"Oh God, oh God, oh God," I chanted, moving my head back and forth. I felt Archer's c**k jump against my belly and that's all it took to send me over the edge, the orgasm hitting me hard and fast, rolling through my body with delicious slowness as I gasped and moaned through it.

When I opened my eyes, Archer was looking down at me, that look of awe and tenderness on his face that I loved so much it hurt.

"I want you inside of me so badly," I whispered.

He kept looking into my eyes as he moved his h*ps between my legs and took himself in his hand and guided his c**k to my entrance. He swallowed heavily as I brought my knees up and opened my legs wider so that he had easier access.

Our eyes met again and something passed between us–that same indescribable something that I had noticed the first time we met–only now intensified tenfold.

I leaned up on my elbows, and we both watched as he entered me slowly, pushing inside me inch by inch, stretching and filling me. When he paused, I looked up at his face, and the look of pure pleasure there was so stark and raw that I could only stare, spell bound. I was putting that look on his face. He throbbed inside me and then with one thrust, pushed fully into me. I fell back, moaning softly and he started to move in and out, slowly. I stared up at him, mesmerized by all the emotions flashing across his face as his thrusts increased in tempo–awe, hunger, an attempt to retain control, and then finally, surrender to the pleasure as his eyes drooped, and he thrust into me harder and deeper, his breath coming out in sharp pants.

I tilted my h*ps up and brought my legs around Archer's back. His eyes flared for a brief second before he buried his face in my neck. His thrusts grew jerky as he gave one final deep thrust and then pressed into me, rolling his h*ps slowly, milking his pleasure.

We lay together for long minutes, Archer breathing harshly into the side of my neck, me smiling up at the ceiling.

Finally, I brought both hands down and rubbed my fingernails over his ass, then squeezed it gently. I felt him smile against my skin, but he didn't raise his head and he didn't attempt to move, his body laying half on me, and half on the bed so I wasn't being crushed.

"Hey," I said softly, "you alive there?"

I felt another slow grin against my neck and then he shook his head, no.

I laughed softly and his head came up, a sweet smile on his face. He took my face in his hands and kissed my lips gently for several minutes before he sat up.

I sat up too. I needed to go clean myself up.

I cupped my hand over his cheek and kissed him softly again and then stood up to walk na**d to the bathroom. I looked back at Archer and he was watching me, his eyes roaming over my na**d backside. I scurried to the bathroom and cleaned up and then walked back to the bedroom where Archer was still sitting on the side of my bed, looking a little unsure.

"This is the part where you cuddle me." I grinned at him. He smiled back and breathed out and folded my covers back. We got in bed and he pulled me against him as I brought the blankets up over us. We were turned toward the window and the rain was still falling, although a little more gently now.

I had left the blinds open–there was only the lake beyond, no one could see inside. Thunder boomed in the distance, and a flash of lightening lit up the sky a few seconds later, but it was moving away from us now. I sighed out contentedly as Archer pulled me even more tightly against him.

We lay like that for long minutes until I finally turned toward him and whispered, "I missed you so much these past few days."

He nodded at me and rolled to his back and signed, Me too. It made me feel crazy.

I leaned over and kissed his chest and laid my head there, listening to his heart beat for a few minutes as he played with my hair.

Wanna know the first thing I thought about you when we first met, other than how beautiful you were?

I watched his hands move next to me and then lifted my head, looking up at his face questioningly. He gazed down at me, warmth lighting those beautiful amber eyes.

You acted embarrassed in front of me, bashful–you even blushed–about all those candy bars. He smiled and leaned down and kissed my forehead. My heart picked up speed.

He continued. It was the first time in my life anyone had acted embarrassed in front of me. People had acted embarrassed for me, but never because of something they'd done in front of me. It made me feel like a real person, Bree. It made me feel like something about me mattered.

I swallowed heavily. "You are a real person, Archer. You're the best person I know," I whispered, lying my head back down on his chest.

