Imperfect Harmony (House of Archer #1)

by Raine Thomas

  Sydney had caught her earlier and apologized again for speaking out of turn about Johnathan. She revealed that she had also apologized to Dane and explained what had happened between Lily and Johnathan so Dane wasn’t so angry. That explained to Lily why Dane kept looking at her throughout the concert as though he was trying to communicate with her.

  There was something Sydney wasn’t telling her about her encounter with Dane, Lily was sure of it. But she also knew Sydney didn’t feel up to answering questions. She looked unhappier than Lily could ever remember seeing her. Lily decided to give it twenty-four hours and a full night’s sleep and then press her friend to get to the bottom of things.

  One bit of drama at a time.

  Lily felt more balanced after showering and changing into a sleeveless peach-colored maxi dress. She used the time alone to review everything that had happened over the past few days and put things into perspective. She was relieved that Dane wasn’t upset with her anymore, but they still had things to discuss.

  He obviously felt the same way since he texted her while she was in the shower asking if she would stop by his room so they could talk. She had replied that she would, so now here she was.

  Trey promptly answered the door after her knock, still dressed in the polo shirt and khakis he had worn all day. His gaze immediately shifted to what she was holding.

  “Hello, Miss Lily,” he greeted her with a small smile, stepping aside so she could enter.

  “Hi, Trey.”

  Dane rose from the sofa in the living area and put down the cell phone he had been scanning. She noticed that he had also showered and changed into a comfortable T-shirt and gym shorts. His greeting died on his lips as he, too, looked at what she held. She marched over to the closest table and unceremoniously deposited the vase of colorful flowers in the middle of it.

  “These are what I didn’t want you to see earlier,” she said without preamble. “I thought I’d help keep your head in the right place for your performance by pretending they didn’t exist, but that was clearly a big, fat fail.”

  Dane didn’t seem to know what to say. Eventually he went with, “I see. Well, Trey, you now have some flowers you can bring your lady. You’re seeing her tonight, right?”

  Trey held Dane’s gaze for a moment before nodding. “As a matter of fact, I am. She’ll love these.”

  The large man picked up the vase that Lily had struggled to carry like it weighed nothing. Although everyone in the room knew he was probably going to drop the flowers in the nearest wastebasket, he made a show of checking his watch.

  “Looks like I’d better head out if I want to catch her,” Trey said. “You need anything else, sir?”

  “No, thanks. We’ll see you in the morning.”

  Lily waited until the door closed behind Trey and then turned to look at Dane. “Does he really have a lady?”

  “Yep. Her name is Vanessa.”

  “Mmhmm. And where in the world is he really going?”

  He grinned. “Barney’s room, I imagine.”

  “Ah.”

  He walked over to her and pulled her into a hug. Her arms went around him and she let her cheek rest against his warm, hard chest as his chin settled onto the top of her head. She closed her eyes and breathed in the heady combination of fresh body wash and Dane’s inherently delicious scent. Everything inside her settled into place because of that pleasant, comforting fragrance and the feel of his arms around her.

  “All I’ve wanted to do for hours now is hold you,” he said, echoing her thoughts. “I’m sorry I’ve been such an ass today.”

  “I’ll forgive you if you forgive me for keeping Johnathan’s visit from you.”

  He eased up on the hug so he could reach up to touch her bottom lip. “What kind of damage are we talking about here?”

  “It’s nothing, really,” she hurried to reassure him. “My lower lip was just tender earlier. I’ve been treating it with ice on and off all day and it’s fine now. My arms hurt worse than my lip.”

  She regretted pointing that out the moment she said it. His eyebrows drew together in a fierce frown as he took a step back so he could look at her arms. When he saw the darkening bruises on her biceps, Lily swallowed hard over his expression. If she had anticipated this reaction to the bruises, she would have tried to cover them.

  “That son of a bitch,” he said in a quiet voice that reflected little of the rage in his dark eyes. “If I ever see him again—”

  “Dane, please,” she said, once again grabbing him in a hug. “I don’t want to talk about Johnathan. We have bigger things to deal with right now.”

  After a moment, he brought both arms back up to hold her close again. “Fine,” he said. “You’re right that we need to talk. But not out here. This isn’t a conversation for the cameras.”

  She didn’t argue as he led her to the bedroom. The truth was that she had intended to lead him there herself, so this worked just fine.

  Her eyes widened over the sheer size of the space, something she hadn’t noticed from the living area. A massive king-sized bed dominated the wall across from the door. It was raised up on a central platform with steps leading up to it, something Lily had never seen before except in magazines or on TV. The fluffy white linens made it seem like guests would be sleeping on a cloud. In an interesting contrast to the downy bed, a metallic and crystal chandelier hung over it from the high ceiling, drawing the eye and casting glimmers of light around the room. Even as Lily stared at it, Dane turned a knob on the wall and dimmed the lighting to a lower setting.

  She kept her smile to herself and didn’t comment on that.

  Double doors to the right of the bed led to an equally expansive bathroom. When Lily saw the enormous spa tub, she had the fleeting thought that she wished she hadn’t already showered just so she could indulge in a bubble bath.

