“Promise.” He turned my head and kissed me. I felt all of the pain from the past few days wash away. I couldn’t believe that I’d ever questioned our relationship. How could I? He was the only person that could keep me grounded and make me face the crap I put myself through. Without him, I was lost, stuck in a furious frenzy, trying to hold myself together. He was the same way. We needed each other.
“I want you to come to dinner with me tomorrow.”
“I can’t think of anything I want more than to spend a night with you,” I told him.
“Good.” He kissed me on the cheek and let me get back to work.
Chloe was standing at the register, looking around when I walked inside. “You’re not fooling anyone. I know you were trying to see what was going on.”
She ran around the counter, tears flying down her cheeks, and threw herself into my arms. “I’m so glad it worked out.”
“It had to.” We were both crying now. “I couldn’t live with myself otherwise.”
“You can’t ever do that again. He’s not a monster. He’s a good father, a hard worker, and an amazing boyfriend. I won’t let you hear the end of it if you leave him.”
“I know you won’t. Let’s do some baking.” I playfully shoved her into the kitchen, and we spent the rest of the day talking and crying and laughing with one another.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Archer
I took a risk. I swallowed all of my pain and all of my inhibitions, and I went down to the bakery. I was certain when I walked inside that she would run me out of the store, or even call the police. I was petrified, but I confronted her anyway, and it felt like one of the best things I had ever done.
I still couldn’t believe that she could see past my flaws, especially after what I’d done. She thought I was a killer, but she loved me anyway.
The real tragedy was the way I beat myself up over what’d happened. She loved me for who I was, regardless of my flaws.
Mona was waiting outside my door when I grabbed my things to walk downstairs. “Well? What happened?”
I threw my arms around her to give her a big hug. “You’re a miracle.”
“I am.” We laughed, and I drew back. “What did she say?”
“We both thought that my losing control was a reflection of who I was.”
She scoffed. “Well, that’s a bunch of bull.”
“She said that she loved me.” I’d never been so proud of anything, not since the boys were born.
“She did!”
“Mm-hmm, and she’s coming to dinner.” I motioned for her to follow me into the kitchen.
“Do you know what you’re going to cook?”
“I have no idea. I stayed up for hours last night trying to decide, but I think I’ve exhausted most of my options, and I don’t want to try another recipe and end up screwing the whole thing up. Imagine how pathetic I’d look if I burned it.”
“You need a woman’s touch,” she said.
“I have that.” I started looking through the cupboards. “What I need is a chef.”
“I can cook.” Mona pushed me aside to look up into the cupboards.
“Cook what?”
“I don’t know yet. Maybe I’ll text you when I decide.”
Mona’s food was divine. It was comfort food with a splash of gourmet flare, built from solid recipes. I’d never tried anything that I didn’t like before. “It would help. I’ve got loads of work to do, and I don’t want to have to rush things.”
“Good, it’s my turn anyway. Dinner will be ready when you get here, and I’ll take the boys. You can even tell her that you made it.”
“Thank you, Mona. I’ll try not to come back too late. If there are any delays, I’ll let you know.”
“Don’t you dare keep that girl waiting.”
“I don’t plan on it.” I grabbed my things and headed off to work.
Angela was waiting at the back entrance when I pulled up. She was holding a thick folder close to her chest and staring down at her phone. She rushed up as soon as she saw me.
“Yes, Angela?” I got out.
“You’re so stupid. You nearly missed the best opportunity you’ve had in a decade. Have you checked your phone?”
“No, what did I miss?”
“The Marines and the Air Force have been up my ass this entire time trying to get ahold of you.”
“Why?”
She practically threw the folder at me. “These are their orders.”
“Orders?”
“There are three men upstairs who are ready to ship me off to Gitmo if I don’t find you.” She walked inside.
I ran after her. “What do they want?”
“They want you to contract with them.”
I stopped halfway through the door, and it slammed me in the back. “Contract with them?”
“Why did you think they sent you orders?” She was getting frustrated.
“That’s going to double our business.”
“Get up there—now.” She pointed at the elevator.
I straightened myself out and strode into the office, my back straight as if I were a soldier being confronted by his commanding officer. I didn’t ease up until they left my office and I had the contracts in my hand. They were ordering nearly ten thousand units to start, and they had questions about every one of our products.
When the meeting was over, I called Angela on my intercom. “Nope.” She hung up.
“Angela,” I tried again.
She sighed. “Listen, I know you’re having a personal crisis or whatever, but I’m not signing your name to anything else. I’m getting carpal tunnel.”
“No, n—I’m so sorry for all the trouble I’ve given you.”
“Good, because I bought myself dinner last night and me and the girls went out for drinks.”
“On the company card?”
“I’ve been working 16-hour shifts for two weeks.”
“You may have one designer outfit.”
“Really?” She rushed in and ran around the desk to hug me.
“Okay. Just one.”
“And lunch.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“And lunch,” I agreed.
“Thank you.” She rushed out.
“Close the door,” I called out, but she was gone.
