Unsteady Rhythm (House of Archer Book 2)

  Good. So did he.

  He moved against her, allowing her to feel his growing arousal as he reached up to unfasten her bra. It slid down her arms to the bed. She made no move to discard it as his hands glided around to her breasts and his lips found the sensitive side of her neck. He soon had her whimpering and writhing beneath him. God, that turned him on.

  Pressing on her shoulders, he urged her to lower her upper body to the mattress. He ran his hands along her smooth back, backside, and thighs, easing her legs a little further apart with each pass. His fingers made occasional stops along the way, bringing her closer and closer to peak without quite sending her over.

  “Keith, please,” she begged.

  “What do you want, Sydney?”

  “I want to come.”

  Lust shot through him again. “How?”

  He once again leaned over her and pressed himself against her as he massaged her breasts. His hips moved slowly back and forth, bringing him closer and closer to where they both wanted him to be. Sydney issued another loud moan as she moved against him in invitation.

  “This?” he asked, slowly penetrating her. “Is this what you want?”

  “Yes,” she gasped. “Yes.”

  She repeated the word until they were fully joined. His jaw clenched as he adjusted to the unbelievable sensation of being inside her without a condom. It was blissful torture.

  When she wiggled beneath him, he gave her another light smack. Her gasp quickly turned into a groan as he gave into her wanton demands and started to move. This time, he was the one who reached around her and touched her where her body craved it. It took only a few strategic strokes before she issued something between a sob and a shout of joyous surrender.

  Being inside her in that moment was unlike anything he’d ever felt. They were truly connected, no barriers between them. It brought him closer to the edge than he’d anticipated, but he withdrew before things went too far.

  He reached for the condom. “You can get on your back now,” he told her.

  She did, moving languorously until her head rested on their pillows. Her sexily mussed hair and slumberous eyes had one corner of his mouth lifting. She looked well and truly pleasured.

  He returned to the bed. She welcomed him, cradling him between her legs and bringing her arms up so she could stroke his back. He didn’t bother denying himself further. As he lowered his head to kiss her, he once again entered her.

  They stayed like that for a few minutes, touching and stroking all of the skin they could reach until he couldn’t remain still anymore. She made no objections, lifting her hips beneath him. They both began to move.

  He kept the pace slow at first. His tongue met hers in measured thrusts that matched the rhythm of their bodies. A few times, he parted from her delectable mouth so he could look into her lovely eyes. He was the only one who got to see the deep passion she had inside her. Her reactions to him were so genuine. He still had trouble believing she responded this way only to him.

  How had he ever gotten so lucky?

  When he was no longer satisfied with the slower pace, he reached between them with one hand and watched Sydney as he touched her. Her eyes closed and her head tilted back as she expressed her pleasure. Her nails grazed the skin of his sweat-dampened back. She opened her eyes when he started moving with more purpose.

  “Yes, Keith,” she said breathlessly. “Please.”

  His fingers continued to stroke her until her body tightened around him. She bowed against him and cried out as her orgasm overtook her.

  “I love you.”

  Sydney’s heartfelt words added another layer of intensity to his own powerful release. He stayed inside her for a long while afterward, kissing her gently with the vague notion of grabbing a shower before they went another round.

  Loud pounding had them both looking towards the door. “Ignore it,” Keith said.

  “Sydney, you’d better open this door right now!” a male shouted.

  Sydney went rigid beneath Keith. Her eyes widened. She immediately started pushing him off of her.

  “Who the hell is that?” he asked, moving so she could scramble from the bed.

  “It’s Luke...my brother.”

  “We know you’re in there, Syd,” came another male voice.

  “And Benjamin...my other brother.”

  Keith lifted his eyes to the ceiling. What was it with brothers lately?

  Sydney bent down to grab his jeans off the floor. She threw them at him with the brisk demand that he put them on. He’d never seen her so frazzled.

