6. Anna
ANNA
FIVE YEARS AGO
The cab ride back to my place was anxiety-inducing—at least on my end. I was both on edge and excited at the same time.
I hadn’t realized I was twisting my hands in my lap until Archer took one of my hands in his.
“You nervous?” he asked me, and I hated that I was this transparent.
“A little,” I told him honestly. “ But in a good way. Like , nervous-e xcited .”
I smiled up at him, hoping he would believe me, because it was the truth. He smiled back as he laced his fingers through mine and stroked his thumb over mine in a calming gesture.
I wasn’t sure why, but just that slight back-and-forth movement had my anxiety easing considerably.
“What’s the first thing you splurged on once you got your big boy job after college?” I asked, hoping some general conversation would help calm my nerves.
“A huge seventy-inch TV ,” he said with a grin.
I shook my head. I should have known he’d pick what most men would.
“What about you? What would be your first big purchase after you become a world-famous journalist?”
I laughed nervously. “ I don’t want to be famous.
I just want to make a difference. Be able to tell people’s stories and help spread the word about things that matter.
But my first big purchase would be a dog or a cat.
If I do have to move to take a job, I’d likely have to live by myself. It would be nice to have company.”
“Don’t have much experience with either, but that would be good for you to have some protection.”
“Ahh, ever the cop,” I teased, and he just smirked.
“If you could have anything in your first apartment or house—no matter the cost—what would it be?” he asked me, but I didn’t have to think long.
I had spent many nights of my childhood dreaming of what my dream home would look like, and while some details here and there had changed over the years, there was one thing that never faded.
“A library,” I responded. “ A room that is just filled with books on endless bookshelves and a few different seating options to suit my fancy for whatever book I want to read.”
I thought wistfully of how the smell of the books would mesh perfectly with a nice, large leather chair and fresh flowers on some tables next to a large window seat.
I was lost in my dream world when I felt his lips on mine. Time froze as tingles fluttered across my mouth. It was brief, but I loved the kiss.
Too soon, he ended it, and I knew I wanted another.
“Sorry, but you looked so damn cute just now, lost in your thoughts,” he said after he pulled back.
“What about you?” I returned. “ What would be something you have in your dream home?”
“Easy,” he said, shaking his head. “ Hot tub. Huge one.”
I chuckled. “ Ahh , with your giant TV screen in front of you?”
“Obviously,” he said with mock affront, clearly teasing me.
Campus wasn’t far from the Strip , and I lived just off campus in a cheap but safe apartment complex.
As we pulled up to the three-story building, I leaned forward to pay for the cab but Archer handed him cash.
I slid out of the door, thanked the cab driver, and then turned to thank Archer for paying.
“The next time we go out and I win big at blackjack, it can be your turn.” He winked at me.
I know he was teasing, but my mind was stuck on his words next time . Would there be a next time? Mighty bold of him to assume, and yet, I found myself wanting that to happen too.
We walked to the stairwell up to the second floor, and I pulled out my keys to the door. My hands were sweating as I unlocked and opened it. I closed and locked the door behind me—habit—and then turned to look back at Archer to offer him a drink.
“Sweetheart, we don’t need to do anything if you’re nervous,” Archer said, taking his shoes off by the front door. “ We can just have a drink and talk more if you want.”
Ugh. I was totally screwing this up.
“I’m not nervous about that… It’s just… Well , I’ve never had a one-night stand before and just brought someone home like this, so I’m not sure what the protocol is,” I babbled, likely sounding like an idiot, but I also felt like he needed to know.
He walked closer to me, putting his hand to the side of my face, his fingers sliding into my hair. “ Good to know you were going to make an exception for me, but there is no protocol. You do what you feel comfortable doing. Whatever you want—you have the control here.”
I have the control. They were just words, but they gave me a little power in knowing that.
“Whatever I want?” I asked, staring into his eyes. His hand was still on the side of my face, and he was only a foot away from me. “ I want you to kiss me.”
He smiled back. “ That I can do.”
He leaned forward and kissed me. Softly at first, before his hand wrapped around the back of my head and he pulled me closer. He devoured my mouth. He tasted like beer, which I had never truly cared for—but on him it tasted wonderful.
