Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan

  You don't like thunderstorms, he answered.

  I tilted my head, confused. You walked a mile in the rain because I don't like thunderstorms?

  He hesitated for a second, looking away, frowning slightly. Then he looked back at me and said simply, yes. He paused, his expression pained. I know I'm probably the last person you want to see right now, but I just thought if I sat on your porch, you wouldn't be scared. You wouldn't be alone.

  Oh God.

  I couldn't help it, my face crumpled and I started to cry.

  Archer took a tentative step toward me and silently asked permission as he looked into my eyes. I nodded at him, acknowledging his unspoken question, and he took me in his arms and pressed me to him.

  I brought my arms up around him and buried my face in his neck, breathing in his clean, rainy scent. I cried silently in his arms for several minutes as he held me, rubbing circles on my back, his warm breath on my ear, his drenched clothing soaking me too. For those few minutes, I was oblivious to the thunder and rain coming down noisily all around us–for those few minutes, it was only me and him, and nothing else.

  I wasn't sure what to think. I only knew that this felt right. He was still my best friend, my sweet, silent boy, and I had missed him so desperately that I ached. He had hurt me and yet I clung to him as if my very life depended on it.

  After a few minutes, I leaned back, looking up at his face. He looked down at me so sweetly and tenderly that my heart squeezed tightly in my chest.

  You hurt me, I said, stepping back.

  Sadness filled his expression and he nodded, acknowledging that he knew he had.

  Let me fix it, he said, please. I want to fix it. What can I do?

  I breathed out, dropping my shoulders. You had sex with another woman, Archer.

  He shook his head, I didn't have sex with her, I just… was with her.

  My brows furrowed and I jerked my head back. What? I thought you were… wait, what does 'you were with her' mean exactly? I didn't know what he was going to tell me, but relief washed over me when I realized that he hadn't gone all the way with her.

  He sighed, running a hand over his wet head, and then shaking his hand down at his side. I… Is this… he sighed again. She took me in the back room and kissed my neck and brought my hands to her breasts. My body… reacted. He closed his eyes for a couple beats and then opened them. She told me Travis had paid for her to have sex with me, but it didn't feel right and so I left. That's what happened. I'm so sorry. I knew it wasn't right, I didn't want that. I mean… I … God. Shame filled his face as he looked down again.

  I released the breath I'd been holding and laughed softly, shaking my head. Archer took my chin in his freezing cold fingers and tilted my head up. He looked at me with questioning eyes.

  You got a lap dance, Archer, and it went too far. But you said no to her and left. I studied him for a second. Why did you say no? Tell me.

  He didn't say anything for a few beats and then, Because I don't want to be with anyone except you. I didn't want her, I only want you. I only want you, Bree.

  As we stood there in my doorway, looking into each other's eyes, I noticed that he was trembling and his lips were turning blue, a pool of water on my dry porch beneath him.

  I pulled him inside. "Oh my God, you're freezing," I said, my hands busy pulling him. "We have to get you warm."

  I walked him into my bathroom and turned on the shower, warm steam immediately billowing out into the small room. I started pulling his clothes off, his sweatshirt and his t-shirt, and he let me, his eyes trained on my face, only helping out where I needed him to. He kicked his shoes off, and I knelt before him and peeled his wet socks off his feet and then stood up again, my eyes moving up his abs to his chest as I came slowly upright. The room suddenly seemed even warmer. I bit my lip and looked up into his beautiful face.

  You get in the shower, I said when he was standing in nothing but his jeans. I need to change too, I said, looking down at my wet nightshirt.

  He nodded, and I turned jerkily and left the bathroom. I shut the door behind me and leaned against it for a second, biting my lip again. I groaned softly. "Only you, Bree," I said quietly. "Only you would fall in love with the local, mute loner." But then I grinned. Yes, local, mute loner, but my local, mute loner.

  I changed out of my wet clothes and put on a new–cuter– nightshirt. Then I went to the kitchen and put on the kettle. I stood there looking out the window at the rain, waiting for the whistle.

