“It’s going to overflow.” He said and Ivy started, turning around to him and splashing a handful of water on the front of her linen pants. Leon raised his eyebrows, he was mocking her for her clumsiness, but he didn’t comment on it.
“Sorry, I’m just a little tired. I didn’t get much sleep last night.” She said, rubbing t
he back of her wrist on her forehead.
“Were we very loud?” He asked, and walked over to the refrigerator. Ivy was following him with her eyes, a little nervously. She was afraid that Leon would see it on her face, that she was lusting after his brother.
“It’s alright. I’m sure you both had a lot of catching up to do.” She said, licking her lips. Leon had bent down in front of the refrigerator, to extract a bottle of homemade iced tea that Ivy had made the previous day.
“Yes, we did.” He said, cradling the icy cold bottle in the crook of his arm. His presence in the room, so close to her, was a sudden reminder of how attracted she still was to Leon. How he was capable of making her melt in his arms.
“Are you both very close?” She blurted out, not quite sure why she chose to ask him that. Leon was about to turn and leave the room, but he stopped and he turned to face her again with a grin. Unlike Archer, Leon smiled very rarely, and every time he did, it caught Ivy by surprise.
“Yes, we are. Archer and I share everything. Nothing is out of bounds between us.” He said, and Ivy noticed how he clenched and unclenched his jaw. He still had that soft smile at the sides of his mouth that made her stomach drop.
Leon was gone in a flash, leaving Ivy alone in the kitchen again, making her feel like someone had knocked the living breath out of her.
What had he meant by those words? That they shared everything? Nothing was out of bounds between them? Why did Leon stare at her like that, smile at her like that? A million questions were whizzing through Ivy’s mind as she stood clutching the sides of the kitchen sink, trying to recover her breath.
It was almost like Leon was giving her permission to think about Archer, like he approved of her having those thoughts about his twin brother. Nothing was out of bounds between them. They shared everything. Did Leon mean that he intended on sharing her with him too?
Ivy drew in a sharp deep breath at the thought of that. She couldn’t get the image of the two brothers on their horses in the distance, out of her mind. She knew she was lusting after them both. The previous day, when she first set eyes on Archer; she hadn’t moved because she wanted him to see her naked. How were both of them doing this to her? Making her feel like she had no control over her own body or her reactions.
“Fancy seeing you here.” She heard Archer’s voice behind her as she placed a bucket of water at the foot of the stable door. She had carried it from the well behind the house for the horses.
Ivy whipped around to find Archer walking over to her, his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He looked rugged, hardened after a day’s work and his pants were covered in dust. His boots were dusty too and he towered over her, as he drew closer.
“I’m just getting my work done.” Ivy said, wiping her damp hands on the front of her linen pants. Archer had that same smirk on his face that made her stomach do somersaults. Those dimples looked too good to look away from.
“I didn’t think my brother would make you do any heavy lifting. You look too delicate for that.” He continued, now coming to a halt in front of her. Ivy’s back pressed against the warmth of the wooden stable door as she stepped away from him. She didn’t want him to be any closer to her, because she was afraid of what she might do. The man was growing more irresistible to her by the second. So, her only defense against him was to snap.
“Of course I’m not, and Leon doesn’t make me do anything. This is the only way I can help him with the horses.” She said, trying to put on a sour look on her face. She wondered where Leon was, but kept her thoughts to herself. His voice, telling her that he shared everything with his brother came waltzing back to her brain. She wouldn’t mind sharing herself with Archer, she was well aware of that. And neither did Archer look like he would mind sharing with his brother. He was looking her up and down, it was like he couldn’t stop looking at her in fact.
“Do you need some help with that?” He asked suddenly and bent forward to reach for the bucket of water. When he did, his face grazed along the front of her legs, their skin separated by the fabric of her pants. But she had felt the coarseness of his stubble, and it sent her skin tingling. She wanted to feel her fingers on his chin, to taste his breath in her mouth, it was getting too hot there, she could feel herself beginning to sweat. Archer Cooper was too close for comfort.
He had picked the bucket up and now was stretching his hand in her direction and Ivy cowered. But instead of touching her, he had pushed against the wooden door behind her and the door gave way. Ivy’s body moved lightly with it, making her sway on her feet.
“Oh, careful now.” Archer said with a chuckle as he walked into the stable. Ivy’s heart was beating maddeningly as she steadied herself. He knew the effect he had on her, and he was enjoying himself.
She followed him in silently, her breath had caught in her throat and she couldn’t protest against him anymore. Archer was doing as he pleased.
He carried the bucket in one hand, lifting it like it was as light as a feather, the trait of strength he shared equally with his brother.
“Where do you want it?” He asked, suddenly turning to her, just when she had been studying the muscles on his back.
“Anywhere, I’ll fill their troughs with water later.” Ivy was fumbling with her words; she could feel herself growing hotter under her blouse. What was he going to do? They were surrounded by the towering presence of five horses in their stables. The horses were quiet, but she could feel their powerful presence around her. But nothing felt more present, nothing had more of an effect on her than Archer.
He placed the bucket gently on the ground at his feet and then straightened his back.
“Let me be honest here.” He began, startling her with the calmness in his voice. “I want you.” He said and Ivy nearly gasped. Those were not the words she had been expecting to hear from him.
Ivy couldn’t respond, instead she just stood there, dumbstruck by what he had just said.
“And I get the feeling that you want me too.” He said and she noticed the way his eyes immediately swung to her breasts. She didn’t need to look to know that he was referring to her erect nipples. He could see them through her flimsy pastel pink cotton blouse. They were hardened mounds, yearning for his touch, for his mouth and Ivy had never felt this helpless about her body before.
“But I…but.” She was stuttering.
“I know…but I know Leon. He won’t mind. In fact, it might even amuse him.” Archer completed the sentence and Ivy could feel her knees wobbling.