters.
“Whoa. Hold up. Neither of us is stupid. But you’re the one hiding, not me. If I don’t stay in contact with my siblings, they’ll put an all-points bulletin out on me, and all of the Pacific Northwest will be looking. I didn’t give her any information.”
“Someone can trace your cell phone. Why do you think I don’t have one?”
“I turned off the GPS on my phone. I did it the minute I left Washington. But if the mere thought of me talking to the people who love me the most pisses you off, we need to figure this out now. I’ll call in Caleb or Matt or someone to help. You can’t just hide here forever.”
“Stop it,” she says, shooting daggers at me with her eyes. “You don’t dictate how this goes, Archer. I’ve been doing this for a long time. You’re right, I can’t tell you not to speak with your sisters. That’s not fair. But I won’t sit here and be a sitting duck either.”
“I’m telling you, you’re safe.”
“And I’m telling you, you don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She stands in the dark and climbs out of the water, grabs the towel off the deck, and stomps inside. I hurry after her.
She slams the bathroom door shut and locks it before I can fling it open behind her.
“Open the door.” My voice is way calmer than I feel. “Elena, you have to know that I’d never put you at risk, and neither would my family. We’re not stupid, and we’re not careless.”
“You don’t get it,” she says when she steps out of the bathroom, clad in her dress once more.
“Then tell me.” I don’t let her rush away. I cage her in against the wall and tip her chin up so I can look in her eyes. “Talk to me, Elena.”
“It would be easier if we just had sex and went our separate ways.”
“I’m not sleeping with you.”
That catches her attention.
“Well, that’s a small blow to my ego, but I’ll get over it.” She moves to pull away from me, but I easily hold her in place.
“I’m not going to be intimate with you until you’re willing to fully open up to me. I told you that already. Not until it’s more than just this incredible chemistry between us. It’s true intimacy. You’re not just some girl I met at the gym, or the bar, or wherever. It’s you, damn it. I need to know what happened twelve years ago. I need to know what they did to you.”
She closes her eyes in defeat and leans her forehead against my chest.
“Archer.”
My hands glide up and down her arms.
“Come on.” She looks up at me now with clear, determined eyes. “Let’s go outside.”
“I’ll pour us some wine on the way.”
“We’re going to need it.”
Chapter 10
~Elena~
I haven’t gone back to that day in my head in years. The memory of the physical pain has lessened with time, and I always chalked it up to a lesson.
Once Archer has the wine poured, we take our glasses out into the dark evening. He covers the tub, and we sit in the plush chairs, facing the sea.
It’s choppier out there tonight, just like the emotions boiling inside of me.
“I’m not sure where to start,” I admit after I take my first sip of wine.
“The beginning is always a good place.”
“Before I do, I need you to remember that this is the past, Arch. It can’t be changed, and I’m fine now.”
He blows out a breath. “Not ominous at all.”
I lick my lips. “I was so happy that day you dropped me off at the house. The weekend in Idaho when we eloped was the best of my life, and I was riding high on that adrenaline. I didn’t think anything could touch me. I figured I’d make my announcement, pack my things, and call you to come and get me.”
“That was the plan,” he agrees.
I sip my wine and lick my lips. “My father was…livid. I’d never seen him like that before. He reminded me of my place in the family and then dragged me up to my bedroom.”
I methodically explain the
next twenty-four hours to him. From the moment my father tied me up, to the phone call where I lied to Archer and broke off our relationship.
When I finish, he doesn’t say a word. He simply stands and walks to the railing of the deck and stares out at the beach. The anger rolls off him in waves. His fingers white-knuckle the railing, and the veins in his forearms are corded and popping out. For me, it’s old news, but for Archer…it’s happening here and now. All I want to do is soothe him.
“I know it’s hard to hear.”
“Stop.” He turns back to me and shakes his head. “It’s not hard. It’s fucking unbelievable. Inconceivable. Evil. Terrifying. I could go on.”
“I get the idea.”
