“I’d say you have a vivid imagination,” I answered, keeping one hand firm on where the towel was tucked in. “Or you peeked earlier. Either way,” I continued determined to do this, “You asked me to dress up, so I’m going to do that. Now, out.”
A slow smile curved his lips and he lifted Tabby and set her on the bed before he stood, seemingly uncaring of the cat hair now decorating his lap. The fact it hadn’t even slowed him down to make a fuss of my cat. Whether for the chance to tease me or just because he liked the cat didn’t matter, his choice threatened to turn me into a warm puddle of goo. No going gooey around Archie, I had to be able to keep up with his wit.
The spark in his brown eyes and the faint hint of a smirk on his lips suggested he was well aware of the effect he was having on me. Still, I motioned him toward the door. But he paused in front of me instead of continuing out.
He leaned close and I went very still. There was nothing but a towel and electrified nerves around me. Pressing his lips to my ear, he whispered, “I definitely peeked. You have an amazing ass.” Then he pressed a kiss to my skull just behind my ear and slipped out of the room while I was trying to remember how to breathe.
I’d never been so glad of being on birth control in my life. From the age of thirteen on, Mom and my doc recommended it to control periods and because my best friends were all guys. It seemed a little pointless beforenow.
Without even laying a finger on me, I was overheated and wound tight. Definitely needed to get dressed and out of here before I made a decision we might end up regretting, no matter how darkly tempting he was.
After fanning my face, I glanced at the purring Tabby who looked from me to the open door Archie had left via before she leapt off the bed to trot after him.
Traitor.
Get it together, Frankie.Yeah.
That was effective.
I took several, long, deep breaths and then dropped the towel and grabbed my panties. At least I’d done the cosmetics and lotion in the bathroom. I had to loosen the bodice ties before I could slip the dress on. One of the reasons I’d picked it out was I loved how the bodice made me think of a ren faire corset but the rest was just flowing and natural. I could get away without the spaghetti straps and I debated them for a hot minute.
Date night.
He asked me to dress up.
I unbuttoned the straps and left them on the dresser as I tightened the bodice and tied it. It was snug against my chest, almost as snug as the towel had been but the skirt had a little swish, hanging a little lower in the back than the front. The shoes that went with the dress were the same shade—the only pair of shoes I’d ever owned that matched a dress perfectly and it had been dumb luck.
Slipping the shoes on, I checked my appearance in the mirror. Flushed cheeks and over bright eyes aside, I thought I’d cleaned up pretty well.Date time.
My nerves flared, the hurricane-force butterflies fluttering away in my gut. I transferred my wallet into a little clutch purse—not something I usually carried and fixed the strap so it would dangle from my wrist—then grabbed the lint roller on my way out the door.
Archie stood in the living room, hands in his pockets as he stared at the new coffee table.
“Jake,” I told him without his having to ask. “He brought it over Wednesday after I got off work.”
Pivoting, Archie canted his head and swept his gaze over me. “Wait,” he said as I continued forward and I hesitated a step. Reaching forward he plucked the lint roller from my hand and set it on the coffee table before he pulled out his phone. “Smile for me?”
“You’re taking my picture?” Okay, that came out sounding like I was an idiot, but I couldn’t control the smile taking over my face. He took a couple.
“You look stunning,” he said. “That dress is… wow.”
Sooner or a later, a person stopped blushing right? The dilation of the vessels and the sudden flood of oxygenated blood would calm down? Because, I even ducked my eyes this time.Dammit.“Thank you.” Searching for a sense of control, I resumed my original course and said, “Lint roller please.”
He handed it back and I cleared some tape and then began rolling his shirt. I started at the shoulders then worked my way over his front. Rip, another round of tape, down his tie. Then to his pants. I’d made two sweeps over his thighs, then glanced at him with my eyebrows raised.
“Oh, by all means,” he told me. “I was enjoying that.”
I wrinkled my nose. Then stared right at him as I ran the lint roller over his crotch. Of course, my defiance backfired. There was no mistaking how hard Archie was or the obstacle his cock created that I had to bump over. But I tore off the last bit of tape and stepped back, then did a circular motion with my finger all the while determinedly ignoring the blushing.
Of course there was cat hair on his back. I focused on getting it off the shirt first and then I took care of his butt. The slacks he wore fit him nicely and, while I’d never really paid attention to it before, Archie had a nice ass. This close, I also couldn’t miss his cologne. It was something a little spicy and it smelled like him, too. Yeah, don’t ask me what that smell was specifically because it smelled like Archie. They each had their own unique scent.
Comfortable. Familiar. Enticing.
“Are you checking out my ass while you are so efficiently stroking it with that thing?” The question jolted me out of the petting motion I’d been pursuing, and I groaned.
“Yes,” I admitted. “You have a very nice ass.”
“Not as nice as yours, babe. Am I pussy free?”