Chapter Thirteen
Heath
I wanted to break Archer free from his best friend—the laptop. Sure, he had work to do, but there were times he was so engrossed he didn’t hear us. Didn’t eat. Didn’t come to bed.
More than once, I’d thought that I hoped all of this overworking was simply temporary.
“Archer?” I asked from where Oren and I marinated some meat for dinner later on. Oren’s cooking was incredible and I was happy to help him and learn.
There was only so much I could do in a bus. The sheer size of the refrigerator amazed me.
No answer from my alpha sitting on the couch in front of the fire, which was now only a few flames and red embers.
I consulted Oren with a glance but his only response was a shrug.
What my alpha needed was a good distraction, and I had the perfect idea.
“Would you mind if Archer and I snuck away for lunch together?”
Oren chuckled and leaned against the fridge. “Of course not. It’s important all of us get time together and as couples and some alone time along the way. It’s healthy.”
When I didn’t immediately do anything, Oren reached behind me and swatted my ass. He did that a lot, and I wasn’t complaining at all. “Go on. Go take your alpha on a date.”
Anxiety swirled in my stomach as I approached Archer. He was deep into his work until I sat next to him. The lines on his forehead disappeared and his jaw relaxed. Even his shoulders loosened.
Yeah, my mate needed to get away from that blasted computer.
“Hi, beautiful,” he cooed, turning his body toward me a bit.
“Hi, yourself. What’re the chances of getting my alpha alone for a lunch date?” I asked.
“I…” He looked back at the laptop screen. “I’m right in the middle of something, Heath.”
“Everybody has to break for lunch, right?” I asked, running my hand up his thigh.
He sighed. “I suppose so. Sure. Let’s go. Did you have somewhere in mind? Is Oren coming along?”
Proof that he hadn’t been listening at all.
“Just you and me today,” I responded. “Let’s walk.”
I tugged him out of the house before he could change his mind. Alphas tended to have great work ethics, a tie in to their nature, and wanting to take care of their omega and their young, which I greatly admired in Archer. But he seemed so stressed while working, and that wasn’t entirely good.
Forcing him to take a break would have to be my new thing.
Once we left the house, Archer took a long breath and took my hand in his. “Thank you for this, Heath. I didn’t realize how much I needed to get out of there.”
“I had a feeling. I thought maybe we could get some burgers and maybe catch one of those old movies at the theater? I mean, if you have enough time.”
I used my pitiful voice on purpose.
“I’ll make time for you. Burgers and vintage movies, it is.”
Maybe it was the greasy cheeseburger with the perfectly crisp fries, but halfway through the dinner, Archer came to sit on my side of the booth. We sat there for an hour, even after the meal was finished. We talked about our future and how crazy it was that an app brought us together. Archer held my hand and stared into my eyes while we talked.
“How about that movie?” I asked, figuring the waitress would want her table empty.
“Sounds good. Let me tip her well since we’ve taken up so much of her time.”
I wrapped my arm around his waist while he pulled me tighter against him on our walk to the movie theater. He stopped at an alleyway and pressed me against the bricks to kiss me senseless more than a few times.
The town was fantastic. Everything was within walking distance, even the cabin, though while we were there, it seemed like we were tucked away in our own pocket of wilderness.
“So, I have a question and pay attention because how you answer is going to determine the trajectory of the rest of the afternoon.”
I gasped a tiny bit. “Do tell.”
“The old gangster movie or the musical?”
Tilting my head to look at the titles, I shrugged. “That’s some heavy decision-making, but I honestly don’t know.”
Archer bent down, a smirk on his face. His lips gently brushed my earlobe, making me shudder. “Which one do you think I could kiss you in longer? Unless you were actually planning on seeing the movie.”
I certainly wasn’t anymore.
“Probably less people in the gangster one.”
He stood to his full height and winked. “My thoughts exactly.”
The theaters were very small, and only my mate and I chose the gangster movie. Once the lights went down, he chuckled. “This is better than I’d planned. What should we do with this private dark room?”
Before I could oppose, which I wouldn’t have anyway, Archer moved the armrest between us and reached for my zipper. “I’ve been wanting to taste you all day.”
He had?
Damn, I didn’t know a blow job in an empty movie theater could be so hot.