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Archer hooked his sailboat, then climbed up to sit on the bench, his mind racing. Her confession. Her kiss. It all played out in his head, his swim trunks feeling tighter and tighter as he thought about the whimpers that came from her throat, or the little flicks of her tongue.
He wasn’t done with her. He was far from done.
Tea hopped out when they got to the dock, then the three of them guided his boat back to the beach. He pulled it out of the water, then untied the sail and released the ropes.
Archer heard Tea thank Rhonda, who replied with a sly “No, thank you.” He didn’t look up, or at least not until Rhonda was sufficiently out of ear shot.
“Archer!”
He groaned and looked in the direction of Sandy Vanderberg, who was standing on the porch of her cabin. “Yes, Sandy?”
“You can’t beach your boat! Under the owners’ by-laws—”
Oh hell no. “Tea is injured!” he lied. “I need to take care of that first.”
Tea turned to him, her brow tilted in surprise.
“Please go with it,” he grumbled low.
She smirked, then reached for her ankle. “I tumbled pretty hard!” she shouted to Sandy.
Archer beamed, then scooped her up in his arms. She clutched her ankle, dedicated to the act.
Sandy kept shouting something, but he ignored her as he carried Tea to his cabin. His mind was on one thing. He’d waited almost a decade for it. He wasn’t going to waste another second.
Tea played with his hair as he climbed the porch steps. “Not playing dutiful, nice, Midwest boy, are you?”
“What are you talking about? I’m carrying an injured woman to my cabin.”
“Hmmmm.” she flicked his ear as he swung open the door. “And what injury do I have, sir?”
He looked her in the eye. “The injury of having to deal with flings for eight years.”
A devious grin spread across her face. “Oh, that really bugged you, didn’t it?”
“You have no fucking idea.”
She laughed, then looked down at the floor. “Are you going to let me down, or?”
“Nope.” He walked to the back of the cabin and straight to his bedroom.
Wet suits were discarded to the floor. Soft, creamy skin splayed out on top of his sheets. Red curly hair painted over his pillow. All of it felt like a fever dream.
Archer climbed on top of her, running a hand up her leg, following the slope of her curves.
Tea slipped a hand between them, reaching for him. “Arch, I want you. Please.”
He grinned, kissing her neck, moving his hand between her legs. “Patience, love. I rushed with you the first time. I’m going to take my time tonight.”
And that he did. Archer savored every single moment, committing every dip of her body and every sound she made to memory.
Then he carried her to the shower, and did it all over again.
Chapter 21
Tea
Once a nesting site is established, loons will make their annual return. Low success rates or changes to the environmental habitat may contribute to a deviation from previous patterns, leading the aquatic birds to canvas for a new site within the territory. The pair may produce one or two eggs in a season, then remain in the nest for an incubation period of twenty-eight days.
