Until You're Mine (9 page)

I’ll never get enough.

Let her go.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I fought. That annoying little tingling feeling I got every time I thought about not keeping her kept overriding everything else. I didn’t want to keep her. Rather, I didn’t want her to keep me.

I laid my body across hers. The soft curve of her back melted into the hardness of my front, and for one fleeting moment, I could actually
feel
again. The gaping hole in my chest was filling up with something, something that I hadn’t felt in fucking years.

Trust
.

“Archer,” Trickled from her lips followed by a ragged breath as I shifted to lay behind her. Sharp nails scratched at the side of my neck, encouraging me while I fucked her from behind.

“Jesus Christ, I thought your mouth was fuckin’ heaven,” I slowed my punishing pace and pulled her leg over my thigh, losing myself momentarily within the confines of her incredible heat. My hand covered her throat, gently holding her in place while I pumped in and out. Her pulse thumped wildly beneath my palm as she tightened around me, writhing, moaning.

Mine
.  

“Let go,” Two whispered words and her body tensed all over, a deep moan vibrating against my hand. I buried myself as deep as I could go, drawing back and forth slowly when I felt the first burst of pleasure.

Limp and spent, I gently removed her leg from my thigh and pulled out, immediately locking myself into the bathroom like a little fucking bitch.

The fuck?

I’d never had this kind of reaction to another human being. The last woman I loved could never hold a candle to what I felt when I was inside of Katherine.

Why her?

My head was telling me to stick to my convictions and play it safe, but my fucked up heart was saying something entirely different. I thought the motherfucker was dead, that was before I lost myself inside a woman that had already found her way beneath my skin. 

No.

I’d learned my lesson once. I wasn’t one of those pathetic fucks that had to be taught the lesson of heartbreak over and over again to understand what it meant, or the devastation loving another could cause. I’d been gutted once and it had cost me dearly. I was pretty sure the damage Katherine was capable of would be far greater than some stress crack to my heart and a dent to my bank account.

No woman was worth that risk. 

I took care of the condom, pissed then I splashed my face with cold water. Why the fuck did I have such an overwhelming need to go back in there, take her again…and fall asleep with her in my arms? Looking in the mirror, I said out loud what I already knew.

“You’re fucked.”

Wherever you go,

go with all your heart.

~Confucius

If I loved him before, I had no idea what the hell I was feeling now. Connecting with him on such an intimate level had been exactly what I thought it would be.

Intense.

Powerful.

Life changing.

He didn’t say a word before he got up and went to the bathroom and admittedly it hurt, but Archer was like a wounded animal. He needed to be handled with delicate care and finesse. I knew him well enough to know that it would take more than incredible sex to earn his trust, and his love. My heart gushed with the same heat as his naked body strolled back into the room.

With the comforter tucked beneath my chin, I admired the magnificent view. His chiseled body was a mass of solid rock wrapped up tightly in tattooed skin. Thick bands of elaborate tribal ink branded him from shoulder to chest, then slithered down his arm, stopping at his wrist. His other arm was a mix of so many things. I didn’t know where to start. I wanted him to tell me the story behind each and every one. I wanted to know everything about this man, every deep dark secret, every truth and flaw.

Everything
.

The flesh between my thighs tingled and clenched as he stood next to the bed staring down at me.

Confusion and something else bunched the hard lines of his beautiful face. “What?”

“I was admiring the dragon,”

He angled his head, cocking one brow. “Got it when I was 21. Represents power and strength, two of my best traits.”

“I disagree,”

He crossed his arms, an arrogant grin playing with the corner of his mouth. “Really?”

Sitting up, I flipped my hair behind my shoulders. My naked breasts pebbled beneath his sharpening gaze. I placed both hands to his chest, holding his soul searching stare. “This is the best part of you- along with what I see behind your eyes.”

Archer’s lips parted on a sigh as I watched him peek over the carefully erected wall around his heart.

Strong fingers clasped my wrists, tugging them from his chest. “The fuck are you doin’, Katherine?”

Returning his angry glare, I fixed my hands to my hips. “I think we’ve gotten to know each other well enough now you can call me Katy.”

“You’re Katherine to me,” he grated, irritation heavy in his voice.

Heat swarmed my face. “You’re the only one who calls me that, and it’s annoying as hell, to be honest.”

