Brazen and Breathless (Untouchable #6) - Heather Long Page 0,60

both of us that he was no longer as invested in watching the movie. Of course, the fact we could pause it didn’t hurt. We finished the last bit in a boneless heap, and I was almost too relaxed to jump at the velociraptors.

Almost.

But later, after we finished the second movie and curled up, my mind circled back to the results…

“I’m going to have to talk to her,” I murmured, and he sighed before pressing a kiss to my shoulder blade right over my tattoo, and my heart squeezed.

“I know, babe. But not tonight, and not until you’re ready. You set the terms and you decide when.” He tucked his face against my throat and snuggled my back to his chest. “Then we’ll ambush the bitch and see how she likes it.”

Ambush her.

“I like it.”

“Good. Now sleep, I’m right here.”

I sighed, and I tried to go to sleep. I really tried, but the one thought kept niggling at me. “Archie…what if she tells me something really horrible? Like my father is in prison or he didn’t want me or whatever? I mean, she doesn’t seem to have known who…”

“One, we don’t know why there are multiple tests. We are assuming she needed to determine paternity out of a list of possible candidates, but we’re not sure.”

Fair. We were probably right, but fair.

“Two, I don’t care if your father is a boring accountant from Akron, Ohio or the leader of some gang of thugs. He’s a sperm donor, and who he is has nothing to do with you.”

I liked that.

“Three, her decisions aren’t yours, Frankie. She’s an adult. Those choices have been and always will be about herself. It’s not on you to excuse it or understand it. You don’t owe her the time of day, much less a thought process considering her behavior.”

Someone had thought about this. I turned my head a little, seeking him in the dark, and he rubbed his cheek to mine.

“And four, most important of all, I love you. We all do. You’re not alone. I’ll have your back every step of the way. I promise, I’m not going any-fucking-where.”

Interlacing my fingers with his, I pressed a kiss to his lips. It wasn’t deep or passionate, more a brush and hold, a token and acknowledgement. “I love you. Thank you.”

“Always, babe.” Another kiss. “Always.” After a beat, he asked, “Think you can sleep now?”

Yeah. I absolutely could sleep.

And I did.

Every time I jerked awake from a dream I couldn’t remember, he was right there.

Just like he promised.

Chapter Twelve

Love on Top

Saturday dawned dreary and wet. I woke before Archie, but I didn’t try to sneak away. Instead, I curled up there, aware of his heartbeat, the way he held me close, even in sleep, and the fact that our legs were tangled together. It was comfortable as fuck.

The dull spatter of rain against the windows held my attention as I traced little patterns on the back of Archie’s hands. The calluses on his fingertips always made me want to play with them. I almost wanted to turn over and stare at him asleep—not creepily—but because I loved how relaxed he’d get in the early hours of the morning. Sometimes, even in sleep, he wore the most consternated little frown. Other times, he looked just like that boy we met in ninth grade.

Every once in a while, I wished I could go back and slap myself. There was a clarity that came with knowing how they felt. He had absolutely been trying to date me, and I never fucking noticed. They all had, in their own ways. Knowing what I knew now, I could see it.

A brush of lips against my tattoo made me smile. I loved tracing theirs, too. I’d spent part of the movie last night lying on his back and just tracing it over and over. At least until he’d flipped me over and we forgot all about the kids and the T-Rex for a little while. We definitely focused on the screen for the raptors.

Couldn’t miss those.

A giggle eddied up through me as I wiggled around to face him. “Good morning,” I whispered, and his eyes opened halfway.

“Still early,” he murmured. “Go back to sleep.”

I curled my fingers against his face, teasing the blunt cut of my nails against the stubble on his cheeks. His breathing softened, and I smiled as I pressed a kiss to his jaw, then to his throat and worked my way down his chest to the very interested cock