Chapter 51

By the time it registers in my head that what’s happening, Archer has already pried the seam of my lips open with his tongue.

As he licks the inside of my mouth, my instincts kick into gear. I thread my hands into his curls and pull. The action makes his actions more fervent. His hands dig into the skin around my waist then start grabbing at my lower back.

He grabs my ass and a whine escapes from the back of my throat and reverberates in my lips. Archer groans in response and presses further into me. My back hits something hard and I realize he’s got me pinned against a bookshelf.

I dive farther into him, trying to touch every bit of his mouth. I’m thirsty for him and licking up every drop he gives me in a desperation I’ve never felt before. I can’t get enough of him.

He comes back at me with equal fervor. His tongue and lips are clearly practiced, nipping and sucking in ways I’ve only heard about. It drives me insane. The way his mouth moves with the way he’s teasingly grinding his hips into my center is enough to melt me into the floor.

I don’t know how much time passes but I know every moment is ecstasy. I feel like I’m being pushed further and further up a cliff. My hands are everywhere and his are everywhere mine aren’t.

Suddenly, there’s a shift as he grunts. He snaps his hips against mine and I damn near lose it. I let out a noise that I can’t believe came from my lips. Archer swallows it up. His hands are slowly pushing my shirt up, pooling it around my ribcage. Just as he’s about to skim his hands along the line of my bra –

BANG!

We both rip our heads apart and turn them towards the noise. Mia stands near the coffee table. The book Archer had previously put down on the table is on the floor. Mia is frowning at us, clearly annoyed by the lack of attention.

Immediately, I’m so embarrassed. Heat hits every part of my body in a bad way. I’m suddenly very aware of the position I’m in. My legs are wrapped around Archer’s waist, heels digging into his ass. He’s got me pressed into the bookshelf so hard that I can feel books digging into my back.

I yelp and immediately unravel my legs. Archer flies away from me. His hand immediately goes to his mouth. His eyes are so wide. I can see the darkness of lust from a moment ago, not yet faded but morphing into panic by the second.

I open my mouth but can’t think of the words to say. Instead I go over and kneel next to Mia. I soothe my hand over her hair as if she’d been hurt. She is completely fine, obviously, and babbles while she points to the book. I stare blankly at her then dare to look back at Archer.

His hand is still resting on his lips. He’s staring into the void. There’s a slight tremor in his hand that I want to put my hand over and calm down. I stand up and look at him.

“Archer, I—”

He snaps his gaze towards me. He doesn’t say anything, just shakes his head. I’m about to say something again but he leaves before I can. Mia and I are still standing by the coffee table, children’s books strewn about with the one mating book. The door to the library creaks as it closes.

I look down at Mia. She smiles up at me like nothing’s wrong. I can’t help but sigh. I tip my head up towards the ceiling.

“What the fuck?” I whisper to myself.

I take Mia back to our room and set her down for her nap. While she sleeps, I stare at the ceiling in complete confusion. I thought Archer hated me. Every single time he’d scream at me or claim he owned me. It made no sense that he would throw me against a wall and make out with me.

Maybe he was frustrated, I think to myself. Frustrated enough to kiss the Nanny? A woman who’s mere existence angered him. The thought escapes me and I’m left with nothing.

My mind is still going in circles when Mia wakes up. I take her into the kitchen, sprinting past Archer’s room and peering around corners like a psycho. I get her fed dinner then do the same little insane spy behavior on the way back.

Once locked in our room for the evening, I feel safe. Mia and I play a bit more before bed. Sleep takes forever to come to me, mind doing cartwheels.

The next morning, I drop Mia off with Steven. He can sense the way I’m tweaking out before I can even say anything. I give some lame excuse about being nervous for a test. He raises an eyebrow but doesn’t push it anymore.

I’m so, so close to escaping the pyramid unscathed without any Archer run ins when I burst into the gold room. The man himself is walking out of the kitchen at the exact same time. I yelp when I see him and shrink in on myself. Archer’s face remains neutral except for the slight twitch of his cheek bone.

“Good morning,” he says. His tone is so neutral it scares me.

“Uh, good morning?” I squeak. I clear my throat. “Class?”

He nods and starts towards the main door. I ignore the fact I’m supposed to go out the service entrance and follow behind him. He’s clearly confused when he waits for the door to shut behind him and it doesn’t.

He turns around as I close the door. He raises one eyebrow. “Can I help you?”

“Yesterday,” I sputter out. “We should – what – but – I mean – “

“What about it?” he says as he starts to walk away. I have to jog to catch up with the long strides of his legs.

“I mean,” I drop my voice low enough that no one besides him can hear. “We kissed.”

That makes him stop short. He whips towards me. “And?” he snaps. “Not everything has a meaning, Chloe.”

The way he says my voice sends a shiver up my spine. He says it like a curse. I straighten up.

“I just think we should talk about it,” I say, firm.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” he grits through his teeth. “You were pissing me off. I did it to shut you up. It meant nothing.”

He starts to walk away and I sprint around to stand in front of him. He seethes down at me.

“It didn’t feel like nothing,” I snap. “I can’t be the only one that felt that. The electricity was insane.”

Archer narrows his eyes. “It’s called making out,” he hisses. “Clearly you’ve never done it before.” He pushes past me and I reach out to grab his bicep. He flexes under my skin.

“Don’t patronize me,” I throw back. “You’re an idiot if you ignore the way that felt.”

Archer rips his arm out of my grasp. “Then call me stupid because it meant nothing,” he juts his head towards the classrooms. “Go to class and stop wasting my time.”

Before I can craft up a response, he’s out of earshot. I’m left, standing in the campus quad without anyone around. My heart feels like it’s been shattered.