He crosses to me and squats in front of me, his hands on the arms of the chair. He’s not touching me.
“I want to see the scars.”
“Archer…” I look at him and shake my head. “I don’t know, I—”
“Elena.” He grabs my hand, squeezing it tightly. “I need this. You were the love of my life, and I dropped you off and left you there.”
“Don’t try to take the blame. This is all on him.”
“Please.”
Without hesitation, I raise the skirt of my dress high on my thigh, where the W is branded on my skin.
“That son of a bitch.” His voice is rough with emotion, but his fingers are careful as he lightly traces the scar. He leans in and gently lays his lips on the wound and kisses me there. “And your back?”
I stand to show him, but a light from the neighbor’s house comes on.
“Inside,” Archer says. “And don’t let me forget to have a privacy screen installed.”
He leads me through the house to his bedroom, turns on the sidelight next to the bed, and then turns back to me.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m going to kiss every inch of your amazing body before too much longer, so I’ll see them eventually. But I want you to show me.”
I turn my back to him and let the dress fall around my ankles, then pull my hair over one shoulder, exposing my back.
“Christ.”
I know what it looks like. That many lashes leave a hell of a mess on a person’s skin.
“How many?”
“Archer—”
“How fucking many?” he demands. His voice, still raw, isn’t raised, but that doesn’t make it any less powerful.
“Twenty.”
I expect him to kiss them. Touch them. But he surprises me by simply wrapping his arms around my chest from behind and burying his face against my neck. This is what I needed all those years ago. These are the arms I needed around me, to reassure me, to hold me.
And we were both robbed of it. We lost so much time. We lost each other.
“Oh, baby. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there. I’m so sorry I didn’t fucking kill him myself.”
“You were safe, and that’s all that mattered to me,” I insist, turning in his arms so I can see his handsome face, memorizing every line all over again. “This isn’t your fault. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I failed you,” he whispers. “I shouldn’t have left you alone that day. I should have insisted that I go in with you to face him together.”
“You wouldn’t be standing here now if you had,” I remind him. “And that would have destroyed me. I did what I had to do. And I’d do it again in a heartbeat if it meant keeping you whole.”
He tips his forehead against mine.
“That’s the whole story. You know everything now, Archer. My family is more ruthless than you could ever imagine. Every cliché, every rumor you’ve ever heard about the mafia is true, and in some cases, worse. They kill people, they run drugs. They hide money. They’re bullies. But if you’re part of the family, you’re in for life. There’s no leaving.”
“You left,” he reminds me.
“I escaped. And only because my parents were murdered, and my grandmother was worried that I would be the next target. I got lucky. But I don’t know how long this is going to last for me.”
“I won’t let anyone touch you ever again,” he pledges and brushes his lips over my chin, then up to my lips. “I’ll keep you safe, Elena. I swear it.”
“I’ve missed you so much,” I admit. My heart rips open wide and feels so full of joy that he’s here. “It terrifies me that you insist on staying, but God, it’s so good to feel you. To talk to you.”
“I told you, I’m not going anywhere.”
His fingers draw light circles over my back, making my nipples tighten in anticipation of receiving the same attention. I push my hands up into his hair and hold on as he takes the kiss deeper and guides me back to his massive bed. He lowers me and then covers me with his hard body. He’s familiar and new at the same time, filling my senses in new and exciting ways.
Archer and I were together sexually when we were young. Still, it didn’t happen often, and only in the last few months of us being together. I was a good Catholic girl, and I was young. Archer was patient, and when we did finally have sex, it was sweet and loving. Innocent.
And usually, it was quick. Not because he had no stamina, but because of our schedules and our families. Getting caught was always a concern.
So, taking our time to truly explore each other never happened until our wedding night.
Three days later, it was over.
“Stop thinking so hard.” His voice is rough with lust as he kisses down my neck. “Say the word, and this ends.”
“Definitely don’t stop,” I reply with a grin and then sigh when his hand glides behind my knee and begins to make small, soft circles that trail up the inside of my thigh, making my pussy tighten in joy. “Oh, man, that feels good.”
