Stripped Love (Guys Next Door #1) - Baylin Crow Page 0,29
in hitting up a party tonight after we get out of here?”
“What kind of party?” I asked as I slipped out of the jockstrap and traded it for skin-tight black shorts that hugged my ass like a second skin.
“Just a small get together at my house." When I glanced at him, he brushed his dark hair away from his forehead and then loosely crossed his arms over his tanned chest. "Just some drinking, poker, and maybe some pool with a few hot guys I met last weekend. Some girls too. Not my thing, but whatever floats your boat tonight."
Even though my first reaction was to turn down the invite, my thoughts turned to Archer as they often did.
Over the last week, we'd spent many nights hanging out at my house. Sometimes he'd work on his book, and I'd discreetly watch him as a movie played. Sometimes I'd end up fucking his mouth with my tongue for hours. But since the day after he'd fallen asleep on my couch and then rushed off to meet up with his friends, he'd been different. It felt like he'd distanced himself from me mentally.
Archer was so unpredictable, a wanton creature one moment and adorably shy others—though the nervous energy that had rolled off him in spades before was waning as he got more and more comfortable around me. The shift seemed small and was possibly just another side of him. One I didn't particularly care for since it made me unsure about where he stood on us. Without a fucking Archer-handbook handy, I was left guessing. It also held me back from taking things further in bed. That was an area he definitely hadn't pulled back from. His needy little moans played on repeat in my head, tempting me nightly. So did the way he dragged his fingers around my tattoos he seemed addicted to. But…that wasn't enough. Not for me. And I hadn't let myself consider why it mattered to me so much.
Maybe I did need the time away, to spend a night in my pre-Archer life. After considering it, I gave a stiff nod. “Yeah, maybe.”
“It’ll be fun," Damon promised in an exaggerated whisper. "Remember last time with… what was that girl’s name? Erica, Eva…whatever, Jonah’s friend.”
Jonah was Damon's roommate. Flamboyant and always down for a good time, he had more friends than I could keep track of. But it wasn't like I hooked up with all of them, so I thought I knew who he was talking about. A hazy memory surfaced of a night heavy with too much liquor and bad decisions.
"The one with longish brown hair and too much time in the tanning bed?" Damon nodded and I shut my locker and leaned against the cold metal. "Emma, I think. What about her?"
“Yeah." Damon snapped his fingers. "Anyway, I’m pretty sure she’s going to be there too. Jonah said she's been asking about you.”
I automatically shook my head. "Nah, I'm good."
Even before Archer, I hadn't made a habit of repeats. You could say I'd learned my lesson the hard way.
"Well, Aiden won't be there, so there's that." Damon shot a look across the room and grimaced.
Though I didn't need to, I glanced in the same direction and found Aiden staring back. He was pretending to listen to one of the new guys who was talking to him and doing a shit job of it. His dark brown hair was cut short and his eyes were light green. Tall and built with lean muscle, I'd found him attractive at one point. Now, he was nothing more than a pain in my ass. I tore my gaze away.
Damon was well aware of the fucked-up situation I'd created by having a benefits-only situation with a coworker. Couldn't even call it friends with benefits at the time. Maybe that's why it had sounded like a convenient arrangement, but that giant mistake had been over for several months. Aiden somehow continued to miss the memo I'd given him several times.
"I assumed he wouldn't, or you wouldn't have invited me," I deadpanned.
Damon chuckled. "He'll get over you and your magic dick eventually." He arched a brow. "So… you coming or what?"
Archer's face filled my thoughts, and I scrubbed my hand over my jaw. Was it too soon to be completely wrapped up in him? Probably. "Yeah," I decided. "I'll at least swing by."
"Don't sound so excited," he drawled with thick sarcasm. "I'm out of here, so just head over when you get off."