“IF YOU THINK for one second that I’m going to take part in hauling a tree up a set of stairs, then you have clearly lost your mind.” East crossed his arms and eyed one of the enormous Douglas firs that had just been wheeled inside from the trucks out back.
Today was the day the Elysium was getting its makeover for the Winter Ball, and, unable to imagine my group of friends folding napkins or arranging flower bouquets in any kind of pleasing manner, I’d given them something simple—the unloading of the trees.
“The only heavy lifting I do is of the glass tumbler and ice variety. Not pine needles and sap.”
“Aw, that’s not entirely true,” West said, bumping into his friend’s arm. “Maybe the sap part, but you’re definitely the biggest prick amongst all the needles here.”
East shoved West away from him and aimed his wrath in my direction. “You doing this to impress Daddy Carrington?”
Aaand there it was, my new personal hell. I knew once I’d told my friends the truth about Archer that there’d be a price to pay, and of course it was East who was coming to collect first.
“No.” I gritted my teeth and marched over to him, clipboard in hand. “I’m doing this because it was assigned to us, and would you keep your voice down?”
He looked over his shoulder to the other volunteers inside the main hall. “Why? Afraid everyone will hear what you did to their president the other night? You’re right—blowing a president can create quite the scandal. On the plus side, you’d definitely be taking a step in the right direction when it comes to politics.”
“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Daire grumbled from where he stood with Donovan and Gavin. Travis had disappeared somewhere with one of the other member’s sons to help him “measure” something. I didn’t even want to know.
It was just our original crew today, all significant others coincidentally having other plans. Not that I could blame them; if I didn’t have to be subjected to East performing manual labor, I wouldn’t either.
Daire let out a string of choice words. “We could’ve had this one moved in the time it’s taken your mouth to stop flapping.”
East gestured toward the tree with a sweeping hand. “Then by all means, go ahead.”
Daire pushed past him and moved to the base of the tree along with West, while Donovan and Gavin looked at me.
“How many of these are there?” Donovan asked as we pulled our gloves on. East was right about one thing—the pine needles were no joke.
“Two for the stairs. One on each side of the landing, and—”
“If there’s more than that, I’m peace-ing the fuck out.” Daire eyed me, his expression daring me to even try to stop him.
So maybe I’d be wrangling some different volunteers for the other three trees. For now, I’d be happy to just get the one up the stairs. I put the clipboard down on one of the worktables set up around the main hall, then moved into position at the middle of the tree.
When I realized East really wasn’t going to help, I glanced back, ready to go head to head with him—and zeroed in on the main doors, where Archer had just stepped inside.
Gorgeous didn’t even begin to describe just how fine the man was. His dark blond hair was slightly windswept from the cold breeze whipping through the city this morning, and dressed as he was in a heathered light blue suit and vest tailored to fit every inch of his body, it was difficult to look at him and not go over and touch. Especially when that body had been over me, under me, and inside me less than forty-eight hours ago.
The tree, and the argument I’d been about to have with East, was overrun by the pleasure I now felt from seeing Archer. I knew I should look away, that if anyone caught the direction of my stare and my smile, there might be cause for speculation. But then again, they’d probably just assume I was smiling at…my girlfriend’s dad.
Okay, that didn’t feel right. Not anymore. But before I could analyze why, Archer’s eyes collided with mine, and my heart just about stopped.
It was as if everyone in the hall vanished in that moment until only he and I remained, and every single kiss, touch, and word we’d shared in private came rushing back in. The smile on my lips widened, heat rushed to my cheeks, and I tried to think up an excuse to go to him. But before I could form a rational thought, Archer blinked and turned away from me, his expression neutral as he guided his head decorator out of the hall.
“Ouch. Buuurn,” Travis said, which had me snapping out of my delusion and back to reality as I watched Archer disappear around a corner.
Burn was right. Damn. I’d known we weren’t going to be able to act like we had the last time we saw each other, but I hadn’t expected him to brush me off as though he didn’t even know me. It wasn’t like we’d never talked in public before. I could act. I’d proven that much to him already, hadn’t I?
