Balance (Oakley’s Crew #2)

12. Archie

12

ARCHIE

O kay, it’s totally not weird that I’m here, right? I mean, we said we’re friends. This is just one friend, stopping by another friend’s place of business, after working at his old house with his ex-fiancée all day. Not weird.

Fuck. It’s totally weird.

But here I am.

I’m about to chicken out, when the door opens and a curious-looking Cane is standing there, peering at me. “Archie.”

“Hey, friend.” I awkwardly wave at him, my voice actually cracking, which it hasn’t done in years. Kill me now.

He actually chuckles at that though. “Hey.”

“I uh...” I grip the back of my neck and search for words. “I just thought since I didn’t really get to see your store, I should stop by. Work in Larnard—at your house—well, not your house anymore.” Jesus, God, shut up, Archie! “Well, I mean I only have a couple more days here is what I mean.”

I can tell he’s trying to hold back a laugh, and part of me wants to punch him. The other part wants to laugh with him—or kiss him. Probably not a good plan since his wedding was just called off and all.

“Come on in,” he says on a deep, sexy laugh.

I follow like a puppy as he walks into the store, staring at his broad back and strong-looking shoulders. “So this is all yours, huh?”

“It is.” My eyes sweep around the tidy store before I start to walk around and really take it all in. I didn’t have time to appreciate the quality of work yesterday, but up close, I can tell how much he puts into everything in this room.

“Wow.”

He’s standing next to me, and I chance a look at his face. He looks tired. Maybe a little weary, and I can’t blame him. He’s had a hell of a couple of days, for sure. I ask him some questions about the furniture, and he tells me a lot of the places he found the stuff to fix up. But in the back of my mind, I really just want to know if he’s okay.

“Are you okay?” And apparently, I’m just going to blurt it out. What the hell is wrong with me around this man? I’m really not myself at all. I swear I usually have more game than this.

There’s a faint smile on his lips, but I can’t tell if it’s real or if he’s faking it for my benefit. “I’m okay.”

I turn to face him and cock my head to the side, studying him and trying to figure out if he’s just putting on a brave face. He does seem different, but I don’t think he’s really struggling, not all that much anyway.

His smile gets bigger the longer I’m quiet. “Really. I hate that I hurt Evie, but it was the right thing to do. Finally.”

I nod my head. “What about your family?”

He frowns now, his forehead crinkling a little with the motion. He shrugs, but I can tell he’s tense now. “My dad yelled, and my mom cried. Pretty much what I expected.”

“I’m sorry.”

He waves it off and walks behind the counter where the register is located. “I’m not. I hate that I hurt Evie, but I don’t know. I’ve been living for that man for too long.”

I can’t help but wonder if he means his being bisexual too. But I manage not to ask that. “Well, thank you for showing me around.”

“No problem.” He grabs his keys and then looks at me nervously. My own heart is thundering in my chest like crazy. “You wanna see my animals?”

“Please tell me that’s code for something.”

He rolls his eyes at me, but his smile is wide and bright. “My goat and my donkey.”

“I mean, if that’s what you want to call them.”

He chuckles again, shaking his head at me. “Stop. I just got out of a relationship. Give me at least a week.” There’s a teasing tone in his voice, light and carefree. I really, really like it. He winks at me, and yup, my cheeks hurt from how big I’m smiling right now.

“What kind of guy do you take me for? Of course, I’ll give you a week and a day.”

He laughs at that and walks past me, his hand patting my chest on the way by. “Let’s go. Follow me.”

“To see your goat and your donkey .”

He stops to face me, a look of confusion on his handsome face. “How could that even be a euphemism for something? I mean, donkey is ass, I guess, but who the fuck calls their dick a goat?”

I tilt my head to the side, thinking that over. “True. I think it would have been better if you had a pig. Hog, you know?”

He full-on laughs now, and goddamn, he’s pretty when he laughs. “I’ve changed my mind. Stay the hell away from my animals.”

He starts walking again, and I jog after him. “Okay, okay. I’ll behave.”

“Doubtful.” He winks again, and holy hot damn, my heart flutters at that motion. I need to get it under control. Thankfully, his house is about a ten-minute drive where I follow behind him the whole way—so I have a little bit of time, but not nearly enough.

Because when he climbs out of his truck and faces me, it’s all I can do not to throw myself at him.

We said a week, but I know that was just messing around. He was in a really serious relationship, and even I know that takes time to get over.

We walk over to a large red barn that’s probably seen better days but is still well-maintained. Cane opens the door, and I instantly zero in on a cute little black and white goat. It’s small, but I don’t think it’s a baby. “Okay, cute as hell. I take back all my jokes.” I walk over to the goat and immediately scratch her head.

“Baby, meet Archie.”

“Baby.” I scratch her head some more, and she makes her cute little goat sound before a miniature donkey comes up, moving her right out of the way.

I laugh, and so does Cane. “That’s Dolly. She’s kind of a dick.”

“I can see that,” I laugh and pet the donkey’s ears, unable to stop smiling because the man has good taste in pets. I’ve been around dogs and cats all my life, but never once got to pet a miniature donkey and goat. That should be on everyone’s bucket list.

Although my next-door neighbor did have cows, and they’re pretty cool too. “You hungry?”

My eyes snap to Cane’s, my palms sweating a little bit with nerves because he’s asking me to dinner. And I didn’t think we’d ever have this. Even though it’s not a date, it’s still nice.

“Yeah. What do you have?”

