Page 87 of Beautiful Thing

We stand face to face for another long moment and I feel myself turning red. “Okay, then. I’ll just finish making Sky’s lunch. Okay.”

“Okay.” He nods.

I nod, too. “Take care.”

Archer chuckles quietly. “Take care.”

I quickly spin away from him to hide my horrified face.Take care? Did I really just tell the man to take care. Oh god.

Maybe I should, like, never open my mouth again. If I keep quiet, maybe I won’t embarrass myself more than I already have.

Maybe.

Moments later, I feel Archer’s hand on the small of my back as he reaches around me to grab a mug from the cupboard. The electricity of his touch makes me drop the spoon I’m holding to the floor.

“Ope. I’ve got it.” Archer squats quickly to scoop it up.

I glance down at him, before me on his knees. A tidal wave of memories smacks me square on the clit.Holy fuck.

I know Archer is thinking exactly what I’m thinking. Those dark brown eyes hook on mine, totally giving it away.

“Here you go.” He rises and hands me a clean spoon from the utensil drawer, his eyes housing the same heat that was on display when he cornered me against his bathroom sink last night.

Okay. I need to get this off my chest. I take the spoon from Archer’s hand and drop it into Sky’s lunch box. “I…I’m sorry if I’m being all weird today.”

He smiles understandingly. “Don’t apologize. I feel kind of weird, too.”

“You do?” I question him nervously. “Weird how?”

“Weird in an I-can’t-stop thinking-about-what-we-did-last-night way, Layla.” He steps closer, the forcefield of his presence crowding me against the counter.

“You have to stop thinking about that,” I whisper. “Webothhave to stop.”

“How?” he whispers back, his expression pained and serious. “How do you expect me to stop thinking about the way you were moaning my name? The way you came all over my bathroom counter? Layla—you had my cock inside your mouth. How the fuck am I supposed toeverforget that?”

Fuck. We’re both screwed.

“We can’t do it again, Archer.” I fold my arms across my chest like that’s supposed to offer me some sort of fortitude. “We have to just focus on the reasons why we can’t do it again.”

He squeezes his eyes shut and scrubs a hand down his face. “Care to remind me again what those reasons are? Because right now, I’m coming up with a blank.”

I laugh quietly, giving him a soft shove backward. “You have standards, Archer.”

“Right. Right.” He doesn’t seem convinced.

I go on. “And if we keep going down this path, you’re going to end up disappointed when I don’t meet your expectations.”

“Layla, you could never disappoi—”

“Stop,” I say firmly. “It’s best if we don’t continue this.”

He exhales heavily, the veil of lust lifted from his eyes when he takes a step backward. He nods to himself. He pauses. “I fucking hate this,” he says frankly.

I purse my lips, letting my head bob up and down. “I hate it, too. But this is the right thing. I really don’t want us to hurt each other. I care about you too much.”

“Right,” he says again. “And I’d never want to pressure you into a commitment you don’t think you can handle.”

“Right,” I echo him.

---