Chapter 11
11
LAYLA
I lift Sky out of the bath tub, pressing a kiss to the top of his head as I wrap him in a fluffy towel.
His little mouth opens wide on a yawn that is way too big for his tiny body.
I can tell that today was a long day for him. I know he’ll be out like a light the second his head touches the mattress.
“We say ‘excuse me’ when we yawn,” I remind my baby boy.
“‘ Scoose me ,” he mimics, bringing a smile to my face. He rubs his eyes with his fist. “Go night-night, Mommy?”
“Yes, sweetie. We go night-night.”
Laying him on the cozy bed in Archer’s guest bedroom, I sing a lullaby to him as I rub lotion on his chunky thighs. When I gently tickle the bottoms of his feet, his innocent laughter reminds me of how grateful I am to be his mother. Life may seem like an eternal string of rough patches these days, but Sky is the silver lining that makes it all worth it.
I get him dressed in his adorable forest-patterned pajamas. Then I give him a soothing tummy rub as I read him one of his board books. Like I predicted, he’s falling asleep within minutes.
“ Wub you, Mommy…” he mumbles as he drifts off, clutching his favorite lumberjack teddy bear to his chest.
A knot forms in my throat. “Love you, too, my Sky.”
I shimmy out of my leggings and cozy up in bed in just my T-shirt. Snuggling up beside my little boy, I turn off the lamp and stare into the darkness of the bedroom for a moment. My thoughts roam to Archer and I wonder what he’s doing on the other side of that wall right now.
He cooked us another delicious dinner tonight. It was one of Karli’s cooking boxes. But he’d been extra quiet throughout the meal. In fact, he’s barely said a word since his ex-girlfriend waltzed into the hardware store this afternoon and casually stomped all over the good vibes.
Kathryn Campbell doesn’t remember me. I’m not surprised. I was just a kid when she and Archer were dating. But I remember back when they were a couple. I’d see them together whenever I’d hang out with Karli at the Brighton house.
In those days, I was convinced that Archer was a real-life Prince Charming. I definitely remember how he treated Kathryn like his princess.
It wasn’t just the way he’d open every door for her and carry her book bag around. It was the way he’d listen intently to her every word. The way he’d rearrange all his plans just to suit her. He looked at her like she hung the moon with her own bare hands. That’s the way every girl wants to be loved, and Archer gave that love to Kathryn.
And then, they were done.
And he was gone, off in the military. Almost like he needed a worthy cause to channel his heartbreak into.
I don’t know what exactly happened between the two of them. After all, I was too young to understand the dynamics as I watched their relationship play out. But I do know that he looked like he was fighting one hell of a demon when he saw her today.
Maybe I crossed the line when I bulldozed my way into the middle of the situation, offering Archer my help in dealing with Kathryn and her family. But I couldn’t help myself because—even from across the store—I could see that he was struggling to keep his temper under control during the interaction with his ex and her prick of a husband.
And I can’t help but worry that he’s somewhere inside this house, still struggling with that demon right now.
I want to go to him. But he’s a man who likes his privacy. I don’t expect him to go pouring out his guts to me about his feelings for his ex-girlfriend.
Besides, he likes pushing the narrative that he and I are not even friends. I’m just his employee. That’s what he likes to remind me. I’m the woman he’s offering room and board. His sister’s hot mess of a best friend. So I’d better not ruin our living situation by being nosy.
I roll over in bed. Then I adjust the pillow. I adjust it again. I sit up. I sigh.
Now that we’re living in Archer’s house, it’s hard figuring out what to do with myself every night after Sky goes to bed. I try to stay out of Archer’s way as much as possible because I don’t want to be an inconvenience. Plus, as exhausted as I’ve been, I know I should be taking advantage of the opportunity to get as much rest as I can. But instead of catching up on sleep, I just feel restless tonight.
Swiping my phone off the nightstand, I lean against the headboard and notice some messages that came in while I was giving Sky his bedtime routine.
Karli: Hey girlie. Come hang out with us at the North Node tonight?
Then there’s a photo of Karli snuggled up with Mason while Felix, Daphne, Darius and Ziggy grin in the background.
Karli: I know it’s last minute but if you can get a sitter, you should come join us. You could use a break.
Then there’s another message sent a few minutes later.
Karli: Okayyyy…Ignoring me?
Karli: And why is Archer ignoring me too?
Karli: That’s *suspicious* raised eyebrow emoji
Karli: On second thought, if you’d rather stay home, loved up on my brother, I’ll give you a pass winky face emoji lettuce emoji water droplets emoji
I’m hit by a heatwave between the thighs at the sudden image of Archer wrapping me up in those big, strong, bionic arms. Loved up on her brother? Oh, I wish.
