I was annoyed, no question, but the tight set to Archer's shoulders gave me a clue that this someone could cause big trouble. So I tried really hard not to pout as I shrugged and separated my hand from his. "No worries, go do your thing. Bree is right there anyway."
He scowled, looking like he wanted to argue, but I was already weaving my way through the tightly packed dance floor—also known as Bree's parents’ living room—to where my fun-loving friend was writhing to the music. I grabbed her hands, dancing with her a moment before she spun around and grabbed my face between her hands.
"MK, you minx," she purred, her eyes glazed with alcohol. "You've been making out with someone."
I cringed, touching my fingertips to my swollen lips. "That obvious?"
She cracked up, then nodded and gave me a knowing smile. "Come on; I've got some seriously kick-ass concealer in my room."
We pushed our way back through the people, then ducked across the silent pool area to Bree's room. It dimly occurred to me that Archer was busy looking for Steele and Kody, so no one was watching me. If my stalker was at the party looking for an opportunity... I'd just handed it to him on a platter.
Maybe I was as stupid as my father thought, after all.
29
To my intense relief, Bree made quick work of fixing my face, totally erasing the evidence of my heated, frantic make out with Archer, and we made it safely back into the main house without anyone turning me into a skin suit.
Small wins.
We found all three guys in the kitchen, talking in low voices with their serious faces on. If anything, those faces only got more serious when I joined them.
"Wow, you guys sure look like you're having fun," Bree commented, the sarcasm piled on thick. "I'm going back to dance. You coming, MK?" She held a hand out to me in invitation. But I was getting a seriously weird vibe from the guys, so I shook my head.
"Nah, you go," I told her. "I'll be in soon."
She shrugged and disappeared back into the crowd of party people. I folded my arms and eyed all three of the guys suspiciously.
"What's going on?" I looked to Archer first, but his gaze was cold and flat. Unemotional. It was almost a shock to see that expression back on his face so soon, as if nothing had just happened between us.
Bitter disappointment curdled all the fuzzy, sexed-up feelings inside me like sour milk, and I hardened my own eyes.
No one answered me.
"Of course, silly me for expecting to be kept in the loop when I'm the one with a deranged stalker." Anger colored my words, and Steele gave me a concerned look, reaching out to touch my arm. I flinched away before his hand made contact with my skin, though. These three assholes totally short-circuited my better judgment, and I'd just about had enough.
He frowned, seeming hurt at my flinch, but tucked his hands in the back pockets of his jeans. "This has nothing to do with your stalker, Madison Kate."
It was stupid and petty, but hearing him call me by my name instead of "Hellcat" made my heart hurt. Not in a good way.
I jerked my attention across to Kody, who was giving exactly nothing away as he stared at me with unnerving intensity. Archer... well, I wasn't wasting my time or my pride by paying him any attention.
"Fine. Suit yourselves. I might go find Dallas and his little friends. They seem like fun boys to party with." I started to leave the kitchen, but Archer grabbed my wrist in his vice-like grip.
"Don't fucking test me right now, Princess Danvers. You have no idea what's going on here." His voice was low and menacing, but there was a note I hadn't heard before. Deep, buried under layers of irritation, he was almost pleading.
"Incoming," Steele announced, and Archer's attention shifted past me.
He cursed under his breath and dropped my wrist. That in itself made me curious enough to see who, exactly, was "incoming."
I turned my head to look in the direction of Archer's stare and groaned.
"Great, Kody's girlfriend is here," I muttered, sounding a whole lot more nasty than I'd meant to... out loud, anyway.
Archer gave me a sharp look. "Jealous?" he whispered, his lips barely moving. Before I could deny it, though, he turned his furious glare on his blond friend. "Get rid of her, bro. You know the score."
Kody just gave a pained grimace, taking a gulp of his drink. "What do you want me to do? Drag her out of here by her hair?"
Archer rumbled, and even I knew he was practically at breaking point. "I don't fucking care what you do, Kody. Just get rid of her. Now. Before I'm forced to do something we'll all regret in the morning." He stepped back, leaning his bulk against the cabinets. Apparently he was content to let Kody handle this on his own, but something about that whole exchange sat strangely with me.
"Better think fast, dude," Steele murmured. He was sitting on the island, his long fingers looped casually around the neck of a glass beer bottle. "She's spotted you."
Kody cursed, then held a hand out to me. "MK, I need your help."
My brows shot up. "Fuck no. Last time I helped you, that bitch slapped me."
Steele covered a laugh with his beer bottle, but I shot him a quick glare anyway. Kody just gave an exasperated sigh, wriggling his fingers to try and hurry me up.
"I promise she won't slap you this time," he said in a rush, his eyes darting past me—tracking Drew's progress across the party, no doubt.
I folded my arms. "What's in it for me?"
This time, I could have sworn Archer cracked a grin, but he rubbed a palm over his lower face so I couldn't know for sure.
"Anything," Kody replied quickly. "Seriously. Anything you want. No parameters."
Well, that was a deal just too good to pass up. I placed my hand in his, accepting the offer, and his fingers closed around mine.
"Thank you," he whispered, then tugged me hard enough that I stumbled into his chest. His arms slipped around me just a fraction of a second before I heard an outraged female shriek.
"What the actual fuck, Kody?" Drew snarled. I couldn't see her face—my back was to her thanks to my front being pressed to Kody's body—but I could imagine the bratty-girl, hands-on-hips stance. "You're with the goat again? I thought you were done with her. Did last week mean nothing to you?"
There was a malicious edge in her voice, like she was trying to hurt me by implying a whole lot more had happened between them. She had no idea I'd seen them kissing near Nadia's Cakes, but clearly wanted me to know.
"Drew," Kody replied, his voice bored. He took one hand from my waist to grab his drink from the counter. It allowed me enough space to turn slightly and see the girl's reaction. "You're talking about last Tuesday when you kissed me in the street, and I pushed you away?" His remaining hand tightened on my hip, making it clear he was reinforcing these details for my benefit. "I told you then, plain as day, I'm not interested. Go home before you get yourself in deeper trouble than you counted on tonight." I caught a small, pointed head dip in Archer's direction, and Drew's eyes widened a bit. She seemed... scared of Archer. Why? He'd already told me he wouldn’t beat anyone up just for the sake of it. He wouldn't risk his MMA career like that.