Comeback (The Holland Brothers Book 3)

“Hey, you’re up.” Archer wakes up next to me. A sleepy smile pulls at the corners of his mouth. “How are you feeling?”

“Much better,” I say. Emotionally and physically. Yesterday I was wrecked by the news of the studio, but this morning I woke up with a sense of acceptance. Yes, I’m sad but I proved so much to myself in the past few months. The building isn’t the magic. I am.

His hand comes up to my shoulder and skates down to my elbow and back up slowly. “Good.”

“Did everything go okay with Greer last night?”

“Yeah. We had a blast. She dressed up Brogan and they had a fashion show. It was something.”

“I’m sorry I missed that.”

“Don’t be. I’ll never be able to unsee it.”

“I should check in with Olivia on how everything went last night.”

“It was after midnight when she picked up Greer so they’re probably sleeping in.”

“Little kids don’t sleep in.” I turn over and grab my phone to check if Olivia texted. She did, only once late last night to thank us and say they made it home.

Archer’s arms wrap around my middle and he nuzzles into the crook of my neck. I wriggle my ass back against his crotch.

He lets out a low groan and bites the side of my throat lightly, then sucks. Heat spreads through me as I sink into his hold.

I set my phone back on the nightstand and turn around in his arms.

Archer’s hazel eyes search my face. “I love you.”

My heart lurches in my chest at his unexpected words. “You do?”

His answer is a slow nod as he brings his fingers up to the side of my cheek and drags his knuckles down over my skin and then rests one hand along the side of my neck. “Yeah. Does that freak you out?”

“No. I love you too.” I press into him, smiling against his mouth as I kiss him.

“Oh, thank god.” He lets out a rush of air but can’t hide his grin. “I was worried.”

“No, you weren’t.” I swat at him playfully.

“I was a little.” His voice is a little more serious. He guides his hand down so his palm is splayed out over my chest. “Say it again.”

“I love you.”

His lips pull up higher at the corners as he watches my mouth and feels my words.

I sit up. “I love you, Archer.”

I love you too, he signs back, then with his left hand he makes half a heart and holds it up in the air.

I do the same with my right hand, putting it up next to his to form a perfect heart.

Giddy, I move so I’m straddling him. His hands move under my tank top, and I let mine roam over his chest and stomach. I’ll never get tired of tracing the muscle and memorizing every inch of him. He’s perfect.

“You’re perfect,” he says as he cups my breasts.

A laugh shakes free from my chest. “I was just thinking the same thing about you.”

I pull my shirt off for him and toss it onto the floor beside the bed, then push myself down so I’m face-level with the bulge in his sweatpants.

He lifts his hips as I hook my fingers under the band and tug. When his cock springs free, I lean down until my lips are millimeters from the head, look up at him and sign, Perfect.

I don’t give him a chance to reply before I take him into my mouth.

He groans, pushing my hair back with one hand and wrapping the strands around his fingers. The slight tug makes my scalp prick and desire pool low in my stomach.

I wish I could explain to him how much he’s changed me and my life for the better. I came back to Lake City still wounded from all that my mom had been through. I was filled with determination, but it was tinged with fear. Fear about my mom’s health and that I wouldn’t be able to accomplish the very thing she sent me here to do.

Archer was there for me, helping with the studio without my ever asking. Taking some of that burden left room for me to dream and decide what it was I truly wanted for myself. Not just with the studio but how I want to show up in the world.

And somewhere along the way, he worked his way up the list. I want him. Now and as part of my future.

As I lick and suck, bobbing up and down over his length, he groans and tightens his grip in my hair, ever so gently pushing me to take him deeper.

I do, but then he’s quick to use that same tight grip to pull me off him.

“I need to be inside you.” He rises up and flips me onto my back. The speed at which he gets my panties off is truly impressive.

He reaches toward the nightstand where he keeps the condoms.

I grab his arm and wait for him to look at me. His stare goes straight to my mouth.

“I want to feel you. All of you.”

His gaze moves from my lips to my eyes. “You’re sure?”

