26. Archer

Chapter 26

Archer

We split the remaining days of the holiday between going on trips and spending time with Mum. The latter mostly consists of hanging out by the pool. It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make to ensure she's okay. She might seem fine, but she's amazing at putting on a brave face. I've watched her go through enough breakups to know that. For as long as I can remember, Mum has been chasing her happily ever after, so I'd wanted this relationship to last despite its messy beginnings. At least, I had until I'd realised what a jerk Barry is. Mum deserves better than him. Hell, everyone on the planet deserves a better partner and father than Barry.

But that doesn't mean Mum isn't hurting.

And it definitely doesn't mean Jacob isn't hurting.

Which is why I'll be here for them.

"Wake up," Jacob whispers.

I groan and force my eyes open. "What time is it?" My running alarm hasn't gone off, so it must be early with a capital E.

It's our last full day here. Our only plans are to lounge by the pool with Mum. Why is Jacob waking me?

"Five thirty."

"Wah? Why?" Okay, my alarm will go off in half an hour, but six is far more reasonable than five thirty.

"I thought you might want to go running before our trip."

I frown. "Trip? What trip?"

He chuckles and pecks my lips. "It's a surprise."

"A surprise that requires waking up this early?"

"I thought you were a morning person."

"I am, but five thirty is unreasonable."

"You don't have to go for a run."

I hook my arm around his neck and pull him to me for a kiss. "You're right. I don't. I can get my morning exercise right here in bed. With you."

"Good plan."

He lies over me, kissing me hard. My body tingles.

"Better than a run?" he asks.

"Hmm." It's the only sound I can make because he kisses me again, his tongue plundering my wanting mouth.

"And a swim?" He sweeps his palm over my nipple, making it hard.

"Oh! Yes."

"Will you forgive me for waking you early?" He grinds against me, rubbing our cocks together.

"I think so."

He sucks my lower lip into his mouth and nips it playfully. "You think so?" He half pulls away.

"I forgive you!"

He grins and presses against me, kissing me feverishly. I stroke my hands over his back, using my nails to lightly scratch him. I adore the way his muscles move and flex beneath my touch. He kisses my lips, jaw, neck, and collarbone, all the while moving his hips against mine, teasing me until I'm delirious with need.

"Need you," I say, my voice breathless.

"Need you too."

He pecks my lips and leaves me long enough to retrieve a condom and lube. When he returns, he kneels between my splayed legs and gently coaxes me to bring my knees to my chest so my arsehole is bared. Bearing his weight through one arm, he kisses me and warms me up. His lips and tongue are wonderfully attentive. He uses his fingers skilfully, bringing me to the brink without tipping me over the edge. I'm a mess of need. The love I have for him is an ever-increasing ball of warmth in my heart. It's weird. Since the moment I admitted I loved him, everything has been heightened. My need to be with him. My need to love and cherish him. My need to comfort and hold him. I have never needed someone so much.

"Jacob." He pushes his fingers deep, and I arch my back. I rake my nails over his back and flop my other hand above my head. He's turned me into a writhing, desperate mess. My body aches for him. "I need you inside me, Jacob."

He rewards my plea by using his tongue to make love to my mouth. I suck it desperately, but it's not enough.

"I fucking need you. Now." I'm whining, but I don't care.

He opens the condom and rolls it onto his cock, then jerks himself off a few times to get his length slick with lube.

He touches my nose with his. "How do you want me?"

"Inside me?"

He tuts.

"Fuck me deep and hard."

"With pleasure." He kisses me as he enters me.

My arse opens for him, embracing his length. I quiver around him. He thrusts deep, slow, and gentle at first, with each subsequent movement becoming harder, deeper, and faster. He plies me with kisses, sliding in and out of me. All I can do is moan, whimper, pant, and swear and return every frantic kiss with equal desire and ferocity.

"Jacob."

I hold his chest tight against mine. Our hearts crash in time with one another. He slams into me, pouring every ounce of his desire for me into the act of making love to me. Every groan and grunt he makes turns me on more. Every kiss brings me closer to the brink. And when he looks into my eyes, I come undone completely. Love and need swirl in his dark eyes. This is the man I want to be with. Now. Tomorrow. Always.

"Oh, fuck!"

My orgasm hits me. He kisses me through it, thrusting hard and fast. I lie, trembling and gasping as he reaches his climax. He stares into my eyes as he comes. The moment his ecstasy passes, he kisses me again and relaxes on top of me. I unfold my legs, stretching them, and hook my ankles over his calves.

