by Haley Jenner
"I like catching the bus, it's nice and gives me a chance to catch up on some reading, listen to music, relax you know.”
He pushes himself up and he seems taller this way - me sitting, him towering above me. "Belle, baby, you know I don't like repeating myself. Answer my question," he demands softly.
"What are you doing here anyway, you following me or something?" I snap, averting my eyes.
“Baby…." he prompts me again, the humor falling from his tone.
I sigh loudly, irritated by his questioning. Scowling at him, I shake my head. “No, I don't have a license."
While he expected this answer, he seems shocked by my admission. I hate this part, telling people that my lack of parents has disadvantaged me in some way, it comes across so depressing. "I didn't have anyone to teach me, okay. The whole no parent scenario," I explain sarcastically.
Archer watches me for a beat or two and I feel small under his scrutiny. "That’s an excuse. Give me something better than that," he shocks me by saying. Most people pity the fact that I lost my parents young, always offering their sympathies and understanding. While I wasn’t interested in pity or sympathy from Archer, a little understanding would’ve been welcome. But nothing?
I lean forward, pissed off. "Excuse me?" I spit.
"That's an excuse. What? You didn't know anyone else that could teach you? What about Janie? Or who taught your friends to drive, their folks? I'm sure they would have been happy to teach you too. Shit, I was giant asshole back in the day, but if you had asked, I would’ve taught you," he fires back.
I open my mouth to speak a few times but I find myself spluttering, furious at myself that I can't actually form coherent words. He has successfully shocked me into silence. "I'll drive you to Aubrey's now. Tomorrow, I teach you how to drive."
"Arch, baby, I don't think that's a good idea, I'm happy with riding the bus," I sigh.
"What's not a good idea is that my woman doesn't know how to drive a stick," he throws at me, disbelief lacing his tone at my hesitation.
"I thought I was rather competent at handling a stick," I smile salaciously.
Shaking his head at my not so subtle innuendo he stalks to the other side of his car, opening the door for me. "In," he demands and rolling my eyes I make my way towards him and into the Jeep. He slaps my ass as he helps me into the car and I narrow my eyes on him as I settle into my seat. "Don't roll your eyes at me."
Watching me as he makes his way to his side of the car I can’t help but poke my tongue out like a petulant child. I contemplate locking the doors, but that would delay my arrival in Bellingham and would only piss him off further. I settle for staring out the window, refusing to acknowledge his presence the entire drive.
I should feel bad, for inconveniencing his day, but he pushed it upon himself so he can suffer. I was happy to ride the bus. Every so often I watch him in my peripheral vision - he finds my behavior amusing, if that stupid fucking smirk planted on his face is any indication.
Such an asshole.
When I finally have no choice but to speak, to direct him to Aubrey's, I speak in clipped tones. Coming to a stop in her cul-de-sac, Archer removes his seatbelt and turns to face me. "See you in a few," I say, moving quickly to disembark from his car.
My escape is thwarted by a large hand at my elbow. "Belle, baby, it's proper manners to say thank you when someone does you a favor."
Signing loudly, I turn to him. "Okay, make it quick," I challenge, trying incredibly hard to hide my smile.
"Come again," he bristles, pulling me farther into him and making my lips twitch in amusement.
"I was happy riding the bus, seems you wanted to drive to Bellingham for some reason and I helped you out, so you're welcome. Bye."
This time Archer lifts me onto his lap and my hands have no choice but to rest on his hard chest, our faces only inches apart. "Belle," he warns and I can no longer contain my grin.
"Alright, alright. Thank you, Archer Dean for chauffeuring me all the way to Bellingham. Even though I was happy to ride the bus."
He shakes his head slightly. "Try again."
Laughing softly, I clear my throat before speaking. "Thank you," I make my tone robotic as I offer him a stiff salute.
Shaking his head slightly, his large hands move to grip my sides. "Again."
"No," I wail and he tickles me. The asshole tickles me. I'm trapped between him and the steering wheel, no escape. "Okay, okay, okay," I squeal through my laughter and he stops his assault, eyebrow arched. I lean forward and rest my lips against his. "Thank you," I mumble into his mouth before sliding my tongue inside. Archer’s moan vibrates into my mouth as he gracefully accepts my gratitude.
