Page 58 of A Little Complicated

Seeing him like this? Hearing him say the words I desperately want to hear?

I like it.

A lot.

“Say something, Goose,” he prods.

Peeking up at him, I whisper. “I’m yours?”

“Every”—he kisses my nose—“fucking”—he dips lower, kissing my throat—“inch.”

* * *

“Hey,”Archer murmurs beside me, and I flinch at the sound.

The dashboard highlights his handsome features, sharp jaw, sharp eyes, and kind smile as I peek over at him. “Hey.”

“Where’d you go?”

“What do you mean?”

“I know you,” he reminds me, reaching over the center console and squeezing my knee. “Your body’s here, but your mind is somewhere else.”

I look down at his hand on my thigh and place my palm over it. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. What’s going on?”

“Just…distracted, I guess. Thanks for bringing me tonight.”

“Thanks for coming,” he returns. “I know events like this aren’t usually your thing.”

“It was fun watching you in your element,” I tell him. “You’re quite the schmoozer, Arch.”

He chuckles. “I had to be to win you over.”

“Mm-hmm,” I hum, turning back to the darkened windshield. It’s late, and I’m tired. I can’t tell if it’s because I’ve been making small talk for the past three hours or because my feet hurt in my heels, but I’m ready to take my makeup off and call it a night. And if I don’t run into a certain Mystery Man who called me a wet dream and stormed out of his house like a just-kicked puppy, even better.

“Are you going to tell me what’s on your mind?” Archer prods.

My expression falls as I glance at my boyfriend beside me. “Arch…”

“Is it your Mystery Man again?”

My head dips forward, and so does my hair, shielding me from his view.

“I’ll take it as a yes,” he concludes. “He really fucked you up, didn’t he.”

It isn’t said with any malice. It’s more of an observation than anything else. And it isn’t a question, either. It doesn’t need to be. Archer knows me better than almost anyone.

“I saw him earlier today, and it…it messed with me a little.”

He nods knowingly. “What can I do to help?”

“Trust me, you’re doing plenty.”

“I hate seeing you like this.” He glances at me. “Seeing you hurting.”

He’s always been this way. Putting everyone else first. It’s one of the things I love most about him.

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