Page 220 of Now and Forever

Chapter 77

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hat type of movies do you like?” Archer asked while I did a three-sixty of my surroundings.

I had never been in such opulent settings. I mean, there was rich, and then there was wealthy. This was the latter, and good God, I was speechless.

The pool stretched from corner to corner, and across from it was the super high tech gym, which was separated by floor-to-ceiling glass walls. Everything was done tastefully, and I couldn’t help being impressed at how the other folks lived.

When the projector appeared, I glanced at Archer, a little curious. “How do you people live like this on a daily basis? It just blows my mind.”

Archer stopped whatever he was doing, looking at me and riotously laughing. “Oh, Serena love, I honestly don’t know how to respond to that without sounding like a privileged snob.”

“Point taken.” I beamed at him before I strolled towards him as he held the remote, shuffling through the movie catalogue. Then he handed it to me so he could go to the bar and scour for alcoholic beverages.

“What’s your choice of poison, love?” Archer asked as he opened the bar fridge.

With my eyes glued on the screen, weighing in if I wanted to do a zombie movie or a romantic comedy, I managed to respond, “Hmmm … Surprise me.”

Archer brought two bottles with him—a vintage champagne and vodka. Obviously, he kept the fiercer drink to himself before handing me the bubbly potion.

“No glass?” I stared at the expensive label.

He made a cute, hunky wink. “I can’t seem to find one, so we’ll share and swap bottles to satisfy our thirst, and I’m such a bloody flirt believing that, by doing so, we just made the first step to getting intimate.”

Same old, same old. I had to give him credit, though; the man was persistent.

“Ha, you’re too cocky. All this talk and I get the feeling you won’t even come close to satisfying me.” Teasing and provoking men was my strong suit, though I wasn’t known for pulling the trigger … well, with the exception of the oldest Elliot brother. That was a random, isolated incident for sure.

As much as I wanted to ponder about the oldest brother, the younger one was busy trying to win my undivided attention.

“Is that a challenge, Serena? Because I’ll bite if you want me to; just say the word,” he baited.

“It’s like that, huh?” I wasn’t necessarily seasoned, but growing up in LA made flirtation normal, like a prayer. Everyone did it like it was part of their daily routine.

“You have no idea how arduous it is to be this close yet not sample the sweetness.” His finger caressed the side of my arm, brushing upwards, reaching towards the base of my neck.

I swallowed hard. His eyes looked intense as he watched my breasts rise and fall from his touch.

“Archer!” A loud, booming sound echoed throughout the basement, making me freeze with horror.

My eyes were wide with shock as his voice sent electrifying shivers down my spine.

Cruz.He was here and had most likely witnessed that impromptu exchange. Fuck the fuck. I just couldn’t catch a break today whenever it concerned him. Damn it.

“Can we help you?” Archer asked with an exasperated voice.

I took a breath then a couple more. Then I took a few more before I braved it out and directed my eyes towards where he was, and when I did, I felt something fierce, something violent. My emotional response confirmed how much work I had put into trying to get over the damn man.

. Whatever it took, I had to do it. Meeting Ivy had slapped me back to the reality of the situation. She wasn’t simply a name any longer or the forgotten fiancée. When I thought of her, I could put a face to the name, and it made it all the more real to me.

“What the bloody fuck do you think you’re doing, Archer?” He stood, looking down at us with the steady gaze of a panther waiting for its opponent to make the next move before attacking with a deadly blow. His dominating presence alone spoke volumes. All he did was stand there, yet he emanated power like no other. Steadfast with his hands in his pocket, his eyes didn’t waver from his brother.

“What?” Archer quipped back, obviously rankled at Cruz’s uninvited presence. “Are we not behaving up to your standards?”

Keeping his cool, Cruz didn’t move from his spot, but his displeasure was unmistakable in his eyes.

“I’m not in the mood to be trifled with, Archer. You know quite well what I’m capable of doing if you keep defying me.”

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