Total pages in book: 31
Estimated words: 29124 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 146(@200wpm)___ 116(@250wpm)___ 97(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29124 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 146(@200wpm)___ 116(@250wpm)___ 97(@300wpm)
I should stop. I should pull back. But I can’t. Instead, I kiss him back, harder, deeper, until there’s nothing between us but the fire coursing through my veins.
His hands grip my waist, and I feel him smile against my lips. “Thought so,” he murmurs, his voice thick with satisfaction.
“Thought what?” I breathe, my hands sliding up to his chest, feeling the solid thud of his heart under my palms.
“That you wanted this as much as I do.”
I open my mouth to argue, but the words don’t come. Because he’s right. I do want this. And it terrifies me how easily I’ve lost control.
I pull back, just enough to catch my breath. “We shouldn’t…”
He brushes a thumb over my bottom lip, his gaze dark and full of promise. “Tell me you don’t want this, and I’ll stop.”
I can’t. The words won’t come because they’d be a lie. So instead, I do the only thing that feels right in the moment—I kiss him again.
This time, it’s slower, more deliberate, the heat between us growing with every second. His hands slide under my shirt, his touch branding me, and I gasp as he pulls me closer, his body solid and warm against mine.
But then, reality crashes back in, and I pull away again, my heart racing. “This is moving too fast.”
Archer looks down at me, his expression serious now, but the heat in his eyes hasn’t dimmed. “When it’s right, it doesn’t matter how fast it moves.”
I stare at him, my pulse still hammering, and I realize he believes that. He believes that whatever this is, it’s happening exactly how it’s supposed to. But for me… for me, it’s overwhelming.
“I just need… time,” I whisper, my voice shaky.
He nods, his thumb brushing over my cheek, gentle despite the intensity between us. “Then I’ll wait. But don’t expect me to stop wanting you.”
The storm rages on outside, but inside, the fire between us is just getting started.
Chapter Six
Archer
The storm outside is relentless, hammering against the windows like it’s trying to tear the place apart. But in here, in the dim glow of the candlelight, everything feels still. Bella is standing by the fireplace, arms wrapped around herself, staring into the snow-covered world outside, her body tense, her mind clearly running miles ahead.
I can feel the tension too, buzzing in the air between us. The pull. It’s been there all night, hell, since the moment I walked through the door. Every part of me is drawn to her, every inch of my skin itching to close the distance. I take a step closer, watching the way the light from the fire makes her skin glow, highlighting every curve, every soft edge.
“I can hear you thinking from over here,” I say, keeping my voice low, a little rough. There’s something dangerous in the way I speak, something neither of us is willing to address just yet.
She turns to face me, lips parted like she’s ready to throw up another wall between us. But when our eyes lock, I see it. That spark. That same want that’s been driving me mad all night. And it’s right there, in the way her gaze drops to my mouth for a fraction of a second, before snapping back to mine.
“You keep looking at me like that,” I step closer, my voice dropping even lower, “and I won’t be responsible for what happens next.”
Her breath hitches. I see the slight tremble in her hands before she crosses them tighter over her chest. “I’m not looking at you.”
“Liar.” I’m right in front of her now, my hand coming up to brush my thumb across her jaw, tilting her face toward me. I don’t let her escape it, the charge between us, the heat simmering just beneath the surface. “You’ve been looking at me like you want this since the minute I walked in.”
She doesn’t deny it. Her breath catches, her eyes searching mine, but she doesn’t pull away. Instead, she leans in—just a little, just enough for me to know I’m not the only one ready to lose control.
I can’t hold back anymore. I close the gap, my mouth crashing down on hers, hot and demanding. The second our lips meet, the world outside disappears. The storm, the cold, everything fades until there’s only the heat between us, only her body pressed against mine, her hands sliding up my chest, gripping me like she’s afraid to let go.
She kisses me back, hard, matching my intensity. There’s no more hesitation now, no more pretending we can fight this. I feel her body arch against mine, desperate, like she’s been holding back just as long as I have, and now she’s done. Done fighting it. Done pretending.
I break the kiss, just long enough to catch my breath. “I want you,” I say, my voice rough, full of everything I’ve been holding back. “Tell me you want this too.”