Brushing the thought aside, I tap out a reply to my friend.
Me: No loving up on your brother going on over here. Promise. laughing emoji But I’m already cuddled up with my fave little man.
I snap a shadowy picture of my sleeping angel and send it to Karli. She replies with a string of heart-eye emojis.
Me: Sorry, hun. I’ll be staying in tonight.
We text back and forth a little bit, making plans to meet up for coffee later in the week. Then I set my phone on the bedside table.
Snuggling down beneath the blankets, I close my eyes and try to clear my mind. But sleep really isn’t coming easy tonight.
A random thought wanders into my head. Wait—Archer’s family is out tonight and he didn’t join them? Moving stealthily, I slip out of bed and peek through the curtains. Sure enough, his truck is still parked in its spot under the carport in the front yard.
Shit. He must be really upset if he chose to stay home and wallow on his own instead of going to have a drink with his siblings.
Yet still, my heart flutters with a feeling I can only label as ‘relief’. It may be selfish but I’m glad that he’s home. Even if there’s no ‘loving up’ on the menu for us— ever —I like knowing that he’s near.
Ugh. This dead-end crush is really starting to fry my brain.
I decide that I’m a grown woman and 8:17 p.m. is too damn early to ‘go night-night’ anyway. I need to stretch my limbs.
After barricading Sky on all sides with a wall of pillows, I tiptoe out of the room. I cast a glance down the hallway and make note of the light seeping through the crack in a door all the way at the end.
Every night after my broody roommate slips away, that light comes on, casting a golden shimmer along the furthest wall. I’ve been curious but never brave enough to go near Archer’s lair.
My curiosity is especially strong tonight.
I just want to check up on him. I’ll be up all night, tossing and turning unless I know for sure that he’s okay after the events of the day.
I take one step in that direction. Two. Then another. It could be so easy to—
No, Layla.
I shake the temptation away and turn around, deciding to head to the kitchen instead.
Leaning against the counter, I slowly sip on a glass of water in the dark. Archer is a private man and he just wants to be left alone. At least, that’s the mask he wears for the world.
But I’m not buying the whole ‘man of stone’ act. I know that he has a big heart under all that muscle and beard. A big heart that was broken and patched up with nails and screws and putty and duct tape. I’m beginning to realize that big broken heart of his probably never healed up right. Am I just supposed to pretend not to notice?
After debating with myself a few more minutes, I wash my glass and with a sigh, I head back for the bedroom. As I creep through the quiet house, my gaze sweeps out the living room side window. The warm white back porch lights glowing through the copse of trees a few houses down catch my attention.
That used to be my home. And then the man who was supposed to love me, kicked me and our son to the curb. It’s depressing to think about and I don’t want to spend the whole night ruminating about Razor, so I clear the thought from my mind. Instead, I let my mind return to Archer.
Continuing my trek back to my bedroom, I glance at the door at the end of the hallway again. The temptation to burst into that room and comfort the broody lumberjack is so strong.
Mind your business, Layla.
I know that if I act on my curiosity, no doubt I’ll get bitten.
Yet still, instead of slipping back into my bedroom, something inside me propels me forward. Mustering all my courage, I continue in the direction of the light, balancing on my tiptoes down the creaky hallway.
I take light footsteps, my stomach swirling wildly and my heartbeat pounding in my ears as I make my way to Archer’s mysterious room. Right outside the threshold, I crane my neck to get a peek inside.
I catch sight of the man and I lose my breath…
He’s sitting with his back to me, his wide shoulders hunched over a table in the corner. He slowly shuffles through the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle scattered before him.
Something about his big, dominating presence is so irresistibly beautiful in this quiet moment. His thick hair is disheveled. And in that thin white T-shirt, his defined muscles are so pronounced, broadcasting his every tiny movement. He looks powerful and masculine and thigh-clenchingly sexy.
But also, undeniably… lonely.
An ache rushes through my chest as I squint through the crack in the door. Seeing him like this makes me sad. He’s such a good person. He deserves someone to spend his nights with. Someone to love him.
Archer’s body freezes suddenly. His shoulders tense. Slowly, he peers over his back. Those military reflexes of his are sharper than ever. Of course they are. He senses me here in the shadows, gawking at him like a creeper.
I backtrack with a hurried step, and the floorboards squeal under my soles. Like a shot, Archer bolts to his feet.
Shit.
I’ve been caught.
“Layla?” his hushed rasp cracks the silence and sends a ripple down my spine.
I swing around on my toes and hustle toward my bedroom.
But Archer is already at the door, calling my name again. “Layla? Is everything okay?”