He hugged me to him again, and we lay like that for what seemed like a long time, just enjoying holding each other, skin to skin, heart beat to heart beat.

After a little bit, I pressed my nose into his skin and inhaled, drawing in his clean, masculine smell. I smiled against him and kissed his skin again. He reached his hand down and grabbed my ass, and I startled and laughed out. When I looked up at him, he was grinning. "Hey, that's your thing." I laughed.

What's your thing? he signed, and then he rolled me over and grinned down at me again, holding himself up on his elbows on either side of me so he could use his hands to talk. My own hands were trapped and so I responded, "I'm not really sure–I bet you'll figure it out though." I smiled up at him, and he raised one eyebrow, accepting my challenge apparently.

I reached down under the covers and stroked him gently, feeling him stiffen beneath my touch. "So, was it everything you hoped it would be?" I grinned up at him.

He smiled back down at me and then drew in a sharp breath when I ran one finger around the head of him. He nodded vigorously and then signed, More.

As I watched him, his brow furrowed slightly and when I asked, "What's wrong?" he answered, I think I should go to the store and get some condoms. He looked down at me a little nervously.

I stared up at him, wondering if his uncle had talked to him about birth control–thinking that it was probably something I should have brought up.

They're ninety eight percent effective in preventing pregnancy, he said, still looking in my eyes. It says so right on the box at the pharmacy.

I couldn't help it, I grinned up at him.

He raised an eyebrow and smiled down at me. Are you laughing at me? he asked, but he didn't seem upset.

I put my hand on his cheek, going serious. "No, never." I shook my head. "I'm on the pill."

The pill?

I nodded. "It prevents me from getting pregnant."

When he just kept staring at me, I went on, "I've just refilled the prescription because it makes my periods lighter and… so…"

He nodded and leaned his face down and nuzzled his nose against mine, kissing my mouth and then both eyelids and then the tip of my nose. He smiled down at me and my heart squeezed in my chest.

He brought his hands up and pushed a few strands of my hair aside as I gazed up at him. He studied my face for long minutes as if he was memorizing everything about me.

"What are your dreams, Archer?" I whispered, wanting to know what was in his heart.

He looked at me for another couple beats and then pushed himself back onto his knees and pulled me up so that I was straddling his lap. I smiled at him, wrapping my arms around his neck, but pulling back to let him speak.

He brought his hands up and said, I didn't know enough to dream you, Bree, but somehow you came true anyway. How did that happen? He rubbed his nose along mine, pausing and then pulling back again. Who read my mind and knew exactly what I wanted, even when I didn't?

I breathed out, smiling around the lump in my throat. I smiled against his lips and said, "I feel the same way. You're my dream too, Archer. Just as you are."

He looked into my eyes again, and then pulled me to him and kissed me deeply, his tongue swirling inside my mouth, tasting me everywhere.

I felt him swell and harden beneath me, and I sat up slightly and guided him to my entrance and then lowered myself down on him until he was buried inside me completely. He sucked in a breath and held me loosely around my waist as I started rocking slowly, moving up and down on his hard length.

Every time I came down, my cl*thit his groin, sending delicious sparks of pleasure through me. I started gasping out each time I came down, throwing my head back and riding him faster and harder.

Archer leaned forward and sucked one nipple into his mouth, now right at the level of his face, and swirled his tongue around, adding to the pleasure shooting through my body. I could feel an orgasm right within reach and I raced to claim it.

His breath was coming out in sharp pants against my chest as he moved between breasts, licking and sucking at the stiff peaks, making me crazy with lust.

My body tightened and pulsed around him as an orgasm washed through me, and I cried out Archer's name, shivering with bliss.

I opened my eyes and looked into his, half closed and dark with desire. He took over and thrust up into me as I held onto him and moaned out at the small aftershocks he was inducing.

After a couple thrusts, I felt him swell even more inside of me and his lips parted and his eyes lowered further as he cl**axed, his chest rising and falling in heavy pants.

He was so beautiful. I felt something catch in my chest and knew it was just him, taking my breath away.