  “Why don’t we sit on the bed?” Dane asked, walking over to it.

  “Sure.”

  She lifted the hem of her dress and followed him up onto the luxurious comforter. He propped up some pillows along the headboard and encouraged her to sit beside him with her back propped up. As she got settled, she determined that she had been right. The bed was as soft as a cloud.

  “You live a rough life, Dane Archer,” she said, tilting her head to look at him.

  He took her right hand in his left one and gave it a squeeze. “I get by. Is that a flaw you can overlook?”

  “I have been for eight years, haven’t I?”

  His gaze became more intent on hers. “But things are going to be different now, aren’t they?”

  She heard the combination of hope and fear in his tone and knew he was having doubts...not about a relationship with her, but about how she felt about it.

  “Yes, Dane,” she said quietly. “That hasn’t changed.”

  He released a breath and ran his thumb over the top of her hand in a way that had thrilling shivers coursing along her arm. “I was worried that you’d change your mind after I told everyone you were my best friend earlier. I know you wanted to keep that from the press for a while. Now they’re going to be all over it.”

  She was finding it hard to concentrate thanks to his slow and rhythmic stroking along her hand. “Um, well, it was more my fault than yours, really. I mentioned it to Jenny and didn’t think twice about it. All you did was tell the truth when she asked you to confirm it.”

  She had also given things a lot of thought after Jenny’s unexpected outing. Her life since starting this tour less than a week ago had been moving at fast-forward. Nothing was going according to plan. Her writing career had taken an entirely unforeseen direction. She was now squarely in the public eye after signing releases to air her life on television. She and Johnathan, the man she thought was perfect for her, were no longer together.

  And she was in love with her best friend.

  “I realize that things aren’t following the pace I expected,” she said. “Hell, they’re not even on the same path I set for myself.
But I’ve realized that they seem to be progressing at a pace and direction that’s best for me. Does that make sense?”

  One corner of his mouth lifted. “Of course it does. I’m glad to hear you say that. I only want you to be happy.”

  “You’ve always made me happy.”

  “Not always,” he argued. “I know you wouldn’t have chosen to be a part of House of Archer. You’re doing it for me and I’ll never forget that.”

  She saw so much more in his gaze that he didn’t say. It went straight to her heart.

  Pushing away from the headboard and turning so she could face him, she said, “You’re right, Dane. I wouldn’t have chosen to be on a reality show if someone approached me about filming my life. You know that’s not me. But I do choose to be on a reality show about your life because I can’t imagine myself not being a part of it.”

  “Oh, Lily,” he said roughly, bringing his hand up to touch her cheek. “You’re not a part of my life. You are my life.”

  Her breath got tangled in her throat. So much emotion filled her that it was a wonder she could move at all. But move she did, bracing herself with her hands and leaning forward until her lips touched his.

  She felt no pain as his lips parted and his tongue met hers as naturally as though they’d been doing this throughout their friendship. Dane had told her he wanted to take things slow. She had warned him she wasn’t going to let him.

  She was about to get her way.

  He needed no urging to fall in line. The moment their tongues connected, he let out a low growl that told Lily how much he had wanted this. Exactly this.

  Desire flared between them like a match. Without realizing quite how she got there, Lily once again found herself straddling Dane’s lap, her dress bunched up around her thighs. She felt the fabric of his shorts brush against her bare skin and made a sound of approval against his mouth.

  His hands felt wonderfully warm and languid as they slid from her lower back up to between her shoulder blades. She kept her hands on either side of his face, wanting to coax his head however she saw fit to kiss him.

  He didn’t voice any objections.

  Their hands remained where they were for the longest time. Lily was enjoying kissing Dane too much to stop. Just the taste of him was enough to have her lower body aching for him. She knew that once they started touching each other, teasing each other, things would escalate quickly. She figured Dane knew that, too. Their first time together needed to be more than that.

  Because it was more.

  Eventually, though, she couldn’t stop herself. She absolutely had to touch him.

  Unwilling to part from his mouth, she allowed her fingers to drift down and explore until they found the hem of his T-shirt. She pulled it up far enough that her hands could slip underneath it. They made mutual sounds of pleasure when her hands caressed the defined muscles of his abdomen. His hands moved back down to her lower back to press her more firmly against him.

  And she knew he was aching for her, too.

  Her hands moved up to his chest. He issued a strangled moan when her fingers found his nipples. So she spent some time teasing him, after all.

  He finally broke contact with her mouth, bringing his hands around so he could stop hers from their torment. “I’d better do most of the touching this time around,” he said choppily. “This will be a horribly disappointing experience for you otherwise.”

  “Fine,” she agreed equally breathlessly. “But this shirt is coming off.”

  She didn’t wait for his response, simply grabbing the fabric of his shirt and pulling it upwards. He lifted his arms so she could get it over his head. It disappeared off the side of the bed, instantly forgotten.

  The sight of his bare torso nearly had her going back on her agreement. She not only wanted to touch every inch of him, she wanted to do it with her lips and her tongue.

  She’d never had a thought or impulse like that before. But then no other male had ever driven her to such sexual desperation.

