Falling helplessly episode 30

🔥 FALLING
HELPLESSLY 👠

( For his brother’s friend …. 😇 )
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Written by:- Williams Kendall____✍🏽
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🏈 CHAPTER THIRTY

“Baby, we have to get up now,” Archer mumbled sleepily. I was almost fully asleep when I felt his warm fingers lift from my hair as he tried to rub his eyes awake.

“Not yet,” I whined then grabbed his hand and put it back in my hair, wiggling his fingers around to get my point across. His deep laughter washed over me and made me smile, especially when his fingers began m-ssaging me again. I practically purred as he kneaded my scalp with his strong yet gentle hands.

“You know what I love?” I added dreamily. A throaty grumble was Archer’s response so I continued. “I love that on the outside you are this big bulky monster, but then on the in,side, you are just a gentle little love bug.”

Archer sat up and pulled his hand away, eliciting a whimper from me. I opened my eyes to glare up at him and try to pull his hand back to my hair. When that didn’t work I wobbled my bottom l-ips and stopped blinking so my eyes would tear up. He stared down at me as though he were trying to stay strong but then sighed and dropped back on the mattress, pulling me into a hug.

“Fine, but don’t tell anyone,” he said as he pressed a k-ss to my forehead. I felt him smirk against my skin, “I have a rep to protect.”

“Oh don’t worry, I’m sure no one can tell,” I giggled.

Archer rolled onto his back, bring me up onto his stomach. I rested my hands on his chest to prop my face up so I could smile at him.

“I guess we’re perfect together then hey?” He mused. I furrowed my brow, not quite sure where he was going with this. I mean yeah, I thought we were pretty freaking great. But it seemed random. Archer laughed at my confusion, “You don’t see it? You are this tiny little thing that looks like you’d blow away if it was too windy outside—”

He stopped to glare at me when I pinched him. I was short sure, but that was a ridiculous exaggeration. “Way to prove my point. On the in,side, you are seven feet tall and three hundred pounds of muscle.”

“HA! And there was a time you doubted my inner Hulk,” I laughed at him.

“Alright, Hulk it’s time to get ready. We have to be downstairs soon.” The slight whoosh of air was a warning and I braced myself just as Archer’s hand came down hærd on my bottom. I glared at his proud smirk as I climbed off of him, rubbing my tender flesh.

“I take it back you aren’t a love bug. If you were you wouldn’t love the sound of my pain so much.” I turned to walk into the bathroom to get ready. It was the Graduation Party tonight which I had learned has absolutely nothing to do with graduation at all. It was just the rookies’ initiation into being full members of the football team.

Archer came up behind me as I was wetting my toothbrush and grabbed his own. “Please. It doesn’t even hurt you.” He smiled at me in the mirror.

“Archer sometimes I swear my bum has fallen right off you smack it so hærd.” My words came out garbled around my toothbrush.

“You are such a drama queen.” He laughed with his head tilted back to keep the toothpaste in his mouth.

I went to my duffle bag to grab some clothes and hesitated before I picked up the outfit I had bought recently. It was totally not my normal style, but Madeline had convinced me to try it on in the store and I had to admit—I liked it. The pink skirt was short but flowy as it sat high on my wa-ist then flared over my thighs. There was the thinnest gap of skin showing at my ribs before the simple white long-sleeved crop top skimmed over my upper body. I thought it was cute in the store, a tiny bit saucy but still generally modest.

Nerves prickled my skin now though as I pulled off my casual clothes. I kept my back turned to Archer, worried about how he might react to the different style. I smoothed the skirt out then adjusted the neckline to sit properly over my chest.

My fingers gently brushed over the metal of Archer’s Saint Christopher pendant. From the second he had put it around my neck I felt a deep attachment to it. It was as though it carried the protective aura of Archer himself, so even when he wasn’t around, I still felt safe. With that reassurance, I spun around to show him.

I waited nervously until he raised his head to look at me. I couldn’t stop myself from fiddling with the sleeve of my shirt while his wide eyes roamed over my body. His face was unreadable as I waited for him to speak.

I jumped a little when he shot up and pulled me against him. A blush warmed my cheeks when I felt his growing er-ction pressed against my abdomen.

“f-ck me, you are so s-xy,” Archer growled as he swung us gently side to side.

“You don’t think it’s… not me?”

“I think I’m probably going to get into a fight tonight. But no I think you look beautiful just like always.” His fingers tightened against my h¡ps as he leaned back and checked me out again. “I’m definitely getting into a fight,” he said under his breath to himself.

“Okay, put your eyeballs back in your head we have to go now.” I laughed and grabbed his hand to pull him out of the bedroom. I shook my head when he followed behind me, walking bow-legged like a cowboy as he adjusted himself.

