The expression that flickers across his face is there and gone so fast I almost miss it. A flinch behind the smile.
“Wouldn’t you like to know.” He waggles his eyebrows. “A man of mystery has to maintain some mystique. Speaking of mystery, which side of the bed do you drool on? I need to position myself accordingly.”
“I don’t drool.”
“Everyone drools. It’s biology. I’m just trying to protect my pillows from your nocturnal secretions.”
“Please never say ‘nocturnal secretions’ again.”
“Would you prefer ‘nighttime mouth leakage’?”
“I would prefer silence.”
“Tough luck. Silence isn’t included in the fake-boyfriend package.” He shuffles over, making a grand show of claiming the right side of the bed and getting under the covers. He places his phone on the nightstand, then grins at me.
“Come on then. Stop hovering like a vampire waiting to be invited in.”
I have such an urge to kiss that smile of his.
How can one person inspire this mix of homicidal, protective instincts and lust inside me? How is that even possible?
I climb into bed.
I can handle this. I can handle being this close to Archie when he looks so soft and touchable.
The bed is even smaller than it looked. Or maybe Archie is just taking up more than his fair share?
I switch off the main light, leaving only the bedside lamp glowing.
When I glance over at Archie, and he’s lying on his side, facing me.
“First time sharing a bed?” he asks sweetly. “You look nervous.”
“It’s not my first time sharing a bed. But it’s been a while since my last relationship.”
His eyebrows lift. “How long is a while?”
“About two years.”
“Why did it end?”
I shrug. “I find that people generally want more than I’m prepared to give.”
He blinks. “That’s very honest.”
“You asked. What about you? Do you have any past significant relationships?”
He’s quiet for a beat too long, and when he speaks, the brightness in his voice has dimmed. “Not anything significant. I’m the opposite. People can’t cope with how much I have to give.”
Oh god. The urge to touch him slams into me so hard that I have to grip the sheets to keep my hands still. I want to smooth away that shadow on his face.
Archie seems to read my expression and blanches.
He laughs, although it sounds slightly hollow.
“This seems like slightly too intense pillow talk for two people who haven’t even established a safeword.”
He shifts on the mattress until he’s on his back, staring at the ceiling, his face weirdly blank.