Did he really think I was going to give him away by doing something stupid?
“Earth to Preston?”
“Huh? What?”
Travis snorted. “You do something you shouldn’t? He looked pissed.”
“He isn’t pissed.” At least, I didn’t think so. “He’s just busy.”
“Yeah.” East’s lip curled in a derisive grin. “Busy ignoring you.”
“Shut up.”
“Ooh, someone’s touchy.”
“I’m not touchy.”
East’s eyes widened. “Could’ve fooled me.”
No one could fool East—that was part of the problem. The pretentious asshole was too perceptive for his own good, and while I wouldn’t exactly say I felt touchy, I did feel confused at being dismissed so coldly.
Did Archer regret what had happened between us? Was he back to thinking I was a mistake?
Donovan came over to where I stood staring at the empty space Archer had left behind.
“He’s probably just being careful.”
“Yeah.” Travis joined us in looking over to the main doors. “It’s not like he could come over here and plant one on you.”
He had a point, but that didn’t help shake the mood that had just descended over me like a dark cloud.
“Damn, you’ve got it bad.” Donovan chuckled. “You look like Travis whenever he sees—”
“Say it and die.”
Donovan held his gloved hands up, and Travis scowled. “I’m just pointing out how strong feelings—”
“Of hate.”
“—of anything can make you feel…out of sorts when it’s not what you expect.” Donovan looked back to me. “You should go find him.”
“What?” My face must have relayed how insane I thought that idea was, because Donovan scanned the room and groups of people caught up in their assigned projects.
“No one is paying any attention to you. You’re just paranoid, and so is he. Go find him, make sure everything is okay.”
“And if it’s not okay, maybe he’ll give you a spanking.” East closed his eyes and moaned. “Harder, Daddy.”
“I think I just threw up in my mouth.” Daire’s droll voice finally had me smiling as I snuck another look around the room. Maybe Donovan was right. I could duck out real quick, make sure everything was okay, then come back, and none would be the wiser.
I could also send a text—
Fuck that. I wanted to see him. A text held no tone, no emotion, and with the way my brain was messing with me, I would probably take whatever he said the wrong way.
“Okay, I’m going.”
“Attaboy.” West clapped me on the shoulder, and I made sure to avoid looking Gavin’s way, because he’d probably make me feel guilty for what I was about to do.
Before I could change my mind, I started across the main floor and thought I heard East say, “Does that mean we don’t have to move the tree?”
I left the rest of my friends to deal with his ass as I focused on my goal: tracking down Archer. As I passed by a group of ladies working on the napkin folding, several looked in my direction and waved—and being the well-mannered young man I was, I plastered on a smile and waved back. The last thing I needed was any kind of talk to get back to my parents about my behavior. I wanted to blend in, appear as normal as could be.
Why did that feel so damn hard to do right now?
Donovan was right: I was paranoid as hell. It was weird. The night at the restaurant, I hadn’t felt this gnawing sensation that everyone was watching me. I’d teased the hell out of Archer, trying to get a reaction. But I also hadn’t spent the night in his bed at that point. Something I really wanted to do again, and that was why I was feeling so…so on edge.
I didn’t want to fuck this up. I didn’t want to give him any reason to regret what we’d done, to regret me, and it was making me feel like a nervous shit.
Annoyed at myself, I stepped out into the lobby of the Elysium and scanned the extravagant entrance, looking for the man who ran the place. There was a crew up on scaffolding hanging gold and crystal reindeers from the roof, and then I spotted Peg, alone. She’d be the one to tell me where he’d gone.
That wouldn’t be weird, right? She knew I was a volunteer, and maybe there was a problem with one of the trees. She wouldn’t know any different.
Right? Right.
I took a breath and told myself to act normal as I headed in her direction. The second she spotted me, a bright smile crossed her lips and lit her eyes.
This would work. I just had to remember to call Archer “Mr. Carrington,” and I might get away this.
“Preston, how is everything coming along with the trees?”
As East had been left with minimal supervision, I was scared to even guess, but I wasn’t going to think about that.
