Cannon’s lips twitched. “No, you can’t help with the aliens. So what is it you’re thinking of doing?”
Her stare landed on Archer, and in the second that their gazes connected, she drew more strength from him.
“I was thinking about doing college courses online.”
No one spoke over her or shot down her idea, so she went on. “I could learn things that would help Sierra. Forensic science. Computers.”
O looked offended. “You comin’ for my job, woman?”
“Hey, have some respect,” Archer shot out.
“Fine—Mrs. Monk.”
His name for her knocked her off-balance but also warmed her inside in ways she didn’t expect. And Archer’s eyelids drooped a little more when he stared at her.
She swept a glance around the table, taking in expressions ranging from amusement to respect. “Look, I survived my first kidnapping. That has to count for experience.”
Rome choked on his coffee and grins flashed around the table one by one.
“That’s not a qualification,” Cannon said.
“It shows resilience,” Archer stood up for her.
Heat spread low through her stomach. She didn’t dare meet his eyes or the flush would creep into her cheeks.
“Jolie. What did you want to do before you had to become an adult too soon?” he asked.
The atmosphere changed. Several of the guys looked at her with open admiration, and a hush of respect settled through the room.
She looked down at the table and peeled back layers of time. Before bills. Before school lunches. Before becoming the one who always knew what everyone needed.
“I wanted to be a psychologist.”
Archer’s eyes gleamed with a smile that only toyed with the corners of his hard lips. “You’d be terrifyingly good at it.”
A laugh bubbled out of her. “Why do you say that?”
“Because you’re already great at reading people.”
She shared a smile with him, but the glimmer in the depths of his blue eyes made her think of just how good he was at readingher.With his hands, his lips…his tongue.
Cannon took a drink of coffee. “Then study psychology. We’ll hook you up with an online college.”
Excitement soared through her like a star shooting through the sky. “Just like that? I have permission to stay here and study?”
“Since you can’t leave yet anyway, I think it’s a good idea for you to stay busy. Keep your mind off things.”
She compressed her lips. “Like the fact that I can’t see my sister and brothers.”
Archer nodded. “Like that. But you’re not losing your siblings, Jolie.”
A knot formed in her throat. “And if I don’t want to leave…ever?” She didn’t shift her gaze from Archer.
No one spoke at first. After several seconds, Cannon set his cup on the table. “There are rules that come with staying.”
“I accept them,” she said without a millisecond of hesitation or even knowing what they were.
Though they’d only just begun to explore a relationship, she went with her gut, and her gut said she needed to stay with him.