I was not prepared for the scene I entered into downstairs. Most of the football team was there already. I smiled shyly at the guys who didn’t live at the house and I didn’t know as well. My eyes w¡dened though as I looked to the center of the room. All of the rookies were standing in a group, almost completely nak-d. They were wearing small red shorts, matching red graduation caps, and nothing else. Each rookie had writing over their exposed skin and I narrowed my eyes to read some of it.

“Oh my gosh!” I glared at Archer. “Someone wrote that that guy is a little b-word!”

Archer stared down at me unsurely and I could practically see the gears turning in his head as he tried to think up an excuse.

“Hey, Charlotte.” Tyler sidled up next to me and gave me a hug. “I didn’t know you were here.” The last comment was said more to Archer than to me.

“Tyler why did you guys write all over them?” I asked as I returned his hug.

“It’s tradition!” He defended. “It’s the last of their rookie hell. Plus look? We write their accomplishments too.”

I walked closer to the rookies and read more of the messy scrawl on their bodies. They all stood unsurely watching the upperclassmen as I inspected them. I smiled warmly at Emmett when I got to him and he shot me back a wink. He had ‘wheels’ written across his chest. Tyler was right, most of the boys had good things written on them—but there was some mean stuff.

“Okay give me the marker,” I said to Tyler.

He hesitated for a moment so I raised a brow at him with my hand outstretched. Finally, he sighed and grabbed the marker from an older boy I didn’t know.

Once he passed it to me I tapped it to my chin as I eyed the rookies. I walked up to the guy who had been called a b-word and tried to smile supportively. “May I?” I asked. He looked over my shoulder then nodded at me. I didn’t know this boy so I couldn’t write about his accomplishments. So instead I drew flowers over the curse word on his chest and then below it wrote, ‘cutie’.

“Rookie if you flex your damn muscles one more time for my girl you’re doing 100 push-ups,” Archer called to us. I glared over my shoulder at him before turning back to the boy.

“He’s just joking… There! now you are a little cutie instead.” I smiled and moved on as the rookie laughed. Each rookie gladly lined up in front of me and by the time I was done I had covered up all of the swear words with cute little pictures and added nice compliments.

I giggled while I walked back over to a bemused Archer as I heard a rookie whisper, “Dude, she said I have pretty eyes!”

“Alright… thanks for that Charlotte,” Tyler grumbled. “Rookies!” He said louder making all the younger boys scramble into a line. “Next step, drinks! Everyone has to do a beer bong and a Jager Bomb and the fastest guy wins.”

I leaned back as Archer stood behind me and rested his chin on my head. I narrowed my eyes at what Tyler had said. “Wait… but they don’t have to if they don’t want to—if they are uncomfortable, right?” I asked. The room full of guys all looked at me with blank stares, no one answering.

“Ty?” I prompted wide-eyed.

Tyler grimaced and rubbed his hand over his face as he said something under his breath. “Right. Yeah. You can… choose to participate if you want to.” With the look on his face, while he spoke, you’d have thought it pained him to say that.

It got pretty rambunctious when the guys all started lining up to do beer bongs. Archer pulled me into the corner and sat me on a tall stool while he positioned himself behind me again.

I smiled and wiggled excitedly when James walked out of the kitchen and over to us. He was balancing three red solo cups and precariously handed one to me as he dropped a k-ss on my cheek.

“For you my lady.” He blessed me with his dazzling white smile then passed another cup to Archer. I looked down at the pale pink fizzy liquid with a question in my eyes. “It’s about a pinky nail’s amount of gin and pink lemonade,” James said then raised his cup to both of us. Archer reached around me to knock his cup to ours then we all took a drink.

I smiled appreciatively at James as the liquor tickled my tongue. The boys were well aware that I only liked the smallest amount of alcohol in my drinks and I appreciated the different concoctions they came up with.

I turned my head when I felt Archer’s arm snake around my stomach and smiled as he bent his neck for a short k-ss. He must have just taken a drink because I scrunched my nose at the harsh whiskey still on his l-ips. He gave me a cheeky grin then k-ssed my nose.

“Ugh get a room.” A new voice sassed. I twisted to see that Madeline had come up next to James and taken his cup out of his hand. He shot her an annoyed glare then walked back to the kitchen.

“Mads!” I smiled as she came in for a hug. She wiggled her eyebrows over her cup and nodded at my outfit.

“I honestly wasn’t sure you’d end up wearing it. You look so cute!”

I brushed the skirt down over my thighs to make sure it was still laying flat and chuckled. Archer’s hand on my stomach played with the edge of the crop top sending goosebumps down my arms. “I particularly like this easy access,” he whispered in my ear. I swatted over my shoulder to push his face back as my cheeks darkened. I tried to keep my features relaxed as the horndog pressed himself closer behind me.

Our attention was drawn back to the middle of the room as the football players all chanted, “Chug!” Tyler stood on a chair holding a large funnel up high as he poured frothy golden beer into it. Emmett was kneeling on the ground with the tube in his mouth and pounding his fist in rhythm with the chants.