I nod rapidly. “I was just at the doctor and I’m on birth control.”

“I’ve been tested recently too,” he says, still watching me intently as if waiting for any sign that I might change my mind. “And I’ve never not used a condom.”

“Me either.” Because I know how much he relies on all his other senses, being the first person to experience this with him makes me feel even closer to him.

Archer moves back over me. The head of his dick nudges my entrance. I widen my legs as he pushes in an inch. He groans and lets his head drop so his forehead rests against mine.

His right hand caresses my throat, greedy for every vibration. And I give them to him, mindlessly talking and panting as he slowly fills me. He’s so big and thick it’s almost painful until I adjust to his size.

I sigh, feeling as content as I do turned on. He twitches inside me and I clench around his cock.

“Fuck, baby. I’m not going to last long.”

“Me either.” I’m already climbing toward orgasm without him moving. I drag my nails up his arms to his shoulders and then I bring my hands to either side of his face. He meets my stare with a hazy expression. “Fuck me like you love me.”

His lips twist into a grin and he gives me a soft kiss before he pulls out and then thrusts back in.

I love watching the way his face contorts with a mix of torture and pleasure.

“Damn that feels good.” His breathing is labored. “You take me so well.”

The praise makes me lightheaded. I’m out of my mind with sensation, unable to form a coherent reply. Instead, I chant his name on a loop. I don’t know if he can hear me, but I know he can tell I’m close because he moves faster the louder I get.

Everything else is forgotten except him and the orgasm hanging right on the brink.

His lips cover mine.

“I love you,” he says the words against my mouth and then kisses me hard. His tongue sweeps in and I meet his energy.

A flash of light blooms behind my eyelids and I cry out. He swallows every noise and gives me all of his too.

Archer’s orgasm follows seconds after mine. He keeps kissing me even after he stops moving inside me. He pulls out slowly, gaze locked on where his cum leaks out of me. With one finger, he gathers it up and pushes it back in. My sensitive pussy quivers at the intrusion.

He grins at my reaction and adds another finger, slowly dragging them in and out of me until I’m arching into his palm for more friction.

“Let me hear how good I make you feel, baby.”

I lock onto his gaze. “So good. I never want you to stop.”

One side of his mouth hitches up higher. “Only for food and water and other mandatory things. Every other second is yours.”

He scoots down my body and flicks his tongue along my clit. I’m already seeing flashes of light when he curls his fingers and sucks hard on my sensitive flesh.

As I come down from another incredible high, Archer falls onto the mattress beside me and pulls me to my side so we’re chest to chest.

“I have bad news,” I say and then nuzzle into him.

“What’s that?”

I tip my head back to look at him as I say, “I need food and water.”

I barely ate dinner last night and I am starving.

He chuckles and places a quick kiss against my forehead before sitting up. Reluctantly, I follow. We get dressed slowly, stealing more kisses as we do.

Archer pulls on a T-shirt over his head. “Have you heard any more from Eleanor?”

“No.” I shake my head. “But I’m feeling okay about it.”

He makes a low grunt of annoyance that tells me he’s definitely not feeling okay about it yet.

“What if I talk to her?” he asks. “I could explain everything about Graham.”

“No.” I shake my head. “You’ve done enough. I’ve got this. Okay?”

It takes a second, but he nods reluctantly.

The rest of the apartment is quiet as we leave his room. London and Brogan must be sleeping in. In the kitchen, I flip on the light.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stage a fake breakup?” he asks, stepping into the room behind me. “It wouldn’t be that hard to hide it from him. You could even still go to the games. Though you’d probably have to pretend like you’re there for Brogan instead of me.” He winks.

“Not a chance, Holland.” I place my hands on his shoulders and jump. He catches me, holding my legs up while I wrap them around his waist. “I want him to know you’re the man giving me multiple orgasms and making me deliriously happy.”

A groan from the living room makes my body go still. I glance to the couch as a man I don’t recognize sits up and runs a hand through reddish-brown hair. I jump down from Archer’s grasp and place a hand to my chest.

