Chapter 7

7

Dakota

" W here are we going?" I ask.

He's got one hand on the steering wheel, the other resting on my left knee. Up ahead, the city center opens up with its majestic historical buildings, glamorous storefronts, street-terrace bars, shimmering lights, and swelling crowds of pub crawlers. We dart up one of the main boulevards, palm trees rising between opposite lanes, before he steers the Lexus into a tight right turn, getting us out of the Friday night chaos.

"I've got a penthouse just ahead," he says, nodding forward.

We delve into a residential area with a cluster of brownstones with inner courtyards and plenty of green spaces. It's a rare sight in this city but a fair one to behold. It's quiet and fairly dark. But the slew of cars parked along the sidewalk speaks of money and prestige. Only the big dogs, the successful entrepreneurs, live here, and Archer is one of them. I'd almost forgotten about the socioeconomic difference between us, probably because we met at the community center, a neutral place.

"A penthouse," I say, unable to look away from his hand on my knee.

Oh, how badly I want it to move higher up.

"We each have a place of our own that we go to when we want privacy," Archer explains. "It's why my brothers and I have such a good and peaceful living arrangement. We spend most of our time together. We work in the same offices, and we hang out in the same bars and restaurants. Our circle of friends is more or less the same. And we share a home, as well, which is where Trevor lives. But once in a while, each of us feels the need to disconnect."

"I thought you did everything together," I mumble.

"You mean women, too, right?" he chuckles softly, and I reply with a faint nod as he pulls up outside one of the brownstones. "Yeah. But it's different with you."

"Why? I thought it was what you wanted. You made it crystal clear at Dante's."

"It is what we want. But I'd like to ease you into it. I would like to spend this night with you first, Dakota. Your needs, your wants… they are what matter the most, and I can tell you're not used to being with men like us."

"I get it; you're the slow-burn type," I chuckle.

"Maybe. But when I do burn, it's game over for you."

He gives me one last lingering look before he gets out of the car, then comes around to open the door for me. Like a veritable gentleman, Archer makes sure I am safe and well taken care of every step of the way until we reach his place at the very top of the brownstone.

We're quiet on the elevator ride up. Heated anticipation lingers in the air. We both know where this is headed. We just need to get behind closed doors first. My heart is racing. My head feels lighter with each floor we pass. It's getting harder to breathe.

I've never felt this way before, not at this level of intensity, not without giving it a second thought. Yet there is something about the Faulkner brothers, something so powerful and primal that it has taken hold of my body and mind. I fear I'll become putty in their hands, that I'll like it a little too much for my own emotional safety.

With calm and controlled movements, Archer unlocks the door to his apartment, and we casually step inside. It's as if I'm stepping into a dark corner of pleasure and masculinity. This isn't just a penthouse; it's a haven for this man. It's his safe space, his quiet place.

"I've got some wine in the fridge," he says, taking his shoes off in the foyer.

I do the same and give him a slight nod. "A glass would be appreciated."

"I need you naked first."

"Wait, what?"

Archer smiles and comes closer, then slowly reaches up and loosens the first button on my shirt. "I need you naked first in my bedroom. It's at the end of the hallway, the door on the left."

"You're serious."

"Dakota, here's a quick lesson on who I am," he replies, his fingers traveling up my chest and tracing my collarbone. His touch is enough to ignite a devastating fire within me. "When I say I want something, something we both know you also want with equal intensity, I expect you to obey."

"Obey?"

"Aren't you tired of always being in charge? Why not let me take the reins for once?"

I stare at him, but it's not because his request is preposterous; it's because the mere concept of letting myself go completely makes my spine tingle in an unfamiliar but insanely pleasant manner.

"Okay," I manage.

"Now, go into the bedroom. Undress for me. And I will join you in a minute with the wine."

"Okay," I say again.

He exhales sharply and captures my chin between his thumb and index finger. "I need the proper answer," he says with a low growl.

"Oh?"

"How do you respond when your man gives you an order?"

"You're not my man, technically speaking."

Archer crushes my lips with his. It's a ravenous kiss, a savage kiss that is meant to completely dismantle me, to break me down into itty bits and pieces, and I am helpless before him. Helpless and needing and wanting more. But first, I must fulfill his desire in order to get to my own.

