Until You're Mine (17 page)

The child is gone…

I took another drink from the nearly empty bottle as the room swam in and out of focus.

Dreams.

They were all bullshit anyway. Falling in love was not like the movies, at least not for me. Why did he have to be
the one
? The one to complete and end me, the only one who ever gave me a taste of what I truly needed only to snatch it away. I tipped the bottle back once more and my stomach revolted as the warm liquid settled in my vacant belly.

Shit, I was going to be sick.

I stumbled to the bathroom. The roar in my gut and the hardness on my knees weren’t doing shit to suffocate the misery in my heart. When my body finally finished expelling the poison, I rinsed my mouth, catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror.

You let him do this.

Tiny damp hairs clung to the sides of my face like spider veins, and my eyes were bloodshot from all of the alcohol and tears. A surge of nausea plowed though me. Reaching for the hand towel, I fell to the floor and pressed my cheek to the cold tile. The coolness settled my screaming stomach, allowing me to close my eyes and release a soothing breath. The pain in my chest vibrated and my undying love sang low and deep, both uniting in harmony and claiming me.

Forever
.

“Katherine,” His voice sounded so far away, yet he was so close I could smell him. “Baby, wake up.” I attempted to pry my eyes but they wouldn’t work. The light was too bright and my head had its own heartbeat. The roll in my stomach had calmed, but the nausea was still strong.

Ugh.

I’m never drinking again.

A hand cupped my face as a cool cloth was pressed against my forehead. Was he really here?

I’m dreaming.

Well if I couldn’t have him in real life, this would be the next best thing right? God, I was so pathetic.

“Did you drink that entire bottle on your own?” His growly voice got louder.

Raising one lid a hairline crack, I struggled to gain focus. “What do you care?” My throat felt like it was on fire and my head was about to implode.

“We need to talk,” Archer helped me up from the floor, holding me steady in front of him.

He was freshly shaven and standing entirely too close. I licked my dry lips. “What the hell are you doing here and how did you get in?” Damn he looked good. Why wasn’t he in utter hell, like me? Oh that’s right, he’s a heartless asshole.

“Maddie told me where to find the spare. I was worried about you,” My brain finally caught up with my body, allowing me to balance myself enough to take a step back. “Take a shower…I’ll find you something to eat.” Gripping my waist he kissed my forehead and walked out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

What the fuck?

Was he here to inflict more pain? Tell me one more time how we can never be together, drive the stake in deeper. I’d sacrificed so much of myself for him, and for what? To be shit on.

Never again.

Archer was plating scrambled eggs next to two slices of toast when I walked into the kitchen. I’d managed to summon my inner bitch somewhere in between last night and this morning, remembering all of the things he’d said to me.

With a few deep breaths, I put up armor. “I want you to leave,”

He braced his hands on the counter, pinning me with his unyielding green eyes. “Not until we talk.”

I crossed my arms over my chest, a feeble attempt to add additional protection. “I think you said enough last night. You get off on kickin’ people while they’re down?”

Archer’s jaw ticked mercilessly, chewing on his words. His mouth twisted into a hard line in an effort to prevent them from falling out. I wanted to provoke him. Maybe if he said more mean shit it would encourage my heart to love him less. Somewhere inside, I knew that was impossible, but damn if I wasn’t going to give it my best shot.

“Please sit down.”

Oh, now he wanted to play nice.

Ignoring him, I opened the fridge and snatched the jug of OJ from the shelf. “In case you forgot, I’m not yours, which means you don’t tell me what the fuck to do.” I poured myself a tall glass of juice with a shaky hand, willing the anger to replace the crippling pain.

Deep breaths.

You got this
.

“I know I hurt you,”

“Do you? The shit you said to me last night was…”

Archer yanked at the back of his neck, frustration straining his voice. “I know. Now will you sit the fuck down and listen to what I have to say?
Please
,”

“No. I will not
sit the fuck down
. I have nothing to say to you and I have nothing left to give. You took it all. I’m done. Get the fuck out of my life.” Turning to move past him, he gripped my upper arms and drove his hard green eyes into mine. 

