35. Daemon

A rcher and I spent the rest of New Year’s Day losing ourselves in one another, barely coming up for air. It was the perfect day, if I could ever conjure such a thing, which is probably why I agreed so easily to meet his family. Yet as we pull up to a large brownstone in Brooklyn Heights, I am suddenly feeling like my decision was a mistake. I mean, of course his family lives in a fucking brownstone, in New York fucking City. I already know his siblings attend private school in the city, where both his parents work high paying jobs, so why wouldn’t they live in a perfect fucking house too?

“Damn, we’re lucky we got a space, it’s usually always slammed out here,” Archer muses, switching off the engine, clearly more than comfortable here, turning toward me with a completely carefree smile. “I’ll just go ahead and apologize now,” he adds with a wink, before slipping out of the car, and I have no choice but to follow.

“Apologize? For what?” I ask, as he moves towards the trunk to grab our bags, but no sooner are the words out of my mouth, that the front door is flying open, and a beautiful blond woman is rushing out toward us.

“They’re here, they’re here,” she calls out behind her excitedly, her eyes only on me, and when I flick my stare back to Archer, he is watching me with a knowing smile.

“For that,” he mouths, as his mom strides towards me looking exactly like a more grown up version of Aurora, in her perfectly coordinated outfit.

“Daemon,” she coos, my name sounding like a damn musical coming from her lips, as she pulls me instantly into a warm embrace, and I freeze. “I’m so glad you’re here, I’m so thankful to meet you,” she breathes, as Archer curses, and I try not to panic.

“Mom, I told you he doesn’t do hugs,” he complains, marching towards us, and his mother releases me instantly.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Sweetheart, I forgot, I’m just so excited you’re both here,” she replies sheepishly, standing back and smoothing down her outfit, and for some reason I instantly feel guilty.

“It’s okay, Mrs. Monroe, it’s a pleasure to officially meet you in person,” I tell her warmly, holding out my hand and trying not to let my fucked up darkness show, and her smile remains completely genuine.

“Please, Darling, Mrs. Monroe is my mother-in-law, call me Claire,” she smiles, taking my hand in hers, and it’s the warmest handshake I’ve ever had in my life. Then her gaze moves to her son. “Archer, my boy, I missed you,” she greets him tenderly, holding out her arms for a hug, which he accepts instantly.

“Missed me? I was here not even a week ago,” he replies, shaking his head, and she pulls back and whacks him in the chest.

“Don’t sass me just because your boyfriend is here,” she snaps back, and Archer’s eyes widen a little in panic, yet the word boyfriend caresses me in the same way her handshake just did.

“I’m pretty sure sassing is his only setting these days,” I muse, and she laughs, loud and bright, releasing Archer and moving to curl her arm around mine, as she begins leading me toward the house.

“Oh, Daemon, you and I are going to get along just fine,” she preens, forcing us to leave Archer behind as he scoffs.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get the bags,” he calls out to our backs, and I almost laugh at his sarcasm, but I am too busy being whisked away by his mother.

We walk into the house, and I try not to let my jaw drop at the humongous famous painting hanging in the hallway, and when I flick my stare over my shoulder, I find Archer watching me with a knowing smile. Not that I have time to linger and appreciate it. Claire leads me down the hall and right into the kitchen, where I find Aurora, Everest, and his father all waiting.

The kitchen itself is a big open space, with marble countertops and sleek cupboards and a huge marble island right in the center with huge windows that take up almost the entire wall. It’s beautiful and almost professional looking, but with the way his family are lounging in it, it also feels warm and inviting, like you can just imagine them having big family dinners here.

Aurora slips off her stool at the island instantly, smiling brightly as she moves toward me, almost going in for a hug before she stops herself. “Daemon, it’s so good to see you again, wait until you see what I’ve been working on.” She gestures towards her sketchbook on the counter, and I nod, returning her smile.

“I can’t wait,” I tell her truthfully, before focusing on the two other men in the room.

“Daemon, you know my daughter, but let me introduce you to my son, Everest, and my husband, David,” Claire motions to both of them, and while Everest flicks his stare between me and Aurora, as if he’s looking for something, David wipes his hands on a towel and quickly rounds the counter.

