Page 74 of Bound By Threads
I make sure to sign the words so Oscar knows exactly what I’m saying, not wanting him to feel left out of all this.
“You won’t ever have to choose,” Archer says, brushing his fingers against my cheek.
A small breath of laughter escapes me—half nerves, half relief. I pull them both closer, not wanting to let go of this moment, but the storm happening on the outside of this room hasn’t disappeared, and I know the ‘answers’ I gave to Roman, Elijah, and Crew today won’t be enough for them.
It never was…
“I need Crew’s number.”
Both of them still. Oscar’s jaw ticks, Archer’s expression turns to stone.
“Do you have a plan?” Archer asks.
I nod. I tell them the plan, Archer nods slowly, slipping into that focused Marine mindset that used to terrify me when he first came home, too unreadable. But now? I see the way it shifts for me. He’s still Archer.
Still mine.
Oscar watches me closely, eyes flicking between my lips and my hands as I talk. Neither of them interrupts, just listens. When I’m done, he signs,“We’ve got your back. You know this. However, you want to do this? It has to be safe. I can’t handle them hurting you again.”
“I know,” I say. “It’s just a little ‘prank’, like the ones they used to pull on me. He’s first because he was the last one to hurt me, and I need him to know why.”
The three ofus sit there for a few more minutes, the weight of what’s going to happen pressing down on me.
Then something shifts.
It’s the way Archer looks at me—eyes darker, more intense, his hand still resting on my thigh. The way Oscar’s thumb traces slowly along the inside of my wrist.
There’s a different kind of heat building between us, one that has nothing to do with revenge and everything to do with us.
I look between them, heart thudding loudly in my chest.
Oscar catches the change first. He leans over, pressing one last kiss to my lips and signs,“I’m going to bed. I’ll give you two some space.”
“You don’t have to go.”
He smiles softly.“I know, and believe me, I’m not a saint for this, but you both need this. I love you enough to feel secure that you’re with your other boyfriend, and if you want to dump his sorry ass in the middle of the night and come cuddle, I’m free.”He winks at me, then kisses me one last time, pressing a hand to Archer’s shoulder as he passes.
Then he’s gone, closing the door quietly behind him.
Silence fills the room, leaving us both alone, and everything in me feels exposed, raw in a way that’s terrifying and electrifying.
“You okay?” he asks again, his voice low and thick.
“I will be,” I whisper. “With both of you.”
He leans in slowly, giving me time to pull away.
I don’t.
I can’t.
His mouth brushes mine, and this time, there’s no hesitation. No weight of the world crashing in. No one demanding answers I’m not ready to give.
It’s just us.
I let myself fall into the kiss, soft, then deeper, more urgent.
His hands come to rest on my waist, pulling me closer as I shift into his lap without thinking. My legs straddle him, and his arms wrap full around my back, grounding me.