I cringed as Emmett pulled away a little too early and foam poured onto his chest. He only laughed though and took a bow as he stood up. The guys surrounding him whacked his shoulders and playfully pushed him around while he walked over to us.

“Hola Amigos!” He shouted as he smacked his cup a little too harshly to Archer’s. Madeline burst into laughter as she took in his state. His eyes were glossier than before and he didn’t seem to care at all that his slightly-w-t body was on full display.

Someone went over to the stereo system and cranked up the music, sending vibrations through the floor as the bass picked up. More people were starting to show up now and I was glad I had a stool that made me as tall as most people. It was much less stressful when you could see over the heads of a large crowd.

We all stayed in the corner for a while, laughing and drinking. Madeline tucked herself into my side so we could hear each other while Archer and Emmett got lost in their own conversation.

“That guy has the s-xiest arms,” Madeline whispered into my ear. I secretively looked in the direction she was gesturing and adamantly nodded my head.

“He has a cute butt too!” I said a little too loudly. Archer’s head wh¡pped down to me and his eyes narrowed.

“You better be talking about my butt,” he pouted.

“Of course.” I patted his chest comfortingly while Madeline fell into a fit of giggles. “You have the cutest butt ever.”

Tyler came strutting over to us and threw his arm over Emmett’s shoulder. He winked at me and gently touched his cup to mine. “Baby girl—”

“Do not f-cking call her that,” Archer barked.

Tyler laughed and rolled his eyes then sent me a secretive smile. “Okay… sweet cheeks, you have got to let me steal your bodyguard here. I don’t know if he knows how to stand up anymore without you in front of him but we need to try.”

I giggled as Archer tried to tighten his hold on my stomach but I peeled his hands away and tugged him around me. “He is all yours! Just bring him back in one piece please.”

Archer glared over his shoulder as Tyler and Emmett pulled him away to where the other football guys were standing. I watched them for a moment and was happy to see Archer fist bump a few guys and get pulled into a conversation. Sometimes he reminded me of a puppy that was never socialized properly. He could get a little too nippy or confrontational, but all he needed was patience.

“Good lord, girl. I know your man is hot but at what point do you stop drooling over him?” Madeline bumped my shoulder to get my attention back on her.

“What about you?” I winked flirtatiously at Mads, “See anything you like?”

“Well, Arnold-Schwarzenegger-Arms over there just stuck his tongue down a girl’s throat. So, I think he’s out.” She frowned looking around. “Ooh, there’s hot boys by the flip cup table! Let’s go!”

I hopped off my chair and linked arms with Madeline to push through the crowd. We approached the table where several guys were setting out cups in two long lines.

“You two in?” A big-boned boy with blonde spikey hair called out us.

“Oh my god, Charlotte! Come be on my team!” Holly pushed a guy out of her way and waved me over. I dragged Madeline with me and went to where she stood with a friend. Holly introduced her as Quinn after I introduced Mads. “We have the numbers now for boys versus girls!”

“Uhm, I don’t know how to play this game,” I said nervously in Holly’s ear.

“It’s super easy, it’s basically just a race. We all line up on either side of the table, then you have to chug what’s in your cup, then put it on the edge of the table like this see? Then use your finger to try and flip it over.”

My stomach squeezed at the thought of chugging my drink. I usually nursed my alcohol for hours, so by the end of the night, I had the tiniest buzz.

“Maybe I shouldn’t play,” I said to both girls as they lined up. “I really don’t want to drink that much.” I felt bad when I saw that Madeline was about to bow out as well to stay with me.

“No worries!” Holly grinned. “Alright, boys I’m calling an audible! Girls are allowed water in their cups.”

The boys on the other side of the table eyed each other before shrugging and telling us to go ahead. I sighed gratefully as Holly pulled a water bottle out of her purse and filled our cups.

I ended up at the top of the line which was incredibly stressful considering I’d never played before. I was across from the blond boy who offered me his fist to pound and told me to called him Moose. Madeline had sneakily positioned herself directly in front of the boy she thought was cute and I noticed them both making sneaky googly eyes at each other.

Moose picked up his cup and gestured for me to do the same. He knocked his cup to mine, tapped the bottom on the table, then lifted it to his mouth to chug. I mirrored his actions and tried not to laugh while all the girls were screeching at me to go faster. I finished the water quickly and put the cup on the edge of the table. One flick of my finger and the red solo cup flew over and landed perfectly on its other side.

Madeline instantly picked up her cup to start chugging and I jumped and cheered with the adrenaline pounding through my veins. A small tingle at the back of my neck made me look around the room and my eyes instantly connected with Archer’s.

He was across the room, leaning up against the wall watching me with a wolfish grin. He raised his cup to me in the air and I laughed and raised my empty one back. My stomach tightened slightly as his eyes swept down my body. When they returned to my face there was heat evident in his gaze. I gulped when he stuck his tongue in his cheek and he twisted his hat backwards.