  No one but Dane.

  He took her hands when they lifted once more towards him. “Uh-uh,” he warned, pulling them until they were behind her. “Grip your hands together.”

  She reluctantly did so.

  “Pouting, are you?” he murmured, running his fingers lightly along her arms until he reached her shoulders. “Well too bad. It’s my turn, Lily Momilly.”

  His use of the nickname he had given her when they were teenagers probably should have made things awkward, reminding her that this was, after all, her best friend nestled so intimately between her thighs.

  It didn’t. Instead, the name affected her like a sweet caress, wrapping around her heart and making her feel cherished.

  He pulled her closer by her shoulders so he could kiss her again. She welcomed it, parting her lips and once again allowing their tongues to mate. It took some concentration, but she continued to hold her hands behind her back.

  Dane’s hands remained on her shoulders for a couple of minutes, touching her only with his thumbs moving in small circles over her skin. She barely registered when those thumbs slid under the slender straps of her dress and leisurely pulled them down along her arms until she was bare to the waist. The lowered straps had the side benefit of ensuring her arms were more securely pinned to her sides.

  She didn’t care. She just knew that when her breasts made contact with Dane’s chest that it was the most amazing sensation she had ever felt.

  He pulled away from her mouth, drifting instead to brush his lips along her cheek, then her jaw, then the side of her neck right over her racing pulse. As he trailed the tip of his tongue along her collarbone, his hands moved between them to cup her breasts. She gasped and pressed herself against his hands, straining for his touch. Behind her, her entwined hands gripped the comforter for more support.

  Rather than touch her more intimately with his hands, he leaned her further back so her hands were fully bracing her on the bed. She realized the position presented her breasts for his full enjoyment. He took immediate advantage by bending and taking one of her nipples into his mouth.

  The contact was so intense it felt as though he had reached under her skirt and touched her where she most craved him. Her gasp of pleasure was startlingly loud without it being muffled by his lips. Neither of them cared.

  Her hips writhed against him as he continued to lave attention on her. She felt like she was hovering over a rapturous precipice, torn between agony and repletion.

  She needed him to end the agony.

  “Dane, please,” she begged.

  He lifted his head from her breast. She saw that he was as glassy-eyed with need as she must be. Pulling her up, he again claimed her mouth. The kiss was rough, urgent, mimicking what they both wanted.

  She groaned against his mouth when he slid his hand along her thigh under her skirt. She shamelessly parted her legs further as he neared her center. If he was shocked that she wasn’t wearing any underwear, it sure didn’t stop him. He knew just where to touch her.

  But he didn’t.

  He brought his other hand up to caress her other thigh. Then he ran his hands along both of her thighs as he kissed her, bringing his touch closer and closer to where she most needed it but never quite reaching it.

  She became so desperate that she almost wrestled herself free of the straps and touched herself. He seemed to sense her intent, though, shifting one hand to encircle her wrists behind her back. That had her breaking off the kiss.

  “Dane!” she cried, feeling a sob of desperation building in her throat. “I can’t—I have to—please.”

  “Okay, Lily,” he said in an equally uneven voice. “Okay. But we’re going to do this together.”

  Her frantic movements stopped. Her heart stopped throttling quite so forcefully against her ribcage. She gazed into his soulful eyes and understood him perfectly.

  “Yes,” she whispered. “Together.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Was he really ready for
this?

  Archer was overwhelmed by everything he had already experienced with Lily. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what else lay ahead.

  How had he not understood how different it would be when it wasn’t just about sex? How could he have not predicted how incredible it would be when his partner wasn’t just attracted to him, but loved him?

  How had he not known how much more arousing it would be to do this with someone who wanted him not because he was a rock star, but in spite of that?

  He’d been with his share of women over the years, of course. Some of them perhaps more striking, more sexually experienced, or more aggressive than Lily. But not one of them had ever cut him at the knees like she did.

  Her genuinely passionate responses to him made him feel as though he had already come apart and been put back together, now not quite the same man he was.

  No, he was better.

  Looking at Lily gazing at him with such stark love and immeasurable trust, he knew he had to be ready for this. She needed him now.

  They needed each other.

  Battling for control, he eased the straps of her dress all the way down her arms, freeing her arms and bunching her dress at her waist. He kept his eyes on hers as he collected all of the fabric and lifted, bringing it up over her head when she raised her arms. After he tossed the dress to the side, he grabbed her around her slim waist, guiding her until she lay on her back on the bed.

  He took a moment to study her now that there was no clothing to obstruct his view. God, she was beautiful. She was everything he could have dreamed and then some.

  His breath caught when his gaze fell on the only mark on her body. “What’s this?” he asked, moving closer to her hip.

  “What does it look like?” she asked with a seductive smile.

  “It looks like...you have a tattoo?”

  “Mmhmm.”

  It wasn’t just any tattoo, he realized. It was a black bow and arrow. The bow and the fletching at the end of the arrow drawn across it were both done as stylized wings. The rigid drawn string and the sharply pointed arrow tip nicely balanced the more feminine curves of the image. The arrow was aimed up, towards her heart.