“So,” I say, shifting the topic before it gets too heated too fast, “you grew up here, right? Must be second nature for you.”
“Yeah,” he nods, his eyes never leaving mine. “Cold weather, small towns, and making the best of things. My brothers and I used to love it when storms hit like this. We’d be snowed in for days, making a game out of it.”
“And now?” I ask, leaning back in the chair, my curiosity getting the better of me. “You still like being snowed in?”
His eyes gleam in the firelight, a hint of something dangerous flickering in them. “Depends on who I’m stuck with.”
I swallow hard, the tension between us building like the wind outside. “You’re relentless, you know that?”
He shrugs, but the gleam in his eyes says everything. “Just calling it how I see it. You’re not exactly unaffected yourself, Bella.”
I feel my cheeks warm under his stare, even in the cold. I try to deny it, but there’s no use. “I didn’t say I was.”
“Good.” He leans forward slightly, his voice dropping lower, more intimate. “Because the way you’ve been looking at me all night, I think we both know where this is heading.”
My breath catches, my pulse quickening. He’s closer now, his eyes locked on mine, and I can feel the heat rolling off him, pulling me in. “I’m not looking at you.”
“Liar.” His grin widens as he pushes up from the floor, closing the distance between us in one easy motion. “You’ve been looking at me since I walked in the door.”
I stand, trying to put some space between us, but he steps in even closer. The warmth of his body is impossible to ignore, the firelight casting shadows over his face, making him look more rugged, more dangerous.
“You’re full of yourself, aren’t you?” I manage, though my voice betrays me, shaky and breathless.
His fingers brush my wrist, light and teasing, sending a shockwave of heat through my body. “Maybe,” he says, his voice a low, delicious rumble. “Or maybe I just see what’s right in front of me.”
Before I can respond, my body betrays me. I step closer, my chest brushing against his. His breath is warm against my face, and I look up into his eyes, my heart pounding in my chest. “Archer…”
That’s all I manage before his mouth is on mine.
The kiss is rough, sudden, but not surprising. It’s like we’ve been building up to this since the moment he walked into the inn. His hands slide up my back, pulling me against him, and I lose myself in the heat of him, in the way his lips move over mine with a hunger that matches my own.
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.”