"Yes, sir," I say when he releases my mouth.

Heat courses through my body as he smiles. "Good. Now, go."

To my surprise, I gladly follow the order and make my way down the dimly lit hallway. I pass several wall-mounted mirrors, catching glimpses of my wide, brown eyes and ruddy cheeks. This man is playing me like a fiddle, and I am dancing to each note with sheer glee.

The master bedroom is stunning.

With quivering hands, I take my clothes off and leave them on the chair in the corner. My skin feels tight. My nerves tingle with a mixture of emotions, the thrill of anticipation the brightest, making my breath ragged and my knees weak. By the time I turn away from the window and the city's mesmerizing view, Archer has entered the room with two glasses of wine.

"Fucking hell, you're an incredible sight," he says, his emerald-gold eyes glowing with desire. Slowly, he sets the glasses on the dresser to his left, then crosses the room with the speed and agility of a panther on the prowl. "Come here."

"Where else would I go?" I say, smiling softly as he takes me in his arms.

He holds me tight, devouring me with a single, devastating kiss. I inhale him deeply, melting against his hard body as his hands roam up and down, feeling and squeezing everything in their path. His breath hitches when he digs his fingers into my full hips, tilting his own forward so I can feel his monstrous erection against my belly.

"I've been dying to do this from the moment I saw you, Dakota," he whispers as he nibbles on my ear.

Thousands of electrical impulses course through my body, igniting each nerve and sending my entire being into a mindless overdrive. I can hear my phone vibrating in the other room. It's probably a text message from Chelsea. I'll read it later.

Our tongues wrestle for dominance. He tastes like mint and whiskey with the slightest hint of sin, sweet and delicious, just like I've imagined for so many nights now.

"Is this something you do often?" I ask as he takes a breath and looks at me.

His fingers deftly work their way back up, gently trailing invisible lines over my shoulders before they head down and clasp my nipples in a tight and playful pinch. "What do you mean?"

"This whole… meet a girl, share her with your brothers, but take her to your penthouse first."

"Honestly, you're the first woman to see the inside of this place," he says.

I'm taken aback. "Seriously?"

"Ever since we took Trevor in, our lives have changed. We've done a complete one-eighty, Dakota. And frankly, I wasn't the type to do that before we got him, either. We barely have time to ourselves these days, let alone to actually date a woman and build a relationship. But you're something else, babe. You've got the three of us on fire."

"I should consider myself flattered, then."

"Or cursed. It depends on how you look at it," he chuckles and kisses me again.

This time, however, he combines it with a tight squeeze of my nipples to the point where the pleasant sting spreads through my breasts and dissolves into my chest, causing a heatwave to ripple downward between my legs. I'm aching in my core, desperate for a turbulent release because that's what this man is promising with each gesture: a complete consumption of my being.

I eagerly pull the hairband off his manbun. A cascade of sandy blond waves falls over his broad back and muscular shoulders. I run my fingers through his hair as he deepens the kiss, then proceeds to plant wet, hot pecks down the side of my neck. When his lips and tongue find my breast, it is the end of everything I thought I knew about foreplay.

His fingers massage and squeeze my soft flesh while his lips close around the nipple, and his tongue applies pressure, sending rivers of fire coursing straight to my core. My pussy aches, yet all I can do is let my hands explore his glorious body.

I memorize each rope of taut muscle and the silky feeling of his skin.

The impressive difference between his broad shoulders and his narrow waist, culminating with… "Oh, wow," I whisper as I grip his erection with both hands, realizing that I want him deep inside of me right now. He's fucking huge, his cock pulsating against my grip as I stroke him gently, up and down.

"Dakota, stop," Archer says.

I freeze, and he raises his head to look at me. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, you're doing it a little too right, and I'd like to fuck you before I come as hard as you're going to make me come if you don't stop."

I blink a few times, having a mental blockage until I pick up on the words and realize what he's trying to say to me. His eyes are dark and hooded, smoldering embers of gold and green, as he pulls me away from the window and pushes me onto the bed.

Laughing, I fall back and welcome the silk sheets caressing my back. But before I can breathe again, I see Archer towering over me—a magnificent giant with rippling pecs and faint scars dancing across his left side, his cock hard and standing at attention.

He kneels and spreads my legs wide. "I wonder if you taste as sweet down here as you do up there."