Taking over the kiss he sits up straight, hands tangling in my hair as he pushes his hard body into mine. For a few moments, we let ourselves get lost in one another, forgetting our surroundings. Pushing me back, his lips move downward, kissing and licking along the column of my neck. It feels so fucking good and I groan out words to that affect as he continues his assault, causing my back to arch in pleasure - right into the horn. The noise is loud and I sit up straight in shock pushing my tits right into Archer's face. "Mmm," he laughs as he nips at my chest through my shirt. Swatting him away we’re both laughing as I plant a hard peck on his lips. "Thank you. I'll see you soon?" I question and he nods in agreement.
I climb out of the car from his side, purposefully shimmying my ass in his face as I do so, earning myself a nice hard slap. Blowing him a kiss as I shut his door, I make my way to a waiting Aubrey.
"Finally, I thought I was going to have to watch you guys fuck. Not that I’m complaining, it was hot as shit." Kissing her cheek, I ignore her comment and walk myself into her house.
"Good baby, now move it into 3rd," Archer instructs and my foot releases from the clutch, too quickly causing his Jeep to stall. Letting out a frustrated groan I sink back into my seat.
We have been at this for hours. Fucking hours. Archer is determined that we’re not giving up until I've mastered how to do this. Me? I'm done. Slowly turning my head in Archer's direction my anger flares. The asshole is smirking. "You find this funny?" I throw at him, releasing my seatbelt. My body is wound up tight with tension, I hate not succeeding at something.
Infuriating me further, Archer’s smirk has now transitioned to a wide grin, verging on laughter. "Belle, baby, I'm not laughing at you. But your little frustrated groans are cute."
I stutter in disbelief. "Cute? You think watching me struggle is cute?” Shaking my head, I reach for the door handle to remove myself from what was turning into, on my end at least, a very hostile environment. "You know what? Fuck this," I curse, but my escape is hindered by a strong hand at my arm.
"Don't throw that fuckin' sass around to get yourself out of this. Put your seatbelt back on and try again."
I don’t want to try again. I’m tired. Frustrated. I don’t tell Archer this. It’d be a waste of breath, he wouldn’t listen. Turning back towards him, I draw my eyebrows down over my eyes. One of his dark eyebrows rises in challenge and I hate that right now, even though I kind of hate him, I’m turned on. Peeking my tongue out to moisten my lips I watch as his stare drops to follow its path. "I'd prefer you to fuck me," I offer suggestively, gliding my hand up his thigh.
"Trust me, after this, I am going to fuck you……hard and rough, for all the attitude," he rebuffs my advance and places my hand back at the steering wheel.
"Whatever," I mutter. "Your loss, I'm not wearing any panties."
The car starts on my first attempt and my smile is victorious, at both my driving skills and the pained expression adorning Archer's beautiful face.
My triumphant mood is squashed quickly, when I stall again. And again. But I'm focused, determined to learn. I had never given it much thought before Archer brought it up, but it’ll be nice to know how to drive. To be able to stop catching the bus or relying on other people. Archer is patient, supportive as he instructs me. His tone remains gentl
e throughout, encouraging me quietly, praising me when warranted. Before I know it, I seem to have the hang of it, throwing wide grins Archer’s way every time I manage the change of gears smoothly.
Then it goes to shit.
To start, Archer had taken me into some quiet back streets to practice and that worked fine. Then he tells me to drive home and my overinflated sense of confidence is swiftly burst on entering a busier street.
There’s another car.
It spooks me and I stall.
In the middle of the street.
At first, cars graciously drive around me.
Me? Well I freak the fuck out.
Jumping from the car, I begin walking around to the passenger side and Archer's look is incredulous as he jumps down from his seat. "The fuck, Belle? Get back in the fuckin' car and DRIVE," he bellows.
