“Let me clean you up, baby.”
“I can do it myself.”
I frown down at her. She better get used to me taking care of her real quick because the need inside me is overwhelming. Ignoring her weak protests, I bring the warm cloth between her legs, cleaning off the remnants of our lovemaking so she can sleep comfortably. Once I’m done, I toss the cloth back towards the bathroom. I pull her closer to my chest and bring the covers over top of us.
Her hand instinctively covers my heart as she tucks her head under my chin while my arms encircle her. I’m drifting off when a thought suddenly occurs to me.
“No leaving, Hollie.”
“What?” she asks sleepily. Apparently, she’s already halfway to dreamland.
“I don’t want to wake up with you gone like I did last time. No leaving.” I grip her chin so that I can make sure she’s looking directly into my eyes. I want her to see the sincerity in them. “You got it?”
“Yeah, I got it,” she whispers.
I release her face and relax against the pillows. My bed has never felt more comfortable and I have the distinct impression that it’s because of the angel that I’m holding in my arms.
Nineteen
hollie
Morning sun pours over my face, gently pulling me from my bone-weary sleep. The bed is so soft that it’s like I’m floating on a cloud, yet still somehow weighted down. It’s then that I realize Archer has both his arm and leg across the entirety of my body, holding me in place.
I maneuver my body so that we’re face to face, careful not to disrupt his slumber. He looks so relaxed in sleep. More like the man I’ve come to know over the past few weeks than the ruthless businessman I first met. I reach out and brush back a lock of hair that’s fallen across his forehead, making him appear younger than his years.
A smile crosses my lips as I remember last night’s activities. After we made love the first time and fell asleep, it wasn’t long before Archer was waking me up so that we could do it all over again. He didn’t get any complaints on my end. In fact, the next two times were initiated by me. Even though my body is deeply satisfied, I’m exhausted and I seem to ache in places that I didn’t even know existed. Who needs the gym when you have Archer Clarke?
I grab my phone and see that it’s already past eight. We’re going to be late. Like, really late. I jump out of bed, no longer concerned about waking the sleeping giant, while I gather my clothes that are strewn around the room. I can hear Archer yawn and stretch behind me before giving a little growl.
“I told you not to leave,” he says, as if I’m across town somewhere and not right in front of his eyes.
“I didn’t leave, but if wedon’t start moving, we’re going to be late to work. Very late. Plus, I need to get home and change.” I fish one of my boots out from under the chair in the corner of the room and plop all the articles of clothing I’ve collected onto the seat.
“Come here, Hollie,” he says, reaching a hand towards me. He hasn’t moved a muscle yet to get out of bed and get ready for work. I approach him hesitantly, torn between hurrying to get to the office and crawling back into bed with him.
It’s then that I notice I’ve been traipsing around naked, so I practically dive back into bed next to him, pulling the covers up around me. Sure, he may have seen every inch of me last night, but that doesn’t mean I’m ready to be out walking around in all my naked glory in the sunlight.
Laughing, he gathers me into his arms and buries his nose in my hair. He sure likes to smell me a lot. “We’re both going to be late. I’m sure the boss will give you a pass this once.”
All at once, I’m drowning in him. His lips on mine, gentle yet persistent, his body surrounding me. The scent on his skin is a mixture of the two of us and what we shared last night. His hands are all over my body, stroking and caressing me, teasing me to the point of no return.
Before things get completely out of hand, I pull away from him slightly. “We have to get going, Archer. It’s going to look suspicious if we’re both late.”
“So what? I’m the boss. We can do whatever we want.” This man can be exasperating.
“Actually, no you can’t. Remember the no-fraternization clause you so kindly pointed out to me? You could get removed as CEO and I could lose my job. There’s no reason to let this—” I gesture wildly between the two of us, “—thing between us cause problems.” He doesn’t answer me, and I can’t quite read his expression. I’m assuming he understands what’s at risk here, so I push forward. “Besides, we have a ton to do today and you have that charity dinner tonight for Seattle schools. I had an intern pick up your suit. It’s hanging in the closet in your office.”
He sighs and pulls himself out of the bed. “Fine, I’ll behave. But only if you agree to go with me to the dinner tonight.”
“What? Why?” I ask.
“Because I want you to, that’s why.” He comes around the bed, not at all embarrassed by his own nudity. And why should he be? The man looks like hot sex on a stick. In fact, I’m half tempted to say the hell with work and dive back on top of that glorious cock.
“You know we can’t, Archer. We could get in trouble.”
“You let me worry about that.”
I study him skeptically. The thought of not worrying about it, of letting him handle this thing for a while, is tempting.