  Shrugging, he went into the bathroom to discard the condom and then tugged his jeans back on. He wasn’t surprised to find Sydney already back in her dress when he returned to the bedroom. He also anticipated it when she tossed his shirt at him. Rather than argue, he donned the rumpled shirt. He started to remind Sydney about their cast-off underwear and her bra but she was already making a beeline for the door. He barely had enough time to grab the incriminating articles of clothing and toss them into the bathroom before she swung the door open.

  “Hi, guys,” she greeted her brothers. “What on earth are you doing here?”

  Keith leaned against the doorframe between the bedroom and living area and steadily met the accusing gazes of Sydney’s brothers from out in the hallway. He was well aware that they already knew what they had interrupted. Sydney was too new at this to have thought of how tousled her hair looked or how the lingering scent in the room easily gave them away.

  “We’re here for you, Syd,” the younger of the two males said.

  “What do you mean?” Sydney asked. “You’re checking up on me?”

  “No,” the other male said, reaching out and grasping her arm. “We’re here to bring you home.”

  Chapter Forty

  Sydney yanked her arm free of Luke’s grasp. Her astonishment and panic over her brothers’ unexpected arrival faded in the face of her growing irritation. She gave Luke a good glare to let him know she didn’t appreciate his manhandling.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” she argued. Her attention turned when she sensed Keith move up and stop right behind her. “Oh, Keith, this is Luke, my—”

  “Big brother,” Luke finished in clipped tones.

  “And I’m Ben,” her younger brother added.

  He was calmer than Luke. Sydney knew that, like her, Benjamin was less extreme than her parents and Luke when it came to respecting their religious beliefs. She figured he had probably been nagged into coming along on this visit by their mother. It was more than a little mortifying having her twenty-three-year-old brother standing there while Luke lectured her.

  “Why don’t you two come inside rather than have this rather loud conversation in the hall?” she suggested.

  “First you need to tell us just what you’ve been doing in that room,” Luke demanded. “The lady at the front desk said that you don’t have your own room, but that can’t be possible. You’re not married.”

  She fought more embarrassment. “They’re not supposed to release that information.”

  “Yeah, well, I showed her proof that we’re related and I can be rather persuasive. Now answer the question.”

  “It’s none of your business, Lucas.”

  “Of course it is. Everyone in the family is worried about you. Look at you, Sydney. Half of your face is black and blue. It’s been all over the internet.”

  That explained what her brothers were doing there. She hadn’t called home since the incident, having hoped that by some small miracle her family wouldn’t ever see the footage. Now she realized that had been a fool’s hope.

  “That had nothing to do with my relationship with Keith,” she said levelly. “It was really just an accident.”

  Benjamin made a sound of disagreement. “That wasn’t an accident, Syd. That guy was aiming for him.” He jutted his chin in Keith’s direction.

  Sydney held up her hands in a placating gesture. “Fine, so the guy lost his head. I jumpe
d in the way. Why would that bring you all the way out here?”

  “Like I said, we’re here to bring you home,” Luke stated. “You’ve lost your way. You should never have come on this tour, just like Mama told you.”

  She struggled to hold onto her patience. “You’ve wasted your time coming here. I haven’t lost my way. I’ve found it with Keith.”

  “Here in his hotel room?” Benjamin prompted.

  Sydney couldn’t believe she was having this intimate conversation with her brothers. “Yes, this is our hotel room.”

  “You’re admitting that you’ve been fornicating with this...this...” Luke sputtered, waving at Keith like he was a notorious criminal.

  “You’ll want to come inside before you say anything else that might offend your sister on national television,” Keith said coolly.

  They all glanced around and spotted the House of Archer camera guy standing less than ten feet away. Sydney wanted to sink into the floor. She knew her brothers would never consent to having their images aired on the show, but it was still horrifying to know this was all on film.

  “Fine,” Luke said abruptly, stepping forward and forcing Sydney to get out of the way.