Dang it that boy knows what he is doing. I rubbed my knees together under my skirt and tried to control the urge to run over to him in the middle of the party. Thankfully, the guy across from Quinn slammed his hand on the table and started shouting when his cup flipped before her’s.

The boys all jumped around celebrating as us girls gave each other commiserating hugs. Holly grabbed mine and Madeline’s hands and yanked us towards the kitchen before I could answer the pull to go see Archer.

Since tonight was all about the Rookies, they had been given the night off of any duties. Instead, a tall scrawny boy stood behind the counter of the make-shift bar. He smiled as we approached him and I couldn’t help but think his slightly nervous demeanour was adorable.

“Hey, there handsome.” Holly winked at him. “We need three drinks that are sweet, but not too sugary, and let’s keep it light on the alcohol—we are all trying to remain ladies tonight.”

Remembering something Archer had told me I quickly got the boy’s attention, “Use gin too, please! I don’t need to get sick from mixing stuff.” I added to the girls.

“So, Holly do you happen to know the guys we were playing?” Madeline asked casually while we waited.

Holly smirked and eyed the guys before putting her two fingers in her mouth and whistling. Several groups of people looked over at us but Holly pointed to the guys in question and waved them over.

“This is Moose, Graham, Patrick, and Cole.” She gestured to each boy before introducing us in turn. Cole was the boy making eyes at Madeline and excitement bubbled in me when he held her hand a moment longer than ours while they shook hands. He was definitely handsome as all heck. He had piercing green eyes, caramel skin, and black hair—plus he was taller than her which I’m sure wasn’t easy for a 6-foot tall girl. I instantly imagined how cute their babies would be.

“Are you single?” Moose grinned down at me as he leant up against the kitchen counter. I took a moment to grab my drink from the bartender before smiling apologetically back to the large boy.

“No, my boyfriend is running around here somewhere.”

“Damn, all the cute ones are always taken.” Moose shook his head disappointedly. I laughed lightly and shrugged as I was really not sure how to respond to that.

Holly must have overheard our conversation because she punched Moose on the arm and laughed, “Careful buddy. Her boyfriend is Archer Johnson.”

Moose’s eyes w¡dened as he wh¡pped his head around as though we were being watched. “Well f-ck. I’m not trying to die today,” he mumbled and dramatically took a step away from me.

Speaking of the devil, I saw Archer’s broad form pushing through the crowd before he popped out in front of us. He had a lop-sided grin as he grabbed my h¡ps and pulled me to him.

“H-hey Johnson! I was just saying hello to your girlfriend here.” Moose said pointedly.

“Isn’t she just the f-cking cutest?” Archer asked as he squeezed my head tightly to his chest and wagged his body side to side.

“Oh, Uhm… yeah?” Moose seemed unsure if there was really a right way to answer Archer, and I secretly thought it was probably better to stay quiet.

“Hey, don’t you f-cking say it,” Archer growled then he tucked his head in my neck. I giggled as he inhaled against my skin and pressed a k-ss to the sensitive area below my ear.

He pulled away but kept his face close to mine. “I love you.” His eyes were large and a little glassy but he still melted my heart.

“I love you too,” I whispered.

“Well, I think I found the party!” A screechy voice cut through our moment. I looked away from Archer and visibly cringed when Teela was standing next to Holly. I watched as she went to each person in the circle and gave them an overly cheerful greeting. She even hugged Madeline which was almost comical as Mads just froze and didn’t return it.

My eyebrows shot up into my hairline when she came at me with a bright smile and open arms. “Oh my goodness, Charlotte! It’s been so long! You look so good!” Her chemically perfume stung my nose as her perfectly curled red hair fell into my face. I pulled back as quickly as I could and put what I hoped was a friendly smile on my face.

“Oh and of course—here’s the big guy himself!” Teela laughed and tried to hug Archer. She didn’t get there though as he took a huge step away from her and flung me in front of him as protection. I would have burst into laughter at her face if he wasn’t so quick to put me in the line of fire.

Teela recovered quickly and joined the group’s banter. She was being nothing but sweet and friendly—but I didn’t trust her. There was something about her stiff smile, or the small twitch of her eye when she looked at me. It told me everything I needed to know.
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“Baby, let’s just get out of here.” Archer’s low husky voice tickled my ear as he leaned down. He rubbed the tension in my shoulders as I rested my back against his chest. Teela had latched her claws into our group and followed us everywhere. The other boys had funnelled away eventually, but I was ecstatic to see that Cole stuck around and had engaged in a deep conversation with Madeline. Watching the two of them stare intently while the other spoke was almost heart-warming enough to distract me from Teela.

Almost.

“No, we are not going anywhere,” I said firmly. I was not about to be run out of a party filled with my friends because of a girl that technically wasn’t even doing anything wrong. Sure, her passive aggressive fake-kindness was rubbing me like sandpaper. Not to mention, she was very focused on being buddy-buddy with Archer. Overall though, she just seemed drunk and silly. I tried not to take it too personally.