“Your skin is so fucking soft.” His fingertip brushes over the W, and he pauses. “Look down, E.”
“Huh?” I open my eyes and find him staring down at me with those gorgeous blue eyes.
“Look down,” he repeats and glances down to my thigh, where he’s tracing the W on my skin. “When we look down like this, it doesn’t look like a W at all. It looks like an—”
“M,” I say with him and feel the last knot in my stomach break free.
“Montgomery,” he says, his grin cocky, and then kisses me once more before moving those talented fingers in toward the part of me that’s been longing for him for a dozen years. “Ah, baby.”
I gasp as his finger slips inside, and when he pushes a second one in with it, I feel the orgasm gather at the base of my spine.
“Archer.”
“Yes, sweetheart. Let go. I’m right here.”
I fall apart, my back arches, my toes curl. And he’s there, murmuring sweet words and caressing my neck with his lips as I float back to Earth.
“I don’t have condoms,” he admits with a growl. “And trust me when I say, I want to punch myself in the face for not getting some.”
I laugh and shake my head. “I’ve been on the pill for years.”
His eyes light up again. “Yeah?”
“Oh, yeah. We’re good.”
He links our fingers and presses them into the mattress near my head. “Are you sure?”
“Archer, I’m gonna need you to get a move on here.”
His lips twitch as he fumbles with his clothes. Then he’s braced over me once more, kissing me softly and thoroughly as he pushes in gently, inch by inch, until he’s fully seated inside me.
“Christ Jesus, Elena. How is it better than I remember?”
“Because it’s now.” I lift my legs higher on his hips, opening myself to him even more. “And because it’s right.”
I don’t even know how much sex I’ve had with Archer over the past few days. I’m quite sure it’s more than all of the times we did it put together when we were young.
Maybe we’re making up for lost time.
Or maybe we’re creating memories to hold on to when he’s gone, and I’m left alone again.
I frown at the thought. Of course, this
isn’t forever. It can’t be. But I’ve resigned myself to simply enjoying every minute that I’m given.
I didn’t stay with him last night. I was with him Friday and Saturday night, and I decided I needed a night away. Mostly, I was being stubborn and stupid because I was lonely when I woke up this morning.
And maybe a little moody.
Even my car didn’t want to start. Probably because I didn’t drive it all weekend.
But we’re on the road now, on the way to work. Getting back to some normalcy will be good for me.
Run-down car, awesome job, Ally. That’s who I am.
I nod and square my shoulders, but then my car decides to throw a temper tantrum. It sputters and dies. I’m lucky I can at least steer it to the side of the road.
“Well, shit.” I lay my forehead on the wheel and contemplate my options.
It’s early in the morning. The only people I know who are awake are my coworkers, who are currently working.
They won’t be able to help.
And Lindsey is most likely at the spa already, getting ready for her first client at eight.
I pop the lever under the steering wheel and step out of the vehicle, lift the hood, and stare down at what looks like a heap of garbage to me. I don’t have the first clue what any of this is, how it works, or how to fix it.
And I don’t own a cell phone.
I blow out a long breath and look up and down the road. It’s empty at this time of day.
“I just had to move to a small town,” I mutter as I walk back to the driver’s side door. But before I can open it, a familiar vehicle pulls up behind me. “Archer?”
He steps out, shuts his door, and walks toward me with a frown. “What’s wrong?”
“I have no idea. It died.” I kick the tire and then curse myself as pain shoots through my toes. “Pile of junk.”
“Did you call a tow?”
“No phone.”
“Right.” He pulls his cell out of his pocket and taps the screen, then places a call. “Hi, I need a tow truck.”
His eyes are on mine as he tells the person on the other line where we are, what kind of car it is, and then hangs up.
“Thirty minutes,” he says.
“You don’t have to wait. I’m sure they’ll give me a ride to work. I’ll have to figure out how to rent a car around here.”
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