“Why would it?”
I shrugged. “Some people don’t like interbreeding, and I figured that might have disgusted you to find out.”
Archer twisted to face me. “None of the past matters anymore. It’s a fresh start, remember? We both made a mistake.”
“You keep saying that word. ‘Mistake.’ I have regrets because I’m in a relationship, but why was Iyourmistake?”
Archer wiped sauce off the corner of my mouth. Then he deliberately licked his thumb in a slow and needy way, and all I could focus on was his tongue.
“You weren’t a mistake,” he said matter-of-factly. “Not the way you think.”
I shoved more fries into my mouth. “None of it matters anymore.”
“What do you mean?”
“Noah wants to move back to Austin.” After two additional mouthfuls of burger, I closed the container and set it to my right. When I glanced at Archer, his eyes were closed and his head reclined.
“Is that what you want?” he bit out.
After peeling off my socks, I curled up and faced him. “It’s not mydecision. He has a big job offer, and I guess we go where the money is.”
Archer finally lifted his head and stared at me, making my face flush.
“What are you looking at?”
He let the hair tie roll onto his wrist. “I just noticed your eyes. They’re hazel.”
I threaded a lock of hair away from my face, giving him permission to look even though it felt like his intimate gaze could see my deepest and most private thoughts.
“Noah’s a lucky man,” Archer finally said.
“You don’t even know me well enough to say that.”
“You’re pretty perfect to me.”
The back of his hand touched mine, and sparks fired off on every nerve ending. I stared at our hands and the intense connection building between us. Even my animal stirred, which she rarely did these days.
Why does he have this effect on me?
Even the first night we met, the attraction I felt for him was insatiable.
In that moment, I was afraid to look at him—afraid if I did, I wouldn’t be able to control my actions.
When the shower cut off, so did our connection.
“I cheated on my boyfriend, Archer. That’s the worst thing you can do.”
“Why did you do it? Because we both know I didn’t pressure you.”
“Because… things aren’t always what they seem.”
I hopped to my feet with my half-eaten container. “Thanks for bringing this over. That was really thoughtful. Be sure to tell Bear how much I enjoyed it.”
“If I had known you were having a food orgy over here, I wouldn’t have bothered.”
“This was better,” I said truthfully.
Not just because I preferred a hot meal for dinner, but someone had thought of me. Someone wanted to do something nice for me, and I tried to think of the last time Noah had brought home a hot dinner that wasn’t an apology.
