Chapter 8
DARCY
He’s got a girlfriend.
Well, there’s a revelation I was not expecting when I showed up tonight.
Archer Moore, resident playboy no longer.
While my head works to process the existence of Abbie, I stand alone at the back of the living area, watching Kendra cut the cake she got me into pieces and struggling to shake an unmistakable sense of disappointment.
Did I like the prospect of Archer wanting me, with the excitement of thinking he was flirting with me the other night?
Yes, I did. I was so convinced I’d never go there with him—or any hockey player for that matter—and I thought I was fine with it.
But now that the possibility with Archer is dead in the water, I find myself placing way too much hope on the reasons why he wants to talk to me in private.
“Girl, you look like someone accidentally dropped your birthday cake.” Jenna joins me next to the food table, reaching behind my back and stealing a piece of popcorn chicken.
I release a low groan. “Why is life so damn complex?”
She smiles at that, swallowing her mouthful. “I thought you liked puzzles. No one wants boring.”
Jack passes by with a tray of prosecco, and I quickly snag a glass. Jenna grabs an orange juice since she’s a committed athlete.
I, on the other hand, need bubbles.
My attention pauses on the entrance to the hallway and bedrooms. Chances are, Archer is already waiting for me since he isn’t anywhere to be seen.
I honestly don’t know what he could want to say to me.
Perhaps he picked up on my attraction to him, and he wants to make sure I’m clear that nothing can happen between us.
Maybe I did go too far when I randomly showed up at his apartment, and his new girlfriend didn’t appreciate it.
Shit. Maybe he did have a girl in his room, but instead of it being some random hookup, it was actually Abbie.
Feeling embarrassed, I exhale another groan, this one louder and more pronounced.
“Share with the class, Darce.” Jenna sets her glass down on the table behind us, turning to me fully.
I don’t even hesitate. “Did you know Archer is seeing someone?”
Her mouth pops open in surprise, answering my question. “No. No, I did not.”
“He says it isn’t serious, but …” I trail off.
“Oh my God, you like him! You do, don’t you?” Jenna speaks way too loudly, the music the only thing preventing the rest of the room from overhearing our conversation.
She winces and lowers her voice to a discreet level. “Is that what’s got you standing over here, alone, at your own party, looking all hung up?”
A large part of me wants to deny it and make up some bullshit excuse for why I look exactly how she described earlier—like someone just dropped my cake.
But that won’t serve me, and I trust Jenna.
Plus, she recently broke up with her serious boyfriend, Lee, so she understands the importance of leaning on girlfriends when you need them.
“I think it’s possible I wanted a little more than a few laughs with him on nights out.”
Jenna rolls her lips together, smirking but seeming unsurprised. “You mean you wanted to find out if he’s as awesome as the rumors suggest?”
I tingle at the thought. “Maybe.”
She nods in understanding. “Listen, I get that. I’ve read and heard that he can go all night long. Some women who have spent a night with him report he’s ruined them for other men.”
I take a sip of prosecco. “Well, it’s not like I’m going to find out now, is it? He wants to talk with me tonight, but I’m pretty sure it’s to clear the—”
Jenna holds up a hand, pulling her mobile out of her bag. The smirk she wore a few seconds ago is now a full-blown grin. “Well, well, well. Speak of the devil.”
I furrow my brow as she hands me her phone.
Archer
I know everyone wants to spend time with the birthday girl, but actually, I reserved these few minutes. Can you ask Miss Darcy Thompson to meet me in the room two doors down on the left? Oh, and this text does not exist.
I hand my friend her phone back, my excitement kicking up a notch. Even though nothing has really changed in the past thirty seconds, he sure is keen to speak with me.
Jenna tips her head toward the hallway. “Go. I’ll cover for you.”
I go to move past her, and she clears her throat, asking me to hold up.
“Listen, I’ve got zero idea what’s going on with this other girl of his, but that is one complication I wouldn’t want to get tangled up in. Be really fucking careful, babe.”
Archer’s sitting on a king-size bed, typing something on his phone when I walk into the dimly lit room.
“Hey,” I say, holding the door handle with a shaky hand. I have no right to be this nervous. I turn my back on him and push the door closed, taking a second to get ahold of myself. It’s just Archer. “Sorry, I got caught up, talking with Jenna.”
A hand lands on my shoulder, twisting my body around to face the room and, consequently, him. Any calm I managed to gain in the last few seconds completely dissipates.
