When I opened my eyes, Archer was staring at me, his lips parted slightly and that same mixture of adoration and lust on his face.

He moved up the couch and kissed me tenderly, nipping at my lips teasingly. I could feel the smile on his mouth and I smiled against his lips.

But then when I wiggled slightly, he inhaled suddenly, and I remembered that he was probably in a needy situation now too.

Without speaking, I pushed him back and nudged him gently with my hands until he was sitting on the couch, leaning against the back. His eyes watched me the whole time, waiting to see what I was doing. I stood up and shimmied my underwear up my legs so that I wouldn't trip myself with them down around my ankles.

I kneeled down in front of him and unbuttoned his jeans, glancing up at him. His eyes watched me eagerly. He literally had no idea what I was doing. Oh my God. I knew Archer had been isolated here on this property, but I wondered if his uncle had ever talked to him about sex… I wondered how much he knew about the things men and women did in the bedroom. Or the living room couch.

I pulled his jeans down and his c**k sprang free. I stared at it for a second, my lips parting. He definitely wasn't lacking in that department. Just like the rest of him, it was large and beautiful. And it looked painfully hard, the head purple and engorged.

I looked up at him and he was watching me, uncertainty now clouding his features. You're beautiful, I signed, and he visibly relaxed.

I leaned forward and licked the swollen tip of him lightly and he jolted and sucked in a breath. I looked up at him with satisfaction and his eyes were large, his pupils dilated even further.

I leaned forward again and licked up the back of his cock, from the base to the tip and then circled my tongue around the tip again. His breathing grew ragged and I could hear him drawing in big gulps of air.

I put my mouth over the head and used my fist to hold the base of his c**k as I sucked him as far back into my throat as I could. I brought my mouth up and down on him for a couple strokes and when I leaned back to see if he liked what I was doing, he pressed himself toward me, begging me with his eyes to keep going. I smiled slightly and then put my mouth back on him.

He brought his hands up to my head and started threading his fingers through my hair again as I moved up and down on his hard length.

After less than a minute, I felt him grow even bigger and harder in my mouth and his panting got louder as he began to thrust toward my face. Just a few strokes and he froze, his thick, salty essence bursting into my mouth. I swallowed it and then swirled my tongue over the head of his c**k one final time before coming up and looking up at him.

His hand was in his own hair now, gripping the strands right above his forehead and he was looking down at me like he had just discovered the Holy Grail. I smiled up at him smugly. Good? I signed.

He just nodded his head, that same awe-filled expression on his face. I leaned up and planted myself on his lap, kissing his mouth. He kissed me deeply for several minutes and then leaned back.

Will you do that again?

I let out a small laugh. Yes. Not like, now, I grinned, but yes. I will.

I kissed him again and then got up off his lap, pulling my clothes back on as Archer hiked his jeans up over his narrow hips. I had seen most of him now, but not completely. I couldn't wait to see him bare all over. I couldn't wait to feel him skin to skin as he moved inside of me. I shivered. Even though I had had an orgasm less than fifteen minutes before, I felt warmth spreading through my veins.

I moved back onto his lap and kissed his neck lightly, darting my tongue out to taste the saltiness there. He had been working in the yard earlier, sweating lightly, but everything about him was delicious to me. I inhaled deeply as his arms came around me, holding me tightly to him. I felt safe and protected and I was bursting with happiness.

After a minute, I brought my head up and asked, Archer, your uncle, did he teach you about… sex? I flushed slightly, not wanting to embarrass him. What a strange situation it was to be sitting on the lap of the sexiest guy I had ever known, a beautiful twenty-three year old man and asking him if he knew what sex was. Not that I was overly worried about him in that department–evidently he was a quick study and an A plus pupil. I figured he knew the reproductive aspects of sex–I assumed he took biology. But did he know anything of the variety of things men and women did together?