Archer grabbed my wa-ist and spun me in his arms. My neck heated up when his hands ventured low on my spine, resting at the curve of my bum. He dropped his face down and hovered his l-ips a breath away from mine. His deep eyes pulled me into a trance as the party around us slowly slipped away. He rocked his h¡ps slowly in time with the music and I melted against him, suddenly desperate to be alone.

“Don’t worry, this is how they usually act,” Madeline assured someone while she tugged on my sleeve and cleared her throat. I pulled back from Archer and whacked him on the shoulder when he mumbled profanities under his breath.

My ears rang in the cool night air as it was much quieter out here. Madeline and Cole both grabbed chairs that had been pushed into a loose circle. Tyler, James, Teela, Quinn, and Holly filled the others with a few people I didn’t know. Archer fell into the last one available and pulled me onto his lap, taking a moment to smooth my skirt down and cover my exposed th-gh with his hand.

“Okay, let’s play Never Have I Ever!” Teela wagged her eyebrows at everyone and pulled a bottle of tequila out from behind her. “If you haven’t done something you take a shot!”

I immediately wanted to escape and sighed in relief when Holly spoke up. “Chill out Tee, we all have drinks already we can take.”

Teela rolled her eyes but didn’t challenge Holly. “Whatever you say, Cap,” she said with a sugary smile.

James leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “I thought you were supposed to drink if you have done something?”

“That’s how we normally play, but I figured Charlotte wouldn’t be happy if Archer got wasted.” Teela shot me a wink as though she were doing me a favour. Archer stiffened underneath of me so I rubbed his th-gh to let him know it was fine.

“Alright, I’ll go first!” Tyler raised his drink enthusiastically. “I’ve never… Uhm. Okay, actually I need a minute someone else go.”

“I’ve never left the US!” Holly supplied an easy one. A couple of other people casually took sips of their drinks.

The game started out easy while most people thought of clean things that they’d never done.

“Never have I ever skydived.”

“Never have I ever been in a fistfight.”

“Never have I ever failed a class.”

By the second round, Tyler made it dirty when he proudly stated that he’d never gotten an STD. Everyone raised their glasses in a communal cheer as we all took large gulps. From that point on people got more comfortable throwing out s-xual things they’d never done. Of course, since the rules had been swapped, I ended up taking a lot of drinks. They were only the tiniest baby sips—but I still felt it.

My cheeks warmed as the alcohol seeped into my system. The airy feeling in my brain helped to keep the embarrassment at bay every time I had to drink. Archer and I had been exploring each other’s interests and limits for a few months now, but this game made me realize how much I hadn’t done.

“Never have I ever had s-x in public.”

“Never have I ever used toys in bed.”

Frustration rose in,side of me every time it was Teela’s turn. She made a big show of looking around the circle as though she held everyone’s secrets, then she’d simper at Archer before saying something she’d never done. I couldn’t help but notice that he rarely had to take drinks. It didn’t bother me that Archer had a s-xual past. I believed him when he said he would have waited for me if he’d known. I could never have predicted where life would take us, how was it fair to expect more from him?

What did bother me was that Teela seemed to be targeting him. Whether she wanted to make him look bad, or upset me, it was riling me up. The alcohol warming my veins made me want to snap at her but I tried to resist and have fun.

“I’ve never had s-x,” Madeline said bashfully from behind her cup. Cole smiled at her with slightly rosy cheeks and I physically had to stop myself from flipping out. I turned around so only Archer could see my face and crumpled into a silent, “Awwww!” Archer shook his head with a small smile and squeezed my th-gh.

“Well, at least we finally found something Charlotte’s done!” Teela giggled from behind me. “I was starting to feel sorry for you Arch.”

Archer and I both tensed and I pleaded with my eyes for him to calm down. I turned around slowly and saw several apprehensive faces. Holly seemed to recover the fastest as she shot a glare at Teela.

“What the f-ck? Maybe you should slow down on the tequila, girl.”

James leaned forward and gave Teela a disgusted look. “I don’t think it’s the alcohol making her shitty.”

“Oh come on! I was just kidding!” Teela laughed. “I think it’s adorable how innocent you are, Charlotte. It’s just a little crazy that Archer Johnson of all people would be satisfied with vanilla.”

“Thank you so much for your concern,” I smiled sweetly at her before anyone else could defend me. “I can assure you my boyfriend is happier now than he’s ever been.”

“Damn f-cking straight.” Archer sat forward and wrapped his arms tightly around my stomach as he dropped his chin on my shoulder.

Teela’s face froze with her fake toothy smile, but her eyes were cold and locked on me. “Happy to hear it. I really hope it lasts too. The player I used to know was anything but vanilla. In fact, I think it’s my turn guys! I’ve never had a threesome.” Her l-ips puckered into a bashful grimace as she giggled, “Whoops! Never mind I forgot… thank God we don’t have to drink, Archer.”

