“I can’t say I imagined you the type for pink wallpaper,” he says.
“My grandfather did that.” I close the door behind us. “Didn’t have the heart to tell him.”
He takes a quick walk around and pauses to look out the second-floor window. The sunset bleeds onto his face, highlighting those perfect eyes and that square jawline, and I melt inside. I look to the floor to try and make this easier, but my voice still cracks on the way out.
“Archer,” I swallow, “don’t think that you have to stay—”
“Lilah.” He smirks. “Are you breaking up with me?”
“I’m giving you a way out.”
“I don’t need it.”
“I’m being serious here.”
“And so am I.” He squints. “If you truly want me to leave, then I’ll leave. Just say the word and I’m gone, but I’m here for you, love.”
My lips twitch. Somehow, I’ve grown to like him calling me that.
“Is that all?” I ask.
He tilts his head slightly. “I’m here for me, too, I suppose.”
“What do you mean?”
“Part of me never left that box…” he says. “Just like part of you never left that car.”
I look away, willing myself not to remember, but the next breath I take reeks of black smoke and burnt hair.
“I know a thing or two about darkness,” he continues. “Light is a luxury people like us rarely ever find but I see it and I feel it when I look at you.”
A lump grows in my throat. “You’re an idiot.”
“Yeah, well, I’m your idiot,” he says. “And that’s good enough for me.”
“Archer, if you stay here… everyone that’s ever gotten close to me has—”
“Don’t do that, Lilah,” he says over me. “It’s so cliché.”
“It’s true. If you go now, you still have a chance.”
“For what?” He leans against the wall with his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. “A normal life?”
“For life. Every day with me is dangerous. I wake up in the morning and I don’t know if it’s the last time I ever will.”
“Well, I don’t know if you’ve been paying attention…” he pushes off and steps toward me, “but my life up until this point has been exactly that.”
“Archer, that’s—”
“I used to wake up and wonder if I’d ever find a family. Sixteen years in the system and no one ever wanted me. Then, I’d wake up and wonder if I’d be able to eat that day, but I worked hard because that’s what I had to do to survive. For years, I’ve woken up and it’s been all about the job. I was only as good as my next bounty… until I saw you.” His eyes grow softer. “Now, I wake up and my first thought is your face, love. So, if you’re asking if I could live with waking up and wondering if it’s the last time I ever will, then my answer is yes. Waking up next to you on the day I die doesn’t sound all that bad.”
I bite my lip to try and force the tears away, but they fall down my cheeks as he cups my face.
“I understand, I do, but…” He pauses. “You can’t let what’s happened to Elijah break you.”
I step back, trying to put some distance between us but he keeps his hold on me. “Elijah was a part of me.”
“And he always will be. That will never change.”
“He took care of me,” I say, choking back a sob. “Him and Dante, but… his death is just as likely. Always has been.”
“All the more reason to let me in.” He guides my head up. “If you ask me, love, you don’t need another man to take care of you. Even without your brothers, you’re more than capable of handling yourself. What you need is a man who’ll put up with you.”
I chuckle as he quickly wipes away my tears with his thumb.
“Lilah, you’ve spent your life surrounded by rogues and killers,” he says. “You had to be just as fierce as them or else they’d walk all over you… or worse.” He shakes his head. “You don’t have to be like that with me. You can relax and smile. You can close your eyes and trust that when I lay my hands on you, it’s not to hurt you. You can submit to me knowing that I’ll put your body first.”
I shiver beneath his touch. “Archer…”
He leans in and kisses me, softly caressing my lips before pressing in hard. It shakes me to the core, lulling me even deeper into his arms. I don’t have the strength to stop it.
“Lilah…” he whispers, breaking our kiss. He rests his forehead against mine. I gaze back at him, losing myself in the bright blue hue of his irises. “I can’t leave you. I won’t… not unless you ask me to but, even then, you’ll probably have to kill me.”
I breathe a laugh. “What makes you think I won’t?”
“Oh, I love it when you talk dirty...”
He kisses me again. I fall even deeper as his hands travel around my back, holding me against his body. His tongue parts my lips. His fingers crawl beneath my shirt. It’s sweet and gentle, like nothing I’ve ever felt from any man before now. My heart bleeds his name, crying out in splendid torment.
“Let me love you,” he whispers, kissing my neck. He pulls my shirt over my head and leaves quick nibbles along my collarbone as it tumbles to the floor.
I kiss him harder. Everything twitches, sizzling with ever-growing warmth. All I want is to submit to him and close my eyes to forget about the outside world and everything that led us to this moment. No more blood or killing. No more mobsters or evil organizations ruining our lives. Just him and me.
I guide us back to the bed and we lower down onto it, shifting to fit us both on the old, twin-sized mattress. He balances on his side, embracing me as I lie on my back beside him.
Archer moves his hand down my belly. I melt as his finger slips between the zipper on my jeans. I shift my legs, parting them to let him in. He seduces me with a teasing touch, just barely gliding between my thighs while his mouth continues to work against my neck. I shake as his teeth scratch my earlobe, feeling an intense rush through my veins as desire takes hold of me.