Shaking my head in the negative, my movements are skittish. I feel clammy, my heart beating fast and heavy, so much I can feel it in my throat. Other motorists begin getting incensed at us holding up traffic, blaring their horns to communicate their irritation as they drive around us. This pisses Archer off more and any honkers are kindly flipped off, but his eyes, they remain on me. Trying to make my way around him, my attempts to climb into the passenger seat are apparently, unacceptable. This is made known as I’m thrown over his shoulder before he jogs back to the driver's seat and throws me in.
Taking his seat next to me once again, his tone is quiet, but stinging, "Drive."
Tears form in my eyes as my nerves take over and I continue to shake my head. I can't calm myself and this makes me uneasy. "Belle, baby, calm down," his tone is now softer, coaxing me from the breakdown I’ve decided to let overtake. "You're learning, these things happen. Don't worry about those fuckwits, it's just you and me, baby. You and me. Drive us home, baby."
Meeting his eyes, he leans forward and plants a quick kiss to my lips before pulling back. Placing his hand on the nape of my neck he draws slow circles with his thumb on the skin just below my ear. It's rhythmic and works to calm me. Taking a few steadying breaths, my nerves begin to dissipate. It takes me three tries, but the car starts moving again and slowly, cautiously, methodically, I drive us home. Pulling into my driveway, I smile over at Archer as I turn the ignition off, feeling almost giddy.
I did it.
I fucking did it.
There may have been more than a few melt downs, but I drove a car. Me. Annabelle Edwards handled a motor vehicle.
"Thank you," I beam and Archer’s returning smile is proud, accomplished. Climbing down from the car I feel elated. "I think I need to buy myself one of these," I motion towards his Jeep.
Turning back, I watch him stalk towards me, hunger clear in his green eyes. Barely acknowledging my words, he grabs my ass tightly and lifts me effortlessly, encouraging me to wrap my legs around his waist, to which I happily oblige. "No panties huh?" he kisses along my neck as he walks us up the stairs to my front door, pausing only to take my keys and unlock the door.
Inside, Archer silently urges me to untangle myself from his body as he pushes me up against the front door. Dropping to his knees, his smile is predatory as he hooks one of my knees over his shoulders and pushes my sundress up to reveal my naked state. His eyes stay focused on my own as he breaths me in, groaning at my scent before using his mouth to bring me to climax. And after, against my front door, he keeps his promise, and fucks me hard and rough. Penance for my attitude. I come hard and loud and make note to start throwing more attitude, especially if this is the type of punishment I'm in for.
Chapter Ten
Annabelle
The week’s blend into one another as we continue like this. My life is perfect. I never imagined a man could make me so happy, but Archer does. We spend most nights together; we eat dinner, watch movies, talk about life, learn more about one another, touch. Always touching. I've come to realize that Archer and I communicate through our intimacy. I've never felt more alive than when he’s inside of me. It's intense and so fucking beautiful. For me, there’s nothing hotter than Archer losing control. It makes me wild, watching him come apart inside of my body. I feel in control, powerful, seeing such a strong, intimidating man's restraint dissipate in front of my eyes.
I've never felt overly sexual before. Granted, prior to Archer I only had one sexual relationship, my high school boyfriend. Max and I dated for maybe 2 years. He took my virginity after school prom, so cliché. It was nice enough though and Max was sweet. The sex was never bad, it was just…. nice. We tried most things, some worked, others definitely did not. After 2 years, I couldn't see a future between us and Max seemed to understand. I see him around town when he’s home, it's not weird. The relationship ended amicably.
With Archer though, wow. I want everything. I love the way he owns my body, his commanding nature, he takes me to highs I never knew, couldn't imagine actually existed. Highs you read about in smutty novels, but doubt that really exist. Well they most definitely exist, for me anyway. With Archer Fucking Dean.
It’s still hard to believe that he and I are a thing. More than a thing, we’re working towards something special. I’m falling so hard for this man and while I don't know if it's entirely the same for him, I know he cares for me deeply. Insecurity plagues me at times. Archer has so much experience with sex, with women. Do I compare? Can I give him what he wants? Am I too inexperienced? But I push it away as fast as it comes about. I see it in his eyes when he’s inside me, the way he watches me come, I know it's intense for him as well.
