Page 35 of Shots Fired

“A woman’s place is wherever she wants to be.” They’re the only words I can find in a sea of confessions I desperately want to profess. “No one owns you or gets to tell you what to do with your life, Darcy. When a real man says,You’re mine, it’s because he can’t stand the thought of living a day without you in his life. Not because you’re a possession he can show off to his friends. You’re a treasure, not an accessory.”

In the silence of my bedroom, she scans my face slowly.

“What?” I ask, unable to hide my smile.

Her hand cups my face, and I can’t help but let my eyes flutter closed at the touch. “You’re smart, smarter than you let on, Archer. Smarter than me in so many ways.”

I set a kiss against her forehead. “We’re so alike, Darcy.”

When she swallows thickly, my mind travels back to the conversation we had right after I basically told Harry to fuck off. This is risky, and I know it, but I have to shoot my shot.

“Let me be what you need, Doll.”

Pushing her head back into the pillow, she examines me. “What do you mean? Because I don’t want to get into a relationship right now. I?—”

“No,” I cut her off, knowing she isn’t ready for that. “I’m saying I can be your Mr. One Size Fits All.” I swallow down the fear of rejection. “I’m saying I can give you the fun you’re looking for and we can be exclusive. I get you, I know what you need, and I promise I’ll treat you right.”

When she shakes her head again, my heart sinks into my gut.

“We can’t do that, Archer. One night we can get away with, but sleeping together on a regular basis? I’m not so sure. I’ll say now that I have zero intention of telling Jack or Jon about what I get up to behind closed doors, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be caught at some point. The fun we have with each other won’t be worth the pain you’ll experience when my brother and stepdad go crazy. It’s the betrayal they’ll hate, Archer. I might know you’re not an arsehole to women, but Jack’s especially convinced you’re the wrong type of guy for me. He’s protective after Liam.”

She might be telling me no, but it isn’t because she doesn’t want to spend time with me, and that knowledge spurs me to keep going.

“Let me worry about Jack and Coach. If you want me to talk with them, I will, but I think if we’re careful enough, we can keep this just between us.” I move my hand—which is currently splayed across her stomach—to her face, pushing strands ofstray hair out of her eyes. “Focus on yourself for a second. I’m asking you if you want to have an exclusive thing with me. Yeah, we’ll have to be careful, and that kind of sucks since I can’t take you out when I want and spoil the shit out of you.”

Darcy quirks a brow at me. “That’s what boyfriends do.”

I know I need to rein myself in here. “Listen, all I’m saying is, I want more of you, like this, in my bed beneath me, rolling around in the sheets and talking about our lives. I can be all of those things you want because Iwantto be them for you. You can trust me.”

I cut myself short before I say way too much and she bolts from my apartment.

A few more agonizing seconds pass before Darcy speaks again. “Like an exclusive fuck-buddy arrangement?”

Jesus Christ, Ihatethat description.Darcy is anything but a fuck buddy to me.

“If that’s what you want to call it, then that’s what we can be.”

I watch as she considers my offer, and I feel the way my heart hammers against my rib cage, wondering if she can sense how seismic this moment really is for me.

Another beat of nothing, and she finally makes a decision. “Okay, if you’re comfortable with the high stakes involved, then we can give it a try. I trust you and really like spending time with you, and last night was … it was amazing.”

I know I’m grinning like a fucking lunatic right now.

“BUT!” She holds up a finger between us, scolding me like a teacher, which is nothing but fucking adorable. “We have to be really careful how we play this,andthat includes you not turning up on my nights out with Kendra, Jenna, and Collins and giving random guys the death stare. You have to trust me.”

It’s not you I don’t trust, Darcy Doll. It’s the men who think the way I have for most of my adult life.

“Okay,” I say, agreeing to all the terms. They’re only temporary anyway until I make her my girlfriend.

“Okay,” Darcy repeats quietly, her shoulders relaxing into the pillow.

I’m aware she has a lunch to get to, and she’ll need to head home to get ready. Still, that doesn’t stop me from notching myself at her entrance.

“Are you sore from last night?” I ask, feeling how wet she is when I run a soft finger through her pussy. “I know my piercings make it amazing for us both, but they can take some getting used to.”

Drawing her lip between her teeth, she reaches down to fist my cock. “I’m sore in the best way.”

Slowly, we both feed my dick inside her, a low groan echoing in my chest. Darcy is the first girl I’ve slept with and not used a condom and it’s incredible, although I know so much of that is down to the girl I’m with.