Page 61 of Best Wrong Thing

I close my eyes and smile. “I really like you, Jacob. You make me happy.”

He sighs. “I really like you too.”

Chapter 15

Jacob

We arrived at the villa late last night when I was too tired to care about anything other than figuring out which bed I could fall asleep in.

Molly engineered it so Archer and I sat together on the plane. It was weird being so close to him without being able to touch him, hard not to brush my fingers against his hand or thigh. This holiday is going to be excruciating, but at least I can look forward to what will come after. He wants to spend more time with me. He wants more than just sex. And that makes me so happy.

Outside, cicadas chirp, creating a constant high-pitched buzz. I shower, pull on shorts and a T-shirt, and wander through the villa. I have to admit, however grudgingly, that Molly has good, if expensive, tastes. Stone flooring cools my feet. The rooms are light and airy. The kitchen is large, the dining room looks out onto the private swimming pool via patio doors, while the lounge overlooks the beach and ocean. It’s quiet. Is everyone else asleep?

I make myself coffee, take it outside, and find a spot in the shade to drink it. Footsteps patter over stone. Archer jogs into the garden. Without acknowledging me, he goes to the edge of the pool and strips. What is he doing? His trainersand socks come off first. Then his T-shirt. My heart is in my throat, my pulse is hammering, and my cock threatens to stand to attention. He slips his shorts off, revealing tight-fitting swimming trunks. He winks at me over his shoulder and dives into the water, clearing a third of the pool. He uses front crawl to propel himself through the water, turns, swims towards me, turns, and carries on. I enjoy the view as I sip my coffee.

“I don’t know how he has the energy,” Molly says.

I jump. Thank god I’ve almost finished my coffee, or it would have gone all over me.

She sits on a lounger drenched in sunshine. She’s wearing a revealing bikini with a narrow strip of cloth tied around her waist. Her skin glistens. Did Dad help her put sun cream on? I scrub the image out of my mind.

“Archer, come and enjoy the sun. You’re meant to be on holiday,” she calls.

Archer finishes his lap, folds his arms on the pool’s edge, and rests his chin upon them. “But when else do I get to finish a run with a swim? If only I had a bike too.”

Molly rolls her eyes and tuts.

“I’m going to figure out what there is to do around here after breakfast,” Archer says.

“Sunbathe.” Molly stretches out on the lounger.

“Boring.”

I smile slightly.

“Don’t you want to relax for even one day?” Molly asks him.

“Nope. I want to explore. Which do you prefer?”

It takes me a second to realise Archer is talking to me. He knows I’m a sightseer, like him. “Me?” I point to myself.

He laughs. “Yes, you.”

“I like seeing things.”

Molly glances between us. “You could explore together.”

“Great idea. Are you up for it?” Archer asks.

“Uh, yeah, sure.”

“I’ve got a travel guide and my laptop. I’m sure we can agree on a few things we’d enjoy.”

“Probably.”

I hate sounding so non-committal. Iwantto explore with Archer. But as far as Dad and Molly are concerned, my ‘friendship’ with Archer is lukewarm at best. I hate lying.How long did Dad lie to you and Mum?Dad’s actions don’t make mine right, but I can’t tell them I’m screwing Archer. I can’t. Dad would lose it. All my life, he’s told me how I should behave. He wouldn’t approve. It shouldn’t matter, but it does.

“It’s a good idea. It will give you boys a chance to get to know each other,” Molly says.