“It’s good to meet you, Daemon,” David tells me, reaching out and shaking my hand firmly.

“It’s good to meet you too, Sir,” I reply, as I feel Archer at my back, his mom finally releasing my arm and stepping into her husband’s side.

“Please, call me David, I hear enough of that sir bullshit at work,” he laughs, looking every bit the New York businessman, and I mildly wonder what he does for a living, clearly something that pays well, before I move my focus to his son.

Everest is still watching me carefully, silently, almost predatory, yet I see the slight softening of his stare, as Aurora returns to his side, and I hold my hand out in his direction. “It’s nice to meet you, Everest. Archer and Aurora have told me a lot about you.” His stare flicks to his brother over my shoulder, before coming back to mine, where he eventually accepts my handshake.

“You too,” is all he replies, and when I look at Archer, he rolls his eyes.

“Don’t worry about, Ever, he’s almost as grumpy as you,” he tells me with a wink and smile, but I see the love he has for him, and I can’t help but wonder what Ryan would be like if he were still alive.

He’d be almost the same age as Everest now, and the thought punches me in the gut, but I force a smile to my face and nod in response. Archer takes one look at my smile and turns back to his family.

“We’re gonna go get settled, so you guys can all catch up later,” he tells them firmly, and to my surprise none of them object. “What time is dinner?” he asks his mom, she shrugs then looks at her husband in question.

“Around five,” David responds, which gives us a good few hours to settle in. “Your dad and Katrina are joining us, since your mom and Kat have some last minute planning to do for the gala,” he tells us, and Archer nods knowingly.

The reason for Archer’s visit home is to attend said gala. Apparently, it’s something his mom does every year and it’s attended by all of New York’s elite, this year the guest list also includes me. I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that I agreed to attend, but apparently when it comes to Archer, I will do anything to make him smile.

“That reminds me,” Claire cuts in, flicking her stare between the two of us. “I made you both an appointment tomorrow morning to be fitted for your suits,” she tells us, and when I snap my gaze to Archer’s, desperate to protest, he shakes his head slightly.

“Sounds great, Mom, we can’t wait to hear all about it later,” he tells her, dropping a kiss to her head, before turning back to me. “Come on, let’s go before she is picking out matching sweaters for us,” he smirks, but from the look in his mom’s eyes, I’m not sure he’s entirely joking.

Nodding to all of his family, I follow Archer as he leads us out of the kitchen, through another hallway to a set of stairs, where we walk up another three floors until we reach the top. Each part of his house is more grand than the last, and I’m sure I’m not doing a good job at hiding how over the top this all is to me. I also notice that Archer seems more comfortable here than anywhere else, especially when he pushes inside of his room and dumps our bags by the door.

Floor to ceiling windows greet me, offering a view of both the water and the city skyline that can be enjoyed from the terrace just on the other side of where we are standing and I can’t stop my mouth from opening as I take it all in. I feel Archer’s stare on me as I move further into his room, a room that is so utterly him that I can’t even describe it, but still my eyes touch everything. From his beautiful wood furniture, to the art canvases that hang on his wall, to the giant bed in the center of the room.

Archer throws himself down on it, watching me survey our surroundings, and I can’t help but shake my head at the outrageousness of it all. That is, until my eyes land on his desk in the corner, where a very familiar book lays, but the book isn’t what snagged my attention. No, it’s the framed sketch next to it that I recognize instantly, and as I freeze Archer pushes up off his bed, moving to join me while I look at it.

“You really are a stalker,” I murmur, looking at the unfinished drawing of the decaying heart, the one that I tossed away in the bakery a few weeks ago, and Archer laughs.

“You sound surprised, Forbes,” he responds, pushing himself in between me and the desk, gripping my chin until my gaze meets his. “Though I’m not sure why, I already know you're obsessed with me, is it really so shocking to learn that I am just as obsessed with you in return?”