Shoulders hunched all the way up to my ears, I give up on running away. Instead, I turn to face my fate.
Archer’s towering figure fills the doorframe, backlit by the warm glow of a dim lamp. He takes a few steps closer, and instead of the anger I was expecting, it’s concern I see in his expression.
“Is everything all right with you? With Sky?” His eyes dart to my closed bedroom door and he takes another domineering step toward me. Like he’s ready to toss me over one shoulder, toss my kid over the other and haul us to safety, if the need should arise.
I bob my head up and down like an over-caffeinated bobblehead doll. “Yes. Yes, everything’s fine,” I assure him, and only then does the tension in his shoulders release.
“What are you doing out here?” he asks. And when I can’t come up with an answer, understanding begins to dawn on his face. “Wait—are you out here creeping on me?”
My shoulder blades bump into the wall when I take another backward step. “Um, no. Of course not,” I vigorously swing my head left to right.
He clearly doesn’t believe me, and my skin flushes with heat and embarrassment. At the same time, I feel an unexpected throb of awareness between my thighs.
I know that spying on him is wrong.
Wishing he’d pin my hips to this wall and demand an explanation out of me? That’s wrong, too. Yet, here we are.
His thick brows furrow but a trace of amusement appears in the crinkled lines at the corners of his eyes. “So, you’re lost then? Looking for directions? Should I put a map on the wall or something?”
I almost roll my eyes because now, he’s making fun of me. “No, you big jerk. I just…I wanted to make sure you were okay…”
When I say that, he pauses. He looks genuinely confused. “Why wouldn’t I be okay?”
I’m tempted to bring up Kathryn, to ask him if seeing her bothered him. But with that light-hearted expression on his face, I can’t find the balls to mention his ex. I don’t want to risk souring his mood. So I go with a safer explanation.
“Your siblings are at the bar tonight and you’re… here .”
“Yeah. I’m here,” he says matter-of-factly.
“But…aren’t you…” Lonely?
Archer seems to understand the question, even though it gets caught in my throat. He takes a half-step closer and his eyes fall to my mouth. “I’m exactly where I want to be, Layla.”
The low rasp in his voice combined with the way his gaze lingers on my lips makes my body temperature hit the roof. I can’t find coherent words. I can only stare at the man towering over me with the ferocious intensity in his eyes.
What is going on here?! What is this storm brewing in the air between us?
No. No, it can’t be. This is Archer , after all. He’s already made it clear that he doesn’t want me. It must be the shadows of this hallway playing tricks on my brain.
Archer speaks again. “So, to answer your question—I’m okay, Belle.”
“Good…” I breathe out, aware of how close we’re standing and how amazing he smells and how the electricity from his body wraps around me like a forcefield. “That’s good.”
His gaze is so consuming that I force myself to break eye contact, dropping my stare lower. Not the best idea, because now, I’m staring at his chest. That T-shirt is perfectly fitted to his carved torso and my eyes easily trace the contours of his pronounced abs beneath the fabric.
“And are you okay?” he asks me, dipping his chin to search my face.
“Yes. I’m okay.” Not really. I’m currently running one hell of a fever at the apex of my thighs.
He gives me a nod. “That’s good.”
A tense silence descends over us.
Well, my lips may be silent but my body is screaming. My tummy sizzles. My nipples throb. My pussy aches. And the whole time, I’m forced to play it cool.
Seriously, though…I wonder if he feels this heat, too. Because I can’t help but notice the way his eyes linger at the hem of my T-shirt. The way his gaze travels lower, down my bare legs. The way his Adam’s apple bobs when he swallows thickly.
This is getting dangerous.
“Good night, Archer…” I finally push through the knot in my throat.
His stare bounds back to my face, flickering around like he’s trying to figure me out. Something that looks like curiosity shimmers in his eyes. But I know he’d never explore that curiosity.
“Good night, Layla,” he responds.
I turn and head back for my room, feeling his eyes on my back the whole way down the hallway.
Hand on the doorknob, I peek at him one last time and find him still standing right where I left him.
Good night , I mouth awkwardly again across the distance.
And a grin flashes across his face.
It’s like lightning. For the briefest moment, it lights up the walls of my tummy. And then it’s gone.
I slip into the bedroom and gently collapse against the door, struggling to catch my breath. I clasp a hand over my thundering heart. My god. What the fuck was that ?
It was nothing. I try to convince myself that it was nothing.
I deconstruct Sky’s pillow fort, then my shaky legs climb into bed. I pull a pillow over my heated face, trying to squash the mega-grin that curls across my mouth.
I won’t be getting any sleep tonight. I’ll be replaying that hallway encounter in my mind until the wee hours of the morning.