“Go, go, go!” I shout to Lucien, who doesn’t need me to tell him. He speeds off, no questions asked.
I really do owe him.
I’m in the middle between Archer and Freya, and my face is aching intensely from the punch. Reaching up, I feel for blood but there is none, just a very sore spot under my right eye.
“Oh my God, are you okay?” Archer asks, pulling my face to him. He prods at my nose to check if it’s broken. When he’s assured that it’s not, he drops his hand and barks, “What the fuck is wrong with you two?”
“We were coming to save you!” I shout back.
“Save me?” he laughs. “From my best friend?”
My jaw drops as I look at the man in the front seat, currently holding up a wad of tissues to his nose. He waves a hand as a casual greeting. Suddenly, I recognize him as the man Archer introduced us to when we watched his fight last time.
“That’s Rex?” I ask incredulously.
“You were fighting your best friend?” Freya asks, rubbing her fist and clearly as surprised as I am.
“More likelosingto his best friend,” Rex adds from the front seat.
“It’s true,” Archer adds with a hint of humor.
“If you hadn’t stepped in, I would have had him on the ground with one more punch.”
Freya gasps, making Archer laugh. “I’m fine,” he says to calm her worries. “Now, start over and tell me why the fuck you two showed up and why on earth you thought it was a good idea to enter the circle.”
“I don’t know,” I bark with frustration as the adrenaline fades, leaving room for the pain to enter. “Maybe because you’re a stubborn idiot who gets himself in these idiotic fights and we had to come save you because youhave a wild temper.”
My tone is all anger and irritation, even though what I’m trying to say is anything but.
“Get to the point, fancy pants,” he mutters with a smirk.
“We came to stop you and say that we’re sorry and that we love you and you never should have run off to get into another fight. You know how dangerous these things are?”
Archer scoots closer to me as I continue my rant. His hair is a sweaty mess, and there are bruises popping up under his eyes. His large hand grips the back of my neck as he turns me to face him. With a devilish smile, he pulls me closer. “Repeat that first part again.” He gazes into my eyes, those dark pools inviting me in.
“We’re sorry,” I mumble. “We love you.”
His grin evolves in a wide smile, soft lines like parentheses on his battered cheeks. “How heroic of you.”
“Let me out of here,” the man in the front seat complains as Archer leans in toward me.
“Andyou,” Archer says, turning toward Freya and ignoring his friend’s request. “I don’t know if I should be furious at you for coming or so fucking proud of that swing, Chef.”
“You’ve been training her well,” Rex says with a nasally whine as he prods at his nose.
“She’s a fast learner,” Archer says with a grin as he leans down to kiss her softly on the cheek. “Not to mention the strongest, smartest, most reckless girl I know.”
“Something else I must have picked up from you,” she says.
After planting a kiss on her lips, Archer turns back to me. “Now tell me why you’re sorry,” he commands.
Our faces are just inches apart as I let it all out. Every insecurity. Every fear.
“Because I pushed you away when I should have pulled you closer. Because of those awful things I said. Because I didn’t fight for us when you begged me to. Because I haven’t been taking care of myself. Because I was a shitty fucking boyfriend. And because?—”
I don’t get another word out as Archer crashes his lips against mine. I don’t mind the taste of blood or the fact that we’re in a crowded car after the scariest, most intense moment of my life. I’m so grateful to have his body in my hands that I don’t mind any of it.
For him, I’d do anything.
