Chapter Twenty
The food was every bit as good as Janie thought it would be. After eating, Archer had made himself comfortable on her bed, then patted the area next to him, opening his arms. Janie was shocked at just how at ease she felt, but she readily fell onto the bed and cuddled against him.
He stroked her back softly and contentment made her drowsy.
“I could get used to this,” she murmured, lifting her head from his chest slightly to give him a brief kiss. “How can I feel so happy when everything is so messed up?”
“I’m happy too,” he said. “They don’t get to steal that from us just because they’re here. You’ve been working so hard this past month to heal yourself, and I’ve grown to love you by watching how strong you are. Don’t let Frederick’s appearance take that progress away.”
Hearing once again that he loved her spurred on the warmth in Janie’s heart. Never before had a man cherished her the way Archer did. While a small nagging in the back of her mind said this couldn’t be real and would crash around her, she shoved that voice away and put more credence into the part of her brain and heart urging her to trust him with everything she had.
“I won’t let him spoil this,” she promised. “However, there’s a bit more to his visit that I haven’t told you.”
Archer let out a noncommittal grunt that Janie took as encouragement to keep talking.
“He’s dying from kidney failure. The reason he wants to be my father again is because he can’t find a donor and wants me to give him a kidney if I’m a match.”
Archer’s arms tightened, and his breathing quickened. Janie could only guess that he was holding back anger.
“I told him to ask someone else,” she continued, “but I wonder if I’ll regret that if he dies when I could have saved him.”
A long exhale left Archer’s nose, and his hand rubbed her back in an agitated manner. “He isn’t your responsibility, but I can’t pretend like I don’t understand where you’re coming from. It isn’t an easy decision.”
Janie sat up so she could meet Archer’s gaze more easily. “Would you hate me if I decided to do it?”
“Hate you?” His eyebrows narrowed, and he shook his head. “This gorgeous body belongs to you and you alone, Angel. I hope I have a bit of claim on it, at least when it comes to being your partner, but it’s your decision what you do for Frederick.”
“But what do you think?” she asked. “Is it a bad idea to get involved? It must be, right?”
He sat up beside her, taking her hands in his. It was only then that she realized hers were shaking. “You don’t have to decide tonight,” he said. “You can take a while to think about it. Why don’t you sleep on it?”
“From what he said, it’s pretty urgent. He’s been on the transplant list for years but has been unable to find a good match. Something about odd factors in his markers or something. I don’t really understand, but there are no kidneys for him.” She knew she slowly talked herself into donating a kidney to a man who had abandoned her, but somehow, she felt like it was the right thing. “I can’t just let him die, can I?”
“If that’s how you feel, why don’t we find out what we have to do to get you tested?”
“We?” Janie quirked an eyebrow, wondering what he meant.
“Do you really think I’m letting you go through this alone?”
She’d figured Larissa would visit the hospital with her and be with her through the surgery if she ended up being a match. It put her further at ease to realize she now had another person she could count on. “You really do want me to fall madly in love with you, don’t you?”
Archer chuckled. “Well, of course, but that’s not why I’m offering to help you through this. Even if we weren’t in love, I’d want to be there for you. Whether you return the depth of my feelings or not, I love you, Angel. I can imagine, after everything with your mom, the hospital isn’t your favorite place. I’ll do everything I can to make it as easy as possible.”
That he instinctively understood the fear she harbored about being in the hospital made her love him even more. Overcome with emotion, she wrapped her arms around him, pressing soft kisses against his lips and down his neck. “Of course I love you as much as you love me. I love you so much, Archer.” She continued her kisses, desperately trying to show him just how much she cared.
He let out a low moan and wrapped one large hand around the back of Janie’s neck, taking her mouth with his. He nibbled at her lips playfully as he laid down on the bed, pulling her along with him. His other hand trailed down her body, rubbing her lower back before venturing down further to squeeze her ass. His tongue twisted and teased with hers while pleasure raced throughout Janie’s body emanating from wherever his hand touched. Heat welled in her lower body and she tightened her lower half, need for him consuming her.
