My Summer in London (My Summer #1)(25)
“Point taken.” I beamed at him before I strolled towards him as he held the remote, shuffling through the movie catalogue. Then he handed it to me so he could go to the bar and scour for alcoholic beverages.
“What’s your choice of poison, love?” Archer asked as he opened the bar fridge.
With my eyes glued on the screen, weighing in if I wanted to do a zombie movie or a romantic comedy, I managed to respond, “Hmmm … Surprise me.”
Archer brought two bottles with him—a vintage champagne and vodka. Obviously, he kept the fiercer drink to himself before handing me the bubbly potion.
“No glass?” I stared at the expensive label.
He made a cute, hunky wink. “I can’t seem to find one, so we’ll share and swap bottles to satisfy our thirst, and I’m such a bloody flirt believing that, by doing so, we just made the first step to getting intimate.”
Same old, same old. I had to give him credit, though; the man was persistent.
“Ha, you’re too cocky. All this talk and I get the feeling you won’t even come close to satisfying me.” Teasing and provoking men was my strong suit, though I wasn’t known for pulling the trigger … well, with the exception of the oldest Elliot brother. That was a random, isolated incident for sure.
As much as I wanted to ponder about the oldest brother, the younger one was busy trying to win my undivided attention.
“Is that a challenge, Serena? Because I’ll bite if you want me to; just say the word,” he baited.
“It’s like that, huh?” I wasn’t necessarily seasoned, but growing up in LA made flirtation normal, like a prayer. Everyone did it like it was part of their daily routine.
“You have no idea how arduous it is to be this close yet not sample the sweetness.” His finger caressed the side of my arm, brushing upwards, reaching towards the base of my neck.
I swallowed hard. His eyes looked intense as he watched my breasts rise and fall from his touch.
“Archer!” A loud, booming sound echoed throughout the basement, making me freeze with horror.
My eyes were wide with shock as his voice sent electrifying shivers down my spine.
Cruz. He was here and had most likely witnessed that impromptu exchange. f*uk the f*uk. I just couldn’t catch a break today whenever it concerned him. Damn it.
“Can we help you?” Archer asked with an exasperated voice.
I took a breath then a couple more. Then I took a few more before I braved it out and directed my eyes towards where he was, and when I did, I felt something fierce, something violent. My emotional response confirmed how much work I had put into trying to get over the damn man.
. Whatever it took, I had to do it. Meeting Ivy had slapped me back to the reality of the situation. She wasn’t simply a name any longer or the forgotten fiancée. When I thought of her, I could put a face to the name, and it made it all the more real to me.
“What the bloody f*uk do you think you’re doing, Archer?” He stood, looking down at us with the steady gaze of a panther waiting for its opponent to make the next move before attacking with a deadly blow. His dominating presence alone spoke volumes. All he did was stand there, yet he emanated power like no other. Steadfast with his hands in his pocket, his eyes didn’t waver from his brother.
“What?” Archer quipped back, obviously rankled at Cruz’s uninvited presence. “Are we not behaving up to your standards?”
Keeping his cool, Cruz didn’t move from his spot, but his displeasure was unmistakable in his eyes.
“I’m not in the mood to be trifled with, Archer. You know quite well what I’m capable of doing if you keep defying me.”
“You’re a f*uking controlling bastard!” Archer was immediately inflamed at his brother’s dominating display of power.
Instead of engaging Archer in another round of threats, he chose a different route. “I need to speak to Serena alone,” he emphasized, issuing a request that sounded more like a demand.
“Why? So you can warn her not to be in my presence? She and I were getting on quite well without your interference.” Archer wasn’t ready to back down just yet, but it was obvious his big brother had the upper hand.
“Are you done with your spiel?” Cruz remained as calm as a cucumber, though his eyes portrayed the opposite.
Looking as though he was about to pop like a well-shaken champagne bottle, Archer took a few short breaths before sending me a severe gaze. “I’ll be waiting for you in my bedroom. Come to me whenever you’re done here.” He parted without a glance at Cruz, who seemed to resemble a ticking time bomb by the time his younger brother exited the pool area, temporarily banished.
I was screwed, and I knew it
The tension grew, and just when I thought I couldn’t take any more of it, Cruz decided to break the growing pressure by clearing his throat.
“Do you always feel the need to flaunt your body whenever there are men around, Serena?”
Oh, hell to the no!
Instead of feeling remorseful for whatever fault he thought I had done, his sardonic comment brought out the bitch in me.
“Yeah, Cruz, ’cause this all I’ve got going. Can’t you tell?”
His jaw locked while his eyes heatedly studied my body, making my nipples hurt.
“Stop staring at me!” I snapped, ready to match fire with fire.