  Luke and Benjamin both walked into the living area. Neither of them made any move to sit. She wasn’t about to sit down herself and have them looming over her, so she remained standing, too. Keith leaned against the wall in the small entryway and crossed his arms over his chest. She recognized the predatory look in his eyes and didn’t know what to think that it was directed at members of her family.

  What a disaster this was.

  “Good Lord, Sydney,” Luke said, sniffing the air. “You were just fornicating with him!”

  Exasperation blended with her embarrassment. “You’re not preaching to your congregation here, Luke. Just call it sex. Yes, we were having sex and it was amazing. I’d very much like to get back to it, if it’s all the same to you.”

  Behind her, Keith made a sound like a strangled cough. She didn’t turn to look at him, far more concerned about her red-faced brother.

  “Well, what did you expect me to say?” she pressed when Luke and Benjamin simply stared at her. “You two come all the way here and start flinging accusations at me without so much as a how are you. Fine. You want the truth? That’s the truth.”

  Luke’s mouth finally closed, his lips pressing together in disapproval. “I expected you to say that you respected yourself and our beliefs,” he said stiffly. “I expected you to wait to lay with a man until you had committed yourself to him as his wife.”

  Hot anger burned her throat. “Is that right? Tell me, Luke...you’re not married. How is it you know what sex smells like if you’ve never had it?”

  His shoulders pulled back and his chin lifted. “It’s different for a man.”

  “Isn’t that convenient?” she said bitterly. “You can both lay with whatever female you want and I have to remain a virgin until some guy agrees to marry me without having sex first. That’s quite the realistic viewpoint in today’s society.”

  “It isn’t a viewpoint, Sydney,” Luke countered. “It’s a spiritual certainty. You know what will happen if you remain on this path.”

  Unexpected tears filled her eyes. She blinked them away. She had known before she ever got involved with Keith that their relationship wasn’t in line with what she had been raised to believe. She had known her choices would appall her family and cast her into their disgrace. None of that had mattered to her then and she told herself it didn’t matter now.

  “Stop it,” she said. “I’m a grown woman. I’ve been making my own decisions for many years now. Keith is the best thing to ever happen to me. You haven’t said a single thing to him since you met him. You have no right to judge either of us.”

  “Oh, we know enough,” Luke said, his gaze shifting to Keith. “We’ve done our research. We know about his hedonistic lifestyle...the drugs. The women.” He once again turned his focus to her. “Many women, Sydney. You’re one of many.”

  Her hands balled into fists. “That’s in the past, Luke. You of all people know better than to judge someone by their past.”

  “The not-so-distant past,” Benjamin pointed out. “He was with that Nikki girl and went right on to you.”

  She expected Keith to speak up and defend himself. He didn’t. Maybe he was worried about offending her family. She supposed she’d just have to do the defending for him.

  “Keith’s former relationships are his business,” she said. “He—”

  “It’s his current relationship that’s of the most concern to us,” Luke interrupted. “You’ve compromised yourself with him. You’ve put yourself at great risk spiritually, emotionally, and physically.”

  “Physically?” she echoed.

  “Are you using birth control?” Benjamin asked.

  “Oh my God,” Sydney said, covering her face with her hands. “I am not having this conversation with you.”

  “Now you’re taking the Lord’s name in vain,” Luke declared.

  Done with both of them, she said, “You two need to leave. Go back to Mama and tell her that I’m in love with a wonderful man and I’ve never been happier.”

  “But does he love you?” Benjamin asked, looking at Keith.

  “That’s absolutely none of your business,” she responded before Keith could.

  Luke tossed his hands into the air as though she was hopeless. “Sydney, you’re ridiculously naïve. He’s led you down the path of sin and damnation. You’ve shamed yourself and our family.”

  Sydney inhaled sharply over the pain that caused. Tears once again blurred her vision.

  “Well,” Keith said, pushing off the wall and advancing, “this has been a little slice of heaven, but now you two need to get the hell out.”

  “We’re not leaving without Sydney,” Luke protested.