“Please, Archer, don’t stop tonight. I want to be with you.”
As though her words brought him to reality, he abruptly stopped rubbing at her lower body. “Shit... What am I doing?”
Not willing to be denied yet again, Janie pressed her hands against his cheeks, forcing his face to hers so she could continue kissing him. “You’re doing what we both want,” she panted between kisses. “Please, this is nothing like the other day. I’m not trying to drown out my problems. I love you, and I really, really want to be with you.”
He returned the kiss with a bit more interest. “You mean that? I don’t want this to be something you’ll regret later. I know how strong my feelings are, but if you aren’t sure yet, I’ll head back to my own room and wait for you to be ready.”
“You worry like an old woman.” She chuckled, rubbing her hand along his firm pecs while being careful not to put too much pressure on the previously injured side. “I know what I feel, it’s just that I was too afraid to admit how very far I’ve fallen for you.” She glanced at him, bashfulness overtaking her as heat flamed in her face. “I haven’t told someone I loved them since my last boyfriend in high school.”
“You had boyfriends?” He raised an eyebrow, his smile seeming a bit strained. “I have to admit that I’m a bit jealous to hear it. I thought I’d be the only man you ever loved, even if I do worry like an old woman.”
“Oh, you.” She swatted his shoulder but couldn’t stop how happy his words made her. “Those boyfriends in high school just proved that I was right about not trusting people. You’ll be the only man who truly matters, so don’t make that sad face.”
He chuckled. “I can settle for that. Besides, I’ll be the last man who gets to love you and know how wonderful you are, so that’s all that matters.”
It seemed fast for him to be speaking like that, and it flared a bit of anxiety within her, but Janie tamped it down. If she was going to be in this with him, she had to be all in. She couldn’t hold herself back and let fear rule her feelings.
“That’s all that matters,” she agreed. “So, make love to me.”
Suddenly, her position was reversed, and she stared at the ceiling as Archer turned them and loomed over her. “If you want me to make love to you, that’s fine, but this has to be on my terms. No sex just for the sake of sex. This is us coming together as a real couple.”
She swallowed hard, wondering exactly what he meant. However, she trusted him, so nodded.
A wide grin split Archer’s face. “I never expected to see you this obedient. It’s turning me on even more.”
She giggled. “Glad I could be of service, but what, exactly, are you planning to do to me to have this be on your terms?”
“Just wait.” Archer hopped up from the bed, walking over to the small closet in her tiny room. He flung open the door, searching with an intent look on his face.
“What are you looking for?”
“Ah ha!” Triumphant, he reached into the closet and pulled out a decorative scarf she used for the fancier parties held on the island. He slowly paced back toward her. “You trust me, right?”
Gulping loudly, she gave him a hesitant nod.
He leaned down, scarf stretched between his hands. “I want you to give yourself over to me, Angel. Instead of using sex as a means of control, I’d like you to let me make you feel good while you give up the control. Put your trust in me and let me take care of everything.”
While a small edge of fear at the thought of letting him be in charge gripped her, a larger part of excitement took over. “Okay.”
He wrapped the scarf around her eyes, tightening it on the side of her head. “Is that too tight?”
“No, it’s fine.” In the darkness, somehow only being able to hear him move but not know what he was doing jumped her pulse rate.
Calloused hands ran across her skin and clothes, touching her in a barely-there manner. It made her ache for more, and she writhed on the bed, arching her back upward as she searched for the warmth of his fingers.
Archer’s chuckle filled her ears, closer than she thought. His breath bathed her face as the only warning she had before his mouth touched against her neck. He sucked powerfully at the tender skin there, and Janie couldn’t hold back a small mewl of pleasure.
She was hyperaware of every sensation he placed against her body, and as he slowly divested her of her clothing, she arched into him once more. “You feel so good,” she whispered in a husky voice. “I want you to touch me more.”
“I’m in control,” he murmured, mouth closing against one of her nipples and stiffening it to a tight bud while he rolled his tongue over it. “However, I have no problem touching you.”
