No one says anything for a while. I grab the bar of soap and washcloth on the edge of the tub, and I lather it up before delicately washing every inch of Archer’s skin. The blood on his knuckles. The sweat in his hair. The dirt from his skin.
As I clean his chest, Archer’s heart beats against my hand. I’ve never admitted to loving anyone before, and I know this is early, but it feels so right. I trust him and Julian like I’ve never trusted anyone before.
Archer’s lips are soft against the side of my head, and a sense of excitement builds in my core.
“Let’s go to bed,” he whispers.
I climb out of the tub, and Julian wraps me in a large white towel. Thoughts swirl in my mind from the bath to the bedroom. Thoughts like…how much I trust them and how ready I am to show them. And thoughts like what Julian implied. How can we help Archer? How can we be the glue that holds him together? The outlet and distraction he craves. The safe place for him to land.
We are a mess. Julian is still so guarded with us, like he’s living behind a suit of armor that he won’t let us inside. Archer is still so intent on finding this fighter who might hurt him so bad he never gets up again. And I’m somehow trying to open a restaurant with little experience and no assets to my name. How could we make a relationship through all this?
I slide into the bed fully naked. Deep within my bones, there’s a tremble of nervousness that I feel I need to explain. Archer climbs onto one side of the bed, and Julian takes the opposite side, both of them caging me in. They are both in their underwear.
Lying on my side, I let Archer wrap his arms around me and pull me close to his body, burying his face in my neck. His hands slide up my thigh, and I practically explode with anticipation as his fingers travel over my naked body.
Grabbing his battered and bruised face, I pull his lips to mine. He kisses me back with hesitation. After a moment, I turn and find Julian’s waiting lips, kissing them hungrily. I can sense both of their reluctance, and I don’t want that anymore.
If what Julian said in the bathroom was true, then we could be what Archer needs. He wants to feel something. He wants to prove that he’s not broken, and I want him to feel that too.
I’m tired of shying away and holding back. I’m not doing this for them. I’m doing it for me. And for us. I want this relationship to feel real, and if I want Archer to find comfort here instead of his fights and I want Julian to tear down his walls keeping us out, then I have to admit that I’m hiding too.
But I’m done hiding now.
Without another thought, I throw my leg over Archer’s hips and climb on top of him. He lets out a groan, his hands finding my hips.
“Are you in pain?” I whisper, touching the swollen, bruised parts of his beautiful face.
He shakes his head.
Then I lean over and run my tongue softly over his busted lip, tasting the dried blood there. As my hands slide up his chest, I whisper, “Can I make you feel good?”
Half sitting up, he slides his hands up my spine and into my hair. “Chef, you always make me feel good.”
As I take his mouth, gently kissing him to keep from hurting him more, my body lights with warmth and arousal. I’m ready for this.
I want it more than I’ve ever wanted anything.
Julian pulls Archer’s mouth to his, pinching his jaw in a tight, bruising grip but kissing him with tenderness. My hips grind on Archer’s stiffening length. He’s still hidden behind his boxer briefs, but I feel him growing harder the more I move. My body shakes with anticipation as it swells beneath me.
While Julian is distracting him with his mouth, I move downArcher’s body. Sliding my fingers under the waistband, I tug his underwear down his legs. He lifts his hips to allow me access to remove them. Then I’m once again staring down at his cock, large and throbbing.
Can I really take all that inside me? The thought makes me both eager and nervous.
I run my tongue along the length to hear him moan into Julian’s mouth. Archer has reached into Julian’s briefs and is slowly stroking his shaft. I ease Archer into my mouth, running the head of his dick along my tongue until he reaches the back. His hips jerk upward at the sensation, and he delicately touches my hair.
After a few moments of covering his length with saliva, I crawl back over Archer’s body. Sliding my pussy along his slick length, I stare down at them, watching them kiss each other. I’ve never felt more hot and wet in my life.
Softly, I mumble, “Do you have condoms?”
They both freeze. One at a time, they turn their heads toward me.
“Yes or no?” I ask to cut them off from any unnecessary questions like asking me if I’m sure or if I’m ready. I don’t need them to reassure me and tell me that I don’t have to do this. I know I don’t have to.
Iwantto.
“Um…in the drawer,” Archer stammers, pointing to his nightstand.
“Freya,” Julian starts, but I hold up a hand to cut him off.
