“Yours smells like you.”
“But this is nicer,” he said with a wave, then leaned up on an elbow to eye me appreciatively. “You look…wow.”
“I’m not even dressed yet.”
“Exactly. Don’t get dressed, come back to bed instead. Be bad, Frankie, come be bad with me.”
“I was bad with you,” I reminded him.
“Yeah…” Another sigh. “That wasgood.” The playful side of Archie was always fun. Still, if he kept looking me like that, I’d be in damp panties all day, and I wanted to cling to the floaty feeling.
Moving to the dresser, I pulled out the jeans and uniform shirt for work.
“By the way,” I told him over my shoulder. “I found your hickeys. Very nice.”
One on each of my thighs, just on the inside of them.
His smug smile grew. “I promised you they’d be easy to hide.” Heat flash fired through me at the promise in his eyes.
Compared to Jake and Coop’s presents, these would be easy to hide right up until I was in a suit that night. Speaking of suits, I buttoned the jeans and then searched through my drawers. A black one piece. A deep blue patterned one piece. Where was it? The same shopping trip I’d bought that dress on, I’d found a suit and got it on an impulse. Not that I expected to ever wear it, but it was pretty.
I found it in the bottom of the drawer, tags still on. I pulled it out and studied it. It was perfect for my boobs, the top had a straight neckline, adjustable crisscross spaghetti straps, a strappy, crisscross under-bust band and a double back hook closure. The bottoms cut high on the hips but gave full bottom coverage and when I’d tried it on, I’d actually liked the way it made my ass look.
“That’s new,” Archie commented, eyeing the bikini in my hand.
“Yeah, I got it last spring. Wasn’t sure if I’d ever wear it.” I didn’t usually go for bikinis. It was a lot of skin to show. But… I wanted my own suit on tonight. And the guys would all be there. For once, I kind of wanted to show off.
“Wearing it tonight?” There was a guarded note in his voice, and I glanced over to meet his gaze. He wasn’t looking at me, but at the suit and then over at the roses.
Oh.
“Not for them,” I told him. “I’d be wearing it for you guys…and because I want to.”
Archie sat up and raked a hand through his hair. “Do me a favor?”
“What?” I leaned against the dresser.
“Don’t let any dude corner you tonight, and yeah, I know you’re coming with Frenchy,” he said, raising his hand as if to ward off my argument. “But just stay out where we can see you.”
“And if Ian or Jake or…”
“They’re fine,” Archie said, but the faint twist of his mouth decried that statement. “I’d still rather you only disappeared at my place to make out withme, but I know the guys aren’t going to hurt you. I don’t know Frenchy, and I don’t know Mr. Thorns over there.”
Mister Thorns?I bit my lip. “Archie, Mathieu and I…”
He grimaced, bracing for it. “I’m taking him because I asked him before—all of this. I do like him. He’s a great guy…”
His eyes darkened.
“But,” I stressed crossing over to join him on the bed. “I also told him I wouldn’t be seeing him after tonight. I like him—a lot. But not like I like you guys and…”
“Seriously?” Relief swamped his features. He looped his arms around me and dragged me in for a kiss. When he finally let me up for air, my heart was pounding, and I had to smile at the way he searched my face.
“Seriously. But he’s still the new guy right now and…”
“You never abandon the new guy,” Archie murmured, wonder in his tone. “You never abandoned me.”
I had. I’d done it over the summer. “That’s not totally true. I wanted to tell you last night, but you didn’t want me to talk about him.”