I gasp as he dives right in.

Dear God, I'm going to die a happy woman if an asteroid were to hit us at this very moment. Archer's tongue slides between my wet folds. Testing. Tasting. Probing my entrance with a few laps before he shifts his focus onto my clit.

"Fuck," I hiss as he suckles it with shameless tenacity, two fingers slipping inside of me.

Every atom in my body comes alive. I arch my back and raise my hips, and my core clenched as he finger-fucks me out of this world. I feel his eyes on me, but I'm too far away, catching fire somewhere in the heavens above as he eats me whole while curling those fingers with every retreat. Every thrust becomes wilder, going deeper and faster as I feel the pressure gathering, ready to release.

"Don't… stop…" I manage, grabbing at the sheets for some semblance of stability.

I am weightless and so close to the edge. I can feel it coming.

"I can't stop," he says, then applies even more pressure over my clit.

I break so hard, screaming in pleasure as I come. Archer licks me through it, his fingers pumping into me, squeezing every drop from this mind-crushing orgasm as I ripple outward like an exploding star.

My screams echo through the bedroom, my vision blinding white for the longest moment.

But it's not over.

My eyes peel open to look at him. He gets up and climbs on top of me.

"I want to hear that sound again," he says, positioning himself between my legs.

"What sound is that?" I groan, still coming down from the shattering climax, my whole body convulsing in the aftermath. He holds me close, and I feel the tip of his cock stretching my entrance.

"That sound you make when you come, it's like music to my ears," he replies and kisses me. Hungrily. Passionately.

I almost cry out when he thrusts himself deep inside. He fills me to the brim, my pussy stretching from his girth and length.

"Oh, God," I moan as he starts to move.

Slowly, at first, his eyes glued to mine as we intensify the rhythm into an animalistic frenzy.I raise my hips to meet him, my core tightening, my slick pussy clenching around him with each thrust. Our breaths falter, our hearts thudding against one another's.

Archer claims me like the man that he is. He holds me close, our bodies sweating and melting into each other as he pounds me into oblivion. I hear the sound of skin slapping skin. I feel him going deeper and harder. My hand slips between us, and he gives me a curious look, stopping for a split second.

"Well, you said you wanted to hear that sound again," I mumble.

"Make yourself come. I want to feel you," he commands me, and the words transform me into a version of myself I didn't even know existed within me.

"Yes, sir."

He likes it.

God, he likes it so much that he starts fucking me harder while I rub my swollen nub, desperate to reach that peak again. The steady rhythm grows out of control, and soon enough, I'm screaming his name over and over. "Archer! Oh, yes! Archer, yes! Harder!"

"Harder," he grunts and gladly obeys.

I lose my mind as the second orgasm crashes into me.

He looks at me as he explodes within me. I feel the heat of his seed, his gargantuan cock pulsating with each load, his veins throbbing against my tender pussy. I tremble in his arms, beads of sweat trickling down my temples.

He licks them off my face, then kisses me as he gives me a few final thrusts.

My fingers dig into his buttocks, my knees up high so I can take all of him in. My body feels like jelly, my strength gone. My grip falters as I melt into the sheets and drown in a mesmerizing afterglow.

"I was right again," Archer says, still deep inside of me. His breath is ragged. His hair falls around my face like a curtain of gold in the dim light. "You truly are something else, Dakota."

"I never thought I'd do something like this. Wow."

"Do something like what?" he asks, raising a curious eyebrow while his eyes continue to search my face, analyzing my expression like some kind of high-precision scanner.

"Giving myself so eagerly and uninhibitedly to someone like this. It's new to me."

"Do you regret it?"

I shake my head slowly. "I want more. I need more."

My words are enough to get his cock twitching again.

Five minutes later, he's taking me from behind. Ramming into me while he slaps my ass with one hand and gives me a third orgasm with the other. My clit is so sensitive that I almost can't take anymore.

I love the sound of his grunts as he fills me and stretches me again, as he makes me cry out and beg for more. Archer has turned me into my purest self. His inner beast has summoned mine, and they're both on the loose tonight.

I hide my face in the sheets to muffle my screams as I explode all over him.

It's going to be a long night because this man has no intention of stopping anytime soon, and I plan to make the most of it.