“Great. The guys are working on them now. I just had a couple of questions for Mr. Carrington. Do you know where he went?”
God, please make that sound calmer than I felt asking.
“He was just here, but had to step away to take a call. I think he went that way trying to find a quieter spot.”
She pointed down one of the halls that fed off the main entrance to a side door where people were coming and going with tables, chairs, and decorations—then, right on cue, a marble polisher began to whir loudly in the main hall.
Peg laughed. “I guess he had the right idea.”
“Sounds like it. Thanks, I appreciate it.”
“Of course. Anything you need, let me know.”
The only thing I needed was down that hall, and she’d just helped me out by pointing me in his direction. I crossed the lobby to where several workers were wheeling in tall stacks of chairs, and once they’d passed by and the hall cleared, I spotted him.
Archer’s back was to me, his phone to his ear. From where I stood I had the perfect vantage point to watch him, and when he slipped his hand in the pocket of his pants, the material of his jacket parted slightly, giving me a glimpse of his perfect ass.
Fuck, he was hot.
It was one thing to think that from afar, but having spent time with him, suit and jacket on the floor, it made him even hotter.
As if he could sense someone’s eyes on him, Archer turned to look down the hall, and when he spotted me, the words he was speaking came to a halt. A wave of pleasure spread through me at the obvious effect I had on him, but when he gave a clipped shake of his head, that pleasure turned back to confusion—and a healthy dose of irritation.
The doors at the end of the hall were pushed open again, and several more people entered carrying containers of decorations. As Archer stepped aside and they moved past him, I started up the hall.
Archer’s gaze never left me as I continued in his direction, and when he said something into his phone and ended the call, a shout of triumph echoed inside my head. That was soon squashed, though, when he frowned and pocketed the cell.
He marched toward me, meeting me halfway, and when we were finally standing opposite one another, he said under his breath, “What are you doing, Preston? You need to go back out to your friends.”
I glanced over his shoulder to make sure no one was coming in from outside and, when the coast was clear, peered up at Archer’s troubled face.
“What, I don’t even get a hello today?”
Archer took in a breath as though searching for patience, then let it out and said, “Hello. Now, can you please go back out to your friends?”
“Seriously? That’s all you’re going to say to me?” I wondered where the sexy, easygoing man from the other morning had gone, because he sure as hell wasn’t in front of me right now.
“That’s all I can say to you.” Archer looked over my shoulder, clearly checking to see no one had followed me into the hall. “There’s too many eyes here. Too many people who could see.”
“And what would they see? You talking to me? Maybe sparing me a fucking smile.”
Archer’s eyes flicked back to mine. “Excuse me?”
Maybe I shouldn’t have said it like that, but…I was annoyed. I’d just spent literally the best night of my life with this man, and the first time I’d seen him since then, he was all but ignoring me.
“I said—”
“I know what you said.” Archer’s jaw twitched as he glanced around, and when it appeared we were alone, he grabbed my elbow and hurried me toward a—“Get in there.”—storage closet.
My pulse raced as I stepped inside the small, dimly lit room, and Archer followed. I’d pushed too hard, I knew that, but would it have killed him to acknowledge me?
Archer still had a firm hold of my elbow as he spun me around to face him. Our toes bumped up against one another, and then he grabbed my chin with his other hand and angled my face up to his.
“I didn’t smile at you out there because I can’t look at you and not want you.” He lowered his head until I could feel his warm breath ghosting over my lips. “And God, I fucking want you.”
Hell yes. That was exactly what I’d wanted to hear—that he didn’t regret me, us, what had happened. He just didn’t trust himself to be near me. My cock stiffened, my entire body reacting as though he’d just stroked me—and in a way, he had. Just not with his hand.
“Then take me.”
“Preston… We can’t.”
“Then something else, anything,” I begged, not even caring how desperate I might sound. I wanted him and he wanted me, and there was nothing I wouldn’t do to solidify that before I left this closet.
“Anything?” Archer nipped at my lower lip, and a rush of air left me.
“Anything.”
He raised his head and swiped his thumb along my lower lip.
“Get on your knees.”
