Chapter 57

Thursdays, Archer watches Mia while I’m in class. Every time I’ve gone to pick her up, there’s been some altercation. From him screaming at me about combat club to our secret kiss in the library, pick-ups from Archer are never easy.

I don’t know why I expected today to be any different.

I knock lightly on Archer’s door before letting myself in. As I enter, I’m met with girlish laughter. I look over at Archer’s bench to see a woman perched on it. She looks like a damn fitness model.

Her figure is perfectly hourglass, covered by a thin layer of work out shorts and a cropped tank-top-sports bra type thing. Her entire body is on display in this get up. I can see her nipples pebbling slightly under the top.

Her hair is platinum blonde, fake as all hell but beautiful nonetheless. Her skin is a type of tawny I could only dream of and perfectly spread across thick layers of muscle. Her nose is a bit tipped up and her face looks like it’s frozen when she laughs.

She’s gorgeous and everything I’m not.

She’s also sitting on the weight bench that Archer’s usually on. I look towards him finally and see he’s got a slight glisten of sweat on his brow. He’s wearing a cap backwards and the mere sight of it is enough to send a tingle up my spine. I swallow thickly then cough to make my presence know.

The girl’s face knits up into something annoyed, her eyes glaring daggers at me. Archer’s face looks softer. There’s a slight twinkle in his eyes when he notices me that I’ve seen every other time I’ve walked into a room. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy and so uncomfortable.

I motion towards Mia, who’s bouncing in her playpen. Archer nods. I walk over and greet the baby while the two behind me continue to talk. I casually listen in to their conversation.

“So he asked me what an RDL is?” she says. Her voice is so nasally. It doesn’t suit her. “Like, are you kidding? How do you not know what an RDL is?”

“It’s basically a glorified deadlift,” Archer comments. “Calling it an RDL is pretentious.”

He lets out an “oof” and I glance out of the corner to see him sitting down on another machine. His arms go up to grip the hand straps of some cables. His entire back and shoulder flexes. My face feels hot and I instantly look back at Mia.

“They’re different,” the girl goes on. “If you’re technique isn’t good.”

The room goes deadly quiet. Archer scoffs slightly. “Are you saying my technique isn’t good?”

“For RDLs or lat pull downs?” she says. “Because I was talking about your RDLs but the way you’re set up for pull downs is pretty bad too.”

At this point, I’m just shoving everything into Mia’s diaper. I can’t believe the audacity this girl has to correct Archer’s form. I don’t know if this is her weird way of flirting or if she’s just dumb but I’m not going to be the one to stick around and watch this blow up.

I throw the bag over my shoulder and scoop Mia up in one fell swoop. I’m about to turn and duck and run when the girl calls out.

“Oh, wait!”

I whip around and look at her. She goes over to a bag and pulls out her wallet. She starts walking towards me and my stomach sinks to my toes. I glance at Archer once. His face is neutral. The girl reaches me and hands out a crisp hundred dollar bill.

“Here,” she says. Her voice is so awful. “I heard around campus that you take tips now. I don’t know how much the other girls give you—” I don’t know what other girls she’s talking about but I’m frozen in silence. “But maybe this will be enough to get you some new shoes.”

I look down at my shoes. They’re the brand new Docs I bought the day prior with Angela. They’re so shiny, the fluorescent lights in Archer’s room are bouncing off them. I look back up at the woman. I’m so flabbergast I don’t even know what to say. Instead, I gingerly take the bill.

“Thanks,” I say with as big of a smile as I can force to come on my lips.

I turn on my heel and try and dart out of the room as fast as possible. Then, I hear Archer’s booming voice.

“Stop,” he commands.

I suddenly can’t control my feet. I turn back and look at the man. He walks down the stairs from his lifting bench with a fire in his eyes. He reaches me and our chests are so close that we can touch with one deep breath. He wraps his hand around my wrist and takes the bill out of my hands.

His touch feels like ice on a burn. It shocks my entire system and sends my brain into a tizzy. I let my jaw fall slack as he turns around to address the girl. She’s sneering at him.

“Chloe is a member of the Hayes Court,” Archer says slowly. “She is a valued member of the Hayes family. Alpha King Hayes’s family.”

He rips the woman’s hand out from her chest and slaps the bill in it. She gasps at the force and tries to get out of his grasp. He holds on, steadfast.

“She doesn’t need your pity money,” Archer snarls. “Get the fuck out of my room before you do something else stupid.”

The woman whimpers slightly when Archer releases her wrist. She grabs her bag and almost sprints out of Archer’s room. The door slams shut and it’s just Archer, Mia and I again. Mia squirms in my arms and I set her on her feet. My eyes are focused on Archer the whole time. His own are dark, watching me intently.

“You didn’t have to do that,” I say softly.

“I did,” he replies. “You’re under my protection.”

“I can protect myself,” I say. There’s no bark behind it. It’s timid.

Archer steps forward. His hand goes to my waist, tentatively. The press of his palm over my shirt feels like fire. My breath catches in my throat. He looms over me, breath ghosting over me like a cloud of warmth.

“It’s my job,” he whispers. “You’re mine.”

It feels like a double meaning and I can’t help the way my stomach and brain tingle. I sigh and look up at him. His blue eyes are boring into mine. Our lips are so close I could just step up on my toes and seal the gap. Then his words from earlier in the week hit my brain.

It meant nothing.

I wrench my body away from him. In one fell swoop, I have Mia in my arms again and the door is closing behind me. I feel like I can finally breathe again.