Chapter 41
41
ARCHER
“ I told you I didn’t need to go to the emergency room,” I grumble, exiting through the hospital doors with my small entourage in tow.
“Well, Layla and I would have gone into cardiac arrest if you didn’t get checked out,” my mom says, gently squeezing my arm. “Besides, Felix and Mason agreed that you needed an x-ray.”
I shake my head, knowing there’s no use in arguing. I don’t think anyone is on my side. Except for Dad, who said I should just ice the injury and take a shot of whiskey. Now that’s my kind of doctor. I definitely would have preferred Dad’s plan of action over spending a few hours in an uncomfortable ER.
But Mom vetoed that decision real quick.
After I fell, my parents loaded me up in their sedan, even though I felt fine enough to drive myself to the emergency room. Karli and the girls kept Sky, so that Layla could come along with me, having one less thing to worry about.
To be frank, I’m a little embarrassed over the whole stupid ordeal. I invited a pretty girl to come watch me kick ass, but instead I ate ice. I was about to score, too, dammit. I had the puck and was flying across the rink. I was skating around Darius, but then my ankle twisted weird and I flew through the air before falling and skidding roughly on the ice.
It didn’t feel all that great, but my ego is more busted than the rest of me.
“So, nothing’s broken?” Layla confirms for the third time, as we climb into the back of my parents’ car.
“Only my pride,” I joke, flashing her a little grin. “Sprained ankle. Bruised hip. And a little road rash burn from the ice along my arm. Nothing I can’t handle. Heck, I dealt with far worse when I was in the military.”
Layla frowns, cuddling up against my side as her arms wind tightly around my middle. “Stop downplaying everything,” she hisses quietly. “You could have really hurt yourself.”
A warm emotion washes over me and it feels too good for words.
“I’m sorry that I worried you, Belle.” I press a kiss to the top of her head where it’s tucked into the curve of my neck.
I meet my mother’s eyes in the rearview mirror. Her face twinkles with delight and I get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I’m reminded that all this is fake. It’s all pretend. It’s just a show for my family and friends. Isn’t it?
But I don’t want to believe that it is. I want to believe that Layla really cares about me. She’s not pretending. She’s genuinely concerned…Right?
Because last night was incredible. The way we connected. The way she held onto me when I was inside her. The way she said my name. Holding her and falling asleep on the couch in front of the fireplace. I want so desperately for it all to be real.
Even though we agreed that it wasn’t.
“Aren’t we going to go pick up Sky?” I ask when I realize Dad has turned onto my street already.
Layla shakes her head from where she’s curled against me. “Karli’s going to keep him overnight since it’s already so late.”
“Oh.” Then my cock perks up at the possibilities. “ Oh… ” A sly grin breaks out across my face, and when Layla spots it, she smacks at me. Then she gasps and apologizes, even though she only hit my uninjured arm.
My parents drop us off at my house. Mom tries to rattle off a dozen instructions as we climb out of the car, but Dad eventually manages to convince her that I’ll survive the night.
The house is quiet when we get inside. It’s strange without Sky being here. I miss the little guy already, even though I am intrigued by the idea of being alone with Layla.
She insists on helping me move down the hall and getting me into my bed. As I strip down to my boxers, I see the way her eyes trail all over my body. But then she turns away abruptly, getting me set up with water and painkillers.
She darts around the room, fussing over me. The next thing I know she’s fluffing extra pillows for me to prop up my leg.
“Thank you,” I say with a slight laugh. “Seriously. I think I’m in good shape now.”
Even though she looks like she doesn’t quite believe me, Layla eventually disappears to go take a quick shower, text Karli, and check in on Sky. I stay in my bed, lying there imagining her naked in the shower down the hall.
When she returns to my bedroom to check on me again, her long hair is dripping wet and she’s dressed in pajamas. They aren’t exactly the most revealing. But those thin pants and the tight top with no bra? It’s enough to get my imagination going.
“Are you sure there’s nothing else you need?” she asks after placing a second cup of water on my nightstand. Right next to the other one that's still full.
I shake my head. “There’s nothing else I need. I’m fine.”
She turns in a circle, looking around for something else to take care of. When she finds nothing, she offers me a morose smile. “I’m going to let you get some rest then.”
Fuck. “Okay.”
Layla lingers in my doorway. I don’t think she wants to go. Dammit, I don’t want her to go.
“You’ll tell me if you need something? If you’re in pain later?” she asks.
“I will.”
“Well…” Layla bites down on her lip, looking around one final time. “Good night, Archer.”
“Good night.” I watch as she starts to leave and my chest aches like it’s about to cave in under the weight of my disappointment. Fuck it . “Wait.”
Layla stops and looks at me.
“I…I don’t want you to go.”
Her eyes widen as she takes a tentative step closer. “Are you hurting? Are you in pain?”