His hot mouth took equal turns, suckling her and sending tingles of pure pleasure that shot from her chest to the join of her legs. Heat pooled below, and she knew she was already wet and ready for him. She rubbed her legs together, aching for him to stroke more of her body, especially the heat begging for his attention in her lower half.
Feather-light touches of his hands across her chest and stomach nearly drove her insane. She’d never been so full of desire before. Making love was not what she normally did with a man, and the attention Archer paid to her body without touching the places she really wanted him to was an exquisite form of torture.
“Please, Archer,” she whimpered, writhing with need. “I need to feel more of you on me... in me. Please.”
“So eager.” His rumble of speech tickled against her breasts. When he bit down lightly on her nipple, Janie gave a soft shriek of pleasure, grasping at his head but unsure whether she wanted to push him away or pull him closer.
His hand finally ghosted across her stomach and continued downward, teasing at the top of her most heated area, but not touching where she wanted him to. He moved away, stroking against her inner thighs.
Janie spread her legs. “Please, please. I need you.”
His feathery touch stroked against the hot bundle of nerves that ached for his attention, but it was light and barely enough to give her any sensation of him contacting her body.
“Archer!” She moaned in frustration, searching wildly for his hand and pulling him hard against the place she wanted him to rub. “Stop teasing me. I’m about to explode.”
He chuckled. “I should have tied your hands as well. You’re getting too demanding, but I’m not ready yet to give you what you want.”
His heat left her body, and it took a few moments for Janie to understand he had slid between her legs. The sudden sensation of wet kisses against her throbbing clit came as a delicious shock.
“Oh, God!” She half sat up, the pleasure almost too much to handle. She’d never felt anything like this before. All that had mattered in the past was the power she got from sex. The pleasure she obtained generally had nothing to do with a physical sensation. Archer was giving her something she never knew she was missing, but now never wanted to be without.
The sensation of his fingers pushing into her while his tongue laved at her pulsing nub was too much. She let out a shriek, turning her head into the pillow to muffle her cries as waves of pleasure crested over her body again and again.
***
Archer sat up, wiping his mouth as he stared down at the spent woman lying before him. She was so damn beautiful. How did he end up being the one she loved and trusted? A month ago, he could have never seen this. Now, all he wanted was to make her totally and completely his.
Letting her rest for a moment as she breathed in deeply and continued letting out little cries of obvious pleasure as aftershocks from her climax made her shudder, Archer stripped down and grabbed the condom he’d been carrying with him for the past two weeks. He was rock hard and couldn’t wait to join with her, but she needed a bit of prep before she’d be ready to go again.
Not that he had any qualms about his ability to get her ready for him. He laid down along the length of her body, half putting his weight on her. “You okay, Angel?” he whispered, kissing the shell of her ear before leaning over to close in on her lips.
She gave a sigh that sounded like pure bliss, wrapping her arms around his back and stroking up and down. Her touching his bare skin was nearly enough to make him lose his composure, but he continued kissing her, teasing at her mouth with his tongue like he’d done for her down below.
She let out a giggle after a few moments.
“What’s so funny?”
She kissed him again before answering. “I was just thinking how talented that tongue is. I’m a lucky woman.”
He braced himself with one arm, using the other to tease the skin around Janie’s thighs again. “You’re about to get luckier.”
She shook her head, suddenly reaching for the makeshift blindfold. “Archer, I can’t go again. I’ve never even done that much before!”
He blocked her hands. “Leave that alone. I’m in control, remember?”
She froze for a second, then dropped her hands. “You’re right. I’m not in power right now. I trust you.”
Damn, but if that didn’t turn him on that much more! He went back to stroking against her legs, slowly making his way back between them and rubbing her slick wetness all around, making sure to slightly bump the tight button of nerves that he knew would get her quickly back in the mood, but not giving it enough attention to satisfy her.
After a few more minutes of that mixed with passionate kisses, Janie’s breathing increased, and she began arching her back once more.
Smiling with satisfaction, Archer mounted her and pressed himself slowly into the softness and heat that waited for him. Her body closed in around his member, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him in deeper.