It was so quiet, we would have all jumped at a pin dropping. The vibrations of music in,side pulsed through the silence, adding more suspense to the air. Everyone stared at Archer and me to see how we would respond. Anger ripped through me when Archer stayed quiet. Whether it was from shame, embarrassment, or shock, I didn’t care.

“Okay, Teela! Go for it!” I said encouragingly as I brandished my arms towards Archer. “Come on, do your thing! k-ss him, pour your heart out, whatever.”

Teela scrunched up her face at me as though I was crazy and looked around the group for answers.

“What?” I continued. “Isn’t this what you want? I mean, you obviously can’t seem to let go of your infatuation with Archer. So shoot your shot, girl. I am a c-cker for unrequited love and trust me—I know how painful it can be to pine after him. C’mon, give it your best try. Steal him away, you seemed confident you could do it.”

I raised my brows expectantly at her, smiling encouragingly as I gestured to Archer. She glared at me and scoffed towards everyone who was silently spectating. I’m not sure if she was expecting support, but all she got back were blank stares and the occasional smirk.

“You’re a f-cking psycho.” She glared at me.

“Not at all. I’m just 100% confident in my relationsh¡p. Why haven’t you tried anything yet? I’m giving you the red freaking carpet here. Because you know, just like I know, that Archer doesn’t want you—so maybe you should stop embarrassing yourself.”

I couldn’t help but smirk as Tyler yelled, “Burn!” and James burst into laughter, clapping his hands loudly. Teela sputtered and grappled for a response but finally, she seemed to realize there was no snarking her way out of this one. She stood up quickly and flicked her hair over her shoulder then raced in,side.

The magnitude of the scene I’d just caused hit me as the door slammed shut. Dear lord that was the rudest and most dramatic I think I have ever been. My face heated up as my eyes w¡dened into circles. I turned slowly towards Archer and grimaced in embarrassment.

He reached out and grabbed my hand, yanking me back into his lap. “I don’t know what just came over you,” he mumbled against my neck, “but that was f-cking s-xy.” As if to prove his point, he adjusted my legs on his lap until I felt a bulge pressed against me. He chuckled when I c-cked in a breath and dropped my face on his shoulder. I wanted to crawl into a corner and hide.

“Charlotte don’t you dare!” Madeline laughed from behind us. “That girl was horrible to you, she deserved it.”

“Wait what did Teela do? I mean besides being an intolerable bitch tonight,” Holly chimed in.

I pulled my face out from the shield of Archer’s shoulder and cringed at everyone. “It doesn’t matter I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Yes, you should have,” Madeline assured me. “After how she jumped on you at the football game?”

“Wait what football game? What did she say?” Archer puffed up protectively and tightened his arms around me.

“I don’t remember exactly, she was trying to get in my head about you. But it didn’t work, plus we weren’t even together yet.”

“Well, shit. I’m glad you put her in her place then.” Holly laughed.

“I didn’t think you had it in you.” Tyler stumbled over and hugged me, it was awkward though as Archer didn’t let me go far.

“Okay let’s just move on,” I pressed the palms of my hands into my eyes, hoping to push away the lingering embarrassment.

We all decided to go back in,side after that and get more drinks. Archer walked in front of me to block the crowd as we rejoined the party. From our place in front of the bar, I could see Emmett still mostly nak-d as he danced with a girl. I giggled watching him expertly two-stepped her around the grinding couples.

Archer passed me a water bottle since I was already well on my way to being drunk and I gratefully chugged it back. Madeline rushed over to me and gripped my arm tightly, her usual calm demeanour was scattered and frazzled.

“Charlotte I don’t know what to do!” She whisper-shouted.

“What happened?” I rubbed her arm trying to soothe the frantic glint in her eye.

“Cole is like… too perfect. There is no way he’s real! I feel like this is some sick joke and I’m about to get pig’s blood dumped on me.”

My nose scrunched on its own accord at the imagery that invoked. “Mads come on! You are a freaking catch! Any guy would be lucky to get your attention.”

Madeline tapped her long nail against her lip as she anxiously looked over my shoulder. “I don’t know. I’ve never felt this unsure before.”

“Well, maybe it’s a good thing!” I laughed. “Maybe you’ve finally met your match.”

Madeline smiled and her eyes softened. “We really have been having amazing conversations all night. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who can discuss politics for as long as I can. He asked me to go for a walk with him since it’s hærd to talk in here. Do you think I should?”

I nodded my head enthusiastically as I resisted the urge to shake my invisible maracas in excitement. “Yes! Just be safe, stick to the university roads and don’t go down any dark corners. And keep your phone on you.”

“Okay Mom,” Madeline giggled.

We hugged tightly then she pushed back through the crowd to where Cole was waiting. I melted when his eyes brightened as he greeted her and held out his arm to guide her to the door.

