OLLIE
I stretched luxuriously in Archer’s bed, feeling the fantastic ache in my body from where he’d fucked me again last night. It had been different from the first time—less urgent, with us taking time to explore one another, yet even more intense.
His getting up to go to work had woken me, and he’d kissed me and told me to go back to sleep. I hadn’t intended to, but I was asleep before he’d even left the room.
And now, I was alone and had a chance to look around me. Presumably, Archer’s room was the master bedroom of the house as it was about three times the size of mine. There wasn’t much in it, though—a big carved wooden chest at the foot of the bed, huge wardrobes, and a dressing table with a mirror and a solitary comb. No skin-care products, no photos, no knick-knacks. Not even any books. Then I remembered they had an entire room downstairs just for books.
The canopy and curtains on the bed were made from a William Morris print and looked too new to be harbouring spiders from Tudor times. His mother’s work, I theorised, before I realised I was gender stereotyping. I still hadn’t heard a word about her, and it wasn’t something I could ask.
I took a photo to send to Jack and realised at the last second that I’d already sent him a pic of my room.Shit,that was close.
Got the wrong Disney princess when I said I was Rapunzel. Yesterday was Sleeping Beauty getting trapped in a thicket, I messaged instead, with great strength of will not adding anything about having been rescued by a handsome prince.
We had a few back and forths and I told him I was going into Winchester again to meet more of the family.
Good. Let me know what you find out.
Will do.I still wasn’t sure what Jack and his father thought I was here for.Ithought it was to make friends and get the family used to having a strange dragon around so they could see they didn’t need to get too territorial, but Jack seemed to think I was here to spy on the Talbots.
As I was wondering how best to handle Jack’s expectations without getting into trouble with his dad, he sent another message.You’ve banged him, haven’t you? Mr Rochester.
How the hell did Jack know?Why would you think that?
Because you haven’t mentioned him yet.
Shit.I’m not all about Mr R, you know. I have a life. And there are donkeys. Mini ones.
You forget how well I know you.
There was only one thing for it—I broke the habit of a lifetime and called him.
“You have, haven’t you?”
“Yes, I’m fine, thank you, Jack. How’re you? Great. Thanks for asking.”
“You’ve bloody well gone and banged Archer Talbot when you’re meant to be there to represent us.”
“I haven’t just banged him—”
“Oh my fucking God, don’t tell me you’ve banged his brother as well. In under a week? Even for you, Ollie—”
“I mean, it’s not just banging. We went out on a date last night.”
“A date?You?”
Jack’s incredulity hurt, though I wouldn’t let him know that. “I can do dates.”
“Yeah, but you don’t.” I heard a door close on his end, and when he spoke, his tone was softer, more like the Jack whoswapped confidences with me before he got married. “You’re serious about him?”
“I like him, Jack. I wouldn’t have done this if it had been anyone else, honest—I know what you told me. But he’s so…”I trailed off, unable to put into words the mixture of commanding and protective and gentle that Archer was. And the fact he was hot like burning.
“Okay, Ollie. But for the love of God,don’ttell Dad. When you need to get out of there, let me know, and we’ll work out a story for him.”
“What if I don’t need to get out?” I could barely speak through a throat that was suddenly thick.
“In that case, I expect to be your best man.”
But he didn’t believe that, I could hear it in his voice. He was saying what I wanted to hear. What was it about me that no one thought I could be serious about anything?
