I nod along with understanding. “I worked with a guy like that once. Sometimes, our higher-ups had a problem with it, but it wasn’t like they could let him go. As you said, he didn’t do anything wrong. People just had to come to terms with the fact that sometimes they needed to word things differently around him.”

  Archer beams at me, filling my heart with this serene warmth I’ve never experienced before. “That’s exactly Clayton. He excels in some areas but struggles in others. It’s obvious he’s a little different at times, like when he struggles to understand certain social cues. But being the same as everyone else is overrated.”

  “Now, the only member of your family I haven’t met is Stefanie.”

  “She travels a lot. She’s in Canada right now filming the newest season of the drama series she’s been on for the last four years.”

  “Oh, that’s right. Isn’t that the show about the hockey team?”

  “Yeah, it is. It’s crazy because I’m pretty sure that is not how real-life hockey works at all, but people gobble it up. She was nominated for an Emmy last year. I’m so proud of her,” he boasts with genuine joy written all over his face.

  “I bet. It’s crazy that you have a country superstar and an Emmy-nominated actress in one family,” I remark, impressed.

  “Don’t forget a fantastic band manager and a graphic designer,” he adds.

  I love that he holds all of his siblings to the same level. It’s obvious family is important to him, which makes me like him even more.

  “Sorry that this morning turned out to be crazy,” Archer apologizes when I pull into his driveway.

  “Everyone loves a little action now and then,” I reply, trying to assure him I’m not bothered.

  We sit silently for a moment as if neither of us knows what to say. It’s Archer who finally breaks the silence.

  “Do you have a change of clothes with you?” he asks, and I nod, but I’m not sure what he’s implying. “I was just thinking that maybe you’d want to have a shower here. That way, you won’t be late for the band meeting. Who knows what traffic is going to be like?”

  I smirk because the meeting isn’t for another four hours, and I’m positive I’d have plenty of time to run home and get ready, but if he wants me to stay, there’s no way I’m leaving. I’ve never felt this close of a connection with someone in such a short time, and I want to continue getting to know Archer.

  “I can make that work,” I tell him, reaching into the back seat for my bag.

  I always have at least two changes of clothes with me and an extra set of toiletries, just in case. Clearly, being overly prepared has paid off this time.

  I follow Archer into his cozy house, and he shows me to a spare bedroom with an en suite.

  “There are towels in the closet, and the shower is stocked with everything you could possibly need,” he tells me.

  “Bring home a lot of guys?” I tease with a smirk.

  He scoffs. “Hardly. I’m far too busy for hookups. Besides, I’m more of a relationship kind of guy. I’ve never been one to play the field. I just like to keep extra stuff on hand in case any of my band members need a place to crash. I also have fruity stuff for Aria, but if that’s more your jam, feel free to use it.”

  We stand silently for a few awkward seconds before Archer claps his hands and slowly backs away.

  “I’m going to go shower too. I’ll meet you in the living room when I’m done,” he tells me, then rushes out of the room like the floor is on fire.

  I shake my head, grabbing the back of my neck. We are playing a dangerous game here. Archer admitted he is a relationship guy, and I’m not. At least, I haven’t been in a long time. Not since my ex ripped my heart out and left me a broken version of myself. If I don’t tread carefully here, I could end up hurting him, which is the last thing I want to do.

  It’s been less than twenty-four hours since I’ve met the handsome country singer, but he’s already growing on me. Obviously, there was the initial attraction. He’s hot and knows it, but there is potential for something more between us if I let it. At least, I think so. We’re compatible on a level I’ve never been with another person, not even my ex, who I thought I was going to marry.

  I’m just not sure letting things grow would be a good idea.

  Archer’s couch is ridiculously comfortable. I’m not sure I’ve ever sat on a piece of furniture as cozy as this one. It’s like sitting on a cloud. My body instantly relaxes, and the longer I sit, the heavier my eyes get. I should move around before I fall asleep, yet I can’t get myself to stand.

  “That couch is a trap,” Archer says out of nowhere, and my eyes snap open, blinking quickly as I try to get my bearings.

  Did I actually fall asleep? Shit, that’s not like me.

  “It’s too comfortable for its own good,” I grumble, rubbing my eyes.

  Archer laughs in agreement, moving to sit beside me. “I’ve fallen asleep on this thing more times than I’d like to admit.”

  “I can’t remember the last time I’ve napped. It’s really not like me,” I tell him, stretching my arms above my head. I’m aware of the way Archer’s eyes zero in on the flash of skin that appears from my raised shirt, but I don’t say anything. “What time are you expecting the band?”

  He shrugs, moving closer and licking his lips. “Shouldn’t be for a while,” he replies in a husky voice, still leaning into me.

  The space between us is gradually disappearing. His lips are barely a whisper away, but right as I’m about to bridge the rest of the gap, the front door flies open, breaking the spell for the second time.

  Maybe this is the universe telling me I need to stay away from Archer. While Hunter Security doesn’t technically have a rule against sleeping with our clients, it’s not exactly the most professional situation either. It’s why most of us have our own personal rules against it. It happened once before and worked out for the couple, but I’ve never been that kind of guy. Things tend to get sticky, and while I can be replaced, it could still put a sour taste in the client’s mouth for the company. I’ve never even thought about crossing the line before Archer.