We fight. God, do we fight. That's because he is an infuriating, stubborn asshole. But I'm a bitch. Making up is just so much fun, sometimes I piss him off because rough, demanding Archer, well, he's my favorite.
"What's got you smiling like that?" he asks, the gravel in his voice hitting me right between my legs.
We’ve just spent the morning hiking. Archer loves being physical, constantly and he started taking me hiking soon after we started seeing each other. I enjoy it, never thought I would, but exploring new places with him is nice.
I cut his sandwich, pushing it towards him on a non-committal shake of my head. "Nothing."
We fall into an easy silence as we eat, happy in one another's company. Archer tidies our dishes as I watch him. "You haven't told me much about your family, your Mom, your Dad," he queries and I shrug off-handedly.
"Not much to tell. Never knew my Mom…. not that I can remember anyway. She left shortly after I was born. Dad had a few photos of her, but I never overly cared to look at them. They're somewhere in the attic. I kind of felt, she didn't want to stick around, she didn't deserve me giving her too much thought, you know?"
I swivel on the bar stool as I speak. Archer looks completely at ease in my kitchen, his lower back braced against the sink, legs outstretched, crossed at the ankles, tea towel thrown over his shoulder as he listens. "Her loss," he smiles at me and I don't try to hide the grin that forms on my face.
"Dad, well, that sucked. He was all I had for the first few years. I hate that I don't really remember him. I mean I have snippets of memories, I know I loved him. Completely," I rest my chin on my hand. "But again, he passed when I was so young, I can’t really tell you much, shit, you’d probably have better memories of it all. He was a good man, he took care of me but after he died, it just left me and Gran." I love that he doesn't look at me with pity, just understanding that my circumstances sucked. "She was independent and feisty, a great role model for a young girl. Our relationship was easy, she did her thing, and I did mine. She gave me guidance and advice when she thought it was necessary, but mostly she trusted my judgement and that worked for both of us."
Pushing off the sink he walks closer to the counter I’m seated at, leaning across the bench. I copy his movement so our lips are almost meeting. "Considering your shitty start, I think you're pretty fucking amazing, baby," he speaks into my mouth before touching his lips lightly against mine.
"What about you? Why were you such a dou
che growing up?" I smile and he laughs softly at my question.
"I was a punk. I don't think there was a solid reason. My Dad leaving pissed me off, not that I remember him. But as I got older realizing that he didn’t want to know me was hard to stomach. Then Jake's Dad bailed, it was like losing my own Dad all over again. I guess I just resented the fact that no one wanted to stick with us. If they didn't, why should I? It was stupid now that I look back on it.” We sit in reflective silence for a minute before Archer drags a finger along the edge of my jaw. “You fucking hated me," he kisses me again and I hum my agreeance at his statement. "Why?" he asks curiously. “Was it something in particular? I’ve always wondered.”
Eyeing him cautiously, I think on his question, trying to pinpoint my resentment. "No. It was never one particular moment that fueled my dislike. I guess, I was young,” I shrug. “I didn't understand the inner turmoil of a teenage boy. I saw only what I wanted to see and I didn’t like it. I would have loved a Mom like Janie. As a kid, I felt you took her for granted and it upset me. That, and you were always so rude to me. You treated me as someone so insignificant in your life and I hated that," I force a smile, not enjoying reminiscing on a time when we were virtually strangers.
I touch my lips to his, lingering there for a few seconds, enjoying the feel of his mouth against my own. "When did it change for you?" he meets my eyes and he must sense my confusion because he clarifies. "When did you start seeing me differently?"
I think back, trying to recall. "I guess when I hit 16, I realized how fucking beautiful you were."
"Never been called beautiful before," he confesses on a furrowed brow and I smile softly.
"No one has ever really seen you then because you really are, Arch. My god, my 16-year-old brain was so confused." We both laugh easily at my confession. "I couldn't understand it, I disliked you for so long, then I woke up one morning and I was so fucking attracted to you. My body felt things I’d never contemplated before. I wanted to be around you, see you constantly. I even found your constant brooding enticing."
