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When he collapsed against me, I was shaking, or maybe it was him. Either way, I clung to him and held on. Gradually, my breathing returned to normal and his little panted breaths against my throat slowed. With a groan, he pushed upward and then eased out of me while keeping a hand on the condom.
“I’ll be right back,” he promised, nuzzling a kiss to the corner of my eye. Oh, I was aching again. But it was so worth it. The drowsiness sweeping over me made me want to curl up and sleep. Little by little, the fact that light came in the windows sank in, and I let out a little laugh as I could hear Archie peeing.
So—weird.
So, normal.
I shuddered and pushed myself up on my elbows and then glanced at the disheveled bed and our strewn clothes. There was still an empty paper bag lying on the bed.
Sitting up, I reached over for my coffee because it was a lot closer than my clothes. I just lifted it for a sip when Archie came out of the bathroom, and he grinned.
“Now that’s a sight I can get used to…”
Heat scorched my face and my chest, but what the hell? He’d just been in me. Looking shouldn’t be such a big deal, and at the same time—I couldn’t really pull my gaze away from him. The well-defined arms, the hint of his abs, and the spark in his eyes. Even the bruise gave him a kind of rakish air.
Archie made me feel beautiful when he looked at me like that.
“Feel better?” he asked as he came to sit on the bed again, but facing me and with one hand massaging my thigh.
I thought about that, turning it over to examine the idea. “Yeah,” I admitted. “I do.”
“Good.” Then he squeezed my leg. “No regrets?”
“Nope,” I said. “Thank you.”
He chuckled. “My pleasure, babe. Seriously. I’m never going to get enough of you.” He ran his hand over the inside of my thigh and teased a finger over my labia. A shiver sent goosebumps racing out, and my nipples tightened. “Definitely never tired of that.”
But instead of continuing his caress, he settled his hand back on my thigh. The distraction helped. It had given me a little distance, and I didn’t feel quite so—awful.
“What’s the part you hate the most?” Archie prompted me, and I sighed.
“I want Mom to be happy. Sheseemshappy right now, but it feels like another lie in a sea of them. I hurt her feelings today, pointing out thatEddie…” I grimaced and Archie winced. “Pointing out that your dad is still married, and that what she wanted me to celebrate was your family breaking up.”
His expression gentled. “You were worried about me?”
“You weren’t worried about me when you found out about them?”
“Fuck yes, I was worried about you because your mother wasn’t around and…” He sighed.
I covered his hand on my leg. “So, yes, I was worried about you. I still am.”
“Don’t,” he said, meeting my gaze. “Whether Edward and Muriel stay together or not—” He shrugged. “I don’t care. Maybe they’d even be happier apart. God knows they make each other and me miserable. We’ve never been that happy television family, babe.”
“Like I don’t know what that’s like?” I pointed out. “Mom and I are not posters for well-adjusted.”
He chuckled. “You’re pretty fucking awesome despite that.”
“I think you’re the awesome one.”
“Well, we’re a mutual admiration society, but since I founded it, you win awesome hands down.”
I smiled. “We’ll agree to disagree…”
“Frankie?” He leaned forward. “Forgive me yet?”
I sighed. After the last twenty-four hours? “Yeah,” I exhaled. “Don’t keep secrets like that again… don’t…”
“Don’t plan to get rid of some guy who thinks he can waltz in and take off with my girl?” He raised his eyebrows.