  “Mom is the most stubborn woman I have ever met,” Aria bellows as she storms into the house.

  “Clearly, you haven’t met yourself,” Archer retorts, earning him a glare from his twin.

  When her eyes land on me, her brows shoot up, and she tilts her head to the side. “I wasn’t expecting you to be here. I figured you’d drop off my annoying brother and get a few moments of peace and quiet before the meeting.”

  “Archer was worried about the traffic, so he offered me the use of his spare shower,” I tell her.

  “Oh, how nice of him,” Aria responds dryly with a shit-eating grin.

  She must sense there is an attraction between the two of us. Maybe it’s a twin telepathy thing, or I need to do better at not being so obvious.

  “What are you doing here so early?” Archer asks.

  Aria lifts her shoulders. “Mom wouldn’t let me follow her home, and I was bored.”

  “Since you’re here, I’ve been meaning to ask if you have Archer’s physical fan mail. I want to go through it and see if anything pops out as concerning,” I address Aria, hoping to distract her from reading more into my being here already.

  “Absolutely. We check the PO Box once a week and store the letters and parcels in one of the spare bedrooms until we get a chance to get around to them,” she explains, leading me to the room. I gasp when I see a large amount of unopened mail.

  “Don’t act so shocked,” Aria scolds me with a smirk. “We’ve been on tour and haven’t had time to go through things in about a month.”

  “This is only a month’s worth of fan mail?” I’m surprised my jaw isn’t hanging to the floor.

  “Country Skies is a popular band. This isn’t just for Archer, but I bet a good ninety percent is.”

  I move farther into the room. “I guess I’ll get to work. Care to help me since you’re bored and all?” I ask, only half joking.

  Aria giggles and plops herself onto the bed. “Get Archer to bring us some knives,” she instructs.

  I head to the living room to find Archer cuddled on the couch with a fluffy blanket, looking comfy and almost asleep.

  “Where do you keep knives for opening boxes?” I whisper.

  “In the island, the farthest drawer to the left,” he responds, his eyes barely open.

  Quietly, I grab the knives and make my way back to Aria, who is already going through the letters.

  “Find anything fun yet?”

  She sighs, holding up a burgundy thong. “Do you consider this fun?”

  I chuckle and shake my head. “Who are those for?”

  “Archer,” she responds with a visible shiver.

  “Doesn’t everyone know he’s gay?”

  “Oh, these are from a guy. The note says, ‘These are the same color as your guitar. Care to strum me the same way? Love, Matthew.’ ”

  A full belly laugh bubbles out of me, and I have to wipe tears away.

  “Does he get a lot of notes like that?”

  Aria frowns. “Yes. It’s very disturbing at times because he’s my brother, but they’re harmless. At least, I thought they were. Should I be thinking otherwise now?” she asks hesitantly, worry showing on her face.

  “Not necessarily,” I reassure her, hoping she doesn’t feel bad for not thinking twice about the sexual letters. “You’re right. Most of these are harmless, but how about we start sorting the notes by names? If we find a bunch from one person, that would be something to check out further.”

  Aria continues to go through the letters, reading each one out loud to me, stopping for giggle breaks between each one.

  “This is so much more fun with a partner,” Aria says as she sorts another letter into her pile, which she has organized by name in alphabetical order. “Archer doesn’t like reading the smutty letters, so it’s always been my job to sort out the heartfelt ones. If I trusted other people, I’d definitely delegate this task.”

  “I can take it over if you’d like,” I offer, and her whole face lights up.

  Even though I’m attracted to men and women, my body doesn’t react to her like it does her brother. I quickly brush off the thought since I shouldn’t be thinking about Archer like that, especially not while hanging out with his sister.

  “That’s really kind of you, but I don’t mind sharing the job. At least I have someone to laugh with,” she states.

  I open another large box and pull out a coffee maker embossed with images of Country Skies’ album covers. “This is cool,” I say, turning it around to see all the designs.

  “Some of these fans are far too talented. We’ll have to put that in the recording studio.”

  I put it in the pile with the other homemade gifts, moving on to open another box. This one has a shadow box of dried roses and a note addressed to Archer.

  I read it out loud, and an ice-cold shudder of unease races down my spine. “I am yours, and you are mine. We will be together one day soon and then never apart again. X.”

  “That’s kind of creepy,” Aria notes.

  “Agreed. Do you have any letters from an X?” I question.

  As she rifles through her pile, I look at the top of the box and sigh when I don’t find a return address. There is a scan code, but all that will give me is the city it was sent from. I’ll still get Sophy to check it out, but I’m not holding my breath that it will give me any useful information.

  “Three,” Aria says, pulling me from my thoughts and holding up the notes. “They didn’t seem too weird, but now, with that gift, I’m not so sure.”

  I don’t remember hearing anything that set off red flags.

  “Can you reread them to me?”

