Free Until You're Mine by K. Langston Page B

“Us huh?”
    “Yeah, and Paris.”
    “Paris?”
    “My brother got a job there, he wants me to go with him,” Silence hung heavy on the line.
    I looked at my phone to confirm the minutes still ticking away. “Archer?”
    “I’m here. Do you wanna move to Paris?”
    Rolling over to face the window, I closed my eyes. “No. I just want you.” I held my breath, waiting.
    Hoping.
    Relief flooded the line “Good, because I don’t want you to go,”
    My lungs filled with air. “You don’t?”
    “No, I don’t.”
    “Night, Katherine.”
    “Night.”
    I held the phone to my chest, thanking the good Lord above for hearing my prayer. I dreamed of Paris that night and the man I love was there with me.

    Timber thumped through the sounds system as I set up for Cora’s mixed drink order. “What can I get ya?”
    The older gentleman cupped his mouth. “Two Buds, please.”
    With a nod, I quickly finished the drinks in front of me and then loaded Cora’s tray. “Thanks, Katy,”
    Pulling two buds from the cooler, I popped the tops, sliding them across the bar in exchange for a $10. I shimmied over to the cash register behind me.
    I looked up beneath my lashes at the mirror behind the bar, wondering whether he was standing there right this moment…watching me. I hadn’t seen or talked to Archer since our phone call last night. When I came in for my shift this afternoon, he hadn’t come in yet and we’d been unusually busy ever since.
    I watched him approach from the corner of my eye as I handed the customer his change. With a nod to the patron, he leaned down close to my ear. “I swear to Christ- if you don’t stop shakin’ your ass, I’m gonna fuck you right here in front of God and everybody.” Warmth pulsed feverishly between my thighs. Swallowing hard, I tried to speak but couldn’t seem to grasp a single word. “Your ass is mine later,” he promised, sauntering past me to the other end of the bar to talk to Jesse. All I could think about was his peppermint scent and his hands on my body. I smiled. And that my ass belonged to him. 
    Over the next couple of hours, it was all I could think about. I couldn’t wait to be alone with him again. That didn’t happen until around midnight. I was standing behind the bar putting away some clean glasses when he came around to join me. He removed the towel and glass from my hand, setting them down. Every move he made held more determination, more meaning. Tugging my hand, he pulled me into his solid chest. His impatient lips collided against mine, stealing my sense and my breath.I was searching for the words to ask him. I wanted him in my bed or me in his. I wanted to wake up with him in the morning, cook him breakfast, and spend the day with him. I wanted all of him. I was tired of dancing around the way I felt. I wanted to shout it from the fucking rooftops. 
    “You’re comin’ home with me tonight.” Archer’s arm squeezed me tighter while his other hand fisted the nape of my neck. “And this time, I won’t take no for an answer.” With a smile I could not hide nor contain, I kissed his lips.
    “Yes sir,” Archer smacked then squeezed my ass. “Grab your stuff,”
    With a hand on the small of my back, he led me to the passenger side of his Hummer, opening the door.
    Damn. 
    Who would have thought he was capable of being a gentleman?
    “Why the hell do you keep looking at me like that?” he asked in that gruff, clipped voice he possessed so well.
    “Just curious who taught you to be such a gentleman is all.”
    He chuckled, his green eyes sparkling with reverence. “My grandfather,” Archer helped me into the Hummer then leaned in, pinning me with a red-hot kiss. His seeking tongue tasted like peppermint and his full lips were hungry… greedy .
    Wow .
    “Buckle up.” he ordered before slamming the door.
    Excitement and adrenaline sparked and popped in my veins like a live wire as the smell of his distinct cologne filled my lungs, intoxicating