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“Nice to finally meet the reason my favorite librarian’s been smiling a shit ton lately.”

“McCoy!”

Archer arrogantly chuckles, kicks his chin a little higher, casually confesses. “She’s the reason I smile a shit ton, too.”

McCoy adjusts his backwards black baseball cap on a cocky smirk. “Yeah, my girl does that to me. I get it.”

“Is that what you’re doing here?” I interrupt, cheeks so red I look like a zit that needs to be popped. “Who you’re meeting?”

“Nah,” he casually brushes off, “otherwise I’d call her over. Have us all hang out. She likes you.” His grin grows wider. “You speak her language.”

“Classic lit?”

“That too.” He rolls his baby blue eyes in a familiar fashion. “I meant cop dad.”

The grin on my face thoughtlessly grows wider. “Right! Her dad’s The Commissioner where you guys are from.”

“You’re dating a cop’s daughter, too?” Archer slyly joins the conversation. “Got any tips?”

His mouth cringes prior to answering. “None that are probably useful to your situation.”

Wonder what he means by that.

“Anyway, I’m here to cash in a favor.” His eyes cut the direction behind us. “And I see favor has just arrived.” The mischievous smirk he lets slip into place is both sexy and unsettling. “You two have fun.” He gives me a playful wink. “Private bathrooms are in the back if you wanna havetoo muchfun.”

More redness explodes in my expression, yet Archer merely chuckles.

Public sex?! Did he really just suggest public sex?! Is that something a lot of people do?! Do you? Have you? Should I?

The question leaves my mouth before I can stop it. “Have you ever done that?”

Archer quirks an eyebrow in question at me as he reaches for his beer. “Care to be more specific?”

“Bathroom sex. Or public sex? Or sex in a public bathroom?”

Rather than bring his mug to his lips he pauses to reply. “Yes.”

“To which one.”

“All.”

An unexpected wave of jealousy washes over me that I know I have no business feeling.

He’s allowed to have a past…I logically know this. Illogically hate it.

“Sweetheart,” he begins, gently nudging my arm for my eyes to return to his, “don’t start planning for battles that there’s no need to fight. We have enough.”

The statement pulls my lips to one side in hopes of keeping my composure.

“You wanna know about my exes, I’ll be an open book, but if you’re looking at the shit that happened between me and them like a research guide, don’t waste your energy. Whatwehave can’t compare. Fuck, Jaye, our relationship isn’t even in the samesectionof Crack That as the bullshit I’ve had in the past.”

There’s no stopping my gray sweater covered shoulders from relaxing.

“Roger that?”

“Roger that.”

“Good.” He leans over to let his tongue momentarily dip into my mouth, slide aggressively across mine, only pulling back once he’s successfully made me whimper. “Now, tell me more about McCoy. He’s the in-house paint guy?”