Chapter 239

I wake up to the feel of someone gently rubbing me with a soft, damp cloth. Even though I have no reason to believe that it would be anyone other than Archer doing so, I still can’t quite wrap my head around him being so kind until I open my eyes and actually catch him in the act.

I don’t want to sound accusatory, but I’m still confused, so I say, “What are you doing?”

He doesn’t even still as he continues to wipe away the mess between my thighs.

“Taking care of you,” he says coolly, like this isn’t a persona shifting moment. “Roll over.”

I do as he asks, rolling onto my front. He uncaps something, then I feel a cool press of his lotion-coated hands rubbing lightly against my sore backside. He massages with a softness I wouldn’t have thought him capable of, especially after the rigorous fucking we just experienced.

But, I suppose there are many different facets Archer, not all of them strength and anger. Although, to be fair, most of them are.

Seeing this side of him feels like a special kind of secret. A side of him that not many get to see.

“Does that help?” he asks.

“It does,” I tell him, half-sighing.

“Good,” he says.

When my ass is fully massaged, he rubs his hands off on the damp towel and then chucks it away and onto the floor. He stretches out beside me on the bed and opens his arms. I immediately accept the invitation and roll into him again.

I don’t want to continue to question this sudden kindness. But now that my brain has kicked back on, it’s hard not to wonder. My mouth moves before my brain when I ask, “Why are you being so nice to me?”

“You were good to me,” he says. He presses his lips to the top of my head. It’s not quite a kiss because he keeps his mouth there. “I was rough. It’s then my responsibility to make sure you are safe and unharmed.”

“I heal faster than before,” I tell him. I don’t raise my head, keeping my face pressed against the hard muscle of his chest. “You keep forgetting.”

“I haven’t forgotten,” he says. “But your healing ability is too new, too underdeveloped. You don’t heal as fast as the other girls I’ve been with.”

Ouch. The words punch into my heart more than they have any right to. What kind of hypocrite am I, wanting Archer all to myself when I was with other people? I need to get over myself.

Besides, I’ve gotten my rocks off thinking about Archer with those other girls before. He is hot as fuck no matter who he’s with.

Though, admittedly, I prefer it when he’s with me.

“You do this with other girls?” I ask, because apparently I’m a masochist.

“They never needed as much attention as you,” he says.

That makes me feel a little embarrassed and I start to roll away. Archer’s arms tighten around me, restricting my movement, keeping me right where I am.

“That wasn’t a criticism of you,” Archer says. “I’m merely stating facts.”

“Oh.”

As I let the jealousy wash away from me, I begin to see the specialness of this moment, after all. Archer is flat out telling me he doesn’t do this with other girls. This is something reserved just for me. Maybe he’s only doing it because I’m so fragile, maybe not. What matters to me now is that it’s happening.

Before long, my eyes are closing and I fall asleep again.

When I wake up next time, the sun is out, and I realize, with a sinking dread, that I’ve missed another opportunity.

Well, maybe dread is too strong a word. After all, I did get the fuck of my life instead. I can’t exactly complain about that.

Archer is already awake beside me. He’s sitting up in bed, with his back against the headboard, looking at something on his phone. When he sees me looking, he clicks off his phone and places it to the side.

“Let me guess,” I say. “It’s too late for me to go home.”

Archer nods. “You’ll have to stay the rest of the day now. I’ll take you back tonight.”

If I didn’t know better, I would be starting to wonder if all of this is an elaborate ruse to get me to return to the Pyramid. But, no, that doesn’t make any sense. If they want me here, all they have to do is ask and I’ll come back. They must know that.

This all has to be coincidence after coincidence.

Archer gets out of bed and I follow him.

“How are you feeling?” he asks.

“I’m okay,” I say. I don’t feel sore at all anymore. My werewolf healing really is a godsend. As it continues to develop, I can only imagine the fun pleasure pain Archer and I can get up to.

Baby steps, though. If I do too much too soon, I’ll probably scare myself off of all of it.

Archer pulls out some clean clothes and dresses himself in a white t-shirt and joggers. I look down at my naked self and frown. All of my clothes are still down in the garage.

“Um,” I start to say, building up to asking him to go get my clothes.

He’s ahead of me. When he turns around, he hands me a clean t-shirt and a pair of his shorts.

“Wear these for now,” he says.

He watches as I pull on the shirt and kick on the shorts. They are both too big for me, but fortunately the pants have a drawstring waist that I can pull and tie extra-tightly.

I must look a mess, in clothes that don’t fit, with my hair all tangled and my makeup screwed up. But Archer looks at me like he wants to eat me alive, his eyes burning with sudden desire.

It’s another hour before we finally leave his bedroom.

Back in our clothes once more, Archer and I head down to the kitchen for breakfast together. At least, that’s where we’re trying to go.

But then we run into Neil in the hallway. Neil takes one look at me in Archer’s clothes and a growl rumbles out of the back of his throat.

I startle, not having expected that. I thought the brothers were past the point of getting possessive over me.

Apparently not.

Archer’s hand drops down to my hip and he tugs me closer to him.

“She doesn’t need to wear your clothes,” Neil says.

“You didn’t need to take her virginity,” Archer replies.

My face burns a little. “Archer,” I snap.

He doesn’t listen to me. He’s too busy glaring at Neil.

“Neil,” I say, hoping to make him come to his senses instead, but he’s just as stubborn as Archer. Neither of them listen to me.

“I didn’t think I needed your permission,” Neil growls at his brother. “What happened was between Chloe and me.”

“We are sharing her,” Archer growls right back. “It wasn’t your right to make that decision without consulting all of us.”

“Um, excuse me?” I say, pissed as hell now. “Who I would give my virginity to and when is my own decision, not any of yours!”

The brothers just kept glaring at each other.

I wanted to smack them both, but I feared they might hit each other first.