Page 9 of The Mentor
But again, Archer only tightened his grip on me, his hands making their way up.
“Archer, stop!” I repeated and this time I pushed at his torso. He finally let go and with him taking a step back we stood facing each other, out of breath from the kissing.
I was trying to process what had just happened and considered if I would’ve had the same reaction kissing someone else. I looked down at my shaking hands and felt my heart pump like I had run a marathon.
Arousal.The way my whole body was humming was clearly arousal.
With some confusion, I lifted my eyes to meet his, and while I watched Archer, the hunger in his eyes faded and made way for something accompanied by deep frown lines on his forehead.
“We should get back,” he said and brushed his dark shoulder-length hair back.
I nodded and blinked a few times, wondering if my eyes were blazing with emotions like his.
“If Boulder or Magni finds out…” he trailed off, but I understood.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell. We were just curious and now we know what it feels like to kiss in the light of fireflies.”
He gave me a skeptical glance. “You sure?”
“Uh-huh. We’re two consenting adults. What we do is our business and no one else’s.”
“But…” I had already started walking and Archer walked up beside me with a stern expression.
“But what?” I asked. “It was no big deal, and no one has to know.”
My words made him knit his brows even closer together and, putting his hands in his pockets, he said: “If you say so.”
CHAPTER 3
Sharing Responsibility
Archer
Never had I imagined that my first meeting with the teacher from the Motherlands would go so well. Kya was sweet, funny, and surprisingly open-minded and curious about our culture.
We had talked for hours and ended up on a late-night stroll to see fireflies.
And she had let me kiss her!
Not just a peck on the cheek but a deep, passionate kiss that had made me so horny I almost cried when she stopped me from going any further. If kissing could feel that good, I didn’t even want to think about how amazing being with a woman for real would feel. But of course, I did think about it. All night!
Meeting Kya the next day, my heart was hammering. Partly because I remembered the exhilarating feeling of her body against mine, but also because Magni stood next to her. Her assigned protector was back from his other duties and as always, Magni was scowling as if the man had some painful case of chronic hemorrhoids or something. I never liked him much to begin with and in all honesty, it was mostly because he was considered the best fighter in the Northlands; a title I would like for myself. Boulder greeted me as he passed me on his way to two of his men who were working in the kitchen area.
But I was mostly interested in Kya and when she smiled at me, it immediately released a surge of hope in my chest. Surely the woman would have to be more than mildly interested in me to kiss me back the way she had yesterday. My head was like a big balloon with all sorts of lofty ideas. If I played my cards right, I might convince her to marry me like her friend, Christina, had married Boulder and then…ahh, the thought of a long passionate wedding night with Kya Janae had me grinning like a fool.
“What are you smirking about?” Magni said gruffly and for a second I feared Kya had told on me because he walked straight into my personal space. Luckily, he just slammed his chest against mine and patted my shoulder in a manly greeting.
“I’m just a generally happy person,” I said. It was a better answer than telling him that I was smiling because I pictured myself having sex with Kya.
“Is that so? Well, I’m sure we can fix that personality disorder.” He shrugged. “I heard you two already started discussing the future of the school yesterday?”
“We didn’t get to that, but it’s on the agenda for today,” Kya said in that deep pleasant voice of hers that made every word feel like a caress. She stepped up to us. “We’re supposed to come up with a schedule for the kids and have it approved by Pearl and Khan.”
“I’m afraid Pearl went back to the Motherlands, so until she’s back it’ll be my brother who has the final say,” Magni clarified.
We moved into the schoolroom, where boxes stood stacked, and Magni ripped a box open. “The supplies arrived so I sure hope the two of you can talk and unpack at the same time.” He stiffened. “What the hell is this?” he asked and I came over to see.
Pulling up a cushion in pink with one hand and a heart-shaped cushion in purple with the other, I shook my head. “Fuck! They got the deliveries mixed up somehow.”
