Page 38 of Missing Pieces (Brantley Walker: Off the Books #12)

Now that the task force had cleaned out all the articles and photographs from the apartment, Archer didn’t have any reason to go over there.

Since he wasn’t quite an official member of the task force—paperwork and all that—he didn’t have a reason to go there, either.

But he was tired of sitting around the B&B waiting for something to do.

Okay, so that was only partially true. He didn’t mind it so much since he’d spent the better part of the morning listening to Bailey tell the story of how she ended up with Rafe and Holt. It was interesting, he’d give her that much.

Now that she was finished, he didn’t want to sit idly anymore, so he decided to make the most of a morning off.

At least that was what he told himself as he strolled across Walker Park toward the downtown businesses on the other side.

He pretended he didn’t have a destination in mind, but that only lasted so long.

As soon as he crossed Main Street, he was forced to make a decision.

Go into the bookstore and strike up a conversation with Violet, or slip between the buildings and head up to the second floor.

Right. As if it were really a choice. Sure, he liked Violet and all, but choosing between seeing her or seeing Spencer … kind of a no-brainer.

Archer didn’t miss a beat, aiming for the metal staircase. He took the stairs two at a time, not bothering to pause at the top. He strolled right up to the real estate office, knocked on the door and then turned the knob to let himself in.

Spencer was on the phone, holding up a finger without bothering to look over.

“Yes. This afternoon. Three o’clock,” Spencer said into the phone. “On paper, the house has everything they’re looking for. They need a quick close. Is that something your clients could accommodate?”

Archer remained where he was, watching Spencer work.

As had been the case since the first time he saw Spencer in the bookstore, his body responded to the man’s presence.

It was an instant attraction on his part, and it hadn’t decreased even a fraction since that day.

In fact, it was growing significantly more intense with every passing minute.

That was likely due to him taking things slow, which caused the intense lust to simply build inside him.

He figured at some point—probably in the very near future—it was going to burst, and his hard-earned self-control would be put to the test.

Kinda like it was right now. Just thinking about the guy made his dick hard. Those moments when he recalled kissing the man … yeah, it was going to be painful to walk in a few minutes.

Spencer’s dark brown hair was styled as though it had been cut just that morning, and for some reason, that made Archer want to run his fingers through it to muss it up a bit. And while he was at it, he wanted to tip Spencer’s head back so he could—

“That’s fantastic. They’ll be happy to know that,” Spencer continued.

Jesus.

Not helping.

Archer took a cleansing breath and collected himself. Good thing he had patience in spades. Uncle Sam had ingrained that in him when he joined the Marines. As a sniper, he’d spent his fair share of time tucked into a blind, unable to move for hours, sometimes days, on end.

The thought made him smile. Maybe this was what he’d trained for.

“Perfect,” Spencer said. “We’ll be by at three and I’ll send you feedback once I have it.”

Archer stood taller, waiting for Spencer to look his way. When he did, he saw surprise mixed with a little bit of … was that heat glittering in Spencer’s brown eyes?

“Hey,” Spencer greeted.

“Hey back.”

“What’re you doing here?”

Archer waved him back before he could stand up. “Don’t get up on my account. Just thought I’d stop by. See you before I head over to Brantley’s this afternoon.”

“Is it your first day?”

“Not officially, no. They’ve submitted the paperwork.” Archer moved toward him, scanning the room. “Once the background check comes back, I’ll be good to go. You here alone?”

Spencer nodded, watching him.

He continued moving toward Spencer. “You expecting anyone to come in that door in the next few minutes?”

“No. Why?”

“Because I really need to do this,” he said, leaning down, planting his hands on the armrests of Spencer’s chair. He held Spencer’s gaze for a few seconds before he leaned in for a kiss.

The heat from the other night exploded when Spencer kissed him back, his hands cupping the sides of his neck.

When he attempted to back up, not wanting to overwhelm the man, Spencer didn’t let him, holding on tight.

The next thing he knew, Spencer was on his feet and Archer had him pinned against the wall.

“Don’t stop,” Spencer whispered. “Just kiss me.”

So he did.

And he did some more.

Archer wasn’t sure Uncle Sam had trained him for the likes of Spencer Elliott. The man could so easily fray his good intentions along with his patience with little effort.

When Spencer’s hand slid beneath his T-shirt, Archer sucked in a breath and prayed his self-control remained intact.

“I don’t wanna go slow,” Spencer said, biting Archer’s lower lip.

“I can see that.” Archer focused on his breathing as those smooth hands moved higher.

It would’ve been so easy to let Spencer have his way, but Archer couldn’t help but wonder about tomorrow.

He got the feeling that once with Spencer wouldn’t be nearly enough.

But he wasn’t sure Spencer would feel the same way about him.

Archer wasn’t willing to risk that. Not until he’d given Spencer a reason to want to be with him.

A reason that didn’t involve the two of them naked and sweaty.

“Fuck,” he groaned, gripping Spencer’s forearms when he began tweaking his nipples. “You’re playin’ a dangerous game.”

Spencer pulled back enough to meet his gaze. “Am I?”

“No more of that or I might give in,” Archer told him as he maneuvered Spencer’s hands from under his shirt. He clutched both wrists in one hand and lifted them above Spencer’s head. “I assure you, when I do give in, we won’t be in this office.”

“Where will we be?” Spencer asked, his breath labored.

“Has anyone ever told you you’re cute when you’re eager?” Archer kissed him softly.

“Dinner tonight?” Spencer asked. “My place.”

“Yes to dinner. No to your place.”

Spencer frowned.

“You’re a temptation I’m havin’ a difficult time resisting.”

“Then don’t.”

“No sex on the second date.”

“The third?”

Archer smirked. “Doubtful, but not impossible.”

“Fourth?”

“You’ll have to wait and find out.”

“Not sure I can.”

“You can. And you will.” Archer kissed him again before releasing his wrists. “I might be working late tonight, but I’ll call you when we’re finished.”

Spencer nodded, but there was disappointment shimmering in his eyes.

Archer leaned in, this time pressing his entire body against Spencer’s. “Would it help to know that I’ve jacked off five times a day since I met you?”

Spencer’s eyes widened.

Archer lowered his voice, letting his lips hover over Spencer’s. “And it’s still not enough.”

And it wouldn’t be, but Archer believed that Spencer was definitely worth waiting for.