“I don’t have a girlfriend.” Archer cuts through the small talk.
He’s only inches from me, and I can feel his body heat as it radiates into mine.
This boy is intense.
Swallowing thickly, I look up into bright blue eyes. He takes full advantage of our height difference, cupping my chin in his warm and slightly rough palm.
“I don’t have a girlfriend,” he repeats, his voice gruff and serious.
“Umm, okay,” I stammer, pressing my back into the door.
He moves another inch closer, and my lungs tighten, like he’s crushing me. Yet, aside from his hand on my chin, we aren’t touching.
He grins, but I can’t tell if it’s driven by happiness or something else.
It feels like there’s no air in the room as I grapple to form coherent thoughts.
There’s that look he had in his eyes a few days ago, piercing and wanting, and it settles between my thighs as he holds me captive while I wait for him to elaborate on his relationship status.
A few pieces of dark hair fall over his forehead as he looks down at me, his platinum chain shining in the glow of the room. “That’s all you’ve got to say about it?”
My chest grows tighter. “I don’t know what to say, Archer. I’m confused. Jack just said you’re seeing a girl called Abbie.”
He shakes his head, still grinning. “She doesn’t exist, Doll.”
I hear his words and process what he’s saying, but my brain can’t push past what he just called me.
“Doll?” I whisper. It’s more of a question than a statement.
“Doll,” he repeats. “You’re my doll, Darcy.”
My head spins, and the floor lamp on the other side of the room—the only source of light—begins to blur under the intense weight of information.
“Say something.” Archer is the first to speak, his delicious breath fanning my dry lips.
I run my tongue across my bottom lip, and he tracks the movement, imitating my action.
“Did you buy me the tote bag?”
His head falls forward on a deep chuckle, and he releases my chin, resting his on my forehead. “You’re so fucking cute—you know that?”
I feel antsy and confused, and it shows in my tone. “Did you gift me the bag or not?”
His laughter trails off. “Yes. Did you bring it with you tonight?”
He did buy it for me.
More tingles shimmer down my spine. I’m not experienced when it comes to guys.
In fact, I’ve only ever slept with Liam.
So far, my quest to have fun and play the field has not been particularly lucrative.
And all of a sudden, in this darkened space, with one of the most confident guys I’ve ever met, I feel every bit of that inexperience, along with all the butterflies he elicited in the bar.
I try not to let it show. I don’t want Archer to think that being here, alone with him, isn’t what I want.
I can try and convince myself it’s not, just like I’m sure so many other girls before me have done.
I’d only be lying to myself though—the disappointment I felt when I found out about Abbie only evidences that.
“I did. Was I not supposed to?”
He lifts his head and looks at me again, darkened eyes only deepening. “I want it to be your new favorite bag, so, yeah, I’d say you did exactly right.”
I’m convinced he’s going to kiss me. He looks like he wants to as he presses his leg between my knees, his jeans rubbing deliciously against the sensitive skin on my thighs.
“Why did you tell people you have a girlfriend?”
He shakes his head slowly. “I didn’t tell people.
Your brother assumed I did when I got caught by your stepdad, scrolling through dresses on my phone.
He asked me if they were for a girl I was seeing, and your brother ran with it.
” He breathes out slowly and studies my face, taking a piece of my hair and twizzling it around his thick finger.
“I’m not into being dishonest, and I hate that I lied to Jack.
But at the time, it seemed like a good opportunity and a decent cover story. I’m hoping it still is.”
My heart is pounding, racing so fast that I feel sure I’ll cardiac arrest at any second.
Holy shit.
“What are you covering up, Archer?” I don’t know how or where I find the words as they fall from my lips.
He presses his leg higher, the rough denim skating across the thin fabric of my already-damp underwear. “My obsession with you, Darcy. And hopefully, if I get my way, the insane amount of fun we’re going to have in my bed tonight.”
In the space of five minutes, I’ve gone from being convinced Archer had a girl in bed with him when I showed up at his apartment to him inviting me into it. My instincts in the bar were right—he was flirting with me; he does want me.
Holy hell, did he show up and interrupt Harry on purpose? My head spins with possibilities as I try to stay upright against the door.
I push down the anxiety surrounding my lack of sexual experience, only for it to be replaced by a fear of my brother finding out and murdering Archer in his sleep. “Do you think this is a good idea?”
A deep rumble reverberates from his chest. “Based on what?”