Rick walked in. “Hey.”
“Hey.” I turned back to my paperwork and picked up the pen to make it look like I was writing something.
“You still moping?” He took a seat at my desk.
I moved the pen around over the paper.
“What’s wrong?”
I set the pen down. “Nothing.”
“So, you wanna catch a beer with me tonight?”
“I have a date.”
“Ah, she hopped back on it.”
I went back to pretending to write. “I’ve got a lot to do.”
“Fine.” He walked out and shut the door a little too loudly.
I leaned back in my chair so I could take the moment in. Rick didn’t matter. I was staring at contracts from all the major divisions of the United States Military. If things went well, and I knew they would, the Palantir would be flying in a good majority of the countries jets within two years, and Rick was already working on improvements. This was more than a multi-billion dollar contracting firm. It was a major supplier. I never thought this would happen.
Work wasn’t a chore. Most of my day was spent spreading the news around. The entire office was excited. We were expanding, and there was a lot of preparations to make. It would be a lot of hard work, but everyone would benefit.
Some of the girls from accounting went down to Zoe’s Bakery and set up a small buffet of sweets on the ground level. Everyone made their rounds, eating and talking. I didn’t spend much time with them, but the excitement was infectious.
Normally, I would’ve been exhausted by the time it was ready to go home, but I had dinner to look forward to. When I got in the car, I called Mona.
<
br /> “Dinner’s ready. Are you on your way?”
“Yes, what did you make?”
“I’m not telling.” She hung up.
I called her back. “Mona, she’s allergic to water, nuts, citrus, and grain. I have to know right away.”
“I’m not telling.”
“How are the boys?”
“Abel walked again. His brother’s been copying him, but he hasn’t been able to do it since the other day.”
“Really?”
“Yup, I got it all on video. Do you want me to send it to you?”
“Yes, is Abel still shaky?”
“Yeah, but he’s able to stand up without holding onto anything for a while. He grabbed the remote from me when I was watching Days.”
“Good, those shows will melt your brain. You shouldn’t be watching them anyway.”
“But Dalton was just about to come out of a coma.” My call waiting beeped. “I have to go get the boys ready.” I hung up.
“Hello?”
“Hey.” It was Zoe.
“Hey, everything’s set.”’
“Good, I was just about to start getting ready.”
“I’ll see you soon.” I rested my head back and closed my eyes until we pulled into the driveway. When I came inside, I had to stop for a moment for my eyes to adjust to the light. It was almost pitch black aside from the waves of candlelight reflecting off of the marble. My eyes traveled up the stairs, where the old, trampled carpet had been replaced with a rich purple velvet, sprinkled with white rose petals that I knew would lead up to my room.
The smell of roasted, dark meat mixed with the sharp wisp of herbs and vegetables, and of course, the vanilla of the fragrant candles.
I pulled out my phone to call Mona. She ignored it on the third ring. “How did you do this?” I texted her.
“With help,” she said.
I called Leti, my housekeeper. “Hello?”
“Leti, what happened today?”
“Mona called me and she told me that you had a list of things that you needed us to do. Why? I thought you knew.”
“Did she get everyone to help?”
“Of course. You didn’t know?”
“It’s fine. Have a good night.”
“You, too.”
“You are a miracle,” I texted Mona.
“Wait till you eat!” she replied.
I decided to wear something formal. It didn’t matter whether or not Zoe was going to dress up. She probably wouldn’t. I was marking the occasion. I changed into a white button up, with my hair swept to the side, and a black jacket.
I was just about to put on my cologne when I heard the doorbell ring. There was no fear, no anxiety, just anticipation. I didn’t say anything when I opened the door. I couldn’t. Zoe was wearing a white designer gown, with her hair curled and swept to the side and bright red lipstick.
“What?” She pulled up on the ruffled bodice. “Does it look okay?”
I grabbed her around the waist and kissed her. There was no hesitation. I couldn’t hold myself back. When I pulled away, she wasn’t blushing or overwhelmed. She was smiling and staring at me with a look of pure desire.
“Would you like to come in?”
She hooked her arm in mine and stepped inside. “You did all this?”
“Mona told me to take the credit.”
“I’ll give it to you anyway.” She pecked me on the cheek, and we walked into the dining room.
“Wow.” Zoe turned around slowly to take in the room. The chandelier had been lit up, casting beams of rainbow light that hung over the white and purple flower displays lining the walls.
“It’s wonderful.”
“It’s just what I needed,” she said.
“I have a feeling that’s yet to come.” We walked into the kitchen. There was a note sitting on the counter. Zoe grabbed it before I could. “What’s it say?”
“Don’t fuck this up. Dinner’s in the oven.”
We both stepped up. “You do the honors,” I said.
Zoe looked at me, a little uncertain, then ducked down to open it. A blast of steam, savory and sweet, flew up and hit me in the face. I stepped back, coughing. We laughed. Zoe pulled out the silver platter with a mitt, and we walked back into the dining room. “She’s got everything covered.” Zoe motioned toward the bottle of red wine sitting on a stand next to the table.
