Chapter 16 – Betsy
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
BETSY
I awake, feeling heat at my back. Blinking a few times, memories of yesterday flood my memory, and as I shift slightly to get up, Archer’s hand tightens around my waist. “Where do you think you’re going?” he murmurs, his voice deep with sleep.
“Er, um, to the bathroom?” I ask.
“Are you asking for permission to go, or are you asking if that’s where you are going?” He chuckles.
“Um, neither,” I mutter. “I need to go.”
He places a kiss on my shoulder and releases his hold of me.
I get up and shuffle to the bathroom, not looking at him.
I feel awkward and unsure of what to say or how to behave.
This whole thing is new to me. I finish in the bathroom, and as I walk out, I hear him talking to someone.
Pausing, I listen, wondering who he could be talking to.
“I’m telling you, she’s fine.”
“We don’t believe you. Where the fuck is she?” Mor’s sharp tone echoes out.
I push open the door. “What are you doing?” I gasp.
Archer is sat up in bed, with the bed sheet pooled around his waist, his fully muscled body on display. He has one arm behind his head, and the other is holding my phone in his hand, grinning from ear to ear. His eyes slowly sweep over me, and I shift, clearing my throat.
“Your friends want to know you’re okay,” he says, turning the phone around to face me, showing that both Mor and Eden are there on video call.
“Woah, Betsy!” Eden grins.
I lunge for my phone, snatching it from Archer. “What? I will call you later, okay?” I hiss, feeling Archer’s eyes burning into my back.
“Girl, when you didn’t check in, we got worried, but now we can see that you were just busy.” Mor smirks.
“See? I told you the bullying thing was because he liked you!” Eden adds.
My cheeks are not just burning, they are on fire right now.
“Oh my god, will you shut the fuck up!” I hiss.
Archer laughs behind me. I feel the bed shift, feeling his body at my back as he sweeps my hair from my neck and places kisses along my neck.
My eyes go wide in shock, but Mor and Eden both just grin like they are the Cheshire fucking cat.
“Ladies, if you don’t mind, I want to enjoy my time with Betsy, and yes, you are right.
I picked and provoked her for months just to force her to come and speak to me,” Archer confesses.
I turn my head to look at him to see if he’s being serious.
He gives me a subtle nod, answering my unspoken question.
“Okay, okay. Go hump like rabbits, but Betsy, we have kitchen tomorrow at eleven,” Mor adds.
I turn my attention back to her. “Is everything okay?” I ask, concerned.
“Yes, fine,” she assures me, but there is something in her tone that makes me doubt her. However, before I can press her any further, she disconnects.
“Kitchen?” Archer asks from behind me.
I twist slightly to look at him, my body now feeling slightly better, even though I’m still not moving my shoulder much. “What is this?” I ask.
He threads his fingers through my hair. “I told you last night. I’m here, I’ve got you, and I’m not going anywhere.” His breath tickles across my lips.
“I, I don’t,” I stammer.
“I swear to Christ, don’t tell me you don’t want this,” he interrupts.
“No.” I pause. “I mean, yeah, I do want this. It’s just, I’ve not kissed anyone in a really long time.” I look down, avoiding his intense green eyes. “I don’t… I’ve never done stuff,” I mutter, feeling embarrassment creeping up my neck.
He takes my chin between his fingers, forcing me to look at him. “Enough with being shy, and enough with feeling embarrassed around me. I have waited this long for you. I can wait as long as it fucking takes. Now tell me you want me to kiss you,” he rasps out.
“Kiss me,” I blurt out, smiling anxiously.
His lips tip up into a smile as he leans in closer, brushing his lips slowly over mine.
I suck in a breath, and as the anticipation swarms around my stomach, he finally presses his lips to mine.
His soft yet tender lips caress mine, making my entire body melt into him.
His tongue teases along the seam of my mouth, coaxing mine to open up, to taste him.
I part my lips, and as his lips lightly glide along mine, a whimper escapes me.
This seems to ignite his desire more. Deepening the kiss, his tongue plays with mine, his lips still moving against my own.
I reach a tentative hand out and place it on his chest. He lets out a groan in appreciation.
I match his movement, swirling my tongue along with his.
He pulls back slightly, nipping my bottom lip between his teeth.
My nails dig into his flesh as my core heats, desire igniting within me.
He breaks the kiss suddenly, his breathing rapid as he rests his temple on mine with his eyes squeezed shut. Shit.