I hesitate for only a second. “No. I just want you near me. Is that okay?”
A coy smile comes across her face. “That’s okay,” she answers.
“Come here.” I extend a hand to her.
She intertwines her fingers with mine. Then she’s shuffling across the floor in her socked feet and crawling into bed next to me. She lets out a contented sigh as she gently presses her body against mine and folds me into her arms.
We lie there in comfortable silence for a few minutes. God—I love being in the silence with her.
“I’m sorry you didn’t get to finish your hockey game with your brothers,” she whispers.
I shake my head even though she can’t see it. “Eh. I don’t give a fuck about my brothers and their stupid hockey game. Not when I get to lie here with your arms around me. I’m good with a daily trip to the hospital if this is how the night ends.”
“Don’t say that,” she murmurs on a quiet laugh.
I press my lips to the top of her head, kissing her hair.Then I feel her warm lips brushing across my bare chest, kissing me there.
My hands start wandering, caressing over every inch of her that I can reach. Her thigh. Her side. The tender flesh just beneath her breast.
Layla’s tentative fingers begin exploring my shoulders. My abs. The waistband of my boxers.
Damn—I keep breaking my rules. But there’s no one I’d rather break them with than Layla. I love doing all this with her. I want to keep doing it with her. Even if she won’t commit to me.
This is fun. It’s exciting. I just want to let go of my guilt and let go of my rules and just enjoy her for as long as she’ll let me.
But then my head wanders to dark places.Razor crosses my mind.
“Tell me I don’t have to share you with him,” I whisper, breaking the silence. “Sharing you with him would kill me.”
Layla adjusts in my arms until she can look me in the eye. “You don’t have to share me with anybody. Especially not Razor, if that’s what you’re asking. I’m repulsed by the thought of that man.”
My aching chest feels a little bit better with her assurance. “So, are you mine?” I ask her, knowing that her answer has the power to break me.
Her shoulders sag as she lets out a sigh. My stomach twists when she doesn’t immediately say ‘yes’.
“I’m so broken, Archer. I have so much baggage. I don’t know if I can give myself to any man ever again.”
Her big, sad eyes grab hold of me. I press a gentle kiss to her lips. Then another one when she kisses me back. And before I know it, what starts off sweet and innocent grows hot and intense, and we’re making out in my bed.
But those boundaries of mine cross my mind again.
I pull back, pressing my forehead to Layla’s. “I have rules. You know that?”
We both know what my rules mean by now. I’ve been pretty vocal about it all. I don’t like fooling around unless there’s a commitment. It leads to messiness. Frustration. Pain.Yet still, Layla and I have repeatedly given in to the physical aspects of whatever is going on between us over the past week or so.
She just nods at me.
“You make me want to break them,” I murmur. It’s not a question.
She bites down on that rosy bottom lip I like so much. That lip I was never supposed to taste unless she agreed to make this the real deal.
“I respect that you have rules,” she whispers back. “I like it, actually.”
“Oh, yeah?” I breathe out, my voice rough.
Her head moves up and down. “Makes it easy to trust you.”
I stroke her cheek. “Good. That’s good.”
She’s silent for a heavy beat. “Maybe we don’t have to break them. Maybe we can just… bend them? Just a little bit.”
“Hmm. Bend them, huh?” I scratch my chin.
“What if, while we’re fake-dating, we maybe just…put those rules on pause? Just while we’re pretending to be together. You know, since we have to be touchy feely in front of everyone anyway.”
I nod, finding it hard to disagree with her idea. She has some very valid points. And Layla’s ‘bendy’ idea allows me to continue putting my lips on her.
Seems like a win-win.
We’ve been dancing around the rules, contorting our reality into an unrecognizable lie, unwilling to admit what we’re doing. It’s about time we just give ourselves permission to do things our way.
“Okay. The rules are paused,” I agree. “Then, after this fake relationship thing is done, we go back to not fooling around anymore. Right?”
Layla nods, a smile stretching across her face.
My body is thrilled by this plan. Even though my head knows better.
This is a recipe for disaster.
But what the hell? I’m willing to go along with it anyway.
I move to adjust the pillow under my head and flinch at the pain in my wrist.
“What’s wrong?” Layla asks sitting up abruptly, eyes wide with alarm.
Sensing an opportunity, I let my skull collapse against the pillow. “Do me a favor?”
“Anything,” she says, eager to help.
I bite back a smirk, trying to look sad and fragile instead. “Take off your clothes.”
Layla tilts her head to the side, one eyebrow cocked. “ Seriously ?”
I nod weakly, totally playing up the injured and helpless thing. “Seeing your tits would make me feel so, so much better right now, Layla.”
“Archer, you need your rest,” she says in faux annoyance, despite her eyes twinkling with amusement. “Painkillers and rest. That’s all you’re getting tonight.”