His eyes sparkle with amusement, my cock already stirring at just his proximity, but it’s his smile that has something fluttering inside of me. “I just didn’t peg you for the sentimental type. Stealing my useless art is low, even for a stalker such as yourself.” My words are casual and laced in humor, but there is nothing casual about the way I feel about him stealing a piece of my discarded art, and putting it in a frame on his desk, as if showing it off proudly.

“And here I thought you liked it when I got low,” he purrs, pulling me in for a kiss, and the second his lips meet mine, something changes in the air around us.

There is just something different about being here with him. Being invited to his home, to meet his family, with my stolen book on his damn desk and my art in a fucking frame. All of it is intoxicating, and it’s inducing a high I have never felt in my life, as a strange feeling floods my insides. A feeling both warm and unusual and I never want it to stop. Pulling back, I tear off my shirt, savoring the way his eyes eat up the bare skin of my chest, without a hint of pity in sight. No, instead it’s pure hunger and lust, his mouth moving back to mine, before trailing down my neck and leaving nothing but heat in his wake.

We strip one another slowly, before I lead him to his bed, our kiss almost constant, as I push him onto his back and follow him down to the mattress. Our naked bodies are moving and grinding as one, as he pants against my lips. “Need you, Daemon,” he breathes, kissing and fucking my mouth with his, until I feel like I might fucking explode. “Need you so fucking bad.”

“Condoms. Lube,” I force out, as our leaking cocks rub against one another, but he is already shaking his head when I try to move.

His arm flies out to his bedside table, knocking something off the top as he struggles to open the drawer, and when I move to help him, I find an assortment of both things, and look back at him with a cock of my eyebrow.

“What?” He shrugs innocently with a smirk, grabbing a condom and one of the bottles. “I knew you’d be fucking me here eventually, Forbes, so why not be prepared?” He adds, ripping the condom open with his teeth and reaching between us to put it on me, before covering both our cocks, and my fingers, in lube.

He isn’t looking for an answer to his question and the way he is looking up at me, so light and without fear, makes me realize how deep this thing between us really goes. All the forced hatred, the vicious back and forth, the lies, all of it was just one giant round of foreplay leading us to this very moment, and I can’t help but lean down and kiss him again. Softly this time, tenderly, pouring as much of the feelings I still can’t describe into it, hoping he understands them anyway, and when I pull back, I see the same thing mirrored in his stare. Something that should incite panic, but all I feel is the opposite.

“It’s okay, I feel it too,” he whispers, pulling my head to his, before reaching down and sliding my hand between his thighs, until it’s pressed against his hole. “I feel it all and it’s not enough, and with you, I don’t think it ever will be,” he admits, spreading his legs even further so I can settle between them. I force my fingers inside of him and watch the delicate tightening of his jaw.

We kiss passionately, as I fuck him with my fingers, stretching him out for me, swallowing down every single one of his moans, and when I finally slide into him and join our bodies as one, I feel completely at home. We fuck slowly, my cock sinking into him over and over, until sweat is trickling down my back, and he is chanting my name with every rock of my hips.

“You feel fucking perfect,” I groan against his mouth, sucking on his tongue in time with my thrusts, as his hands caress my spine. “So fucking good for me, baby, you’re taking me so fucking good,” I praise, swiping his hair back from his forehead, as both our bodies begin to shake.

“Gonna come,” he chokes out, his cock rubbing against the ridges of my abs, as his eyes roll back in ecstasy.

“Fuck, yes, that’s it, baby, come for me,” I demand, his entire body tightening around mine, as cum spills onto his stomach, and I rut into him harder, chasing my own release. “Fuck,” I call out, spilling into the condom, before pulling out of him, and leaning down to lap up his release from his stomach, groaning at the taste of him.

I lick him until he is clean, discarding the condom, before collapsing half on top of him, and savoring the warm heat of his body against mine. His hands tighten around me, a feeling I am becoming accustomed to, and it should scare me, but I am starting to realize that the only thing that actually scares me is the thought of losing him. Of this thing between us falling apart and disappearing completely. It’s what has me holding him just as tight right in return and breathing him in, hoping that for once, my darkness remains contained.

Which is ridiculous, because I learned when I was far too young that hope breeds misery, yet Archer Gray might be the one to change it all, and for once, I really hope he does.