“Have I? I’m sorry,” I breathe.
He leans back, and as he opens his eyes, his irises are a swirling pool of lust. “Fuck, what are you apologising for? I’ve waited months to feel your lips on mine, and it was worth the fucking wait.
It was better than I could have ever imagined.
If I didn’t stop there, then I would have continued.
I would have touched you, wanted to taste you… Fuck, I want to feel you,” he breathes.
My mouth goes dry as my insides clench. “Well, I, I want that,” I stutter.
Archer shakes his head no. “I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want to make you feel anything other than fucking spectacular. You are in charge of this. I will move at the pace you decide and do anything you want,” he states.
I nibble down on my bottom lip. His declaration that he’s willing to let me take the lead on this has me wanting to jump his bones right now, but I’m not sure I can. If he touches me in some way, will it trigger memories? I don’t want that night tainting us.
“Okay.” I nod.
He cups my face. “I won’t do anything unless you ask me to, but right now, I need a cold shower.
” He places a kiss on the end of my nose and gets up, and that’s when my eyes immediately find his very large erection.
“Stop, unless you want to touch it, suck it, or fuck it. Stop looking at me with those big ‘fuck me’ eyes,” he chastises me over his shoulder as he walks out of the bedroom.
“Fuck,” I whisper as I flop back down on the bed.
My shoulder feels a million times better today.
I try lifting it up, but I’m still unable to lift my arm fully above my head.
I hear the shower turn on and immediately think about him naked in the shower.
If I were braver and able to undress myself properly, I would walk in there and join him.
Fuck, I would wash his body with the shower gel.
“God damn,” I breathe, feeling so aroused.
I’m close to pulling out my vibrator right now and relieving myself.
I decide instead to call Mor and Eden back.
I need advice, and I don’t know what to do or how to handle it.
“Jesus, if he performs that quick, you may want to rethink about being with him,” Mor answers.
“We haven’t got there yet,” I whisper.
Mor looks at the screen, frowning. “Why are you whispering? Has he done something? Fuck, I will kill the asswipe,” she mutters.
“What has the fuckface done?” Eden yells from the background.
“Nothing!” I whisper hiss, rubbing my face. “Jesus! He’s in the shower. I wanted your advice. I need to know what to do?” I ask, looking over my shoulder to make sure he’s still in the shower.
“Oh, well, why didn’t you say so?” Mor sighs as Eden slides in next to her.
“So, what do you need to know? The tongue twister, the pop sucker, the whirly whirly flick?” Eden asks.
I scrunch my face up in disgust. “No. What the fuck are those?!”
“Well, you take hold of i—”
“Never mind,” I mutter. “Forget I even asked. No, what I need to know is how do I do this?” I whisper.
“Do what?” Mor asks.
“This! The dating, the courting… I don’t know what it’s fucking called. All I know is I have no idea how to handle this,” I snap.
“You’ve never dated?” Eden asks. I sigh and shake my head no. I’ve kept that part of my life so private from them, from anyone. I shut away any part of my life from everyone.
“No, I haven’t, and I’ve never, um, you know,” I state, embarrassed.
“Well, fuck,” Mor mutters.
“I mean, now it all makes sense why you never went with a lap dog, although you could have used them for practice.” Eden shrugs.
“I didn’t. I don’t fuck. I just…” I stutter.
“You’re good, you’re fine. Bring him with you to the Sanctuary later.
Let Nyx have a talk with him. See how he handles our ways and what we are about.
We can talk in the kitchen, without anyone there,” Mor assures me.
I nod, and maybe it would be good for me to sit down and talk to them.
It could be a good idea for me to explain what happened.
Maybe not in detail, but enough for them to finally get an idea of why I am the way I am.
They may know how to go forward with the next part of this.
“Are you talking about me?” Archer’s deep voice rings out from behind me. I jump, letting out a screech. Turning to see him, he’s standing there, his body wet with a towel wrapped around his waist.
“Holy fuck. Hey, if you guys don’t work out, we can always ask him to become a lap dog,” Eden mutters.
“What’s a lap dog?’ Archer asks.
“Bye!” I say through gritted teeth, disconnecting the video call. “It’s nothing. Um, so you don’t have any clean clothes here,” I state.
He strides towards a bag on the chair across the room. I didn’t notice that earlier. He opens it and pulls out freshly clean clothes. “I got these earlier.” He winks, dropping his towel. I gasp and look away, hearing him chuckle. “Don’t look away.”