Looking confused, he holds the phone back up again and goes to snap the shot. I reach over and place my right hand on his cheek and pull his face down to mine, pressing my lips to his in a quick kiss.
He tenses underneath me, and I pull my mouth off of his quickly, his eyes are on me and I can’t decipher what emotion is there but it’s intense and leaves me squirming with anxiety.
“I’m sor—”
Before I can finish my apology, Archer grabs the back of my head and slams his lips down onto mine, moving his lips along mine until he makes me gasp for air. He takes it as an invitation and slips his tongue into my mouth. I moan at the contact. Everything around us fades into the background as my hands clutch his T-shirt. His hand still holds the back of my neck, and his other arm, still with the phone clutched in his hand, wraps around my waist, holding me to him.
I’m completely lost in the kiss. Completely lost in him.
Every second his tongue brushes mine and his lips press into me, I feel like I’m in a dream that I hope I never wake from.
This doesn’t feel fake, it doesn’t feel rehearsed or like it’s for other people. It feels like it’s all for us.
I love every moment of it.
“Alright, for everyone ready, it’s time to break out some food.” I hear the loud booming voice of Cyrus Hansen call out and I suck in a gasp, shocked that I was able to block everyone out. My eyes are still closed, but luckily, I hear the movements of people walking away from us.
“Are you okay?” Archer’s husky voice asks me, and I open my eyes, looking into his and hoping that I can garner some answers from them. He looks… happy.
I smile and nod. “Yeah, I’m okay.”
“I didn’t take it too far?”
I hold my breath at the phrasing. Does he mean too far for our first kiss or too far for being in front of others?
Of course, the thoughts plague me that he was doing this for the people around us to believe we were a couple. It didn’t feel like that in the moment, but… what if it was just for show? What if he thought my little peck wasn’t convincing enough, and he wanted to make sure we covered all our bases?
No. No way. That was real.
I felt it.
“No, not too far.”
He smiles broadly, his hand going to my cheek and holding me there. “Good.” His voice is low again, and he leans in, giving me a quick peck, then two on the lips and pulling me with him as he steps away. “Let’s get some food.”
I follow, my mind running away with me, and I promise myself that I’ll talk to Archer as soon as possible. I’ll make sure we’re on the same page, because if I wait until tomorrow, I may never do it.
Chapter Twenty
“People joke about life insurance but seriously, what am I going to do when my partner dies? I have to have a big policy so I can recreate her as a robot and not be lonely. Duh.” – Derek
ARCHER
My heart hasn’t stopped pounding in my chest since Viv initiated that kiss.
The best fucking kiss of my life.
I’m convinced that every experience with her will be the best, because it’s her.
I sound like a woman. I really do. But honestly, the feelings I have had for Viv have been so deep-seated in my heart that now that I’m letting them slowly leak out, I’m having a hard time not spewing every feeling I have for her.
Though, that would be word vomit I couldn’t come back from.
There was the chance that she would feel great about my feelings, maybe even have some feelings for me of her own, however, there was the chance that she was going to tell me she didn’t feel the same and just continue to play along like we have been. Or break our agreement altogether.
I don’t know if I care anymore. I want answers. I don’t want to keep up this pretending—even though it has only been a few weeks—I want every interaction, physical or not, to be genuine.
I know it is going to be a rough conversation, but I want to have it tonight so that she and I know where we both stand.