Archer shrugged. No. His mind didn't really work that way. He always seemed to be working out some problem in his head–or protecting our property. I asked him about it once when I was thirteen or so and he gave me a couple magazines. He looked away, looking slightly uncomfortable. There were some articles in them… and I got the gist of it. He frowned, studying me for a minute. Does it bother you that I've never…

Before he could finish, I was shaking my head. No, Archer. You're the sexiest man I've ever known. Even that day that you stopped in the parking lot to help me, I was drawn to you then. Even with the crazy beard and the long hair. I grinned and he smiled back.

I think we're pretty good together, don't you? I teased, kissing his neck.

He smiled a genuine smile this time and nodded back, kissing me on my lips.

We stayed this way for a few minutes, just kissing lightly and holding each other, me nuzzling his delicious-smelling neck. I could have stayed there all day.

I lifted my head when I remembered the conversation I'd had with Travis. Hey, I saw Travis in town today and he asked me about coming out here to see you. Archer furrowed his brows but didn't say anything. I didn't mention the fact that I'd gone on one date with Travis. It hadn't meant anything anyway, and I'd never had feelings for him so why bring it up now?

Anyway, I went on, he said he felt badly that he didn't have more of a relationship with you. Archer raised one eyebrow, but continued to listen. He said he was gonna come out here this week to visit.

Archer looked dubious. What? I asked. You don't like him?

I moved off his lap, next to him on the couch so that we could use our hands to talk more easily. In the short time that I'd known him, we had gotten really good at speaking sign language together, using a type of short hand for words that we both understood, only spelling out portions of words, things like that. It now took us about half the time to make a statement as it would have a couple weeks earlier.

Archer was significantly better on his own than he had been when I had first signed with him, picking up things from me as we went along. After all, I had spoken it all my life. It was my second language. He had only learned it from a book and this was the first time he was putting it to actual use. Just a couple weeks before, he had spelled out things that he didn't have the sign for–now that wasn't the case anymore.

No, not really, he said. He messes with people, Bree. His jaw tensed with some memory or another as he stared off into space. I haven't even seen him in a couple years–except driving around town in his police car.

I studied him. Well, I think he's changed. He's a really nice guy, actually. Maybe you could give him a chance when he comes here? Wouldn't it be nice to have some family in town that you actually have a relationship with? I thought how I'd do anything to have even one person to call family–and how I'd do whatever I could to foster a relationship if I had the opportunity. And I wanted that for Archer. I hated the thought of him out here all alone all the time, except for me. I wanted friends for him, family… I wanted him to be happy, to be a part of the community.

Archer still looked dubious, but he took in what I'm sure was a hopeful expression on my face and asked, You want me to give him a chance?

I nodded slowly, yes.

He kept looking at me for a minute. Okay, then, I will, he said simply.

I cupped my hand on his cheek, leaning in and kissing his soft lips. "I know that isn't easy for you. Thank you," I said, speaking with my voice right against his lips.

He nodded his head, pulling me into him again and holding me against him tightly.

CHAPTER 19

Archer

I'd never been happier in my life. Every day, I worked around the property as the puppies chased at my heels, getting into trouble wherever they could, knocking stuff over and causing general, puppy mayhem.

And every afternoon, my heart lurched happily when I heard the squeak of my gate telling me Bree had arrived.

We would talk, her telling me about her day. Her eyes shined as she told me about all the new recipes she was coming up with at the diner now that Norm and Maggie had given her the job of re-vamping some parts of the menu. She looked so proud and happy when she laughed and told me how even Norm had begrudgingly, albeit grumpily, admitted that her side-dish recipes were better than his. She said she had plans to move on to some of the main dishes next, and then winked after she said it, making my chest squeeze tightly at how beautiful she was.

Sometimes I felt like I stared at her too much and tried to look away when she caught me. I wanted to stare at her all day long though–to me, she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

I loved the way her brown hair had little streaks of gold in it when the sun hit it. I loved how her eyes slanted up ever so slightly and how her lips were full and pink, like a rosebud. I loved kissing them. I could kiss them forever. They tasted like peaches.