  A couple minutes later, I heard the shower turn off and a minute after that, the door opened and I called softly, "In the kitchen."

  Archer came in with only a towel wrapped around his narrow hips, rubbing a hand over his hair and looking at me a little self-consciously. I took in his drool-worthy naked chest and the way the towel left little to the imagination as far as his assets went and swallowed.

  "I'm just finishing up the tea," I said, opening a couple tea bags. "If you want to gather your clothes and put them in the dryer–it's right in the small closet in the hall."

  He nodded and left the room as I finished up, and then re-joined me as I was bringing the tea into the front room. He took one of the mugs from me and we sat down on the couch together, sipping our hot tea in silence for several comfortable minutes.

  Finally, he put his mug down on the table next to the couch and turned to me. Can I say something?

  I looked at him, and tilted my head, and said, "Of course," and then took another small sip of my tea.

  He took a deep breath and seemed to be gathering his thoughts. I've been thinking a lot these past couple of days and… I was trying to be what you want me to be, but… it's a lot for me, Bree. He shook his head slightly. I hated that night–the noise, all the people, the fact that I can't talk. He was silent for a beat before meeting my eyes. I want to make you happy, more than anything, but… He ran his hand over the top of his hair again.

  I sat my tea down on the coffee table in front of us and moved closer to him. Archer, I made you feel like you were a project to me. I made you feel like you, just as you are… you weren't enough. I looked down and then back up into his eyes. I'm so sorry.

  He grabbed my hands, squeezed them and then let go. No, it's not your fault. I know that you were trying to… expand my world. I just need to do that as I'm ready to do that, okay? And I don't know when I'll be ready to do that. It might be a long time, Bree.

  I nodded, tears in my eyes. Okay. I laughed lightly and climbed onto his lap, straddling him and leaning forward, squeezing him tightly to me. "Just one thing though," I whispered into his neck, not willing to let go of him just then.

  He waited. I leaned back and said, "The only woman who gives you lap dances is me."

  He grinned, his eyes dancing. I felt like that grin could easily cause me to fall over and die of heart failure brought on by an overdose of his beauty. I grinned back and leaned forward and kissed him deeply.

  The thunder boomed and a bolt of lightning made the room pulse with light for several seconds. I sighed contentedly and slid my tongue into Archer's warm mouth. He tasted like a mixture of cinnamon from his toothpaste and honey from the tea. His tongue met mine, sliding along it deliciously, eliciting a moan from deep in my chest. He took my face in his hands and tilted my head so that he could go deeper, taking charge of the kiss and exploring my mouth slowly and thoroughly until I was panting and rubbing myself on his thick, hard erection.

  Archer was shy and unsure so much of the time, but when it came to something he had taken time to master, he was steady and confident about it. I wondered if he even noticed that about himself.

  I broke the kiss, sucking in air and tilting my head back to give him access to my neck. He kissed and nibbled down it lightly as I ran my fingers through his hair.

  His hands came up to my breasts and he rubbed my nipples lazily over the thin cotton of my nightshirt. I sighed with pleasure, grabbing handfuls of his hair.

  I felt his erection gro
w even harder beneath me–nothing separating us except for the now-wet material of my underwear and the terrycloth towel.

  I reached down between us and trailed my fingers lightly down his tight abs. He inhaled a breath, his muscles clenching at my touch. I moved my hand down further and stroked him over the towel as he looked at me with heavy-lidded eyes, his lips parted slightly. Oh God, he was stunning to me. Wetness pooled between my thighs and a furious pulse of need beat there, wanting to be filled.

  "Archer… I want you," I whispered.

  Without hesitating even a portion of a second, he scooped his arms underneath me and stood up, heading toward my bedroom. I laughed, bringing my arms up around his neck. "I guess that's a yes," I said.

  He smiled at me, looking slightly strained and just a little bit nervous.

  When we got to my bedroom, he laid me gently on the bed and stood looking down at me, gentleness and desire meeting in the expression on his face. My heart thundered in my ears.