He waves me on over his shoulder as he leaves the barn. “I have kabobs marinating in the fridge. Was going to grill them.”

“Hell yeah!” I pat Baby and Dolly on their heads one more time, and then I’m following Cane into the cute little white farmhouse. Somehow this place seems to suit him in a way the one with Evie really didn’t.

I didn’t notice it before, but it was obvious that house was all Evie, with a few touches from Cane. This one—I can’t quite put my finger on it because it’s still nice on the inside, but it’s homier.

I like it.

I follow him into the kitchen with white-pleated cabinets and a white farmhouse-style sink, taking the beer he offers me, and then helping him take the kabobs out to the grill on his deck out back. It’s all very domestic—very Dutton and Walker. They’d be proud.

But it’s not like I can really tell them about this—they’d read too much into it. Start planning a wedding. I have no idea what I want from this—a relationship seems far-fetched, even if I have to admit I’m intrigued by him.

The kabobs are fucking delicious, and you can’t beat the view sitting out on the deck behind his house, watching the sun set. “Shit. I should probably get going,” I say, but I don’t actually make a move to leave.

Cane is sitting in the chair next to me, his arm brushing against mine.

“You do still have the company truck.”

“I do.” But still, I don’t move, just turn my head to look at the gorgeous man sitting next to me.

“Your boss seems pretty cool, but surely he’ll miss it sometime.”

I chuckle at that, unable to look away from Cane’s sparkling eyes. “Nah. Oakley is something else. He probably wouldn’t care if I kept the damn truck. But I care because he’s a good guy.”

“Because you’re a good guy,” he says with a teasing lilt to his voice, and our faces have grown impossibly close while we’ve been talking. I can feel his breath ghosting over my lips.

“I try,” I say softly against his lips, and then our mouths are pressing together. It’s not hungry and desperate like our first kiss. It’s soft and sweet. Exploratory, but it lights my entire body on fire as our lips meld together. I grip his hair on the back of his head and pull him into me, our breathing turning to quick pants as the kiss turns heated.

I want to get him naked. Fuck him right here on the deck under the setting sun, but before I can suggest it, just as I’m getting into a groove of fully tasting his sweet mouth, his hand moves to my chest, and he’s pushing me away.

No.

I try to catch my breath, and it’s clear he’s not unaffected as he takes one finger and drags it slowly over his puffy bottom lip, his eyes looking a little dazed. “I can’t do this.”

I wince at that, the rejection stinging. I don’t really have words because my eyes are on his finger that’s still absently dragging over his lip.

“I owe it to Evie not to jump right into another relationship. She’ll...” His voice cracks, and finally I drag my eyes up to look at his. He looks conflicted and guilty. “The rumors. People would say I left her for someone else...”

I hear what he’s not saying too. In a small town like this, it wouldn’t just be scandalous because he left her for someone else—it would be because he left her for a man. Which no matter how untrue it is, would have people talking for years.

“Right,” I say, trying to keep the bitterness out of my tone.

I stand up, but Cane grabs my arm and looks up at me. “I’m not saying never. I just should give it some time, you know?”

I try my best to brush it off, keep it cool and calm, but I don’t think my tone quite hits the mark. “Yeah, whatever. I was just looking for another hot-as-hell hookup, man. I wasn’t trying for a marriage proposal.”

He stands up, his expression none too pleased. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?” I snap.

“You know what,” he says, and it pisses me off. “There’s something here. Between us.”

I laugh cruelly at that, but he doesn’t flinch. “We hooked up once and then ran into each other again. It was good, so now that you’re single, I wanted another shot. Don’t make it any more than it is.”

“Right.” He stands toe-to-toe with me, looking into my eyes. “So if I agreed to a quick fuck, a rebound before I find someone else—because I do want to get married and start a life with the right person, don’t make any mistakes about that, Archie.” I swallow hard and look into his serious eyes as he keeps going, “You’d be totally fine with that, right?”

I swear my right eye twitches, just thinking about him using me as a plaything and then when he found Mrs. or Mr. Right, tossing me to the side, but I puff out my chest and double down. “I’ll fuck you right here, right now, and anytime you want. Just say the word. You’re the one who stopped. Not me.”

“Because I want more than that,” he says so easily, it nearly takes my breath away. Who the hell just says things like that? Who is that open and transparent? I don’t understand how he can be.

“You don’t know what you want.” I look back at the sky because I need a moment’s reprieve from looking into his eyes.

When I do look back at him, his eyes are steely and still flinty with fire at the same time. “I didn’t end my relationship with Evie because of you, but I do like you. And when I figure my shit out and a respectable amount of time passes, I’d like to take you out on a date.”

I stare at him, my eyes wide, as shock threatens to make me bolt. “You want to... date me?”

“Yup,” he says with certainty as he places a hand on my chest, right over my thundering heart. “I want to date the hell out of you, Archie. I don’t want you to be a rebound. I don’t want it to be part of the rumor mill. I want it to be us. I want to do it right.”

I swallow hard, stunned stupid and unable to move.

He brushes his lips over mine but doesn’t kiss me. “Get home safe.”

I nod dumbly and stand completely still, willing him to kiss me before he smiles and pulls back, gesturing toward the front of the house where my truck is parked.

I make my way to the truck, still feeling the tingling from his lips and his words.

He wants to date me. He wants an us .

I don’t know how the hell to handle that or if it’s even possible for a guy like me to date. But holy shit, I want to try.