Page 55 of The Soul of Archer
“A woman after our own heart. I’ll tell them.” Krista giggled, texting her girls
***
Lance was sitting on Alora’s back deck with a beer when Ethan and the others showed up about half an hour after Alora left. “Is she safe?”
“Alora is at my place and Krista was calling her girls. I’d say right about now those ladies are halfway through the first bottle of wine.” Ethan replied with a smirk.
Lance released a deep sigh of relief. Ever since she left he had worried that something would happen to her. The Malconi’s would find her and he would never know until they found her lifeless body in some ditch or creek. “Thank god.”
“Hawk, you mind telling us what happened?” Grant asked sitting in the chair next to Lance.
Lance tossed back the last of his beer and sat the empty bottle on the ground. “I fucked up, that’s what happened. When we got home I was so pissed I couldn’t see straight. I haven’t been that mad since, well since Teagan. I grabbed a shower then called mom to tell her to be careful just in case. I got to the kitchen and Alora’s so calm and talking about that fucking box like it didn’t matter…then…”
Lance felt like he had a lead ball in his throat when he recalled what happened next. He started to stand to go get another beer, but Danny pulled up a cooler, opened it and pulled a cold one out. Yes, his boys knew him. True Danny was new to the group, but in the near year that they had met, Danny had fit in as if he had always been with them. Lance popped the top off the bottle and took a long deep swallow.
***
“Okay, so you said you were embarrassed, and he cut you off.” Jenny reminded Alora.
Alora grabbed the bottle of Jack and refilled her tumbler. “Right. So, he starts saying that I’m embarrassed about what we did. Which for the record, I’m not. He says that he should never have fallen for a woman again. Now, by this time we’re standing in the middle of my living room. I tell him that’s not what I meant and that I value my privacy and figured he would get that. He says that I’m afraid someone would find out about me being with Lance and his friend Carter and it would ruin my rep…”
“Wait! Back the hell up!” Crystal interrupted. “You’re telling us that you had a threesome with Lance AND a friend of his?”
Alora couldn’t help it but snicker. “Well, yes and no. Look, right before we left Sam had chased us. We lost him and were waiting for Gage at Q-Ball. When we left I was behind Gage and in front of Lance. Let’s face it, the men of Blackout are hot as fuck and my horny ass mind started having a field day. I told Lance and he said he wouldn’t share me with another man. In Raleigh he arranged for a friend of his to sort of give me that fantasy. I only had sex with Lance but before that Lance and Carter both teased the hell out of me. All Carter did was touch me and a few kisses on my neck but it was enough mixed with Lance doing more than touching.”
There was silence in the Blackstone living room for about ten seconds before all the girls began fanning themselves and giving Alora catcalls and telling her what a lucky bitch she was. “Damn, I’m never going to look at Lance the same way now.” Krista sighed.
Alora shook her head before tossing back the rest of her Jack. Refilling her glass, she continued, “Anyway. I told Lance I don’t give a damn about my rep or what people think about me. That’s their problem not mine. He also said if I wasn’t upset about people knowing I was with him and Carter then it was because I hadn’t figured out how to rob him blind. His ex did that. She’s also the reason why he said he would never share a woman, but that story isn’t for me to tell so I won’t say anything more. I was fucking pissed, and I slapped him. I then told him I wasn’t her and I didn’t want his money, that I had my own and about not caring what people thought of me. I turned, grabbed my keys and came straight here.”
Shauna scooted closer and draped her arm around Alora’s shoulders, “Honey, men can be a pain in the ass, especially when they’re mad.”
“Ain’t that the damned truth. I swear Tommy is the best but oh he can be a handful at time. But that’s most men in general.” Jenna added.
The other ladies nodded in agreement. “I get that, but you would think after all the things he and I have shared with each other and after the amazing week we had in Jacksonville he would have known better than to say what he said.” Alora sighed.
“Alora, men like Lance don’t think too much when they’re mad.” Connie spoke up. “They tend to just open their mouths first and think after the fact.”
“Ethan’s the same way. I went through something similar last year. He was pissed and scared and rather than talking to me about those fears, he blew up. Well, I blew up right back and put him in his place about that. I told him we were in it together and we had to work together.” Krista explained.
Alora listened and decided when she went home the next morning she would tell Lance that. Oh, she knew the things he said he didn’t mean but that didn’t make them hurt any less. She had to believe that everything would be fine with her and Lance. She just had to.
***
“Damn, you ACTUALLY said that to her?” Tony asked in surprise.
“Yeah. Talk about a dick move huh? Course right after I said it she slapped the hell out of me.” Lance sighed, rubbing his cheek where her hand had connected.
“Buddy, you’re going to have some serious groveling to do to her when she comes back.” Gage said.
“You mean if she comes back.” Lance replied somberly.
Grant laid a hand on Lance’s shoulder, “She’ll come back Hawk. She loves you and you love her. You two will figure this out.”
Lance wanted to believe his friends but that dark place in the back of his mind kept saying he had blown it. He had done the same thing he had with Teagan and that there was something about HIM that kept him alone. Lance lifted his beer to his lips. Was he really meant to be alone like he had believed after Teagan had hurt him? He sighed and leaned back in the chair. He looked over when Danny began talking.
“Lance, I know you and I haven’t known each other long and I don’t know your past like these guys, but I have come to get to know you in my own way. I’ve seen you and Alora. You two are two halves of a whole. Like my parents, like my brothers and their wives, like Ethan and Kris. You and Alora will get this patched up and come out stronger for it. I can also promise you, I won’t stop till I have the Malconi’s locked up in a cage.”
“Thanks Danny. Thanks to all you guys.” Lance smiled slightly. “So, should I go over and grab my woman from your place Ethan?”
