A look passes between them, one that speaks a thousand words, and I find myself wanting to know the meaning of it, but before I can open my mouth, I sink my teeth into my bottom lip to shut myself up.
Without another word, the sprites disappear, and Archer scoffs.
“What?” I murmur, and he grins.
“She was unimpressed with me being here, but she’s not so bothered by my presence to question leaving you alone with me,” he states, and I roll my eyes.
“You’re as dramatic as she is,” I declare, keeping the sheet pressed against my chest as I shuffle to stand.
My thighs ache as I twist the sheet around me, wrapping myself while unraveling him at the same time. He doesn’t shy away from it, though. He lies there in all his glory with his cock stiff and begging for attention. When my thighs clench this time, it’s for an entirely different reason.
Keep it together, Ivy.
Last night wasn’t meant to happen.
Last night was a matter of well-being.
Last night was… not a mistake, but not the first step toward something more either.
It was a means to an end, not an invitation to stay forever.
He folds his arms behind his head, eyes raking over me from head to toe as I clear my throat.
“You can leave now.”
“I can?” he asks, cocking his brow, and I nod.
“You’re sure?” he clarifies, eyes fixed on the material covering my body as I feel my cheeks heat.
“Last night was?—”
“If you say a mistake, I will bend you over this bed in two seconds flat and prove to you just how wrong you are.”
Is that a threat or a promise?
I can’t let myself be sidetracked by sex.
“I wasn’t going to say that,” I mutter, and he gives me a pointed look. Shuffling from foot to foot, I tighten my arms around myself. “But it doesn’t change anything. I haven’t forgotten what the four of you did to me, and I never will.”
“Ivy,” he starts, but I shake my head.
“You fucked up my whole life, and I will be forever irked that I learned I was a phoenix under these circumstances. Imagine what my life could have been like. How I could have faced this without so much heartache or self-doubt. I’ll never get the chance because the four of you humiliated me in a way I never thought imaginable. Would you expect me to forgive and forget my father for killing me?”
He scoffs. “Like hell, but I didn’t kill you. We?—”
“Youbrokeme, Archer.My heart, my mind, my soul. Do I want to repair my heart and soul and attempt forgiveness? With every single breath in my lungs, but it’s not simply fixed with a Band-Aid and cock.” My cheeks burn at my choice of words, but I’m proud of the truth that lies between us. I can’t bring myself to spend another second listening to excuses, so I bolt for the bathroom before his mouth widens like his eyes.
Slumping back against the closed door, I hold my breath, waiting for him to barge in after me, but to my surprise, I hear the distant sound of my bedroom door closing.
My heart aches instead of easing with relief, and my chin lands against my chest.
Dammit.
Priorities, Ivy.
Stick to the list.
Last night wasn’t on the list, but a blip on the radar can’t be enough to knock me off course.