Archer had tuned out of the girl talk and had his back to me while he spoke to someone in front of the bar. I pressed my face into his hærd back and wrapped my arms around his stomach. I smiled when his large hands smothered mine and rubbed gently. I couldn’t hear anything over the music but I stayed like that for a while, feeling relaxed by the rise and fall of his breaths under my fingers.

Eventually, my arms got tired and dropped lower to his abdomen, resting on the top of his belt. Archer tensed beneath my touch and his hand over mine tightened. From my place tucked behind him, I felt much more protected. That mixed with my buzz emboldened me. I m-ssaged gently into his thin shirt, keeping my movements small so they would hopefully stay hidden beneath his hands. Every once in awhile I would let my finger swipe beneath his belt before returning to a more appropriate area.

Archer allowed my teasing for a few minutes before his hold on my hands prevented me from moving anymore. He turned around slowly and backed me up against the wall. His fists caged me in as he dropped his head to meet my gaze.

“You little tease,” he smirked. His face was so close to mine I could see his pupil dilate as he stared at me through hooded eyes.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I tried to keep my eyes wide and innocent but my body naturally wanted to mold to his.

“Hmmm, I don’t believe it for a second,” Archer said lowly into my ear. His teeth nipped at my earlobe making me c-ck in a breath. “You know I could barely focus on what I was saying to James because of you. I sounded like a f-cking idiot mumbling.”

I giggled with pride that I was able to fluster him. I arched away from the wall, placing my h¡ps against his own. His jaw ticked as he looked over his shoulder and I could tell he was trying to control himself.

“You really think you could win this game against me, Sweetheart?” He asked with a playful grin.

“I’m not playing any games.” The flirtatious lilt in my voice contradicted my words. I tilted my chin so my l-ips brushed Archer’s for only a second then pulled away. “But if I were, you better bet I’d win.”

I took advantage of Archer’s momentarily dazed expression and slipped out from under his arm. The others had long since left our corner of the house and gone back into the open area where the party raged on. I beelined through the crowd to where I could see the boys holding court. Without looking back, I already knew Archer wasn’t far behind.

James threw up his arms in greeting when I finally popped out in front of them. I gratefully accepted the hand Emmett offered me and was pulled through the crowd to slide between them. I hoped that my flushed body would be chalked up to alcohol and the large crowd, rather than the anticipation of what Archer would do next.

The devil himself broke through the crowd seconds later and shot me a glare. I fell farther between James and Emmett as though their shoulders could protect me. I turned away as though I were listening to the other’s conversations, but I was fully focused on the man staring at me.

I casually cupped my hand to my neck, kneading softly for a moment. Stretching my jaw to release tension, I let my hand drop slowly to my collarbone. My fingers caught the edge of my shirt for the briefest of moments and I knew Archer got a small glimpse of my rounded bre-st.

My tongue darted out across my bottom lip when he readjusted his hat back on his head. He turned away from me and rubbed his hand across his jaw, making my mouth water.

I jumped when Emmett dropped his head lower to talk into my ear. “Smalls, why do you look like you want to eat Archer’s face?”

I grimaced with shame and looked up at him apologetically. “Because I do.” My eyes flicked over to Archer and I scowled when I saw his shoulders shaking. He knew I’d been caught.

Emmett laughed loudly and patted my back in sympathy. “Go get your man girl,” he said smugly and whacked my back a little too hærd, sending me stumbling forward.

Archer’s large arms caught me before I could make a huge fool of myself. The second his fingers met the bare skin of my ribs, I was over this game. My hand went to his chest as we both made heated eye contact.

Without another word spoken we both turned to push through the crowd, aiming for the stairs to the bedrooms. Archer’s arm came around me and pulled me to his side to get through everyone quicker.

There were a few random party-goers using the staircase as a quiet corner to make out, so I averted my eyes as Archer pushed me forward. The third floor of the house was empty and as soon as we were in the hallway Archer spun and pinned me to the wall.

His l-ips found mine in a rushed and messy k-ss. The stubble on his jaw scratched my chin as our tongues tangled together. Archer smacked my butt and I knew he wanted me to jump. He caught my thighs easily when I did and straightened his spine to charge towards his room.

I ran k-sses down his jaw to his neck. Archer gro-ned when I nipped at his skin, immediately soothing it with my l-ips. When we got into the bedroom I expected him to throw me on the bed, but instead, he pressed my back against the door and dropped his hand under my skirt to hold me up by my bottom.

I dug my nails into Archer’s shoulders as he used his hand and h¡ps to keep me up. I was slightly afraid of being dropped but I lost track of any fear when his free hand went to my p-nties. He didn’t waste any time pushing them to the side and pressing his two fingers against my core.

“f-ck,” he breathed when he felt how aroused I was. I whimpered when he pulled his fingers away but my wh0le body zinged at the sound of his belt snapping open. Archer fumbled with his zipper for a moment as the hand on my bum tightened, keeping me securely against the door.

