Big Dick Energy - Cindi Madsen Page 0,67

more days in the grand scheme of things?

I knocked on the door to #703, and a disheveled-looking Archer opened the door. His hair was mussed, as though he’d repeatedly plowed his fingers through it. He’d removed the tie he’d had on earlier and unbuttoned the top couple of buttons on his white shirt, allowing me a peek at the firm lines of his collarbone.

Since he seemed like he could use a jolt, I draped myself against the doorjamb, pouted my lips, and did my best sexy delivery girl impression. “Hello, I’ve got an order for Archer York.” I slipped the flash drive out of my purse and tucked it in my cleavage. “You just have to kiss here”—I tapped my cheek and then pointed at my lips—“here”—I popped a hip and smacked a butt cheek—“and here.”

Archer yanked me into the living room and kissed me like I was oxygen and he’d finally bobbed to the surface for air. He palmed my ass and pressed me tighter against him. Right as I was about to tease him for being awful at instructions, the same way I’d done the night we’d sung together at the bar, Taylor Swift’s Death by a Thousand Cuts blasted through the room at an ear-splitting volume.

Another voice joined in, cry-singing about pretending it was okay when it wasn’t, the pain so palpable and raw, my chest ached. A howling dog followed, its squeaky version equally as mournful.

“Help me,” Archer mouthed. Then he tugged me farther into the room and pointed me toward the teenage girl flung across the couch.

The mascara tracks running down the cheek I could see suggested she’d been crying for a while.

“Um, could you give me some context?” I whispered to him, doing my best not to laugh at the way he was using me as a human shield. “Jaden Mitchell asked Kaylee Foster to the school dance.”

“Ah,” I said, my heart immediately going out to the girl. Back in the day, I’d lived that scenario way too many times before.

Archer poked his head over my shoulder long enough to give me a befuddled look. “Are you saying that’s enough for you to decipher what the hell’s going on? Because I’m still lost.”

“I’m going to guess that Jaden Mitchell plays the guitar or is the star of the football team. Or he has the best hair any boy’s ever had before.”

“I think she said something about the drums.”

“Oh no.” Already I was shaking my head and moving toward the couch. “Not a drummer.” I turned and placed my hand on Archer’s forearm. “Do you have access to cookie dough?”

“I can buy some at the market down the street, but I was afraid to leave her alone.”

This time, I did the manhandling. I spun Archer toward the door. “Two tubes of chocolate chip. Don’t worry, I’ve got this. It’ll probably take a few more of T Swift’s classic breakup ballads. However, if we don’t get cookie dough by the time we’ve finished rage singing a few tracks from her Reputation album, it could get ugly, so don’t doddle, either.”

For once, Archer didn’t argue. Didn’t present another plan. He simply raised his voice, introduced me to Izzie and told her I was here to help, and fled.

27

Archer

I winced at how loud the key sounded sliding into my front door. I’d never been afraid to enter a place where I was staying before, but with Izzie and Penelope joining forces, the fear was real.

Rather than pick and choose, I worried they’d aim their anger toward males in general. Not that I hadn’t done a few dick-ish things over the past few weeks that’d deserve their ire, but I’d much rather bask in the progress we’d made. After experiencing what it was like to be on her good side, I never wanted to be on the bad side again.

The bad side didn’t include kissing or phone calls that left me smiling for hours afterward. Or, you know, sex. The last time we’d snuck in a steamy session between the sheets, I’d begun planning the next time all of two seconds after we’d finished; our lovemaking was that addictive.

Lovemaking? I gave my head a hard shake, doing my best to dislodge that and any other thought that’d either freak me out or land me in hot water.

Kali rushed over to me, curious as to what goodies I’d brought, and I lifted my finger to my lips to shush her. For some mystifying reason, it worked this time.

“This was my