Brazen and Breathless (Untouchable #6) - Heather Long Page 0,45

from the wall and crowded into the bathroom until he was pressed up against my back. “I hate the idea of him being anywhere near you.”

He settled his hands on my hips and then leaned in to press his cheek to mine. I’d gone with a dark green blouse and a pair of black dress pants rather than the skirt I’d originally planned. One, skirts just made me uncomfortable, and two…well, the fierce look on Archie’s face when I’d pulled it out just made me not want to have that argument.

Since he’d gotten home and we’d shown him that email, he’d been in a rage. The fact that his knuckles had been bruised and split when he came by after school on the same day also worried me. All he would say was that he was working on it.

“Babe,” he murmured. “I need you to be aware and on your guard. If you’re going to do this, then I support it, but if anything, and I mean anything feels off, you text me. I also want you to rely on that list of allies I gave you.”

I met his worried gaze in the mirror. “I love you,” I told him simply. There were any number of other words on the tip of my tongue, but those leapt out. “I will do everything you asked.”

“Except cancel and drop out of the program.” He ground his teeth, then closed his eyes as he seemed to wrestle with his temper.

Turning slowly, I faced him. “I get it,” I told him. “I get that you don’t want me there and I get you don’t want me working with him. I can’t imagine I would be…and at the same time, I wouldn’t put it past Maddy or him. But…do you think I’m in real physical danger from him?”

Archie had been against anything to do with Eddie from the beginning. Even when we were younger and before the whole joke of bad meatloaf, we just hadn’t really had anything to do with him except in passing.

Head tipped back, Archie stared at the ceiling. A muscle ticked in his cheek, and I waited him out. If he said there was a real threat, then I’d take the hit and ask to withdraw from the program. My biggest concern right now was if it would affect my temporary emancipation. Maddy had been quiet, but there was a little over ten weeks left until my birthday.

If she pulled anything and it got taken away from me, I’d survive those ten weeks, but I didn’t want to just survive.

“No,” Archie said slowly. “I sure the fuck hope not. He…he likes women.” Those dark brown eyes held so much pain when he focused on me. “And he seems a little too interested in you. So, avoid being alone with him. If you have to be in his office, keep the door open. Just…”

I rubbed a circle against his chest. “I’ll rely on the people on the list you gave me. You told me Susan works on his floor, right?”

“She does.”

“Then I’ll check in with her before I go anywhere near his office, but all the schedule says for today is to show up, check in and I meet with someone from HR who will get my security pass, show me where I’ll be ‘working,’ and then do an orientation on Standish.” I smoothed down his shirt. “Who knows, maybe I’ll never get anywhere near his office, and they’ll stick me in some back corner doing something like coffee and copies.”

He snorted, hand coming up to cup my face. “Don’t hate me, but I love the idea of you never being anywhere near him.”

“I know. If I think for even an instant that something is wrong or even a bit uncomfortable…”

“You’ll text me,” Archie said. “I’m going to apply at school so I can leave and come up to the office as often as I can. I might see if I can work out ditching my afternoon classes on the days you’re there…”

“Arch.”

He shook his head and then pressed his forehead to mine while threading our fingers together. “Let me be paranoid and overprotective. Okay?”

I made a face. “As long as you trust me to handle myself.” Because this was a test for all of us really. None of the guys were particularly happy about it. Coop had damn near bitten his tongue in half when the others had been around, but he made his thoughts on the subject very clear when