  Archer turned to the wall and flipped the overhead light off. The candles were still lit and they cast a dreamy glow to the room. What a difference a half an hour made, I thought, remembering that I had been sitting in this very room just a little while ago, feeling alone and scared.

  Archer turned and dropped the towel from around his waist, and I got a brief look at the full vision of his naked body before he put one knee on the bed and lowered himself down to me. Good lord. Building stone patios, chopping wood, and walking everywhere was a workout video he needed to put on the market. ASAP.

  He brought his mouth to mine again and kissed me deeply for long minutes, bringing his mouth to my neck after we both broke to gulp in air. He sucked on the skin gently, and I leaned my head back even further, giving him more access and pressing my hips upward into his hardness. He sucked in a breath and brought his head up, looking into my eyes.

  He was leaning on his forearms, holding himself over me and so he couldn't use his hands to talk, and I chose not to speak either. The look on his face told me everything I needed to know. There was nowhere else on earth he'd rather be than right here with me, doing what we were about to do. And as I gazed up at him, his eyes dark with lust and his expression tender with emotion, I knew there was nowhere else on this earth I'd rather be either.

  I reached my arms up, indicating that he should lift my nightshirt off. He leaned up and took hold of the hem and raised it slowly, sliding it up my arms and over my head and tossing it on the floor next to the bed.

  Then he stood up again and watched my eyes as he hooked his pointer fingers in each side of my underwear and dragged them down my legs. I looked from his eyes down to his hard, straining cock and the pulsing in my core picked up in intensity.

  He stood staring down at me, and I began to squirm slightly as his eyes raked up and down my body. I had never simply stayed still as someone studied my nakedness, but when he met my eyes and said, You're so beautiful, I relaxed. I noted that his hands were shaking very slightly.

  "So are you," I whispered as he came back down on top of me, the muscles of his forearms flexing again as he held his weight off of me and leaned his head in to meet my mouth again.

  I ran my hands slowly up and down the hard ridges of his arms and then over his broad shoulders. Then I traveled down the smooth skin of his muscled back, ending at his ass where I lightly ran my hands over it, grabbing it lightly and pushing him down into me. I felt him smile against my mouth.

  I broke free from his lips smiling, too, as he kissed my neck again. "You like it when I grab your ass?" I asked, grinning. He smiled into my neck.

  So I brought my hands back to his hard ass and kneaded it lightly, pressing my hips upward into his erection, laying hard on my belly, the heat of it burning into my skin deliciously and making me tremble with my desire for him.

  He moved his head down to my breasts and took one nipple into his warm mouth and circled his tongue over it. "Oh, Archer," I gasped out, "please don’t stop."

  He brought his other hand up and played with one nipple while he sucked and teased the other one with his mouth and his tongue and then switched sides.

  I moaned and pressed my hips up, seeking relief from the aching need between my legs, my clit so swollen, I thought I'd probably come the minute he touched it.

  Archer brought one hand down between my legs and dipped his finger into my wetness, bringing some of it up and over my small bundle of nerves as he used his finger to make slow circles on it, just like I had shown him. I gasped and moaned, rolling my hips upwards, pressing into his hand, begging for the release that was so close, I could feel the beginnings of it like little sparks of static electricity.

  "Oh God, oh God, oh God," I chanted, moving my head back and forth. I felt Archer's cock jump against my belly and that's all it took to send me over the edge, the orgasm hitting me hard and fast, rolling through my body with delicious slowness as I gasped and moaned through it.

  When I opened my eyes, Archer was looking down at me, that look of awe and tenderness on his face that I loved so much it hurt.

  "I want you inside of me so badly," I whispered.

  He kept looking into my eyes as he moved his hips between my legs and took himself in his hand and guided his cock to my entrance. He swallowed heavily as I brought my knees up and opened my legs wider so that he had easier access.

  Our eyes met again and something passed between us–that same indescribable something that I had noticed the first time we met–only now intensified tenfold.