I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him to me, and I stayed seated on him for several minutes as our breathing slowed.

Then I leaned up and pulled off of him, making a small noise of loss that made him smile up at me. I smiled too and collapsed back on the bed, sighing contentedly.

Archer laid down next to me and signed, Is there any reason we need to leave this bed for the next… three months or so?

I laughed, looking over at him and signed, Nah, not really. I mean, other than that I'll get fired from my job and won't be able to pay my rent, and this bed will be out in the road at some point.

He grinned, his chest rising and falling in a silent chuckle. For a portion of a second, I wished desperately that I could hear that chuckle–I'd bet it was deep and throaty–a beautiful sound. But almost as quickly as the thought came, I dismissed it. I wanted him just as he was. I'd never hear his chuckle, but that was okay. I had his heart, and his thoughts, and him. And it was more than enough. In fact, it was everything.

I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed him and then pulled back and said, Come take a shower with me.

He smiled and followed behind me to the bathroom where I quickly pinned my hair up, and then turned the water on to hot and climbed in.

Archer followed behind me and we took turns washing each other's bodies. He touched me tenderly, almost reverently, as he rubbed body wash over my skin. He cleaned every part of me, even between my toes as I giggled and pulled them away, signing, Too ticklish!

He grinned and stood up and kissed me hard on the mouth, and I grabbed the body wash from him and washed him from shoulders to toes as well, spending an extra bit of time on his muscular ass–but that was purely selfish. He had an exceptional ass.

When the water started cooling, we rinsed off one final time and stepped out, drying each other off.

I blew the candles out and then we climbed under the covers together, na**d. Archer pulled me into him as I rested my head on his chest, drawing lazy circles on his skin with my pointer finger.

Outside, the rain was falling down gently now, and the moonlight over the lake shined in, casting just enough light that I could see Archer's hands when he raised them and said, You're my everything, Bree.

I leaned up and looked at his face in the semi-darkness. How was it that he looked happy and sad at the same time? "You're mine too, Archer," I said. "Everything."

"And now," I said sleepily, drifting toward sleep, "when a thunderstorm comes, I'll think of you, not anything other than you."

CHAPTER 22

Bree

Over the next week we fell into an easy routine, so wrapped up in each other that I could barely wait to get off work, practically racing home to shower and grab Phoebe before heading straight to Archer's house. The smile that he greeted me with each day made me feel treasured as I ran into his arms, feeling in my head and my heart that I was finally home.

Not the place, but his arms. Archer's arms were my home–the only place I wanted to be, the place where I felt safe. The place where I felt loved.

We made love everywhere, spending long nights exploring each other's bodies and learning everything about what brought pleasure to the other. And just like Archer, he became a master in the fine art of lovemaking–leaving me languid and drugged with pleasure at the end of every interlude. Not only did he know how to make me wild with desire with his hands and his tongue and his impressive male parts, but he knew that when he scratched the backs of my knees with his short fingernails, I would purr like a cat, and that it relaxed me entirely when he ran his fingers through my hair. It was as if my body was his instrument and he learned to play it so perfectly that the melody vibrated within my very soul. Not only because of the pleasure he brought, but because he cared so much to know every little thing about me.

One day, he put a bowl of potato chips out while I was preparing us lunch and as I snacked on them, I noticed that they were all the folded ones that I loved, but usually had to hunt for.

I looked down at the chips and then up at Archer, confused. "All these chips… they're all folded," I said, thinking I sounded crazy.

Aren't those the ones you like?

I nodded slowly, realizing that he had gone through several bags of chips to collect the ones I liked the best. And realizing that he had noticed that small fact about me at all, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. But that was just Archer. He wanted to please me, and he'd do anything in that effort.

Sometimes we would be doing something on his property when I would look over at him and see him looking at me with that lazy look on his face that meant that he was thinking about what he wanted to do to me in that moment, and I would become almost instantly wet and needy, my ni**les pebbling beneath his silent stare.