“I’m still married.”

My heart bled a little more and I couldn’t find the air to speak, so I blinked.

He released my arms. “Say something,”

I searched for words. “What the hell do you want me to say?” My brain finally caught up. “Why are you still married?”

“Because contesting the divorce has prevented her from getting what she wants,” he said, grinding his jaw.

I’m so fucking confused.

“She only married me for my money. I gave her my heart and she threw it back in my face three years later. I’m flying out to Vegas to end this shit for good. I could sign the papers here, but I need do this in person. I want you to come with me.”

Wait…
what
?

“Uh, what the hell for?” Had he lost his damn mind?

“I wanna show that bitch what a real woman is. I wanna show her what I found despite what she did. I want to show her that she didn’t break me.”

Holy shit.

Nobody brings you peace but yourself.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I sat down at the table and pulled her into my lap. Studying her face, I lifted her chin and looked into her beautiful brown eyes. The pain I’d caused still raw and fresh. Her breath feathered across my face with a sweet caress and my cock swelled with need.

When I left the hotel last night, I went home, sucked on a bag of Starlight peppermints. After walking a hole in my basement floor, I came to one final conclusion.

“I need you. More than anything else in my life, I only need you.” My chest ached with how much I cared for this woman, and my poor dick was busting at the seams to show her. 

“Archer,” She moved to get up but I held on tighter, bringing her eyes back to mine.

“Baby, I’m so sorry I hurt you. I know it’s a shitty excuse, but it was the only way I knew to protect myself. I’ve kept everyone a face palm away for so long, and then you came along and…” I shook my head, unable to find the right words.

“And…” she urged.

I cradled her precious face. Those big brown eyes bounced back and forth.

Searching.

Hoping
.

“And made me fuckin’
feel
again,”

Why couldn’t I be more like her? Able to express and convey exactly how I felt using words? That just wasn’t me. I was scared shitless and my heart only knew one way.

Show her.

I kissed her as slowly as my desperate tongue and heart would allow. Tenderly, I slipped my hand beneath her damp hair, gripping the back of her delicate neck, kissing her deeper. Fuck, she tasted good. Like…like...

Home
.

She draped her arms around my shoulders then shifted to straddle me. Our slow sensual kiss faded into a deep cathartic need for more, and with three long strides, I had her pressed against the opposing wall. With her legs wrapped around my waist, she held on to my neck as I freed myself. The weight of my belt helped to drag my slacks down my legs, bunching them around my ankles. I was hard as fucking iron, but I stroked myself twice for good measure. Wrapping one arm around her waist, I slid my hand beneath her panties, my knuckles sliding over her sweet, wet heat.

Jesus.

With a sharp twist and a hard yank, I ripped them from her body. Harsh breath froze in her throat as I rested my forehead against hers. “I don’t think I’ve ever needed someone as much as I need you right fuckin’ now,” I declared, easing into her. My chest rattled with so much want, and my cock pulsed with such excruciating need.

I love you.

It rested so sweet, right there on the tip of my tongue. The words seared my chest as I swallowed them back down.

Fucking coward
. 

“Yes,” she hissed, digging her nails into my shoulders. I wished I would have taken the time to remove my shirt because, goddamn it to hell, I wanted those black claws scraping across my skin. Her fearless eyes must have read my mind because the next thing I knew, she was ripping my shirt apart and down my arms. Her hands found the skin of my stomach, slowly raking her nails up and down my heated flesh, marking me. Fire blazed across my skin, lighting the way from my throat to my cock. I gripped the neck of her t-shirt, tearing it down the center. What a sight we must have been. Two uninhibited animals, consumed with so much need, rutting against one another. Seeking and searching for the something we both desperately craved.