Slow Burn (The Archer Brothers) Read online

  Table of Contents

  FREE BOOKS

  COPYRIGHT

  SYNOPSIS

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

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  COPYRIGHT

  Copyright © 2018 by Rose Harper, All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations within critical reviews and otherwise as permitted by copyright law.

  NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination.

  Any resemblance to real life is purely coincidental. All characters in this story are 18 or older.

  Copyright © 2018, Rose Harper Publishing. All rights reserved. www.authorroseharper.wixsite.com/books/

  Edited by Mitzi Pummer Carroll

  Mitzi Carroll: Editor

  Proofread by Marisa Nichols

  Marisa Nichols: Proofreader

  Cover Art by Mae’s Wicked Grafix

  Mae’s Wicked Grafix

  SYNOPSIS

  Declan

  She’s a rare rose no beast like me should touch.

  A fine wine that quenches the thirst of a dying man.

  She’s a little bird, yearning to spread her wings and fly.

  While I’m the cage that keeps her firmly within my grasp.

  Sparrow has always been innocent … until she wasn’t.

  Now, the only thing I see—instead of the perfect, timid creature before me …

  … is a liar … a deceiver …

  A woman I still love more than anything.

  Sparrow

  He’s a bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks.

  A temptation no woman can resist.

  He’s a fierce, dominant, yet innocent bird handler.

  And I’m the one that gave him the key to my cage at eighteen.

  Declan has always been the one I couldn’t resist.

  Now, the only thing I see—instead of the loyal, protective man before me …

  … is a jerk … a stranger …

  A man that can still cause a slow burn to encompass me.

  Slow Burn 1

  The Archer Brother’s Series

  Chapter One

  Declan

  Ten Years Earlier …

  It’s sweet she thinks I can’t see what she’s doing. I smirk as a subtle blush steals across the tops of her cheeks. That’s Sparrow’s default setting when she’s around me, and I think it’s the most innocent thing I’ve ever seen. Hottest too, but I’m never going to say that.

  “Is there something on my face?” I ask, knowing good and damn well there’s not.

  Turning her eyes away, she, again, pretends to stare at the television, but really, I can see her peering at me through her lashes. At least she’s not the only one having trouble focusing on the screen—I can’t seem to keep my eyes off her. Lately, it’s gotten worse. My eyes follow her everywhere and linger far longer than they ever did before.

  If you were to ask me what was playing, I wouldn’t be able to tell you. I could lie, spouting the first thing that pops into my head, but it wouldn’t be right. Instead, my eyes are doing the same as hers. They’re trekking over the soft curve of her face, slim throat, and chest—the sight teasing me with the idea of running my fingers across her soft, porcelain skin. Tempting me to see if it’s as soft as it looks.

  I’d bet my monthly allowance it does, which only makes matters worse. It drives my need to touch her through the roof just to see if I’m right.

  No other woman tempts me like Sparrow. Like many girls her age, she believes she’s unappealing and overweight, but I see her as perfect. In every way, my little bird is the most perfect of them all. She’s sweet, kind, loyal, generous, and completely and irrevocably innocent.

  She also has a wicked sense of humor I find refreshing.

  She’s one of a kind, my little bird. But she’s one of a kind that will never be mine. At least, not in the way I want her—not in the way I yearn for her. Something like that will never happen, and I can’t blame anyone but myself.

  A scuffling causes our attention to snap toward the door, seeing Derrick standing there staring between the both of us. He doesn’t have to voice the question in his eyes; I already know what it is. It’s the same thing he asks me whenever we hang out together. He believes wholeheartedly that something is going on between Sparrow and me.

  Trust me, if there were, he would never find out about it. I value his friendship too much to screw that up.

  “What’s going on here?” he asks, coming to flop down on the couch next to me.

  Inadvertently, he causes me to bounce closer to Sparrow. Her sharp intake of breath matches mine as my hand lands softly on top of hers as I catch myself. However, instead of moving it, I risk everything and leave it there. I know I’ll kick myself for this tomorrow, but right now, I’m enjoying the feel of her silky softness. There’s nothing wrong with an innocent touch. Even if it feels not so innocent to me.

  “Dude, you forgot you’re supposed to cover for me tonight,” Derrick whines, crossing his arms, snapping me out of my lustful haze.

  “Cover you for what?”

  Slowly, I do the unthinkable. Something I’ve never had the courage to do before.

  Closing my hand around hers, I watch out of the corner of my eye as her eyes snap down to our joined hands. This may seem juvenile, but this is the farthest I’ve ever pushed things with Sparrow. It’s the first time since Derrick and I became friends that I let her have a sliver of a peek that she’s not the only one carting around feelings for the other. It’s a mistake, and I’ll probably regret it in the morning, but right now, it feels like heaven wrapped in a hellish situation.

