“Hey, caveman. I can walk!” I smack his ass as he steps into his room.
“I gave you the chance, and you didn’t take it.” He tosses me on the mattress and towers over me like a bodyguard.
“If you wanted me in your bed, Archer, all you had to do was ask,” I taunt.
“Go to sleep. I’ll be on the sofa.”
Archer tries to leave, but I quickly stop him. “Wait!” He turns to face me with a frown. “I’m only staying in here if you are.”
Chapter Nine
ARCHER
“Wait!” she shouts eagerly.
I frown and spin around.
“I’m only staying in here if you are.”
Everleigh stares at me with an intensity I’ve never felt before. She’s not wearing any bottoms, and it’s obvious she was using her vibrator. That thought of it nearly had me hard. Everleigh’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. She’s not only gorgeous on the outside, but her generosity and personality shines throughout. She let a complete stranger live with her and refuses to take anything in return except my friendship.
But this is where I draw the line, especially when she’s half-naked.
Her bluntness shouldn’t surprise me anymore, especially after the past two weeks of being here, but right now, she’s caught me off guard.
I should tell her no.
I should walk out and shut the door.
I should not be contemplating climbing under the covers with her.
Tyler would kill me, and if he doesn’t, I’m pretty sure having Everleigh that close would.
“Well?” she taunts with an arched brow. “You stay with me, or I’m telling everyone you made me sleep on the couch. Oh, and I don’t sleep with pants on.”
I want to laugh because I’ve definitely noticed. I see right through this game she’s playing, yet I want to take my turn.
Shrugging, I lower my joggers and stand in only my boxers. “Neither do I.”
Watching Everleigh’s eyes widen gives me a thrill. She hadn’t expected me to strip down to my underwear and agree. I already wasn’t wearing a shirt, and now we’re both showing more skin than not.
Everleigh crawls off the bed and moves the sheets back before scooting beneath them. After I turn off the light, I slide in next to her.
“Stay on your side,” I tell her teasingly.
“Yeah, sure.” She snorts. Her toes press against my leg, and the feel of her touch makes me realize how big of a fucking mistake this is. “You’re like a warm pillow.”
I snicker. “And your feet are freezing.”
She inches closer, wrapping her hands around my arm and squeezing while sliding her other foot under me. “Good thing I have my own personal heater.”
Yep, I’m so fucking fucked.
It’s silent for a few minutes until Everleigh speaks up. “So…you don’t have to answer this, but what was it like for you and Annie growing up? From what you’ve told me, it sounds similar to Tyler’s and mine.”
Her voice is soft and sincere, which makes me want to share everything. Everleigh would probably understand more than most people and without judgment. Yet I can’t tell her the tragic details, mostly because I’ve blocked them out.
Truthfully, it’s embarrassing. Even though I couldn’t control where we lived or our situation, when people hear about it, things become awkward. They pity me, I hate it, and the silent tension takes over. Plus, I don’t want Everleigh to know that Annie and I went hungry for years. We never had new clothes. We stole to survive and denied it when asked. I instructed Annie to never tell an adult because if CPS showed up, they’d separate us. We needed each other, and I couldn’t risk us being split apart and put into different foster homes. Regardless of our shitty home life, I still loved our mother. When she was sober and clean, at least.
“I don’t have a lot of happy memories,” I admit. “Annie’s the only reason I stayed. Thought about running away dozens of times, but I couldn’t leave her. Living on the streets was no problem for me, but she wouldn’t have survived. Not without getting assaulted, at least. So I stayed to protect her. Our mom overdosed during Annie’s senior year and never got to see her graduate.”
That thought sends a fire of anger through me. Even though our mom was a hot mess on her best days, it was important to Annie. I barely got my diploma, but Annie and Mom were still there to cheer me on as I crossed the stage.
“I can tell you’re the protective type. Annie’s lucky to have a brother like you. Tyler basically raised me too, but after high school, he joined the military, and I moved in with our grandparents.”
“Tyler told me about that. I’m glad you were in a safe place after he left.”
She sighs briefly, her chest rising and falling. “I hate that she lives in the same town but never puts in any effort to see us. She hasn’t met Scarlett, didn’t send a wedding or baby gift to Tyler and Gemma, and doesn’t check on me. It’s almost worse that she’s alive and chooses not to be involved. It’d probably hurt less if she was dead.”