Page 126 of The Mentor
“There is that!” he said and laughed with me.
A few minutes later, Archer was on his back and I was nuzzled up with my head on his chest feeling the vibration when he spoke: “I can’t believe that we’re actually married. I want to say the word over and over again. We aremarried,married, married.” Every time he said it, the word came out a little different as if he was tasting the nuances.
“It means a lot to you, doesn’t it?” I asked softly.
“It does!” he said. “I wish it was as magical to you as it is to me.”
Lifting my head up to look at him I was momentarily overwhelmed by the emotions in his eyes. “Try to explain it to me – is it the prestige that comes with being married?”
“No, that’s not it.” He looked thoughtful. “Maybe it’s similar to that oneness you were describing before. I mean, we Nmen grow up without a family. We have all our friends of course; but you and me being married…” He sighed and bit his lip. “It represents an anchor of safety and happiness in my life. Like I’m part of something bigger than myself.”
“But you already have that with the school.”
Archer was playing with a lock of my curly dark hair. “This is different, Kya, and you know it. On Thursday, Boulder told us about his being Raven’s new father. He called himself the happiest man in the Northlands and at that time, he probably was.”
“You don’t think he is any longer?”
“Nope, today I claim that title,” he whispered against my lips and as soon as I parted them, his kiss intensified and grew deeper.
When I finally pulled back to catch my breath and stare into those beautiful blue eyes that I had admired from the first time I saw him, he asked: “Are you ready to finally say the words I’ve been longing to hear?”
“I already said that I love you.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
I frowned a little. “But what do you mean then? I already said I would marry you. In fact, Ididmarry you!”
Archer’s eyes were full of mischief when he cupped my face and stared deep into my eyes. “Don’t you remember all the times that I begged you to commit to me? What were the words I wanted you to say?”
A slow smile spread on my lips, as I remembered.
Lifting my own hands to cup his face too, I poured all my love into the magical words I knew he longed to hear.
“Archer, I choose you!”
His shoulders visibly lowered as he exhaled and closed his eyes for a second.
“I choose you,” I repeated.
Words were redundant when his rich blue eyes opened again. All his love was right there blazing at me.
“I wanted you from the first minute I saw you,” Archer whispered.
My hand lifted and caressed his face with a smile. “Probably because I was the only single woman around.”
He chuckled.
“See, Iamfunny, I just made you laugh.”
“Yes, you are.” His lips lowered to mine. “And sweet too.”
“Don’t forget sexy,” I whispered into his mouth.
Archer pulled me onto his lap and pressed me against him. “Sexy is an understatement. You, my wife, are everything I dreamed about and I think it’s time I make good on my promise to you.”
“What promise would that be?”
Archer squeezed my hips and pressed a very hard erection against my core. “Something about a oneness that you love so much.”