“Archer…” I breathe.
“Say it again, love,” he says, smiling against my neck.
He slides a single finger inside and my jaw drops. I lay my head back and moan softly. Shivers dance along my spine, crippling me with each firm thrust of his hand. He crushes his lips against mine, absorbing every sound as the pressure builds. He presses my clit, rocking it side-to-side, expertly playing me like a damn musician. I roll my hips, intensifying every sensation and he plays along, matching my movements until my body tightens and I can’t move anymore.
“Archer!”
He chuckles as I come, resting his hand to feel my inner muscles twist around his fingers.
Before I can even form another thought, he pushes up to balance on his hands above me. His eyes glide down my body before he lowers himself to kiss me again.
I close my eyes as he descends me, leaving a trail of tender bites over my breasts and navel before grabbing my jeans and panties and pulling them down to my ankles. He throws my knees over his shoulders and licks his lips, saying nothing at all as he latches his mouth on my clit.
Pleasure overwhelms to me, surging through my body with each lap and suck he gives me. I moan for him, slowly losing control of my senses as he devours me. I grip his hair, pulling him deeper and he eats with even greater intensity.
I climax again, feeling my wetness overflow and he doesn’t stop until I force him to. My rushing breath does little to curb the aching desire I feel for him. I cup his face and draw him in to kiss him.
“What do you need?” he asks, words flowing between hard kisses. “I’ll do it.”
My bottom lip trembles as tears threaten my eyes again. “Hold me,” I say, barely even able to hear my own voice.
Archer doesn’t think twice. He extends his arms around me and pulls me in. The sob strikes instantly, locking my throat and spilling tears down my cheeks. His arms flex, squeezing tighter as his lips purse against my head.
I cry harder, naked and vulnerable. There’s nothing else I can think to do but lie here, wither, and die — and I know that I would do just that if Archer weren’t here with me now. I shiver from a cold, aching dread. Even my tears feel like ice against my face. My fingers stiffen. My spine shakes. My heart feels like it’s about to stop at any moment. I might not even mind if it did.
Archer grabs the blanket at our feet and lays it over us. His body heat bleeds into my skin, cradling me in a cocoon of comfort. It leaves me breathless. The chills cease and I kindle with quiet blooms of pleasure as his hands stroke my skin.
“Close your eyes,” he tells me. “I’ll be here when you open them again.”
I take a deep breath, tilting my face up to look at him. He slides a finger along my forehead to brush the tear-soaked strands out of view and offers me a sweet smile.
I study his face, searching for anything out of the ordinary but there’s nothing. There’s no malice hidden behind his eyes. There’s no sly mischief peeking out, ready to tear the mask off and expose who he really is.
I rest my head against his chest with closed eyes. His hands stay on me, gently lulling me into a warm slumber.
Archer Allen, the bounty hunter.
He caught me.
Chapter 27
Archer
I was right.
Waking up next to Lilah Hart ain’t bad at all.
Especially when it happens multiple times in a single night.
I sense large amounts of coffee and pancakes in our future, but not yet.
I roll over to look at her on the bed. She lies with her face smashed against her pillow. Smeared makeup paints soft rings around her eyes. Deep red hair is sprawled out around her head like the devil’s halo. Naked but warm. Vulnerable and stunningly gorgeous.
A man could get used to this.
I kiss her bare shoulder and run a finger along her cheek, pushing a strand of hair away from her eyes. They flutter open and she gazes up at me with tired excitement.
Lilah pushes up to balance on her side and kisses me. Her strong hands guide me on top of her as she lays back with her legs spread wide.
“Still got more than sawdust in there?” she asks.
I smile against her lips as her fingers wrap around my shaft. “I bloody hope so...”
I grow hard in her palm and I reach between her thighs to please her as well. Her warm and wet lips part easily as we moan together, our pulses quickening faster with every bated breath.
I balance on both arms above her and she slips my throbbing cock inside. She’s still as tight as she was hours ago. I feel her clench around me and her body rumbles as I thrust slowly.
My eyes fall down her body, over her muscles and scars and that damned tattoo. A brand, more like. She’s marked for death. A simple pawn in someone else’s war. There’s no loyalty in that life.
I’ll fight like hell to show her that a life with me won’t be like that.
She digs her nails into my back, tempting me to punish her and I pound her harder. Her lips spread as wide as her legs and she pulls me in for a deeper kiss.
Lilah Hart. My little monster.
She tightens her perfect thighs around my hips and rolls us around to put me on my back. I don’t leave her for longer than a second before she impales herself on me again. I hold her up and she rolls her hips, rocking my cock in and out of her tight slit.
I feel up her body to cup her breasts and scratch downward to tease her clit. She bites her lips with pleasure, watching me admire her while she fucks me with a hard and steady bounce.
“Keep this up, love...” I say, “and I’ll break your rule.”
She shows a calm smile while her hips keep rolling.
“Do it,” she says.
My loins tighten, racing toward the edge. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.” She lowers down to kiss me, pressing her breasts against my chest. “I want you to.”