I led her around to the head of the table and pulled her chair out for her. “I believe we’ve had enough of Mona for one evening.”
“Thank you.” She sat down.
Dinner was braised lamb with risotto and a simple salad. In the end, it wasn’t about the food or the lighting, though. “Zoe.” I set my fork down halfway through.
“Yes?”
“I don’t understand why you’re here, and I never will, but I’m never going to take you for granted. When you left, I was certain that I didn’t deserve you, and I’m still not convinced of it, but I’m going to work every single day to become that man.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
I took her hand. “You make me want to be a better person. Do you know how much that means to me?”
“Yeah, I think I do, and it means a lot to hear that. I just hope that I can live up to the same standards.”
“You don’t have to live up to any standard. You don’t have to do anything. You can just be you.”
“Archer…” She blushed.
I took a long drink of my wine with a smile on my lips. She downed the rest of hers and stood up. The force of her kiss nearly pushed me out of my chair. Her hand reached down and grazed the tip of my dick, and I lost control. She pulled, her teeth clamped down on my lower lip, and she grabbed me by the collar.
“Let’s go.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Zoe
I couldn’t focus on anything else but the act—Archer’s lips, his hands, the force of his breath pounding against my face, and the way he turned his head and pressed the tip of his tongue into my mouth.
He pressed me against the dining hall door and pulled the slit of my dress aside, letting his hands move up my thigh. He stopped just short of the spot between my legs. It was like tasting a single drop of water in the desert.
He reached around me and opened the door. I fell back, and he caught me, then pulled me into his arms. The candlelight was dancing over his chest, and his eyes were sparkling. He kicked the door closed behind him and rushed me upstairs.
He set me down on the bed gently and knelt down beside me. At first, he didn’t do anything but study me and smile. “What’s that?” I asked.
“What?”
“That look you’re giving me.”
“I still can’t believe you’re real.”
“No?”
“No.” He rose up and pulled himself on top of me. He was hot, like standing next to a flame, and tender. All of the edge had been taken out of him. The gentle nature that he supposedly lacked had taken over.
His kiss was soft, his hands slow, moving up my body, examining the curves, the ridges and mounds, as well as the imperfections. He loved them just the same. I didn’t have to feel self-conscious or worry about whether or not I looked good, or if I was doing it right.
He moved his hand down my neck, so soft that goose bumps rose up behind it. I shivered, and he laughed softly, his fingers trailing down my chest now, examining the simple plane, memorizing every pore and freckle. He hooked his fingers around my dress straps and pulled them down slowly as if he were unwrapping a present that he didn’t want to break.
The feeling of the material sliding down my skin only magnified the chill and pulled it deeper inside me. I wanted him to pull me in with it, lead me into the moment, and make me forget the world. I closed my eyes and imagined that we were the only things that existed, dancing back and forth together in an infinite void. I was met with kisses down my chest and along the tops of my breasts while he slid my dress down further.
His hand found
my exposed thigh, and he reached up to push it under my dress, and slide his hand up my leg and my hips, around my back so he could unhook my bra, pull it out and throw it down to the floor.
He pulled up, his cock pressing against my leg, and met my eyes. “I love you.” He kissed me. A rush of warmth passed over me, and my breath bubbled out as our lips parted. “I love you.” He kissed me again, and I felt my heart pounding. “I love you.” He slid my bodice down, exposing my nipples. “I love you.” He pressed one in between his lips. I was flying through air, drunk and reeling as his tongue flitted over the tip of my nipples.
“Ah,” I gasped. He bit down, and I jolted. My body reacted instantly. The space between my legs was throbbing, and I tensed up. If I didn’t find a way to maintain control, this was going to be over before it started.
He didn’t care. He moved on to the next nipple, and his hips slid up and down, grinding his cock against my leg. The force building up inside me wasn’t a soft wave or a crackle of fire. It was like a meteor ready to crash into the Earth, and the resulting explosion wouldn’t just destroy me, or even Archer. Nothing would survive.
He reached up to kiss me. “I love you so much,” he sighed.
At that moment, all I could think about was how badly I needed to express the way that I felt, but words weren’t enough. Nothing could possibly describe what he was doing to me. I responded with touch. My hands dipped down between us, over his chest, down his ridged stomach, into his pants, where his cock was sitting upright, so swollen that I was certain that it would burst out. I wrapped my hands around it and pulled my palm up the shaft.
“Yes.” He let out a long drawn out breath.
“You like that?” I pushed down.
He nodded his head and rested his hand on my thigh, while I circled my thumb around the tip. He rose up, pulled off his jacket, and flung it onto the floor. I pulled my hand out and focused on his shirt buttons. This was my favorite part, watching him unfold and change from the stoic gentlemen into the gentle giant I knew him to be.
His chest was exposed now, and I was starting to reveal his stomach. This wasn’t a sexual act, not in the strictest sense. It was pure intimacy—one person discovering another in the way that only new lovers could.
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