"That was great." I stroke his sweaty shoulder.

"As good a workout as running and swimming?"

I chuckle. "Maybe not, but it was more fun. Do we need to get up?"

"Not yet. I'd planned on you wanting to exercise for an hour."

"Well, if you're up for round two—" I wink.

"I'm exhausted."

"You did do most of the work."

He arches an eyebrow.

"Okay, almost all the work. Maybe I should go for a run after all."

He hugs me tight. "No. Stay."

"Needy."

"Very."

"Possessive."

"Absolutely. Problem?"

"No, not at all." I grin at the ceiling and stroke his hair. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

I pout. "I want to know."

"You'll find out soon. First, we cuddle. Then we shower, have breakfast, and go to the pickup point."

"It's a coach trip?"

"Yes."

I purse my lips. "Where?"

He laughs and tickles me. "Patience."

"I don't have much of that."

"Obviously. But I'm not going to spoil the surprise, no matter how much you beg."

"I'm not begging."

"Aren't you?"

"No."

Jacob rolls us onto our sides so we're facing one another. He traces my face with his fingers. "I love you."

I grin. "I love you too."

An hour and a half later, after saying goodbye to Mum—who apparently is in on the surprise—we board a coach. The moment the guide starts talking, I know where we're going.

I turn to Jacob, eyes wide. "We're doing the volcano tour again?"

"Yes. Just you and me, the way it should have been last time."

"We still had fun, and we managed to make the sunset romantic."

He kisses me. "Not romantic enough. I wanted to experience it with you the way I'd imagined. Is that okay?"

"Yes. Very okay." I kiss him deeply.

It's exactly the same as before, except we're with a different mix of people, and can be completely open about being together. We experience the size and majesty of the crater hand in hand. We take selfies, many of which are goofy or of us kissing. We're free to have fun, to laugh and to love. Between destinations, we cuddle on the coach.

At Cruz de Tejeda, we venture along a walking trail for as long as we dare, then return to the coach before it leaves without us. We spot lizards and give brightly coloured flowers silly names because we don't know what they are, and it's more fun to make them up than to look them up.

At lunch, we feed each other fruit and end up in hysterics. The juice drips down our chins, sticky and sweet and too irresistible not to lick off each other's faces, even when a few of our fellow tourists tut at us. I don't care what they think. Now, if we ripped each other's clothes off in front of them, they might have cause to complain.

We return to Parque Rural del Nublo, where we sweet-talk our guide into taking photos of the two of us with the three huge stone pillars—El Fraile, La Rana, and Roque Nublo—behind us.

"This place is still humbling," Jacob says.

"Very." We sit on a rock with our arms around each other's waists, my head on his shoulder. "Our lifespans are nothing more than the blink of an eye compared to how long these rocks have been here."

"Maybe, but that's no reason not to make the most of them."

"Oh, I intend to live life to the full."

"I don't doubt it. I don't think you could do anything less."

"Could you?"

Jacob sighs. "I used to spend too much time worrying about pleasing other people, especially Dad."

"And now?"

"I'm going to do things that make me happy."

"Good."

"Hopefully, those things make you happy too."

"I'm sure they will."

We have to leave far sooner than I'd like to drive to the summit of the volcano. Like last time, we arrive just before the sunset.

Jacob and I hold each other as the sky becomes a dramatic tapestry of red, orange, and deepening blue. As the sun dips below the horizon, Jacob cups my cheek and turns my face for a long, slow kiss. My heart patters throughout. I return his kiss. Emotion builds up in my chest and lodges in my throat. Damn, I love him. Why did it take me so long to figure it out? When did I start loving him? I'll never be able to pinpoint the exact moment, nor does it matter. All that matters is how I feel now and that he feels the same way. If his kiss is anything to go by, he loves me as deeply as I love him. I can no longer think of him as the best wrong thing that's ever happened to me because being with him is so right.

"Archer—"

"Yeah?"

"I want my future to be with you."

My heart skips. "Yeah? I want mine to be with you too."

"We've got lots to figure out, haven't we?"

"Yes, but we can do that as we go along. Take things one step at a time. Relationships are a journey, not a destination."

Jacob raises his eyebrows. "How very profound."

"I was going for romantic."

He brushes his lips against mine. "It was very romantic." The light brush of his mouth becomes a deep and wonderful kiss. "I'm looking forward to the journey. Do you think it's going to be a long one?"

I smile, tangle my fingers through his hair, and lose myself in the depths of his eyes. "I hope so. Long journeys are the best kind."

"Especially long journeys with you."