Page 27 of Mine for a Moment

The second we hear the door to his home office click closed, Archer reaches for me, his hand wrapping around the back of my neck as he pulls me closer. “Fucking finally,” he whispers, before hislips meet mine. I whimper a little, my hand balling in his T-shirt as I kiss him back, my movements urgent, desperate. He parts my lips, and a soft moan escapes the back of my throat when he kisses me in that way that just steals away all my thoughts—deeply, leisurely, like I have his full attention, like there’s nothing but me.

We’re both panting when he pulls away, his forehead dropping to mine. “Couldn’t resist,” he whispers. “I can’t have you sitting next to me looking so fucking irresistible without getting a taste of what’s mine.”

“The feeling is mutual,” I whisper back. “You knew what you were doing when you walked in here wearing those sweats.”

He grins as he grabs my hand and places it over his erection, making me feel just how hard he is for me from one single kiss. “And what’s that?”

“You were tempting me.”

“Did I succeed?”

I squeeze his cock, my breathing erratic. “Definitely.”

He chuckles and leans in, kissing the edge of my mouth. “Good,” he whispers. “Sneak back into my house later, darling. I need you.”

I nod, and he grins as he turns his face to kiss me. “Ezra will be back any second,” I remind him, pulling away a little.

He sighs and leans back moments before Ezra enters the room, and I pull my hand to my chest in a rush. Archer smiles as he throws his arm back over his lap, hiding his erection as my brother takes his seat in time for the game to resume.

He glances at us, but there isn’t a hint of suspicion in his eyes. Even so, a new kind of guilt rushes over me. There’s so much at stake if Archer and I ever got caught. We need to be more careful.

Twenty-Two

Serenity

My heart begins to beat a little faster as Theo and I walk to his flat, each heartbeat heavier than the last as familiarity hits me. “It’s so convenient that it’s walking distance to work,” Theo says as we walk up to the same building that now bears my artwork. “And it suddenly became more in demand just days after we signed the lease because The Muse was apparently here. Wild, isn’t it?”

Wild, indeed. Me being The Muse is one of few secrets I’ve ever kept from him. Many of my pieces depicted my feelings for him and I never wanted him to figure it out. Now I’m more glad than ever that he doesn’t know.

My stomach turns as we walk past my painting, and I begin to tremble as heartache threatens to overwhelm me. They’re living in the place that was my top pick for Theo and me, the same one I told Kristen about so many times that she could hardly stand to hear any more about it.

Theo grins at me as we enter the elevator, and I glance around, my heart heavy. “It’s nothing like your brother’s place, of course, but it’s charming in its own right.”

I force a smile for him, trying my best to hide my conflicted feelings. I desperately want to be happy for him, but my heartache clouds my good intentions, until nothing but vague resentment is left. Does he even realize how many hours of research went into the list I created? Every single place on there was in budget, within walking distance, in a safe area, and nice enough inside. I did all that research forus.

“Here we are,” he says, leading me to his front door. There’s a cute sign on it with both of their names, and I take a deep breath before following him in, my hands shaking.

“Serenity,” Kristen says the moment we step into the living room, her brilliant blue eyes filled with seemingly genuine hope. She reaches for her long blond hair, her movements betraying her nerves. “Hi, I…um…thank you for coming over.”

My heart aches at the sight of her, and it hits me then. I missed her—more than I realized, more than I’d like to admit. She throws me a hesitant smile, and I nod at her, grateful that she hasn’t tried to hug me like she would have in the past. “Hi,” I murmur, looking around their living room. “This place is really nice,” I force myself to say.

“Shall we?” Theo places his hand on the small of my back, and Kristen tenses just slightly. I step away from him instantly, but it kills me to do it. He and I have always been so close, and it hurts to now set boundaries that I don’t want between us.

Theo throws me a startled look and drops his hand, gesturing toward the dining table instead. I nod and take a reluctant step forward, wishing I could just go home. It’s not that I don’t want to salvage my friendship with both of them, but I just don’t want to do it tonight, when my wounds still feel fresh.

I’m well aware that I had no claim to Theo in that way, but I can’t help but feel betrayed nonetheless. Kristen is the one I shared all mydreams with, the only one that knew how badly I wished that he’d finally see me. She knew I was too scared to risk my friendship with him, but I suppose it makes sense that she never encouraged me to make a move. I didn’t even realize that she hadn’t until now.

“I made that lamb ragout you like,” she tells me, her hand trembling just slightly as she reaches for the pot on the table to fill my plate for me.

Theo jumps out of his seat and takes over from her, their eyes locking for a moment as his hand wraps over the one she’s holding the spoon with. “Let me,” he tells her, a sweet, intimate smile on his face, and it absolutely destroys me.

I look away, and Kristen seemingly snaps out of it, stepping back from Theo. “I, um, I forgot to grab the wine I bought.” She rushes away, her cheeks bright red, and I watch Theo as he stares after her. I never even stood a chance, did I? He’s never once looked at me that way, and I was foolish to hope he ever would.

“She’s nervous,” he tells me as he serves me some of the pasta Kristen made. “She’s been texting me all day, second-guessing every single thing about this dinner.” He hesitates, his gaze roaming over my face for a moment. “I’ve asked her what it is you two are arguing about, because I’ve never seen you go this long without speaking. She won’t tell me, but she assures me it isn’t about me or our relationship.”

He sighs and fills Kristen’s plate before his own, and all the while I wonder if she’ll keep her silence. The last thing I want is for Theo to find out about my feelings from his girlfriend. Would our friendship even last if he knew? Or would he distance himself from me out of respect for Kristen? I thought I had so much to lose, only to find out that I might as well have taken my chances because I now stand to lose just as much, with far less to gain.

Kristen walks back in and holds up a bottle, trying her best tosmile. “I bought you a cabernet sauvignon,” she tells me, her eyes filled with hope.

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