I rub a hand over my face, feeling the weight of everything crashing down on me. “It’s not you, Archer. It’s me. I’ve been stuck between these two lives for so long, what I want and what is, I don’t even know how to separate them anymore.”
He steps forward, closing the space between us, his voice low but firm. “I’m not asking for much, Bella. Just for you to be here. With me. Fully.”
The rawness in his voice twists something deep inside me, and I can feel the pull between us, stronger now than ever. But the fear, the doubt, it’s all still there, lurking beneath the surface.
“I want to be here,” I whisper, my voice barely steady. “But I don’t know if I’m enough for this life. For you.”
Archer’s eyes soften, but the intensity never fades. He reaches out, his hand brushing against my arm, sending ashiver through me. “You’re enough, Bella. You’ve always been enough. But you’ve got to stop letting him control you. Because I’m not gonna stand here and watch you get dragged back into something that’s only gonna break you.”
His words wrap around me, raw and honest, and I can feel the weight of them pressing against my chest. He’s asking me to make a choice, a real one this time. And I don’t know if I’m ready for that.
But the truth is, I can’t keep living in this limbo. Not if I want this with Archer to work. Not if I want to move forward. I’ve never been very good at relationships, relinquishing control has always been hard for me, but the way Archer takes care of me and seems to read my mind before I’ve even said anything…for the first time it makes me want more. Withhim.
I take a deep breath and step back, grabbing the flowers from the table, and without a second thought, I toss them into the trash, the vase crashing against the bin with a loud thud.
Archer watches me, his eyes narrowing slightly, but there’s a flicker of something there—something like relief.
“There,” I say, my voice steadier now. “Gone. But that doesn’t mean my family’s going to stop. They’ve always thought I was better off in the city.”
“They’re not living your life, Bella. You are,” Archer says, stepping closer, his hand resting on my lower back, pulling me in. “So stop living it for them.”
I meet his gaze, the intensity of it overwhelming, and for the first time, I feel like maybe I can let go of the fear, the doubt. Maybe I can actually choose this. Choose him.
“I’m trying,” I whisper, my voice shaky but real.
Archer leans in, his breath warm against my ear. “Stop trying and just do it.”
The heat between us flares again, like it always does, but this time it feels different—deeper, more raw. I reach up, my handscurling into his shirt, pulling him closer until our lips are just a breath away.
“I’m all in,” I murmur, and the second the words leave my mouth, Archer’s lips crash down on mine, claiming me in a way that makes everything else fall away.
The kiss is rough, desperate, like he’s been waiting for me to finally say those words. I lose myself in it, in him, in the way his hands grip my waist, pulling me against him like he can’t get enough.
And maybe that’s exactly what I need right now—to stop thinking, stop doubting, and just feel. To let Archer remind me of what’s real, what’s right in front of me.
He pulls back, his breathing ragged, his eyes burning with that familiar intensity. “You’re not going anywhere, Bella. Not if I have anything to say about it. You’re not leaving Copper Mountain, even if it takes tying you to my bed and keeping you shaking with orgasms every morning and every night, forever.”
My heart hammers at his words, and I shift nervously on my feet, trying to make sense of the heat pooling low in my stomach. He’s watching me so intently, his eyes dark and filled with something that sends a thrill up my spine. The tension between us is electric, and suddenly, the kitchen feels unbearably small.
He’s tugging at his collar, as if trying to restrain himself, his entire body taut like he’s seconds away from losing control. And God, the way he's looking at me, like he’s ready to throw me up against the wall and devour me right here.
I bite my lip, trying to ignore the pounding in my chest as I glance around the room, avoiding his intense gaze. “But I don’t know if I’m built for a full-time relationship…”
There’s a flicker of something in his eyes—pain, maybe—and then his face softens, his voice low and raw. “Bella, I understand. Believe me, I do. And I can be patient. Just don’t shut me out,talk to me before you shut me out. I want to know how you feel about these things.”
His words hit me like a physical force, and my breath catches in my throat. I can see how much he means it, how real this is for him, and it’s almost too much to handle. My heart aches, a mix of disbelief and desire swirling inside me.
I glance back at him, my body reacting to the way his hands are clenched at his sides, like he’s barely holding himself back. The intensity between us is suffocating, and I can feel the desire rolling off him in waves. He’s standing there, telling me just how much he wants me, how much I mean to him, and it’s wrecking me.
The space between us feels too wide, even though we’re inches apart, and all I can think about is how much I want him to close it. To feel his hands on me, to let him show me just how badly he wants me.
But I hesitate, the insecurity still lingering, gnawing at the edges of my mind. And yet, the way he’s looking at me, the way his voice trembles with raw need and…love, it’s impossible to doubt him.
I take a shaky breath, my voice barely a whisper. “You really believe that? No one has ever said that to me before…”
His eyes darken, and he steps forward, so close now that I can feel the heat radiating off his body. “I don’t just think it, Bella. I know it. You’re everything. Your feelings matter to me. You make me feel anchored to something bigger than myself and I’ll do anything to protect you and that feeling…”
The words send a shiver down my spine, and before I can stop myself, I’m moving toward him, the distance between us disappearing as I let go of the doubt, the fear. His hands finally unclench, reaching for me, and when they land on my waist, the world tilts.