“I need you .” My arm hooks around her waist, pulling her against me. “Your kisses are better than any painkiller on the market. Come on, Belle. Let’s make each other feel good.”
I let my fingers knead the inside of her thigh. Layla gives her head an unconvincing shake as a smile creeps across her lips. “Fine. Just one kiss.” She carefully inches closer and closer until her mouth slides over mine.
I was right—as soon as she kisses me, an instant dopamine rush floods over my body. It’s more powerful than any prescription any doctor could write.
She’s quickly getting just as worked up as I am. I can tell by the way she’s soon panting and squirming in my arms.
“I…I got condoms today,” Layla dares to whisper when we pull apart.
I blink in the darkness. “What?”
I can practically feel her blushing even though I can barely see her face. “A-at the hospital,” she confesses. “I bought some from the pharmacy at the hospital.”
Propping myself up on my healthy elbow, I stare at her. “Let me get this right. While I was in the hospital fighting for my life, you were out there scheming about how to get on my dick?”
“Shut up.” She snickers despite herself. “I just…I just wanted to be…prepared.”
My palm strokes down my growing erection. “Well, I’m prepared.” I reach over to smack her ass. “You’d better go grab those condoms and come ride me, darling.”
Layla is giggling as she runs out of the room and across the hallway. I shamelessly check out her perky butt as she goes. I nearly scoff. Just one kiss, my ass .
A moment later, she’s back with the rubbers in hand. I watch as she stands at the side of the mattress, slowly pulling her shirt over her head. With a quick shimmy of her hips, her pajama pants and underwear are in a heap on the floor.
A shiver quakes through me. “Fuck, baby. You’re so gorgeous,” I grit out, my stiff cock aching more than any other part of my injured body.
I reach out and pull her to me, cradling her in my arms and kissing her deeply once more.
I take my time with it. I savor her like she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Let’s face it—she is.
This kiss. This moment. This relationship that’s supposedly fake. I’m in no rush for any of it to be over.
My boxers come off in an instant and shivers run through my body when Layla sheathes my length in the condom. I roll her onto her side, snuggling her from behind and slowly pushing my erection into her tight, slippery channel. We moan together as her walls stretch and ripple around my thickness.
“My god, Layla,” I groan into her hair as she undulates her sexy behind against my pelvis.
“Yes. Archer.” Her arm reaches back, palming my ass and urging me deeper.
I grab her leg, hooking it around mine for better access. I sink inside her again and again. My hand slides up and down her torso, caressing her breasts, stroking her ribs, playing with her clit.
The sensation at the base of my spine builds with each thrust. I can’t hold back the animalistic groan that pitches out of my mouth.
Layla gasps, neck snapping over her shoulder to search my face for any signs of pain. “Are you okay, baby?”
“Fuck, yeah,” I reply, mindlessly lost in the pleasure.
“Is it too much for you? Does it hurt?” she asks, a frantic note in her voice.
“No. It feels amazing. Love fucking you like this, Belle. I love feeling your body pressed against mine.” I capture her jaw, forcing her mouth to my own for a dirty kiss.
My hand slides down from her jaw, gently wrapping around the column of her throat and applying light pressure. Layla gasps in the sexiest of ways and her hips begin to work faster.
I groan, my hold on her throat tightening ever so slightly as my other hand slides between her legs.
“Oh, god. Archer, yes,” she sings when I start to draw circles on her clit.
My balls are tight and tingles race through the pit of my stomach. “Come for me, Layla,” I rasp out. “I need you to come right now.”
All it takes is two more thrusts and a little tug on her clit. Heat and wetness flood her pussy as the rest of her body goes stiff.
“Archer!” she sobs my name.
I forget all about my pain as I hook my leg around hers, grab her hip and pump into her, releasing all the desire that’s been pent up inside of me.
By the time I’m done emptying, my heart is pounding and we’re both covered in sweat. I seize hold of Layla’s waist, flipping her to face me.
Her arms slide around me and she nestles her cheek to my chest.
After a moment, she pulls back, her face only inches from mine as she stares at me in the dark. “All of this is happening so fast…”
I stroke her messy bangs away from her forehead. “Is it really? Because I’ve been drowning in these feelings for you for years.”
Her eyebrows pull together with gravity as she seems to absorb our situation. “I’m scared. Are you scared?” she asks me.
After taking a moment to swallow the invisible rock in my throat, I answer honestly. “I am, Layla. I’m really fucking scared.”
I’ve already decided that she’s worth the risk, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m terrified.
“Remember—we aren’t breaking the rules. We’re only bending them. Soon, everything goes back to normal.” I can’t tell if she’s trying to assure herself or me.
“Yeah. Soon, everything goes back to normal.”
Unfortunately, that’s the scariest part for me.
Knowing that in a matter of weeks, I won’t have an excuse to hold her close, to have her under my roof, in my bed.
I don’t know how I’ll survive that.