14. Archie
14
ARCHIE
I ’m nervous. What the fuck was I thinking? I don’t do this. I don’t date. Ever. I should call him and cancel. Just nice and breezy, you know? I can do it. Sure, he’d likely be pissed, and fuck, if that doesn’t get my dick hard, but I could do it.
“Don’t.”
I look at Walker, his eyes deadly serious. Shit, did I say some of that out loud?
“Don’t what?’
“Be an idiot and overthink this,” Dutton says, all carefree and happily brushing his shoulder against Walker’s. Both of them standing there, side by side, and staring me down.
“I’m not,” I say with conviction I’m totally proud of until neither of them bat an eye. They just glare at me like a two-headed judge-monster.
“You are,” Walker says. “He’s agreed to a date. A guy you really like—dare I say the first guy I’ve ever seen you actually interested in? He’s agreed to an actual date.” He brushes my shoulder with a closed fist, shoving me a little. “With that ugly mug of yours and everything.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m gorgeous, fucker.”
They both laugh, and Dutton pats my shoulder kindly. “Your face is not the problem. That personality though...”
“Gee, thanks. Why the fuck did I come by here again?” I pretend to pout, but it just makes them both cackle harder.
Walker grips my shoulder, his eyes narrowed and intense, his serious face firmly in place now. “I’m happy for you, and I don’t want to see you wreck this because you don’t think you deserve it.”
I swallow hard, trying to push away the yucky emotions, fighting a joke, anything to not have an actual real conversation. “It probably won’t work out. He just ended a serious relationship.”
“The two things don’t have anything to do with each other,” Walker says with surety.
“People will think they do.” I tried to play it off as a joke when I first told Walker and Dutton about having to keep it discreet and on the down-low, and neither of them were thrilled to hear that part—but they understood.
I understand it too, but it doesn’t mean part of me isn’t terrified this won’t go well. Hiding has never been my thing—neither has being discreet. I don’t want Evie to get hurt. And I know how small towns and small minds can be, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to be able to reel myself in.
I’m not ashamed of who I am.
“It won’t be for very long. Secret relationships can be fun,” Dutton tries, but even he doesn’t seem that convinced. Secret relationships may be romanticized in fiction, but having to do that in real life? It sucks. It’s not fair. And every single thing inside me is rebelling against it already.
“One date. Give yourself this one date with the guy you can’t stop thinking about.” Walker sounds almost pleading.
“Fine. You guys are way too concerned about me getting laid. Seriously, I’m a little worried about your relationship.”
“Yeah, that’s not what we’re worried about. We want to see you happy.” Damn Walker, being all serious and shit. I’m so not cut out for this. “Go get your man. We’ll see you at the street dance.”
“Okay,” I say, dropping the facade, and the nerves come back full force on my drive to Larnard. What if I can’t do this? I want to—fuck, do I want to—but I don’t know if I can take it.
The odds are very high that I’ll push Cane away before the end of the night, but I don’t want to do that. For once, I really do want to try. Cane makes me want so many things...
I just don’t know if it’s in the cards for us.
I pull up to his house after that long-ass drive, still feeling nerves, but also bouncing with excited energy. I have to give this an actual shot. Maybe I’ll mess it up, but maybe I won’t.
I’m climbing out of my truck just as I see Cane sauntering out of his front door, looking like a million bucks—absolutely droolworthy in a pair of nice, tight jeans and a dark t-shirt that’s holding on for dear life around his massive biceps. Fuck. Me.
Yup, I’m for sure going to give this a shot.
He locks his door and walks out to me, a grin on his lips. “Took you long enough.”
“Who the hell told you to live all the way out here in Larnard?” I tease as I walk up to him, wanting to grab him and press my body against his—feel his warmth and hopefully his kiss—but first date. I think I’m supposed to be a gentleman or some shit.
Cane must not be worried about that though because he hooks his fingers into my belt loops and pulls my body into his in an effortless move. His lips crash against mine in a heart-stopping, body-melting kiss that makes my knees weak. I grunt in surprise but quickly recover, my hand going into his hair, and give as good as I’m getting, feasting on his mouth.
I’m ready to say fuck the street dance when he slows the kiss, one hand moving to rest over my thundering heart as his lips turn into a slow grin. “Hi.”
Goddamn, his voice is so sweet, sexy as hell and sweet at the same time. I don’t know how he does that. “Hi,” I nearly pant against his mouth, wanting to dive in for another taste.
“We should get going. It’s a long drive, and you insisted on picking me up instead of just letting me meet you there.”
That may have been the smarter plan, but I wanted this to be a real date. I wanted to pick him up at his place—hell, I even thought about bringing him flowers but decided against it. “I want this to be the best first date you’ve ever had,” I confess, and I don’t miss the surprised look on his face. “What part of meet me there sounds romantic to you?”
He cracks a smile at that and then presses a soft kiss against my lips. “You’re nervous,” he observes, like he’s shocked by that fact.
I want to deny it. Put on my tough guy act, but I don’t. I think about Walker and Dutton—how unamused they were with my acting. I don’t want him looking at me like that too. “I am. I don’t want to mess this up.”
His smile is kind and not at all mocking as he watches me. “I’m a guy who was in a long-term, on-and-off-again relationship, who recently broke the poor girl’s heart for good and is going out on a date with a guy I haven’t stopped obsessing about since he fucked me in a shitty hotel months ago...” His smile turns almost bashful now. “Trust me. I’m nervous too.”
“At least you’ve been in a relationship before. This is all new to me.” Panic starts to rise in my chest as I think about my words and quickly try to call them back. “Not that I think this is a relationship or anything. I know we have to take this slow and hide and shit?—”
“Archie,” his voice cuts off my babbling, and I look into his eyes, his gaze grounding me. “I don’t want to hide and shit, you know that, right?”
I swallow hard, hating the sick feeling in my gut. “Be discreet.”
He winces and takes a deep breath. “It won’t be for long, and I’m not sure how discreet I can be when all I want to do is be near you every single second of every damn day.” His hands move to my hips as his gaze holds onto me. “I think it’ll be obvious to anyone who’s around us that I’m crazy about you.”
Something in his words warms my heart, and it makes me smile despite myself. He feels it too. This crazy connection. “We don’t have to go to the street dance if you don’t want to.”
“I want to. I want a real date with you, Archie. Even if everything inside me is screaming that it’s going to blow my life up as well as Evie’s, I can’t resist the thought that you’re already mine.”
My right eyebrow shoots up at that. “Yours, huh? Jeez, I didn’t know you were gonna turn full-on clinger.”
He rolls his eyes at me and shoves my shoulder. “Shut up.”
I laugh just as he starts to walk away, but I grab his arm and pull his body close to mine. “I’m pretty damn obsessed with you. You feel like you’re mine too... but this is all new to me. I’ve never felt like this before.”
“You say that like you think I have,” he says softly, and the realization of what he’s saying hits me. “I’ve never felt like this before either.”
I nearly gasp at the revelation. The feeling is intense and overwhelming. He was engaged, but he still hasn’t felt whatever the hell this is before. I’m not sure what to do now, but thankfully, I don’t have to think too long about it.
“Come on. Let’s go. Our first date awaits,” he says cheerfully as he makes his way to the passenger side of my truck, letting himself in, and I gladly follow. Ready to follow this man into the depths of hell if need be.
Sure, I hope that’s not where this is going, but still...
It’s exciting all the same.