“Go ahead number 14, show them whatcha got!” Ty cheers from his spot next to mine.
I give him a look that says, this is completely up to you.
He can either admit he doesn’t work here or he can suck it up and give her the dance.
Archer decidesto give her the dance.
It is the most spontaneous, yet physically magnificent, dance any of us have ever seen. He is pouring all his athleticism into the act, unintentionally making it ten times hotter than any practiced routine.
The bride is screaming. Ty is cackling. Vi and the other bridesmaids are cheering.
And I’m turned on.
Archer slips the money back to the bride without making a big deal out of it. Telling her to enjoy the rest of her night.
“How much for a dance?” I ask, sliding up, placing my hands on his warm chest.
Archer leans down, his breath tickling my ear. “For you? It’s free.” He says as he brushes a chaste kiss against my temple. “Although, tips are appreciated.”
I throw back my head and laugh, my curls sticking to the sheen of sweat on my back.
The night ends around 2:15 am, with Archer and Ty corralling us back to our rental.
“You guys should stay with us tonight!” Vi exclaims.
“Yeah! No need to catch an Uber to the Marriott!” Hallie adds.
“Vi and I can share a bed, giving Ty one of the rooms and obviously Elle and Archer are dating so that’snot an issue at all.” Iris laughs, almost falling over before Archer steadies her.
“Thank you so much for the kind offer.” Archer says. “But Ty and I still have mandatory meetings and seminars for the remainder of the weekend.”
I pull Archer to the side, significantly shorter than him once more since I took my heels off. “If you and Ty want to stay, you can, you’re forgiven Arch. I understand where you came from. I also realize, I should have been more specific about what The Giddy-Up Gentlemen actually is. So, if you would like to stay, I wouldn’t mind having my favorite teddy bear for the night.”
Archer’s massive frame slacks in relief. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, but we still need to have a talk, but it can wait until the morning, when I am sober.”
Archer looks at Ty. “Do you want to stay with the girls or head back to the hotel?”
“I’ll head back to the hotel. I probably need to call Sadie and let her know everything that has happened, although I wouldn’t be surprised if she already knows.” He throws me an amused grin.
“She may have gotten a few pictures of you dancing with The Rattler.”
Ty barks out a laugh. “Oh shit, now I really need to call her. Assure her that everything between The Rattler and Iwas purely physical.”
Archer and I both laugh and wait outside with Ty until his Uber arrives.
Once Ty is on his way back to the hotel, Archer follows me to what is my room for the weekend.
Archer closes the door, cutting off the muffled sounds of the rest of the party settling in.
He catches me by the waist and pulls me back against his bare chest, kissing the back of my neck. “Thank you, for letting me stay.”
I turn in his arms, feeling the rough stubble of his chin against my forehead as he leans into me. We stand together for several minutes, soaking in the warmth of each other after waiting outside in the cool air.
“Let’s shower and then go to bed.” I murmur.
We both hop into the suite’s shower, what I initially thought was a large luxurious shower, now seems cramped with Archer’s large frame. After what is in my opinion, the least sexy shower I have ever taken with Archer, we dry off and make our way back into the bedroom.