“Well, here’s the thing sweetheart. I don’t give a fuck.” Fire flickered around the edges of those brilliant green eyes before his lips claimed mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him down into the softness of my body. Tongues tangled and hands roamed, as he allowed himself to let go just one more time before he pulled away. My desperate arms reached out for him. “I’m going to make coffee. See you downstairs.”

My empty hands trembled against my naked thighs. Did I make a mistake? Was this all a mistake? I know what I saw. Yet, he seemed so…
unaffected
. While I was sitting here bathing in the fact that I would never be the same. 

After I grabbed a quick shower, I walked back into the room and found my stuff lying on the bed. I had my bra and panties on when Macklemore started singing from my purse.

A smile I desperately needed found my lips. “Hey sweetie, how’s married life?”

“Katy! Holy shit girl, you will never believe where I am. Holden, I finally got her.” she squealed down the line.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, my fluttering belly joined her excitement. “Where?”

“Wait. Where’ve you been? I’ve been callin’ and callin’. You always answer your phone, even in the dead of night. Oh shit, are you at Archer’s?” Concern replaced her excitement. Dammit, I didn’t want to drag her down my road yet. There was just too much to tell.

“We’ll talk about it when you get back.”

“Katy…”

“Maddie, where the hell are you?”

She was my best friend. My sister. Our relationship was no holds barred-never hold back-true ride or die shit. But I didn’t want to weigh her down with my love life woes when hers was at an all-time high.

“Get this. Are you sitting down right now? Holden owns an island.”

“Shit.” I breathed.

“Yeah. That’s what I said. Well, I said a lot more than that. Who knew he had that kind of money. I mean, I knew he was rich…but damn. We own a fuckin’ island, Katy! It still hasn’t sunk in. Anyway, we just got here and the reception is shitty so I’ll talk to you in a few days. And uh, I expect to hear
everything
when I get back.” she demanded.

“Same here…love you both.”

“Love you, too.” 

I finished getting dressed and hot stepped it downstairs. Archer was tapping away furiously on his laptop, a cup of coffee and his cell within reach.

“There’s coffee if you want it. Just give me a few minutes to wrap up this email, and we’ll roll out.”

I sat my bags down on top of the counter and fixed myself a cup, taking a seat across from him.

“So what’s up with you and your ole man,” Archer closed his lap top, his attention now focused solely on me.

“What do you mean?”

“One, I wanna know why he spoke to you like he did yesterday. Two, what happened between the two of you to make you hate him so much.”

“I don’t hate him.” I whispered into my cup.

“Not the vibe I got. If looks could kill, the man would have been crucified in his own damn church.”

Taking a sip, I kept my eyes down. “He’s just…he can be difficult sometimes. He has his convictions and I have mine. I do my best to find common ground, but my father is set in his ways. Our relationship has been strained for years. I’ve tried to rectify it best I could, but it was obvious they had no intentions of changing their views on acceptance, or compromise for that matter.

“And your mother?”

“She’s the same way.” I shrugged. “My brother Alex and I have always been pretty close, but he lives in LA so I don’t get to see him very much. He’s actually coming home to visit today.”

I’d almost forgotten he was flying in today, being all wrapped up in the man sitting across from me. Alex was supposed to fly in a week ago so he could attend Maddie’s wedding, but he was offered a job he said couldn’t pass up.

I leaned forward. “So what about your family?”

From what I’ve gathered from Maddie, Holden’s parents and sister weren’t very pleasant people. Maddie had met them once on a trip back to Texas. Holden was elated to introduce his family to his soon to be bride, but they weren’t there thirty minutes before his mother began picking apart Maddie’s wardrobe, and then proceeded to emotionally dismantle their son right in front of her. It was pretty bad. Then there were the grandparents, Sylvia and Archie. Holden spoke of them often. Apparently he and Archer had spent a lot of time with them growing up. But that was all I knew.

Pain flashed in his eyes before he quickly snuffed it out. “My parents died in a car accident when I was five. My grandparents raised me.”

The chair scraping across the hardwood had me on my feet. “Archer, I’m so…”

Refusing to meet my eyes, he tagged his cell and keys from the table.  “Grab your shit. I’ll take you to your car.”

My chest ached with sadness.

He had no one.

No one to take care of him, love him the way he needed to be loved. The thought chilled me to the bone and strengthened my resolve. It would take a heavy arsenal, but I would tear down those walls. Brick by brick, one by one, they were all coming down.