  I leaned up on my elbows, and we both watched as he entered me slowly, pushing inside me inch by inch, stretching and filling me. When he paused, I looked up at his face, and the look of pure pleasure there was so stark and raw that I could only stare, spell bound. I was putting that look on his face. He throbbed inside me and then with one thrust, pushed fully into me. I fell back, moaning softly and he started to move in and out, slowly. I stared up at him, mesmerized by all the emotions flashing across his face as his thrusts increased in tempo–awe, hunger, an attempt to retain control, and then finally, surrender to the pleasure as his eyes drooped, and he thrust into me harder and deeper, his breath coming out in sharp pants.

  I tilted my hips up and brought my legs around Archer's back. His eyes flared for a brief second before he buried his face in my neck. His thrusts grew jerky as he gave one final deep thrust and then pressed into me, rolling his hips slowly, milking his pleasure.

  We lay together for long minutes, Archer breathing harshly into the side of my neck, me smiling up at the ceiling.

  Finally, I brought both hands down and rubbed my fingernails over his ass, then squeezed it gently. I felt him smile against my skin, but he didn't raise his head and he didn't attempt to move, his body laying half on me, and half on the bed so I wasn't being crushed.

  "Hey," I said softly, "you alive there?"

  I felt another slow grin against my neck and then he shook his head, no.

  I laughed softly and his head came up, a sweet smile on his face. He took my face in his hands and kissed my lips gently for several minutes before he sat up.

  I sat up too. I needed to go clean myself up.

  I cupped my hand over his cheek and kissed him softly again and then stood up to walk naked to the bathroom. I looked back at Archer and he was watching me, his eyes roaming over my naked backside. I scurried to the bathroom and cleaned up and then walked back to the bedroom where Archer was still sitting on the side of my bed, looking a little unsure.

  "This is the part where you cuddle me." I grinned at him. He smiled back and breathed out and folded my covers back. We got in bed and he pulled me against him as I brought the blankets up over us. We were turned toward the window and the rain was still falling, although a little more gently now.

  I had left the blinds open–there was only the lake beyond, no one could see inside. Thunder boomed in the distance, and a flash of lightening lit up the sky a few seconds later, but it was moving away from us now. I sighed out
contentedly as Archer pulled me even more tightly against him.

  We lay like that for long minutes until I finally turned toward him and whispered, "I missed you so much these past few days."

  He nodded at me and rolled to his back and signed, Me too. It made me feel crazy.

  I leaned over and kissed his chest and laid my head there, listening to his heart beat for a few minutes as he played with my hair.

  Wanna know the first thing I thought about you when we first met, other than how beautiful you were?

  I watched his hands move next to me and then lifted my head, looking up at his face questioningly. He gazed down at me, warmth lighting those beautiful amber eyes.

  You acted embarrassed in front of me, bashful–you even blushed–about all those candy bars. He smiled and leaned down and kissed my forehead. My heart picked up speed.

  He continued. It was the first time in my life anyone had acted embarrassed in front of me. People had acted embarrassed for me, but never because of something they'd done in front of me. It made me feel like a real person, Bree. It made me feel like something about me mattered.

  I swallowed heavily. "You are a real person, Archer. You're the best person I know," I whispered, lying my head back down on his chest.

  He hugged me to him again, and we lay like that for what seemed like a long time, just enjoying holding each other, skin to skin, heart beat to heart beat.

  After a little bit, I pressed my nose into his skin and inhaled, drawing in his clean, masculine smell. I smiled against him and kissed his skin again. He reached his hand down and grabbed my ass, and I startled and laughed out. When I looked up at him, he was grinning. "Hey, that's your thing." I laughed.

  What's your thing? he signed, and then he rolled me over and grinned down at me again, holding himself up on his elbows on either side of me so he could use his hands to talk. My own hands were trapped and so I responded, "I'm not really sure–I bet you'll figure it out though." I smiled up at him, and he raised one eyebrow, accepting my challenge apparently.

  I reached down under the covers and stroked him gently, feeling him stiffen beneath my touch. "So, was it everything you hoped it would be?" I grinned up at him.