  “I love you, and your music has changed my life. X,” she starts. “Are you an angel? I’ve never met someone as perfect as you. X.” She pauses, searching a pile of drawings. “This was in the envelope with that note,” she tells me, handing me a drawing of Archer with angel wings.

  “The guy is talented,” I state, but it doesn’t erase this feeling of unease that has me in a tight grip and won’t let go. “What’s the last one say?”

  “I will love you until my last breath. X.”

  I pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to devise a plan. “Let’s keep an eye out for any more items from X. I’m also going to let Nixon and Sophy know about this so that they keep an eye out on the social media pages.”

  “I’ll let our social media manager know about them as well,” she responds. “The more eyes, the better, right?”

  “I like your way of thinking,” I tell her with a forced smile, trying not to clue her in on my state of restlessness. “Now only like ten more boxes and what…” I pause, looking over the pile of letters in front of Aria. “Fifty more letters?”

  Her lips turn up slightly, and she says, “Yep, that sounds about right.”

  “How ’bout you keep going through your pile, and I’ll make my call? Then I’ll be back to help with the rest in a few minutes.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll just be here throwing up in my mouth while I do so,” she tells me, but her smile is growing. Hopefully, that means she’s not feeling as out of sorts as I am right now.

  Pulling my phone from my pocket, I exit the room, lean against the hall wall, and dial.

  “Hey, Benny-Boo, to what do I owe the pleasure of this call?” Sophy answers, and I chuckle.

  “It’s not exactly the most pleasant of reasons,” I mutter.

  She sighs. “Lay it on me.”

  “I’ve been going through Country Skies’ fan mail with Aria, and we came across a name… well, more like a letter… that we need to be on the lookout for,” I inform her. “Have you come across anyone going by the name of X in your skimming of the social media pages?”

  The loud clicking of Sophy’s keyboard rings through my ears as she does some searching. “I’m not seeing anything, but you wouldn’t be able to make a username with just one letter. Let me do some more searching, and I’ll call you if I find anything.”

  “Thanks, Soph. The letters seemed innocent at first, your typical I love you, you changed my life kind of stuff, but the present is what’s concerning me. The letter attached was talking about being with Archer forever. I don’t like language like that.”

  Sophy hisses. “Yeah, that’s not good at all. Send me a picture of the label, and I’ll figure out where the package was sent from. Maybe that will give us another clue as to what to look for. If you find anything more for me to go on, let me know.”

  “Will do.”

  “How’d the call go?” Aria asks when I enter the room.

  “Not great, but Sophy is gonna try to find any accounts that might belong to X. It’s hard with this person signing only one letter as their name. With the package, the only information she’ll be able to get is the location it was sent from, which may or may not be helpful.”

  She nods, and I move to open more boxes. Thankfully, I don’t come across any more surprises or ominous messages.

  By the time I’ve finished helping Aria with the letters and gotten everything sorted away, she’s back to her happy, chipper self, and some of that joy is making its way over to me. I’m still on high alert but not as anxious anymore.

  “That couch is like a fucking siren for sleep,” Aria notes when we walk into the living room to find Archer deep in dreamland.

  “But it’s so comfortable,” I counter.

  She giggles. “That’s why he keeps it. It also helps when he’s having bouts of insomnia.”

  “Does that happen often?”

  She shrugs. “The band works weird hours. Sometimes, it’s hard to come down from that adrenaline high. He also refuses any sleep aids because he doesn’t like to cloud his mind. It’s nothing to be concerned about, just life for traveling musicians.”

  I nod but make a mental note about it. I’ve had clients who like to leave the house when they have trouble sleeping, so it’s good to be aware of something like this.

  “Want a drink or something to eat?” Aria asks, walking into the kitchen. “The band will probably be here in an hour or so.”

  “I could eat. I only had a protein shake before our run.”

  Aria snickers. “I’m surprised you let my brother talk you into staying when you knew full well the traffic wouldn’t be bad enough to keep from getting here on time.”

  There is a mischievous glint in her eye. She wants me to spill my guts, but I’m not that easy to crack.

  “Archer asked me to stay. The reason behind why doesn’t matter. My job is to make him feel safe. If that means hanging around until our scheduled meeting time, then so be it,” I tell her with a carefree shrug.

  She stares me down for a minute with what I think is supposed to be intimidation before her face lights up, and she beams at me. “I like you,” she says, pointing her finger at me.

  I titter. “Thanks, I like you too. Now, what are we having for lunch?”

  She giggles and gets busy fluttering around the kitchen.

  While Aria cooks, I lean against the island and stare at the back of the couch where Archer sleeps. I meant what I said about it being my job to make him feel safe, but it was a lie to say that was the reason I stayed. I stayed because I wanted to spend more time with the sexy musician.

  Not only do I like Archer, but I’m attracted to him too.

  It scares the hell out of me.

  What am I going to do?

  I have no idea.

  Chapter Eight

  Archer

  My brain is foggy when I wake from my nap, but I’m well rested and ready to take on the world. I’ll admit I didn’t sleep the best last night. I was too worried about what the run this morning would be like, certain spending my morning with Bennett would be awkward. I didn’t, however, have the slightest clue I would almost kiss him twice.

 

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