  Keith continued to move towards him, looking to Sydney like he was prowling towards his prey. Luke had the sense to back up a step when Keith got to within a few feet of him. Benjamin swallowed audibly and shifted behind Luke.

  “You sure are,” Keith said conversationally. “Allow me to show you to the door.”

  “No,” Luke said, backing up when Keith lifted a hand towards him. He stumbled into Benjamin before righting himself. “She’s our sister and we’re looking out for her well-being.”

  Keith looked pointedly at Sydney, who was wiping tears from her face, and then back at Luke. “You sure have a funny way of showing that.”

  “You know nothing about our family,” Luke bit out.

  “How the hell would you know?”

  Luke looked perplexed. “Well, if you do, you should know that we look out for our own. I read that you have a little sister. How would you feel if you were in our position?”

  Keith crossed his arms and leveled a stare at Luke. “If my sister was in a relationship with someone and I didn’t approve, I’d go to the person to hash it out. I sure as hell wouldn’t attack her or hurt her like you’re hurting Sydney.”

  Sydney brought a hand up to her chest as she studied Keith’s profile. The pain in her heart eased. Love for him rose up to take its place.

  Luke had the grace to look chagrined. “The truth is hard to hear sometimes.”

  “Your truth appears to be viewed through a narrow fucking lens,” Keith said.

  Luke brought himself back up, looking every bit the preacher. Sydney wasn’t sure if he was more offended by Keith’s cursing or the statement he had just issued and she supposed it didn’t matter. She started to step forward, not wanting to be the cause of a fight between two people she loved. Keith casually extended his arm and kept her behind him.

  “Why am I not surprised that you’re mocking our beliefs?” Luke scoffed. “You’re no Christian and you obviously don’t hold with our morality. That’s just one more reason why Sydney’s relationship with you is a mistake. I refuse to allow her to disgrace herself or our family any further.”

  Luke’
s disdain blew right through Sydney, leaving her feeling blighted and humiliated. She didn’t need her family’s approval, but having their contempt was proving more painful than she’d ever believed. She brought a hand up to stifle a sob, unable to meet Luke’s hard gaze.

  Keith moved closer to Luke, prompting both him and Benjamin to back up until they were nearly in the bedroom. “If you say one more negative thing about Sydney,” he said, “you’re going to learn just how un-Christian I can be.”

  Luke’s mouth opened on a retort. Benjamin elbowed him in the side and rapidly shook his head. Luke’s mouth snapped closed.

  “Sydney deserves only your praise and respect,” Keith continued. “She’s the kindest, most pure-hearted person I’ve ever met. She’s selfless and genuine and—unlike you—open-minded. And despite what you seem to think, she holds herself to the highest moral standard. If it bothers you so damn much that she’s involved with me, the problem lies with you, not her. So unless you have anything more Christian to say to us, get the fuck out.”

  Sydney’s eyebrows were up near her hairline as she stared at the back of Keith’s head. She hadn’t ever heard him speak as much as he had in his defense of her. Because he was generally a man of few words, the ones he did say were even more powerful. She saw that her brothers seemed to realize as much.

  “Let’s go, Luke,” Benjamin said, stepping out from behind their brother.

  “But—”

  “Sydney’s fine,” Benjamin persisted, his gaze on Keith. “She’s with someone who cares about her. She’s happy, so we should be happy for her.”

  Sydney looked from him to Luke, who wore a dark frown.

  “You won’t come with us?” he asked.

  “No.”

  “So be it. You can reach out to us when you come to your senses and you’re ready for forgiveness.”

  He stalked past her to the door without so much as a goodbye. He yanked it open and strode out, letting it slam shut behind him. She pressed her lips together to keep them from trembling. Benjamin stopped in front of her and pulled her into a hug.

  “Don’t listen to him, Syd,” he said. “You know how he is when he’s made up his mind about something. He still thinks I’m going to hell for stealing that candy bar from the 7-11 when I was ten.”