Page 97 of Bound By Threads
“He said he was going to go cold turkey when I punched him in the face,” Archer murmurs.
I sign to Oscar, and he snorts. “Good.”
“What else did he say?” he asks.
“That he wants me, but that he’s not asking me to choose.”
Oscar leans forward between the seats, his hands moving more slowly this time. A small thread of worry shining in his eyes.“And what do you want?”
“I thought I buried that part of me, but then he was on his knees, begging me, and saying my name like it was a prayer only he knew, and it felt like I was thirteen again, and I hate that he’s gotten to me like this,” I groan. “Hell, I don’t even deserve both of you.”
Archer swerves the car into a mostly empty parking lot. Turning the ignition off and unclipping his seatbelt. He faces me, and his jaw is tight, then he grips my chin between his fingers. “You deserve whatever your heart desires, Lottie. You deserve to be loved… adored… desired. Be honest, do you want him?”
I look at him, then at Oscar out of the corner of my eye, both of them watching me in that steady way they always do when I’m spiraling. “I don’t know…”
“Then don’t… figure it out, but keep talking to us. He’s sober, and honestly? He’s the one we care about the least. If it were the other two, the answer would be hell no, but there’s something sort of sad about Crew.”Oscar signs, chuckling.“We just want you to be happy, Siren.”
“What he said,” Archer chuckles, but it’s deep and throaty. “Now give me a kiss.”
I lean in toward him, his hand still warm against my chin, and as I do, his eyes darken.
It’s just a kiss.
One that I’ve been craving all day.
When my lips meet his, there’s a spark, a heat that curls in my stomach. He deepens it almost immediately, one hand sliding to the back of my neck, pulling me closer, urging me to give him more.
I melt into him and lose myself in the kiss.
When we finally break away, both of us breathing heavier than before. I let out a shaky laugh as Oscar signs,“Damn.”
Archer’s grin is wicked and full of things sinful. “That’s a good girl. Now kiss your other boyfriend.”
I look to Oscar, who’s watching with that mischievous glint in his eyes. My chest tightens, but I can feel the playful energy from him, the kind that always exists between us.
Archer tilts my chin, guiding me toward Oscar, his touch gentle but insistent.
It’s almost too easy to give in.
“Don’t make me beg, Siren.”
I laugh again, breathless, wondering how I ever got lucky enough for these two men to love me, and lean toward him.
The kiss is lighter, more playful than the one with Archer, but it sends a different kind of fire through me. His lips are soft but demanding in their own way, and his hands settle on either side of my face as if grounding me.
When we pull away, Oscar’s eyes crinkle at the sides.“That’s our good girl.”
Archer chuckles softly, the sound vibrating through me. “Imagine how good she’d be between us.”
I roll my eyes, but there’s a thrill running through me that I didn’t expect. They both have a way of making me feel wanted, needed. But right now, I don’t know if I can keep sorting through all the chaos in my heart.
“You think you deserve us now?” Archer asks, his voice dropping an octave, full of that same deep warmth that makes my insides flutter.
I shrug, smirking at him. “Dunno. Might need a little more convincing.”
“Brat.”
“Little minx.”
