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“Well, I’ve never actually shown up to an event or party with a date so... No, I can’t say it does.”
“So you’re saying I should probably get used to that kind of interaction.” I huff, not sure I’m at all prepared for what lies ahead.
“Maybe.” He chuckles, tugging open the door.
Music, voices, and laughter filter out of the house, seeming to engulf us before we’ve even stepped over the threshold.
I won’t lie and say I’m not nervous. Hell, I’m terrified. But it’s not the party that scares me. No, that honor goes entirely to the man who’s currently holding on to my hand so tightly it’s borderline painful, and yet equally as comforting.
I try to focus on what’s in front of me rather than what’s happening on the inside—my raging heart and fluttering stomach, for instance.
The house is even more incredible on the inside than it is on the outside. A grand entrance complete with a wide spiral staircase that leads up to the second floor. Tall ceilings, marble floors, the finest fixtures and details.
It’s the last thing you would expect when thinking about a house that college students live in. And while part of me is green with envy, because come on, who wouldn’t want to live somewhere like this. The other part of me knows I’m luckier than most, even if I do live in a shoebox of a dorm and have to share a bathroom with an entire floor of people. I may not have grown up with this kind of money, but my parents always gave me enough that I never felt like I was missing out.
“You want a drink?” Archer leans in close to my ear so he doesn’t have to shout over the music.
“Sure.” I’m quick to agree, mainly because I’m hopeful it will soothe my nerves a bit.
With my hand still tucked securely in his, Archer fist bumps nearly everyone we pass as he leads us to the center of the house where a huge kitchen sits, open to an enormous entertainment room complete with the biggest television I’ve ever seen and a glass stand next to it, lined with every game system you could probably think of. Several guys are piled on the huge, wraparound couch in the center of the room playingCall of Duty. I only recognize it because Conner used to play it. It’s strange to think that nearly four years later that I’m at a college party watching people play the exact same game my high school boyfriend and his buddies played. In a way, it makes me feel incredibly nostalgic.
“Do you want a beer?” Archer pulls my attention away from the game. “Or I could mix you up something if you want. Though I must admit, I’m not much of a bartender.”
“Beer is fine.” I give him a soft smile, following him into the kitchen.
He doesn’t release my hand until we reach the counter where there’s a large stack of red plastic cups. Grabbing two, he turns toward the keg.
“You like video games?” he asks, filling one cup before turning to hand it to me, immediately filling the second for himself.
“Not really. My ex used to play them a lot.” I feel weird mentioning Conner even though I know I shouldn’t. “Do you play video games?” I quickly ask.
“Sometimes on the offseason. Me and some of the guys do leagues in Madden.”
“So you play football and then in the offseason you pass the time by playing virtual football?” I drag my bottom lip through my teeth to keep my amusement from spreading across my face.
“Well, when you put it like that.” He chuckles, lifting his cup to his lips, taking a small drink. “Come on, let’s go call dibs.”
“Dibs on what?”
“On the next game.” He lifts his chin toward the television, my eyes following the movement.
“You’re joking, right? I can’t play that.”
“Have you ever tried?”
“No.”
“Then how do you know you can’t play?”
“Archer.” I almost whine as his hand finds the small of my back and he urges me out of the kitchen and toward the couch of guys.
“Relax.” He stops directly behind me, his breath tickling the back of my neck, and his hand slides across my stomach, securing my back to his front.
I can feel the eyes on us, seeming to come from every direction. But when his lips find the crook of my neck and he presses a soft kiss to my pulse, the only person I’m thinking about is Archer Copeland and how I wish we were alone so I could... Well, you get the point.
The thought surprises even me because well, let’s be real, I’m not the most sexual of people. But Archer, I don’t know, he pulls something out of me, something I didn’t even know existed until the night he kissed me for the first time.
I walked through life, rarely thinking about anything sexually related, having always discarded it as something I could take or leave. But Archer, he’s changing that. Hell, when he looks at me a certain way, I swear I feel like I’m about to orgasm in my seat. I’ve never felt that before. Such unadulterated lust. Such need. Such desperation and desire. Like if he doesn’t touch me, I might actually die.
