Page 27 of Delilah In Discretion

I heard the door close and a few seconds went by, and the door opened again. I turned over to repeat the same words, but they got caught in my throat as Archer closed the door behind him. My heart sped up, and I bit my lip as his eyes were trained on me.

“Archer,” I said softly, and he slowly took one step.

“You disappeared out there...”

“It was getting crowded. I wanted to get away from it. The questions, the stares, Luca... you.”

Another step.

“Despite that, you and Luca were rather comfortable on the dance floor,” he muttered, and I tilted my head.

“Angry that it wasn’t you?” I asked, my voice carrying a hint of challenge.

A humorless chuckle escaped him as my heart fluttered once again.

“Angry? No,” he muttered. His voice was low, almost menacing.Another step. “No, no, no, Princess.”

The way he uttered “Princess” sent a shiver down my spine. It was as though he was claiming a right over me that didn’t belong to him. Or rather, I tried to convince myself that it didn’t belong to him. I felt a mix of irritation and vulnerability as his proximity made it even harder to maintain my composure.

“Then it shouldn’t matter if I danced with him or not…” I whispered, and he shrugged.

“Hate to break it to you… but it does.”

“And is that because you see him as a threat?”

“Getting warmer.”

“Because… you were jealous?” I uttered, and he hummed.

“That’s one way to interpret it.”

I felt a mix of feelings and emotions at his words. “It was nothing. Just a dance. Nothing to get worked up about.”

Archer’s expression remained unreadable, but his gaze stayed fixed on me. “Is that so? Because from where I was standing, it looked like more thanjust a dance.”

“Well, what did it look like?” I challenged, trying to mask the sudden hitch in my breath as his hand lifted my chin.

“Like he wanted what was mine.”

“But I don’t belong to you,” I whispered, meeting his gaze with defiance.

He said nothing as my face grew reddened at our proximity. His eyes glanced down at my lips, and my heart raced slightly.

“A-Archer,” I whispered with uncertainty, fixating his gaze on my lips again.

“Princess,” he muttered, his voice almost resembling a possessive purr.

He leaned in, his lips brushing against mine just barely. The touch was both claiming and tender, sending another shiver through me.

His hand slid from my chin to the back of my neck, pulling me closer as I let out a small gasp. He breathed me in hungrily as I bit my lip, looking up at him through my eyelashes.

The tension in the air could be cut with a knife. It was almost palpable as his eyes darkened, looking down at me as if he was starved.

“You can say it again. Go ahead. Tell me you don’t belong to me.I dare you to,” he uttered menacingly, and I bit my tongue against the words at the tip of my lips, eagerly wanting to tell him he didn’t own me, that I wasn’t his. But I said nothing as I focused on how close he was to my lips.

Breathing in his scent as I gulped softly, my mind didn’t have enough time to react as he kissed me. He pulled away after a brief moment, but I did us a favor and leaned in again, eager to taste his lips against mine.

I truly couldn’t believe it happened. The one thing I was least expecting fromArcherof all people. The one thing that had me soon melting in his hold. The one thing that had my knees close to buckling. The one thing that had butterflies in my stomach flying like crazy.

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