that I brought him home with me. He’s crashed out on the couch right now; he’s so peaceful when he’s not talking and giving me a bad time.”
“And you want to have sex with him,” Cat said. “As I mentioned in that letter, you don’t need anyone’s permission. The last person who’d judge you for that is me.”
“No, that’s not it. I’m not even mad anymore. If it means getting laid, I can even tell my pride to take a hike.” We were getting off topic, but with my heart expanding over the memory of him leaning over the table and telling me he wished he hadn’t lost his chance with me, I couldn’t help but bask in the swirl of affection that arose for a second or two longer. “It’s beyond physical attraction; I genuinely like him. More than I should, given how difficult it is to think very rationally or clearly whenever I’m around him.”
“While I’m super happy for you, I’m still failing to see where I come in.”
“I’m no lightweight, but I really wanted him to see what it’s like to lose, so…” Just spit it out. “After my second shot, I asked Luciana to serve me iced tea instead of whiskey so that I could win.”
Catalina laughed so loudly I had to pull the phone away from my ear.
“I didn’t think he’d take it so far, but he’s so damn competitive that he kept on requesting more and more. It was satisfying for a few minutes, but now I feel guilty. Do I really have to confess before we have sex?” I held my breath, counting on Cat to assure me it was unnecessary so my pride wouldn’t have to take another hit.
“Do I get to weigh in?” a deep voice said from behind me, and I jumped, dropping my phone in the process.
“Shit.” I whirled around and attempted a sheepish grin that felt closer to a grimace. “Um, truce?”
“Penny?” From the floor, Cat’s voice sounded tinny and small.
I quickly bent and retrieved my phone. “Hey, Cat? I’m going to have to call you back later. Archer’s awake, and he definitely heard that last part. On the bright side, I no longer need your advice on whether or not to come clean. On the… remains-to-be-seen side, the wild gleam in his eyes leads me to believe he’s thinking up creative ways to punish me.”
“Have fun, Pen. You deserve it.”
I hung up and twisted a finger around my hair, hoping I was pulling off a more innocent vibe than a ditzy one. Although if it got me out of trouble, I’d take either. “Um, so… Surprise, you win. Congrats!”
A squeal escaped me as he lunged. He scooped me into his arms, planting his hands on my ass and lifting me until we were eye level. “You dirty, sexy”—his nose brushed the end of mine—“cheater.”
He deposited me on the kitchen counter and wedged himself between my legs. “What am I going to do with you?”
“I have a few ideas…” I reached up and undid a button on my shirt. And then another, and another. I bit my lip, leaning forward and pushing my biceps into my breasts to emphasize all the cleavage I had on display and batted my eyes. “But first, hurry up and drink some coffee. I need to know you’re sober.”
“I am, but you know what’s even better than coffee?” He kissed me hard on the mouth and drifted his hands up his thighs. “A hot, steamy shower.”
I’d wanted to race into the bathroom and straighten up, but Archer and I started kissing and fondling between sips of coffee, and I couldn’t summon enough willpower to break away.
Separating had led to not getting to finish before, and I wasn’t taking any chances tonight. Just to be sure he couldn’t escape, I wound my legs around his waist.
By the time he took my empty mug and placed it next to the one he’d been using, half the buttons on his shirt and mine were undone. I was readying to jump off the counter, but Archer caged me in by placing his hands on either side of my thighs. His eyes locked onto mine, and I forgot how to breathe. He remained frozen for enough seconds I worried he was having second thoughts, and I feared I was about to discover if spontaneous combustion was a real thing.
“About what I said in the elevator the other day…” He cupped my chin and swiped his thumb across my