Archer held himself still a few moments, while Janie did all the moving beneath him. His ribs gave a small twinge of discomfort, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle. He could definitely make love to his woman.
“I love you, Janie.” He rested his hands on either side of her, kissing her deeply once more. His heart was so full, but the passion burgeoning inside him was almost too much to handle. He wanted to thrust into her hard and fast, but that fought with his desire to be gentle and make sure she got what she needed.
“I love you, too,” she said. “You’re the man I’ve always been waiting for, I just didn’t know it.”
That was too much. Her sweet confession broke any restraint he had. “I can’t hold back anymore,” he warned. “You’re too beautiful and too wonderful. I want all of you to belong to me.”
“I already do,” she assured him. “Don’t hold back.”
With that reassurance, Archer was done for. He drove himself into her again and again. They kissed any time he was in deeply, and Janie’s moans matched his own. They were in perfect harmony, their paces matching to perfection.
He was about at his limit when Janie’s nails dug into his back.
“I’m coming again,” she cried, dragging her nails down his skin. “I can’t wait longer.”
He renewed his efforts for a few more strokes, but when Janie’s body shook and tightened around him, she let out sweet moans to tell him she was riding high on pleasure. After that, Archer stopped trying to control himself and followed her over the edge of pure bliss.
***
As their sweaty bodies slowly cooled, Archer finally removed the blindfold. Janie’s chocolate eyes stared up at him, a lazy smile on her face. She looked happy, and that made Archer’s heart sing with joy.
“I never knew,” she said, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him in for a tender kiss.
Once the kiss broke off, he rolled off her onto the bed, pulling her firmly against his side. He wasn’t yet ready to part from her, but he could no longer support himself. Not only was he exhausted, but his ribs were complaining a bit. “Never knew what, Angel?”
“How good it could be with someone I love instead of what I’d been doing.”
Archer nodded his understanding, kissing her again. “I’m glad I’m the one who got to teach you that.”
She threw one leg over his hip and pulled the blanket over them. “I’ve never stayed with anyone for the entire night after, but will you sleep here?”
The tense set of her jaw told Archer she feared his rejection, so he smiled to reassure her and kissed her once more. “I can’t imagine being anywhere else but with you. Rest, my love. I plan on waking up in a few hours for a repeat performance.”
Her face relaxed into a smile. “I’m not sure my heart can take that.”
“I promise it can. Sleep, and I’ll show you later.”
She tucked her face against his chest, and her soft breaths puffed against his skin. “Archer, thank you.”
He chuckled. “No, thank you. That was the best it’s ever been. You say you didn’t know it could be like that, but neither did I. I’m so happy.”
She snorted out an undainty laugh. “I am too, but I wasn’t thanking you for the sex.”
“Oh?” He had thought his performance was praise worthy. “What then?”
“You’ve shown me what love should be, not just while making love, but the way you always treat me. I’m stronger than I’ve ever been, and a big part of that is your support.”
“No,” he said. “You’ve done that yourself, but I’m happy to be here with you.”
“It has been you,” she argued. “Without your support, I’d have never made it this far. Larissa’s my best friend and I love her, but she’d always nag me and try to change me. You’ve quietly accepted who I am and supported me throughout this process. It’s meant a lot.”
“Get used to it,” he warned. “I’m not going anywhere. Besides, I depend on you to keep supporting me and my dreams as well.”
“Of course.” She kissed his chest. “Will you really go with me to get tested for my father’s kidney?”
“One thing you’ll have to get used to,” he said, “is that I don’t say things I don’t mean. I might be wrong at times and change my mind later, like when I insulted you after we first met, but for the most part, my word is my bond. You can count on me.”
“Is that your convoluted way of saying yes, you’ll be with me?”
“It’s my convoluted way of saying I’ll always be with you, forever. You never have to worry about being alone again.”
“I believe you,” she said. “Goodnight, my love. I want to talk more, but I feel so safe and warm in your arms that I know I’m not long from dreamland.”
He smiled into her hair, kissing the top her head and hugging her closer. “I’m right there with you. Sweet dreams.”
“I love you, Archer.”
“I love you too.”