He pushed his finger further into me as his thumb found my clit and stroked a teasing circle around it. My hips rocked again, pushing my cunt into his hand. I was helpless to refuse an offer like that, and he knew it.
My response was to bring my lips to his in a gasping, heated kiss. My tongue danced with his, our lips moving in unison as his fingers sank into me fully. We didn't speak again as he got me off, our kiss not ending until my cunt clenched around his fingers and my whole body quaked with a silent orgasm. Even then, he just trailed gentle kisses across my jaw and down my throat as I sagged against him.
"You're my whole world, Kate," he whispered in my ear as he fastened my jeans again. "You're my reason for breathing, and I'll personally slit the throats of anyone who tries to take you away from me."
With that insanely heartwarming promise echoing in my head, we made our way back into the hospital. I had to hand it to him, though. The distraction had worked. When we stepped back through those doors, I felt stronger and more focused. Tears could wait until the threat was eliminated.
I could do this. We could do this. I wasn't in it alone. With Archer, Kody, and Steele beside me, I doubted I'd ever need to face a challenge totally alone again.
We only waited a couple more hours before Dallas was given the okay to visit Bree. The nurse gently told us that only one visitor was permitted for the night, though, so Dallas sent us all home. He intended to stay there with her as long as they'd let him, even though she was still unconscious from the heavy sedatives they'd put her on.
Kody's car had been shot to hell back at the accident site, so the four of us all rode together in Archer's Range Rover. We were just a few minutes away from home when Archer's phone, hooked up to the car's Bluetooth, rang. The display said Steinwick.
"Steinwick," Archer answered, putting the call on speaker for us all to hear. "What's happened?"
"Sir," the elderly butler replied. "There has been an incident here at the house. What time will you be returning home?"
I exchanged a worried look with Steele, who shared the backseat with me. An incident? I wasn't so sure I could handle another incident just yet.
"We're three minutes out," Archer replied. "Does this incident require additional firepower?"
"Not at all, sir," the butler responded, sounding almost amused. "We have the situation well under control here. No need to rush, we just wanted you aware."
"I appreciate it," Archer said, then ended the call without another word.
Kody was the first to comment. "What the hell could that be about?" he wondered aloud. "Old Stein-y didn't sound too annoyed, so it can't involve property damage."
Steele snickered a laugh. "Remember when we decided to practice throwing knives in the formal dining room? I thought the old goat was going to have a heart attack."
I eyed the three of them in fascination, and Archer met my eyes in his mirror, a sly smile curling his lips. "Nah, he's as tough as the hills. It'd take a hell of a lot more than that to make him croak." He shot me a wink, and I shook my head in disbelief. Apparently, Steinwick had worked for Archer and his boys longer than I'd thought.
When we pulled into the driveway, Archer paused a moment to speak with the gate guard. He was a uniformed man with a bushy moustache who I vaguely remembered was called Wayne.
"I heard there's been an incident?" Archer asked, and Wayne jerked a nod.
"Yes, sir. Dave and Sampson have been up at the house to keep an eye on things until you got home." Wayne looked uncomfortable as shit, and he quickly waved us through, closing the gates after us.
Steele blew out a long breath. "Anyone else dying of anticipation here? Or just me?"
Kody raised his hand, and I smiled. Whatever the "incident" was, I didn't think it was anything terrifying. Not by the calm way everyone was handling it.
Archer parked in front of the main steps, not bothering to take the car into the garage, and we all piled out.
Steele linked his hand with mine as we made our way into the house, Archer taking point and Kody the rear. It was subtle, how they did that, but I noticed it, nonetheless. They'd put me in the most protected position of their formation... just in case.
"In here, sir," Steinwick called from the dining room.
We followed the sound of his voice and found him sitting on one of the heavy dining chairs at the long table, opposite Jase. Jase... who had his hands bound in front of him on the tabletop and seemed to be totally naked.
"I take it this is the incident you spoke of?" Archer asked his butler in a dry voice. Two security guys in black uniforms stood against the wall behind Jase's chair, and a more casually dressed guy leaned on the windowsill with an ice pack to his face.
I wrinkled my nose in confusion, staring at the boys’ manager, but Jase just glared daggers back at me like he totally loathed my mere presence in the room.
"Why is she here again?" he sneered, confirming my gut feeling. "Why is she always around? I thought she moved out weeks ago?"
"She moved back in," I snapped, not waiting for the guys to answer first. I fucking despised when people spoke about me as though I weren't in the room. "And while we're asking questions, Jase, she would really love to know why you have no shirt on right now."
His venomous glare darkened as his lip curled in disgust at me, then he turned his attention back to the guys. My guys. Or, specifically, to Archer.
"You let her do all the talking now, Archer? I thought you were the leader here." His words fell flat when Archer said nothing in response.
Steinwick cleared his throat, drawing our attention. "Sir, your manager stopped by this evening with some business he wanted to discuss with you," he told us, the dry tone betraying what bullshit he thought that to be.
Jase huffed. "We need to discuss this Copper Wolf ad campaign, Arch. None of that was signed off by me, and you know all paperwork needs to come across my desk before you sign it. What if they slipped some kind of non-compete clause in the contract? That could ruin any prospective beverage sponsorships in the future."
It took me a moment to understand what he was talking about. Copper Wolf must be the brand of vodka Archer's friend owned.
Archer said nothing still, folding his arms over his chest and letting his silence make Jase sweat.
"None of that explains why you're sitting at our dining table with no shirt," Kody commented, also folding his arms and spearing Jase with a hard glare.
"No pants either," one of the black-clad security guys offered. "He's totally naked."
I squinted harder. What the fuck?
"We left him waiting in the den," Steinwick explained. "But when I came back a few minutes later to check if he'd like a beverage, he was gone."
"I found him upstairs," the guy leaning on the window ledge added. He pulled the ice pack away from his face as he spoke, showing off the start of a black eye. "He landed a lucky punch while I was detaining him."
I blinked a couple of times, trying to place this guy. His face seemed vaguely familiar...
"Getting slow in your old age, James?" Kody teased, and the man's familiarity clicked for me. James. Our groundskeeper.