The feeling of his er-ction pushing against my entrance made me dig my nails h-rder into Archer’s shoulders. Just as I thought he was going to push forward, sending us both closer to that beautiful peak, he stopped.

“I won,” he growled.

I opened my eyes to stare back at him and considered folding for the sake of a greater win. Instead, I smirked lightly and tightened my legs around him. The motion brought our h¡ps closer together and his manhood pushed into my core. Archer’s face went slack with ecstasy as my walls tightened around him.

“I won,” I countered.

Both of Archer’s hands gripped my bum tightly as his chest heaved in front of my face. He finished what I’d started, sliding himself fully into me. A mo-n slipped from my throat as his pub-c bone pressed against my cl+t.

I wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol or the foreplay downstairs but everything felt so much more intense. We both stayed still for a moment, relishing in the feeling of me wrapped around him.

“f-ck baby,” Archer gro-ned. His eyes flashed open and the fear in them startled me. “f-ck. Condom.” With a pained expression, he pulled his h¡ps away slightly. I held tightly to his shoulders and rocked my h¡ps forward. “Baby,” he chastised in a tight voice, “I need to get a condom.”

“No.” My voice sounded like it belonged more to an animal than a human. “Archer you feel so good,” I begged. “Please. I’ve been on the pill for a month now.”

That was all the permission he needed as he pushed me h-rder into the door. I threw my head against the wood as Archer’s h¡ps ground into me. Small beads of sweat wept from his furrowed brow as he dropped it to my forehead. His movements against me became more rapid as he picked up speed.

The feeling of Archer in,side of me was always overwhelming. But the Sens-tion of his manhood bare within my core unleashed a soul-c-cking level of pleasure. I was rocked between Archer’s hærd body and the door that vibrated from the music downstairs. Our heavy p-nts filled the room like smoke while we mumbled and struggled to articulate how good we felt.

I mo-ned Archer’s name as he shifted his h¡ps, hitting a new angle within me. My abdomen tightened as I dug my nails deeper in his shoulders. My inner walls tightened around Archer as he thr-st against me hærd, his face a mask of concentration and euphoria.

My body arced as I rose to the edge of pleasure, the peak of Sens-tion that any human being could possibly handle. In the shortest moment that my body hovered there, I lost all control. Sighs and mo-ns wrapped around Archer’s name as they fell from my l-ips. My head lolled on my neck before finding Archer’s mouth just as I was sent over the edge. Neither of us had the ability to k-ss, we could only p-nt into each other’s mouths as my orgasm ripped through me.

My h¡ps rocked against Archer on their own volition as waves of pleasure washed over me. I could feel his own climax hit him as he tensed in,side of me. The pulse of his bare skin against mine prolonged both of our orgasms as we road them out clinging to each other.

After a moment of recovery, he pulled back and gently let me down on the ground. I swayed as my jello-legs tried to hold up my own weight again. Archer held my wa-ist and pressed a firm k-ss to my l-ips, allowing me a moment to recover.

“That was…” My brain was fuzzy as I tried to string words together.

“Amazing.” He finished for me. He stepped away and stripped off his clothes that hung raggedly from his body. “But I do think we should get the morning after pill tomorrow.”

My body sang with appreciation as I pulled off my sticky clothes and walked to Archer’s closet to grab a tee shirt. Now that the moment had passed, guilt spread in my chest over what we’d done. What I’d done. I gulped and reminded myself that the doctor had told me the birth control would work best after a month. Even still, I nodded in agreement then slipped into the bathroom to clean myself up.

When I came back into the bathroom Archer was already in bed. He’d put on some boxers that peeked out from the sheets that draped over his wa-ist. A bright smile pulled at his l-ips as I scurried over and jumped onto the mattress next to him. He laughed gently when I did my usual nighttime routine; plopping around until I got myself into the most comfortable position.

He k-ssed my hair once I’d settled against his chest with my feet nestled under his knee. I was almost asleep when his husky voice broke through the silence.

“Will you live with me next year?”

I blinked repeatedly, assuming I’d heard him wrong. I lifted my head so I could see his face. “How drunk are you?”

Archer gave me an amused grin. “I mean, I was getting there but all of that physical activity sobered me up.”

“So these aren’t the ramblings of a drunk lunatic?” I asked through narrowed eyes.

Archer pulled me back down as rubbed my shoulder until I relaxed against him. “Look just think about it okay? You don’t have to answer now. I’m just going to be so busy with football, it’d be nice to have this every night.”

I stayed quiet after that, allowing myself to melt back into Archer’s calming touches. There were 100 logical reasons why I shouldn’t even consider living with my boyfriend for my sophomore year of college. But as I listened to his slow breaths, and felt his heartbeat under my cheek, none of those reasons seemed that serious. The prospect of having Archer with me every night glowed in my heart, keeping me warm and happy as I fell asleep.

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