Marked

twelve-3

He heard the description of the s*x act and made assumptions. He didn’t see the root of where it came from.

“It’s not about being out of it,” Nya said. “It’s a fantasy, not reality. It’s about handing over control to someone, trusting them that much. You know, your mom makes these comments and I believe she’s probably one of the most sexually liberated people I know. But”—Nya caught his face when he tried to look away and brought it back—“I think she’s looking for something that she just hasn’t found yet. She wants to be loved. I mean, she was so young when she met your father and she was so besotted with him that she’d have done anything to keep him happy. I think it really messed with her head when he left. You know, since then she’s always believed she wasn’t good enough.

“And I think that’s why she tried so hard with you for the first few years. She probably thought he’d come back and wanted to prove to him how good a job she was doing and how together she was. She wanted to be like his wife, you know? Together and sophisticated. And that all fell apart when—” His smirk made her stop rambling. “I guess you don’t want my psychobabble, huh?”

“I think someone’s been taking lessons,” he said. His arms drifted higher so he could encircle them around her waist, squeezing her so tight that she couldn’t take a deep breath. “When’d you turn into Miss Detective? Have you been gathering intel on me, Squirm?”

Instead of being pissed off, he was impressed. Archer didn’t want to hide the dark parts of his past from her. He may not share them, but he wasn’t offended that she’d ferreted them out for herself.

“I might have asked a question or two,” she said, grazing a fingernail down his jaw. “Someone once told me that it’s not always about being mean, sometimes all it takes is a conversation.”

“I guess you’ve got a lot of sources,” he said.

That was accurate. She’d spent time with Ester, with Derren, even Kristof had come to her old place and these were three people who’d known Archer longer than anyone else. And Derren had said she was family. “I’m kind of disappointed that Ester will get to screw in your bed before I do,” she said, and he grimaced again.

“I sent her out shopping before Derren got to my place and they don’t f**k every time they see each other. Far as I figure, they can go months or years without touching each other. But I know it happens, always has, once in a while they get hot and heavy again, then remember they can’t f*****g stand each other.”

Nya couldn’t believe that there was any hatred between the couple who kept coming together. “Do you think Derren loves her?” she asked. The romantic in her wanted to believe he did. “Ester told me he showed up on her last wedding day, and she didn’t get married. So something he said must have—”

“Derren doesn’t say anything. He shouts at her or he screws her. Why do you think she’s so nuts for him?”

Ester was as complicated as any woman Nya had ever met. “So you think that she loves him and he was right that it’s all attention seeking?”

“Maybe. I gave up trying to figure out their relationship years ago. Sometimes I think they deserve each other, you know? Most of the time I just want them to leave each other the f**k alone.”

“I like him,” she said. “He’s a really straightforward guy and he cares a helluva lot for you.”

“Because he won’t f**k you?”

Although she was sure her cheeks reddened, she gasped as her face fell forward into the crook of his neck. “I was testing a theory!”

Kissing the skin she found beneath her lips, she inhaled the scent of her man and her whole body relaxed.

“And what would you have done if he’d have kissed you, hmm?” he asked, rubbing his face against her.

“I would never have kissed him,” she said. “There was an entire bar between us. If I thought he wasn’t going to back off, I’d have done it. It’s not like I put myself in a corner with a stranger.”

“Next time, no testing theories,” he murmured right in her ear.

A zing of enlivened hormones fired down her spine. “Damn,” she said, trying to hide the smile of her tease. “And the first chance I got, I was gonna test how much Kristof cared about you.”

“See, now, that’s a different ballgame,” Archer said. “Kris would’ve f****d you.”

She leaned back, tilting her head. “You think?” It wasn’t that she wanted to have s*x with the man, but there was something sad about his willingness to betray the fraternal relationship. “I thought you guys were close.”

“He wouldn’t have done it to spite me. He’d have done it to protect me,” Archer said. “Same as I’d do for him. Hos aren’t worth our time.”

That made her blink and after her surprise went away, she bowed forward to snag his bottom lip with her teeth. “You won’t be f*****g any of his girlfriends. I don’t give a damn what scheme you two cooked up to test the women you care about. Your d**k belongs to me.”

He kissed her. “I meant before you.”

“He’d have done it to prove what a s**t you’d fallen in love with?”

“Sure, ‘cause if you’d let Derren go there or let any part of Kristof touch you, you know you’d never have got near me again,” he said.

“Shame I don’t have a sister who can test you. I guess your s*x show in Vegas will have to do as my reassurance.”

“Two redheads,” he said. “I’d be f*****g reassured if I was you.”

Someone was coming up the stairs, deliberately stomping their feet, presumably to announce themselves. Archer twisted, but kept an arm around her, which allowed her to keep leaning on him. The cushion on the couch was soft, and made her footing unstable, so she needed his support.

Robbo appeared a second later. “Do I need protective gear?” he asked.

“No,” she said, but read his smile.

The couple was relaxed and in each other’s embrace; the fight was over. “We don’t know what to do with the tables,” Robbo said. “They’re bolted onto the floor. I don’t have a f*****g clue how to get them up. They’re covered with that metal sheeting stuff; we can’t even see the screw.”

Archer kissed her and then with his single arm around her waist, he lifted her off the couch to put her on her feet. “Nya doesn’t even own a screwdriver, Rob. Don’t ask her for advice. Show me what the problem is.”

Archer went after Robbo who was going down the stairs. He paused at the top to wink at her and she mouthed, “Thank you.”

This was her man’s rightful place, leading the men he’d recruited to protect her and this establishment. Robbo had said he would make calls to the guys who hadn’t bothered their butts to show up. Nya would bet that they’d show up as soon as they heard Archer’s voice on their phone. The work that was supposed to take a week would probably take half that time if she had Archer at her side whipping the guys into line.

They had to clear the office, she had paperwork to deal with and files to organize, as well as documents to shred. All the stock had to be inventoried and packed away. The bar had to be cleared, glassware needed to be wrapped and boxed. The flooring had to be taken up and the sound system was on the list to be dismantled. Storing the electricals would have to be done carefully because the equipment was expensive and most of it would be installed again.

The to-do list was immense and it would have to be done before the re-fitting began.

Sizzle had been the same way for as long as she could remember, changing things up was a big decision and one that Nya hoped not to regret. With the money Hexam had put into the club account at Archer’s urging, she had enough wiggle room in her budget to put in some of the high-tech gear that would protect her staff. Tag and Hexam had been reluctant to go too far with security, but this was her place now.

Nya couldn’t stay up here all day, there was work to do, and Tag was still in Archer’s apartment; they’d have to get back to him. So heading for the office, she was pleased she could bury herself in the management work while Archer took care of delegating the physical tasks. They were a great team.