  I’m supposed to be the guy that protects her—like an older brother who has nothing but platonic feelings. Only, those feelings never emanated. Not even once. I’ll never see her as my sister. Instead, I see her as so much more.

  Being around her since Derrick and I started hanging out in eighth grade, I got to watch her grow into the beautiful, mesmerizing creature she is today. Got to watch her grow into a tease who makes me ravenous for a taste.

  Yet, nothing can come from it. If Derrick found out about the way my eyes linger on her for a hint too long, he’d explode, and our friendship would be no more. I can’t allow that to happen. Besides my brothers and cousins, Derrick’s been the only one there for me when I needed him the most.

  Plus, I’m supposed to have his back, not picture his sister on hers.

  God, just the thought of having Sparrow the way I want her is almost too much. A girl has never quite caught my eye like she has, and I dare to admit, probably never will. Most usually, I have sex with them, then nothing else. We go our separate ways, never once acknowledging each other again. I’m not a
manwhore if that’s what you’re thinking. Unlike Derrick, I can count on one hand how many women I’ve been with.

  Still, with the others, I don’t picture things I’m not supposed to be evoking. I didn’t have that sliver of hope blooming inside my chest when it shouldn’t be there in the first place. I should have no feelings for Sparrow … except I have them all.

  It’s not like our actions go by unnoticed by everyone, either, which is surprising he hasn’t found out yet. I’ve caught her mother a time or two glancing between the two of us when we’re close, a small smile resting on her lips. She knows; there’s no doubt about it. Sparrow’s mother knows the way my little bird gets to me and vice versa.

  She just doesn’t know the extent of my feelings—the lengths I want to go to.

  I want Sparrow beneath me.

  I want to swallow her cries of pleasure with a slow, lazy kiss.

  I want her nails digging into my back as I take her innocence, our coupling taking us to another place neither one of us has been before.

  I want to do everything, but there are so many obstacles in our path—mine especially. The main one being attachment. I can’t become attached to an ethereal creature like Sparrow. Someone who deserves everything when I can’t give her anything.

  “Are you really watching White Chicks?” Derrick asks, crossing his feet on the coffee table.

  There are three goddamn theater rooms in this mansion, and he chooses this one to hunker down in? Bullshit. He’s doing this on purpose.

  “Yes, got a problem with that?” I ask, glancing over as I tighten my hand around Sparrow’s.

  “It’s lame,” he groans.

  “You’re lame,” Sparrow and I quip at the same time.

  “I am not. I’ll have you two know I’m the unlamest person ever.”

  Sparrow snickers. “Says who? Mom?”

  “Says the chick I’m about to bang tonight.” His lips turn up into a shit-eating grin.

  “Fucking gross. That’s not something I needed to hear.” I feel her shudder next to me, and I resist the urge to laugh, even as it bubbles in my throat.

  “Well, be gone with you. Don’t worry, I’ll cover for you to the ‘rents if they figure out you’re gone.”

  “Why would you need to cover for him?” Sparrow’s tiny voice asks.

  “He’s taking the Maserati.”

  Sputtering, she leans forward fast, leveling a glare at her older, less mature brother. “Dad will kill you if you wreck his car, Derrick!”

  “He has to catch me first.” He shrugs. He acts like Sparrow’s joking, but we both know the truth. Peter will flay his son alive if he wrecks his expensive baby.

  “Well, get going, then. We’re trying to watch a movie here,” I mumble, nudging him with my elbow.

  With reluctance, Derrick stands to his feet. My hand immediately dislodges from hers as he glances back at me, his eyes giving me a warning that’s loud and clear. It’s the same thing he does every time he’s about to leave Sparrow and me alone in a room together. It’s the universal sign of “don’t fuck with my sister or I’ll kill you.”

  I nod my head once, and his features become less tight as he returns the nod before strolling out. The moment he’s gone, however, I immediately wish he would return.

  “Declan, why did you grab my hand like that?” Sparrow asks softly.

  “Like what?” I feign ignorance. “Derrick flopped on the couch. It was either that or fall into your lap.”

  “No.” I turn my head toward her, my eyes meeting her cerulean blues. “I may be ignorant on some things, but I do know you’ve never touched me like that before. You even tightened your hold on me.”

  Is that hope in her voice? Well, fuck. I can’t allow her to hope for something that’s not going to happen.

  “It was nothing, little bird.”

  “You sure?” she asks, licking her bottom lip before taking it into her mouth. “Because … I think it was something.”

  I can’t help it. My eyes fall down to the movement, wanting nothing more than for it to be my teeth instead of hers. My mouth devouring hers.

  It’s all I’ve wanted since the day I finally noticed her for the first time, becoming a woman who catches my attention far easier than she did before.

  “What do you think it was?” I inquire, bringing my eyes back up to hers. Whatever she sees in them causes hers to widen, dilating to almost a near black with arousal.