I took a half step forward, bringing our bodies flush against each other, and ran my hands up his chest and around them to grab on to the back of his shirt—almost as if I needed it for stability.
His tongue entered and worked my mouth as though kissing me was the job he was meant to do his whole life. I had never been kissed like this before—granted, I’d only kissed a couple of guys. Still , Archer could kiss, and I was enjoying every moment of it.
Just then, he pulled back, his forehead going to mine as we both took our time catching our breath.
“Damn, woman,” he muttered. “ You really know how to kiss.”
He thought I did? I was letting him have most of the control. I was just along for the ride. At the same time, his compliment left me feeling emboldened.
“We can do more kissing if you want, but it might be better to take this into my room in case my roommates come home soon,” I told him.
“Lead the way, Ace .”
I backed up, turning to grab my purse from where I had dropped it on the counter, and stuck out my hand to him. He latched on, and I walked him back down the hallway to my bedroom.
Mine was the farthest room on the left, right next to the bathroom. When we walked in, I let go of his hand briefly to set down my purse and started to lean down to take off my shoes.
“Don’t,” he said as his hand moved behind him to close my door. “ You look incredible in those shoes. Whether we just talk or do other things, I really want you to keep those on.”
He grinned down at me lasciviously, and a tiny dimple popped in his cheek. That dimple could make a grown woman say yes to things she couldn’t even imagine. It was me— I was that woman.
“Okay,” I whispered back. “ If I keep them on, will you kiss me again?”
His smile got even bigger as he walked toward me and slid his arms around my hips, pulling me against him. “ Absolutely .”
His mouth descended onto mine, and my brain lost power. I didn’t know if he kissed me for thirty seconds or thirty minutes. I was lost to this world, and I didn’t care at all.
He walked me over to the bed and sat down on the edge. Then he did that thing guys do where he reached over his head and pulled his shirt off from behind.
I stared at his chiseled chest and admired it as I stood in front of him.
“Like what you see, Ace ?” he asked teasingly, but I didn’t care. Not many men were built like him, so I wasn’t sure if I would ever get the chance to openly stare at one like him again. I was gonna take my shot when I had it.
“Yes,” I replied, and he must have liked my response because his smile grew bigger and that damn dimple came out again.
His hands came to rest on my hips as he pulled me closer to him. I was standing in front of him, in between his spread legs. Those hands started to slide up, and as they did, so did my shirt. When his hands reached my breasts, he paused as realization hit him that I wasn’t wearing a bra.
He growled in what appeared to be approval before he slid his hands all the way up and took my sequined top with them.
We both stood topless, staring at each other. The pace of my breathing had picked up as excitement built even more. He leaned forward, his mouth latching onto my right nipple and pulling hard at the bud.
I moaned as the sensation of it coursed through my body like a fantastic shiver.
Not knowing what to do with my hands, I placed them on his shoulders and leaned in, allowing him to keep doing what he was doing.
One hand slid down to the button on my jeans and began to undo them. At the same time his mouth moved to feast on my other nipple, sucking hard, while his tongue swirled. All of the sensations were warring with my mind.
Then his fingers slid inside my jeans and dove to paradise. I moaned his name as my body took in all of the incredible sensations and my mind became delirious.
His fingers stroked me just outside my thong, and I knew it had to be drenched right now. He unlatched his mouth and pushed me back slightly. Internally , I whimpered as the rest of my body stood there, confused.
He moved his hands to the sides of my hips and slid my jeans down.
It was a process, trying to get them over my heels.
An instant later, he picked me up and turned me to lay me down on the bed.
He lifted my legs and worked the jeans methodically over my heels as though he didn’t want to disturb them at all.
I found his obsession with my heels staying on quite funny, but whatever.
After he slid them off, he worked my thong slowly down my legs as well. I lifted myself onto my elbows and looked at him.
“You have some catching up to do,” I told him, since I was now fully naked and he was still clothed from the waist down.
“Hmmm… I do, don’t I ?” He smirked at me before unbuttoning his pants and sliding them off along with his underwear. He reached for something in his wallet and pulled out a condom.