Passions burn inside but I hold them in. “You first,” I tease.
Lilah smiles and rises up, leaning back to place her palms on my knees. She controls the grind, taking her time to guide the thrust where she wants it and how fast. Her chest bounces as she rides me. Her hair tumbles over her face and shoulders. Her mouth sags as she comes and she lets out one long, blissfully satisfying sigh.
She’s perfection personified. Beauty incarnate. A modern Aphrodite, if she had a talent for shooting people.
I release every hold I have. I come for her and she moans more with every throbbing spurt. Goosebumps spread along her arms and breasts. She grinds her hips and I feel her tighten on me again. She falls forward for her second orgasm and I wrap my arms around her as she shakes.
Lilah slides off and lies down with her head on my chest. Her breath rushes past her lips and spreads across my skin like a red-hot fever.
A light knock taps against the door.
“Hey, Lilah!” Lucy calls from the other side. “Breakfast in five!”
“... Okay!” Lilah replies.
I laugh quietly. “Well, that’s bloody awkward.”
She rolls her eyes. “You have no idea.”
I turn her onto her back and pin her hands above her head, leaning down to cover her neck in soft, warm kisses.
Lilah hums. “She said five minutes, Archer...”
“I need ten.”
She throws her head back and laughs.
* * *
I guess even a family of killers sit around the breakfast table in the morning. It’s nice to see that some things remain consistent no matter where life takes you.
Lilah stands up to go refill her coffee mug for the third time. I fire a look of judgment at her and she smirks back while she raises the mug to her lips and takes a big gulp to spite me.
I laugh to myself, letting my gaze drift down to her toes until I remember we’re not alone.
Dante stares at me across the table with a butter knife clenched in a tight fist. I swallow hard and force my eyes downward.
Lilah returns to the table and sits beside me, briefly running her fingers along my shoulders and shooting sparks down my spine.
“Okay…” Dante drops the knife a little too hard against his plate. “We need to lay down some ground rules here.”
Lilah looks at him. “For what?”
He hesitates. “For you two having sex in this house.”
Her brow rises. “Seriously?”
Lucy sighs from her spot beside him. “Dante…”
“We could hear you last night and…” he says, folding his hands together on the table, “it makes me uncomfortable.”
I sink into my chair, but Lilah leans forward.
“Are you actually being serious right now?” she asks him.
“Yes.” He nods. “I think, from now on, you shouldn’t… in the house, anymore…”
Lilah’s jaw drops. “Do you have any awareness of how loud you and Lucy are?”
His eyes bounce between her and Lucy’s pink face. “We are not!”
“Yes, you are! It’s like the walls of your room are made out of friggin’ balsa wood!”
He points a thick finger across the table. “That is bullshit. And anyway, we’re not talking about me and Lucy. We’re talking about you and Archer. As the oldest, I have some authority here.”
Lilah throws up her hands. “We’re adults! You can’t play that card. This isn’t high school.”
“Yes, I can.”
“So, you’re allowed to bone here whenever you want but I’m not?”
Dante takes a defeated breath. “I just think you could be a little more considerate.”
“A little more cons—” Lilah pushes her chair back and stands up.
“Where are you going?”
“You and I are going upstairs,” she says. “I’ll stand in your room, you s
tand in mine, and I’m going to prove that the gold medal in Inconsiderate Sex Olympics goes to you.”
He cringes. “Lilah, can we not?”
She bolts for the stairs and Dante sighs, quickly standing to follow her stomping feet across the house.
I look at Lucy. “Are they always like this?”
“It’s oddly comforting after a while,” she says with a nod.
“Ah…”
She raises her mug. “Welcome to the family.”
I do the same and we connect our mugs as the shouting continues upstairs.
Chapter 28
Archer
After breakfast, the Harts tend to Elijah’s remains.
They wrap his bones in a few of his old pillowcases and bury them beneath the tree by the lake. They scoop his ashes into an old vase, one from their grandmother’s vast collection, and scatter the rest in the water.
I retreat to my trailer to give them the privacy they need to say their final goodbyes. Never in a million years can I imagine that kind of pain and I honestly never want to try. To share a womb with someone, to be born with them, to grow up with them, to live by their side, only to have their life snuffed out in front of you in the blink of an eye. There are many fates worse than death. I thought I knew at least one.
I was wrong.
Lilah and Dante push the empty boat back into the water and anchor it to the dock with some fresh rope before heading back inside with the vase.
A few minutes later, Lucy steps outside with a packed suitcase in each hand and Elijah’s red medkit draped over one shoulder. She carries them to Dante’s car and fits them into the trunk. I give her a silent nod from my doorway. She waves solemnly before lowering herself into the passenger’s side.
Lilah walks out onto the porch with her own duffel bag, now stuffed full of new clothes, gear, and weapons galore, I’d imagine. She drops it by the stairs and heads around the house to the dock with her head bowed.
Dante emerges, locks the door behind him, and glowers at me.
I stiffen.
“Archer,” he says as he walks across the driveway. “I need to talk to you.”
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