The stranger slowly blinks and then gives us a one-hand salute. He’s broad and muscular, and not wearing a shirt.

Archer looks at the guy with much less alarm than I had. “Right. I forgot to warn you. Flynn showed up last night. He’s crashing here for a while.”

“Your younger brother,” I say, voice unsteady as I struggle to calm my racing pulse. It’s easy to place him now that I’m not panicking. Between the games I watched with Archer and the family resemblance, I’d like to think I would have eventually put it together on my own. “Nice to meet you.”

Flynn stands with what looks like a lot of effort. “You too. I’m guessing you’re the infamous secret sister.”

“This is Sabrina,” Archer tells him.

Flynn wanders into the kitchen with us and opens the fridge. When he pulls out a beer, Archer steps over to him and takes it.

“It’s not even noon.”

“I’m on vacation.” Flynn snatches it back. He cracks open the tab and takes a seat on one of the barstools. It’s uncanny how much he looks like Archer in certain ways. Same straight nose, same full lips and half smile. Flynn’s reddish-brown hair curls around his ears. And he still has a bit of a baby face, even though he’s taller than Archer, and I know he’s nearly twenty-one.

“I had the weirdest dream last night. There was this little girl—a princess—and then in walked this smoking hot blonde chick wearing a black dress that hugged her curves perfectly.”

“You met Olivia and Greer?” I ask, looking from Flynn to Archer.

“That wasn’t a dream,” Archer tells him. “We were babysitting Greer last night and Olivia came by to get her after you crashed on the couch.”

“Olivia,” he says her name slowly. He glances at me. His eyes are still only half-open either from sleep or being hungover, I’m not sure, but I can tell the color is a lighter brown instead of hazel like Archer’s. “Is she a friend of yours?”

Before I can answer, Archer interrupts. “Does Knox know you’re here?”

All playfulness leaves Flynn’s face and in its place is a tight jaw and serious expression that makes him look older. “I told you, I don’t want to go back there yet.”

“That’s fine. You can stay as long as you like, but he’s blowing up the group chat this morning wondering if anyone’s heard from you.”

The emotions that cross over Flynn’s face are a mixture of guilt and frustration.

“Did you tell him I was here?” Flynn asks.

“No, but you should. He’ll worry about you until he knows where you are.”

“He’ll worry either way,” Flynn grumbles as he gets up and heads back to the couch. He glances back, then adds, “I’ll text him today.”

“Good.” Archer wraps his arms around me and kisses my shoulder. “I need to shower before practice. Are you going to the studio today?”

“Yes, and I work at Lilac tonight,” I remind him.

Despite wanting to spend every second together, we both have a lot of mandatory things on our schedules.

“I’ll try to stop by this afternoon, but I have a receiver meeting after team practice.”

His jaw tightens an awful lot like his little brother’s did just a few moments ago.

“Are you going to be okay?” I ask him. I can’t imagine having to work alongside Walker Graham all day long. Especially knowing how he taunts Archer every chance he gets.

“Me?” he asks, raising one brow. “I should be asking you that.”

“You have,” I remind him. “And I’m fine.”

He doesn’t look like he believes me.

“Okay, fine is a stretch, but I’ve accepted it, and I decided I’m not letting him run me off. Maybe he’ll sell the building or maybe he won’t, but I can only control what I can control. Even if Eleanor found another buyer, there’s no guarantees with them either. I’m going to make that dance studio everything I ever dreamed, and if eventually I have to find another place, it will be okay. I know lots of big, strong men who can help me.”

He looks at me with all the awe that I feel when I watch him play football or interact with Greer.

“I’d do anything for you,” he says.

“I know. Which is just another reason I’m not faking shit for some guy who is intimidated by how talented you are.”

That might not be how Archer looks at it but if Walker wasn’t threatened by him, he wouldn’t need to go to such lengths to piss off Archer and make his life hell. Seriously, who has time for that?

“Fuck, I love you,” he says as he closes his eyes and presses his lips to mine.

I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing that.