I loved the shape of her face–like a heart. And I loved her smile, the way her whole face lit up and her happiness shined right out of her eyes. It was beautiful and genuine, and it made my heart skip a beat each time she turned it in my direction.

I loved her slim body and the way her skin was white where her bathing suit covered it. I adjusted myself in my pants and moved the thought of Bree's body out of my mind. I was working right now and I needed to focus.

I smeared a little more mortar between the stones I was positioning on the sides of the back, cement steps. They were just stones I had gathered down by the lake, but I thought they made the plain stairs blend in more nicely with the new stone patio.

I was just finishing up when I heard my gate open and then close. I frowned. Who in the hell could that be? Bree was working at the diner until two today. It was only noon.

I stood up and walked around my house to look up the driveway and saw Travis, in his uniform, walking down slowly, looking around as if he'd never been here before. Although, the last time he'd seen the place, I was a kid and it had looked a lot different.

Travis spotted me and looked surprised. We walked the couple feet between us to meet each other in front of the house.

"Hey, Archer."

I wiped my hands on the rag I was holding and regarded him, waiting for him to tell me why he was there.

"The place looks nice."

I nodded, acknowledging his compliment. I knew it looked good.

"You've been working hard."

I nodded again.

He sighed. "Listen, man, Bree told me how you two have been spending time together, and I," he ran his hand through his hair, seeming to consider, "well, I guess I wanted to come out here and say hi. And that I'm sorry I haven't been out before this."

I kept studying him. Travis had never been easy for me to read. I had fallen into his traps before when he tried to pretend he was my friend, and then metaphorically shot me in the back. Even when we were both kids, even before my accident. I didn't necessarily trust him now, but I supposed maybe people could change–it'd been a long time. I was going to give it a try. For Bree. Only for Bree. Because I thought that would make her happy. And I'd do anything to make Bree happy.

I nodded at him, giving him a very small curve of my lips and gestured to the house, asking if he'd like to come inside.

"Yeah, yeah, sure," he said.

We walked to the front door and I let him in before me, walking behind him and pointing to the kitchen. I went straight to a cabinet and got a glass and filled it with water from the tap and took a long drink.

When I was done, I pointed to the glass and to him and raised my eyebrows.

"No, thanks," he said. "I'm actually on my lunch hour right now, so I can't stay long. What I actually wanted to know was whether you'd like to go out with me and some of the guys tonight? Nothing big–just a simple guys' night out, a few beers, some laughs."

My brows furrowed and I stared at him. I pointed to my scar and made a fake laughing movement.

Travis breathed out. "You can't laugh?" And he actually looked embarrassed. I'd never seen that look on Travis's face. Maybe he had changed a little. "Wait," he seemed to reconsider, "you can laugh. A soundless laugh is still a laugh. Come on, the point is, wouldn't you like to have some fun? Get away from this little house for a night? Be a normal guy?"

I wanted to be a normal guy. Or at least, I wanted Bree to see me as a man who was at least a little bit like other men. I had never wanted that before. In fact, I had wanted the opposite–to look as abnormal as possible so that no one looked at me. But now, now there was Bree. And I longed to give her what she deserved, not a sad hermit who never left his property. I was sure that she had gone on dates with men before me. They had probably taken her to restaurants and coffee shops. I didn't know how to do any of that. I needed to learn.

I nodded at Travis and mouthed, Okay.

He looked slightly shocked, but grinned–his big, white teeth flashing. "All right, then!" he said. "I'll be back to pick you up later tonight. Nine o'clock okay?"

I shrugged. That seemed kind of late, but what did I know about what time guys' night out should start.

Travis extended his hand and I reached forward, clasping it. "Okay, see you then." He smiled. "I'll let myself out." And with that, he walked out of my kitchen and closed my front door behind him.

I leaned against the counter and crossed my arms over my chest, thinking. For some reason, I didn't have a good feeling about this. But I wrote it off to nerves and went to get in the shower.