Page 9
9
CARLOTTA
S leeping alone in Archer’s bed, I turn onto my back and sigh. After thinking everything over and picking it all apart, I come to one conclusion: Archer likes kissing and touching me, but he doesn’t like that I’m a Rossi. For whatever reason, he’s putting his loyalty to my brothers first, over his desire for me. It’s the only explanation for why he keeps pulling away since he discovered my true identity.
And that isn’t acceptable.
Somehow, I’m going to convince him to give me a chance and let go of whatever is holding him back. It’s not fair or right that my brothers dictate my love life. I am a grown-ass woman and should be allowed to sleep with whomever I choose. They sure always have done whatever they want when it comes to the opposite sex.
A part of me feels rejected, though, and it’s a horrible feeling. But I truly believe Archer is only hesitant because our family is powerful and intimidating. I refuse to give up so soon because I’m pretty certain he likes me. And this man interests me on every level and all I want to do is get to know him better. So that’s my plan. For the next few days I’m going to smother him with charm and as much sex appeal as I can muster. I plan to use every tool in my arsenal to wear him down.
The next morning, I launch Operation: Activate Archer’s Libido. I decide it’s the little things that might inevitably push him over the edge—brushing past him, lightly touching him when the opportunity arises, flirting shamelessly, telling him I appreciate everything he does, letting him catch me checking him out and any other opportunity I find.
At the end of the next day, I realize he’s a very stubborn man. Any time I came close or had the chance to touch him, I took it. There were so many moments that I saw heat and interest flicker in the depths of his dark eyes, but then he’d douse it so fast my head would spin.
By dinner time, I am beyond frustrated and trying to figure out what else I can do. The situation is starting to feel hopeless, but I knew it would be a challenge and I am not giving up.
There isn’t a whole lot in the pantry, just some non-perishable items, so we end up making some boxed macaroni and cheese. I find a pan and put the water on to boil while Archer sets the table with bowls and silverware.
“How often do you come up here?” I ask, trying to make conversation.
“It’s been a few months,” he answers, plucking out two bottles of cold water from the fridge. “I like getting away from the city, but I’ve been busy lately.”
“Busy with a girlfriend?” I keep my tone as innocent as possible, but if he tells me he has a significant other, I’m going to raise hell.
“What? No.” His face screws up in a frown. I press my lips together, but don’t comment further. “Just so you know, if I had a girlfriend, I wouldn’t have kissed you.”
“Twice,” I remind him.
“Yeah. Plus I think we did a little more than kiss,” he mumbles under his breath.
“At the party.” I give him a wicked smile.
“I remember.” Our gazes lock. “Quite clearly.”
“I thought you liked me.”
“I do like you.” He frowns, leans a hip against the counter. “Why do you keep doubting yourself?”
“Habit.” I really don’t want to get into Rendall right now. I grab the box of pasta and dump it into the boiling water. Reaching for the spoon, I slowly stir it so it doesn’t stick to the pan. “Am I not a good kisser?”
“What?”
I shrug a shoulder. “You haven’t tried to kiss me again today, so it makes me wonder what I did wrong. Other than being a Rossi, of course,” I add slyly.
A muscle flexes in his cheek.
“Because I’m thinking that’s the problem,” I state boldly.
“I told you, I’m not scared of your brothers. But, out of respect for them, I am going to keep my distance from you.”
“Why?”
“What do you mean why?”
“If you like me and I like you then who cares what they think?”
“I care,” he states stubbornly, and I make a face.
“So if I offered to get down on my knees and suck your dick right now, you’d say no? Because of my brothers?”
“Jesus, Carlotta.” He shoves a hand through his thick, dark hair and looks away. But I didn’t miss the flash of desire that crossed his face first. “Don’t say stuff like that.”
“I’m just trying to understand how my brothers figure into this. Because, Archer, I am a twenty-five year old woman who can make her own decisions. Especially when it comes to my sexual partners. Or, lack thereof,” I can’t help but add in a low voice.
His head snaps back over. “What do you mean ‘lack thereof’? Dry spell?”
“More like the Sahara Desert,” I admit.
He crosses his arm over his chest, studying me closely. “How long has it been?”
I swallow past my nerves and blurt out, “Oh, about twenty-five years.”
Tilting his head as though he’s not quite sure he heard me right, his mouth opens then closes. I guess words escape him and I can feel my cheeks flush with embarrassment.
“Humiliating, I know,” I say, focusing on the macaroni and stirring it much too vigorously.
“Carlotta?”
I slant him a look, suddenly feeling shy. “Hmm?”
“Are you telling me you’re a virgin?”
“God, don’t make me say it.” I roll my eyes and set the spoon down with a clink. “Yes, okay. Men avoid me like the plague. Well, except for one, but it was barely a relationship, and he just ended up breaking my heart.”
I turn off the fire, take the pot over to the sink and dump the noodles in a strainer.
“What happened?” he asks quietly.
I shake the strainer, watching the steam rise, then turn and dump them back in the pot. “Cheese, please.”
Archer opens the packet, moves up beside me, and sprinkles it over the hot macaroni noodles. He drops the empty envelope on the counter and he’s so close, I can hear him breathing. Can feel the warmth of his body which is practically touching mine.
“What happened, sweetheart?” he asks again, his voice low.
I stir the orange powder and the noodles and let out a soft sigh. “There was a guy—Rendall—and we dated for a few months. I kept holding back, though, and couldn’t fully trust him. Something didn’t feel right. But, I thought maybe I was just being silly. The second I decide I’m going to sleep with him, I discover he’s cheating.”
“Rendall was a damn idiot.”
“You can say that again.”
“A total jackass.”