  “I think you like me,” she states boldly.

  “I tolerate you like I would a sister.”

  She giggles behind her hand. “But you have five brothers and five cousins who are guys. There’s not a female in your family except your mom and aunt.”

  “Exactly,” I deadpan.

  She cocks her head, her eyes flicking down to my lips before returning to my eyes. “Why do I get the feeling you’re lying to me?”

  Because I am, little bird. Because I am.

  Chapter Two

  Sparrow

  Boom! Clap!

  I gulp, hugging the comforter tighter to my chest. My entire body shakes as the night sky lights up, its ominous glow shining through my second story window. A few moments later … Boom! Clap! Thunder hails down around my parents’ home as rain starts pattering against the glass, wringing a squeal of fright from my throat.

  I’ve always been afraid of storms; thunder and lightning is the part that frightens me the most. Whether it be the way the sky lights up at a time of night it’s not supposed to or the fact jolts of electricity zip down from the sky—I don’t know. Either way, thunderstorms are the worst. They frighten me more than anything else ever can.

  Boom! The ground rumbles underneath me, causing tears to prick at the corner of my eyes. My bed, which is usually my safe haven, doesn’t seem so safe right now.

  The sound of a limb cracking then slamming against my window has me jolting to my feet, allowing my duvet to fall half off the bed in my haste to rid myself of the constricting cloth. Running over to the bathroom, I take no time to think about what I’m doing before I act, screaming as another clap of thunder roars through the angry night sky.

  Jerking open my door, I run to the other side, lurching the other open in the process. Stepping through, I shut it loudly as I run over to the bed, jumping on it, jostling Declan out of his slumber. My body bounces as he rises, wiping the sleep from his eyes. Blinking a few times, he gazes at me as he cocks his head to the side.

  “Huh—Little bird?” His voice is raspy with sleep, but already he makes me feel safer than I did just moments before. “What are you—”

  Just then, another clap of lightning blitzes across the night sky, causing me to climb on top of him, throwing my arms around his neck. Pressing my face into the side of his throat, I shiver and shake, even when he wraps his arms around me, pulling me into his chest. I expect him to set me off him or even to push me away, but he doesn’t. He holds me to him, his grip tighter than ever before.

  “I forgot tonight was supposed to storm,” he says to himself, and I can’t be bothered because I’m too busy freaking out.

  Running his fingers through my hair, he smooths it back from my face while pulling me away from his neck. “Everything is going to be okay, sugar. It’s just a little storm.”

  “Sorry,” I sob. “You were the closest, so I ran in here.”

  Smiling softly, he leans forward, kissing my forehead. “Nothing to be sorry for. You stay right here; I’m going to go see if anyone else is awake.”

  When he makes a move to get up, I twist in his lap, wrapping my arms and legs around him. “Don’t leave. Please. Mom and Dad are fighting as usual, and Derrick’s not here.”

  His hands go to my ass to situate me better on his lap, and I wish with everything in me I could focus on the feel of his hands rather than the storm brooding outside. The only time Declan isn’t touching me innocently, and it’s because he’s trying to be nice. Figures.

  “The twins?”

  “They’re too i
nto themselves to care about me.”

  It feels like hours, but it can’t be more than a few seconds before Declan replies. “Little bird, you think you can sit on the bed for me?”

  “Please, don’t leave.” I grab hold of him tighter, accidentally grinding against him as I tighten my legs.

  A soft, feral growl rumbles through Declan’s chest as his hand settles on my hip to stop my movements. The other wraps around my upper back, smashing my breasts against his chest as he inhales unsteadily.

  Into his very naked, very hard torso. It’s then I feel a noticeable bulge pressing against my sex that causes me to inhale shakily.

  “You’re going to have to calm down, Sparrow,” he cautions, swallowing hard.

  “I can’t help it. Storms freak me out.”

  “I know they do, little bird, but …” He groans, grunting as I shift once more. “For the love of God, stay still.”

  The roughness of his voice has me stopping in my tracks, my eyes seeking his through the eerie darkness. The only thing we can see of the other is the outline of our faces. We see no emotions. Fears. Wants. Needs … Desires. The only thing we can both do is feel the other as we grow closer than we ever have before.

  Now that I’m not thinking about the daunting weather outside, I’m more in tune with Declan’s actions under me. His stillness. Hardness. The way his chest softly rakes against my aching nipples with each strained breath, as if he’s doing everything in his power to hold himself back.

  “D-Declan?” I stutter, licking my bottom lip.

  My eyes gaze down at his lips hungrily—my lips burning for a taste of his masculine sweetness. He’s everything I’ve ever wanted in a man: strong, fiercely protective, soft as well as hard, sweet—he’s everything.

  “Little bird,” he whispers with, so much emotion forcing itself through his voice. It comes out deeper, rawer than anything I’ve heard before.