“But shouldn’t you be working today?” he interrupts.
“Oh, I quit,” I mumble with a hum as Archer’s lips gently nibble on my earlobe.
“You quit?” Julian asks.
“Well, yes, technically it was just the one job, but I stormed out of there and I quit.”
“That’s amazing,” Archer replies as he sucks eagerly on my neck. Warmth floods my core. He obviously doesn’t care that I was a sweaty mess earlier.
“Does that mean…” he asks. “We’re buying a restaurant?”
I smile brightly, wrapping my arms around Archer’s neck. Julian holds my hand, watching me with that guarded, stoic expression. Looking at him, I reply, “I’m ready.”
“And which one do you pick?” he asks, pressing his lips to my knuckles.
Archer lifts his face from my neck to listen for my answer.
“I want restaurant number three.” Curling my lips under my teeth, I close my mouth and stare at them both, waiting for their reactions. Not that I thought they would be surprised. We did spend all day yesterday looking at restaurants. Buying one was definitely the plan, but I think they’ve been waiting for me to really get on board, and now I am.
“Fuck yes,” Archer says with a wide smile. “I’m so fucking proud of you.”
“Let’s do it,” Julian says. “I’ll call the agent today.”
“We have to go out and celebrate,” Archer replies.
I laugh at him. “It’s, like, ten o’clock in the morning.”
“So we’re going to fucking celebrate all goddamn day.” Suddenly, his face falls in contemplation. “Oh fuck, I’ve got a fight tonight,” he adds.
“Cancel it,” Julian barks in a commanding tone.
“I can’t cancel it,” Archer argues. Then his face lights up with an idea. “Why don’t you two come?”
“Absolutely not,” I say with astonishment. “Why would we want to watch that?”
He lets out a sigh of frustration. “It’s not like you’d be watching me get my ass kicked. It’s a fair fight. Don’t worry. Rex isn’t going to let me get really hurt, okay? Come watch me win. Comesee it, and then you’ll understand that it’s not as bad as you guys think.”
“I’ve seen the gashes on your forehead, Archer. It is as bad as we think.”
“Please,” he says with a begging sound. “Let me win for you.”
I roll my eyes and glance to Julian. His expression is tight, the worry etched into his features. “Fine,” I say on a sigh. “But if it looks like you’re really getting hurt, I’m going to call an ambulance.”
“That’s fine, Chef. I’ll get in an ambulance for you.” Archer is such a sweet talker, and sometimes it worries me how easily I fold for him. That smile. Those dimples and the winks. He could talk me into swimming in the Seine.
“All right,” I reply. “I’m in.”
Before we do any celebrating, I desperately need a shower and some fresh clothes. Julian talks me into taking a shower here, and honestly, it’s the memory of the three showerheads that convinces me.
Archer offers to take a car back to my place to get me some clean clothes, so after giving him my keys and instructions on what to grab, I climb into Julian’s massive shower again with the jasmine-scented soap and multiple showerheads.
When I come out with a towel wrapped around myself, Julian is sitting on his couch in the living room, scrolling through his phone.
“He’s not back yet?” I ask.
“No,” he replies before looking up at me. His eyes linger on me as if the sight of me nearly naked and wet has distracted him from what he was about to say. He clears his throat. “He texted me. Apparently, there’s some nasty traffic today.”
“Oh, okay,” I reply before slowly entering the living room. As he scoots over on the couch, I sit down and stare at him. It’s funnyto me that being alone—and naked—with either of them doesn’t really bother me or make me nervous. At least not as much as I thought it would.