“I broke up with him and that was that. Sahara Desert,” I emphasize with a sad shake of my head.
Archer takes the pan and divides the mac and cheese into the two bowls on the table. We sit down and I scoop up a spoonful and eat it. Not the most appetizing meal, but I’m hungry and grateful there’s something to eat. I can feel Archer watching me and I finally look up at him.
“What?” I ask softly.
“I’m glad you didn’t sleep with that idiot.”
“Rendall.”
“Yeah, whatever. He didn’t deserve you. And he had a stupid name”
I can’t help but grin. It is a stupid name.
He swallows and takes a drink of water. “It’s okay to wait, you know.”
I arch a brow and make an unladylike snort. “I’m twenty-five! At this point, I’m beginning to wonder what’s wrong with me.”
“Absolutely nothing,” he states firmly. “You’re beautiful, sassy, smart…when the time is right, it’ll happen.”
“Easy for you to say. How many women have you slept with?”
He chokes on his food. “I’m not you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’m not looking for a relationship or a future with someone,” he explains, carefully choosing his words. “My encounters are more or less relegated to one night only.”
“Maybe that’s all I want, too,” I say stubbornly.
I can tell he doesn’t believe me. And maybe it’s not exactly the truth. When I see how happy my brothers are with their women, how they glow, it makes me want the same thing. Plus there’s nothing sweeter than my nieces and nephews. Maybe I’m not ready for a baby tomorrow, but perhaps one day I will be. And it would be nice to have the father stick around.
“You deserve someone who will love you forever, marry you and give you babies. Not someone like me.”
“FYI, Archer, I don’t plan to get knocked up the first time I have sex. I want it to be a hot, unforgettable encounter with a man who knows exactly what he’s doing. Someone who can teach me things and give me pleasure. Not make me an instant mom.”
He swallows hard and I take a bite of food, watching him closely. A flush is creeping up his neck and he clears his throat. “It’s hot in here.”
He abruptly gets up and goes over to the fireplace, squats and starts fiddling around with a log. Smothering a smile, I finish my dinner and hope I made it clear I’m not looking for forever at the moment. Just a really scorching- hot right now.
A moment later he returns, finishes his dinner, and then I gather the dishes. We fall into a quiet routine where I wash them and he wipes them and puts them away.
After turning off the water, I dry my hands and say, “I’m craving something sweet. Is there anything for dessert?”
“Let me check.”
Archer goes over to the pantry and takes quick inventory. “How about s’mores?” he suggests.
“Ooh, I’ve never had s’mores,” I exclaim.
He turns back around, holding a bag of marshmallows. “Are you serious?”
“Never been camping either. I’m more of a city girl, I guess.”
“Do you want to try some?”
I nod my head eagerly. “I’d love to.”
He tosses me the bag of marshmallows then grabs a box of graham crackers and some chocolate. “We can do it in here since the fire is already going.”
“Sounds good to me.”
He grabs a couple of long sticks from a drawer and I follow him over to the fireplace where we sit down on the floor. He lays everything out on the hearth and explains how to make the perfect s’mores. He’s so adorably serious and I can’t help but chuckle.
“You sound like a pro,” I tease. “It isn’t rocket science.”
“Oh, you have no idea, Ms. Rossi. If you don’t get it just right then you’re going to end up with a mess or have it all fall in the fire. So pay close attention and do what I do.”
I can’t help but smile at his boyish charm. He doesn’t show it too often, but I love seeing it. After guiding me through how to assemble the perfect s’more, we hold them over the fire.
“Hold it just a little higher,” he tells me, reaching for my elbow and lifting it. His warm touch sends tingles shooting up my arm.
It isn’t long before the chocolate and marshmallow melt together and the graham is toasted just right. Archer checks his then motions for me to remove mine from the fire.
“All done,” he tells me. “It’s going to be really hot, so be careful. Let it cool.”
I lightly blow on my ooey-gooey treat. We carefully remove them from the stick then I take a bite off the corner. “Ohh, it’s good,” I murmur. “So who taught you how to make such kick ass s’mores?”
“My dad.” A sad smile lifts the edge of his mouth.
“Are the two of you close?”
“We were. He died a long time ago.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry.”
“Thanks. Both my parents passed away when I was only ten. A car accident.”
“Oh, no. That’s terrible.” I can’t imagine losing my mom and dad at once and being so young. I love my parents and brothers more than anything and something like that would be devastating. “Do you have any siblings?”
“No.”
I shift on the floor, studying him closely, and it occurs to me that Archer is a loner. A man who has been on his own for a very long time now. No wonder he doesn’t think he needs or wants a relationship.
“What happened after your parents died? Where did you go?”
“I went to live with my uncle. He wasn’t very kind or warm. As soon as I turned eighteen, I enlisted. Couldn’t leave fast enough. Spec ops became my life.”
I get the distinct feeling he doesn’t share too much of himself with other people and my heart swells. Scooting closer, I decide to be daring. I reach out and lay a hand against his stubbled cheek.
“Thank you for sharing that with me.” Without thinking, I lean in and place a soft, chaste kiss on his lips. As I’m pulling back, he growls, stops me and slams his mouth against mine.
Heat floods me, arrowing south, and I try to keep up as he devours me. Kissing Archer makes me go all melty and I become more gooey than the marshmallow I just toasted. Ever since finding out my true identity, he’s tried to keep his distance. But now that he’s giving in, I’m going to encourage him.
Because one thing is very clear to me. Archer is unlike any man I’ve ever met and he is making me feel things like I’ve never experienced before. I want to explore whatever is happening with him and see how deep this could possibly go. If it’s only one night then so be it. But if there’s the possibility of having more, I’m ready to take the chance and jump in feet first.