Page 58 of Mine for a Moment

I watch her as she moves through the room, plugging her phone in to charge and placing her trusty notebook on my nightstand. Normally, I’d have loved how at home she feels in my room—how much it seems likeours. Tonight, it just makes me feel like an unwelcome stranger in what has always been one of my favorite spaces, even though I’m standing here with my favorite person.

“Were you with him all night?”

Her spine goes rigid, and defiance crosses her face as she looks at me. “Yes.”

I raise my fist to my mouth and bite down on it, despair spreading from my fucking heart. “Did anything happen that you think I should know about?”

She leans back against the wall, her gaze roaming over my face. Her expression softens, her anger dulled by the fear and jealousy I can’t hide. “He broke up with Kristen and told me he has feelings for me. We talked, and he asked me if he stood a chance or if it was too late.”

I clench my jaw and look away, surprise rendering me speechless. I noticed the way he started to look at her when he no longer had her full attention, but I foolishly thought I had nothing to worry about. “What did you say to that?” I ask, scared of what her response might be.

She smiles humorlessly. “I told him I needed time to think.”

I bite down on my lip as she turns and walks into my en suite bathroom, and I hesitate for a split second before following her in. Our eyes meet in the mirror, and something in her gaze makes me wrap one hand around her waist.

“Tell me you’re still mine, Serenity,” I beg, my voice soft, pleading.

She leans back, pressing herself against my chest. My arms wrap around her, one palm flat to her stomach while the other moves to cup her jaw as I tilt her head and make her face me, needing her to look me in the eye if she’s going to break my heart.

“I’m yours, Archer Harrison, whether I like it or not.”

I exhale in relief, my hand slipping into her hair as I lean in to kiss her, craving her with every fucking fiber of my being. She moans, and I turn her around, needing her closer.

Serenity rises to her tiptoes as I caress every inch of her I can reach, undoing the zipper on the back of her dress impatiently, needing to feel her soft skin. My heart rests a little easier when she slips her hand underneath my T-shirt, letting it trail over my abs in that way she likes.

I groan when she pushes the fabric up and I help her lift it over my head. It falls to the floor, and desire glitters in her eyes.This. This is exactly what I needed. I needed her to look at me like I’m the only one she wants, the only one that can give her what she needs.

“Archer,” she whispers, her eyes locking on the charm around my neck. “We can’t. You know we can’t.”

I look her in the eye as I reach over and turn the shower on. “No one will know.”

Forty-Eight

Serenity

Archer’s eyes are filled with hunger as we undress each other, his hands trembling ever so slightly, like this moment feels precious to him too. “Fuck,” he groans when I stand in front of him in nothing but my hold up tights.

He caresses the top of my thighs, where the edge of my stockings meets my skin, and all the while, he stares at me like I’m a mirage, like I’m his every dream come true. Knowing he still wants me heals a little part of me he doesn’t even realize is broken.

“I need you to keep these on for me,” he murmurs, just before he pulls me into the shower and against the wall. I gasp and place my hands on his chest, warm water spraying down on us as he holds my face, his eyes blazing. “This pretty little mouth is mine,” he growls before leaning in to kiss me.

I rise to my tiptoes, my arms wrapping around his neck as I kiss him back, returning every bit of passion and desperation tenfold. He swallows my moans as one hand moves down to my breast, kneading and pinching, his touch punishing as he caresses my body the way only he can.

“Oh God,” I moan when he pushes my legs apart with his knee, his fingers teasing without entering.

“Look at me,” he demands when my eyes flutter closed. I obey, my heart racing when I find him staring at me like he’s enchanted. “This pussy,” he growls, pushing two fingers into me while pressing his thumb against my clit. “Ismine.” He begins to swirl his thumb, his movements harsh and swiftly bringing me to the edge. “Do you understand?”

I nod, my hips moving involuntarily. The heat in the shower and the way he’s touching me has rapidly made me lightheaded, heightening every sensation. He curls his fingers, and I arch my back, riding his hand eagerly. It’s been so long since I felt so close to him, since I had his undivided attention.

“You’re so beautiful,” he groans, his fingers moving faster. “There’s nothing like watching you come for me, you know that? Nothing makes me feel more powerful.”

He watches me as I slowly unravel, until my muscles begin to contract around his fingers. I can’t recall the last time I saw him smile so widely, pure satisfaction shining though his eyes as I bite down on my lip, trying my best to keep my moans in.

I gasp as he grabs my hips, lifting me up and against the wall in one smooth move. I instantly wrap my legs around his waist, my hands sliding into his hair as he looks into my eyes. “I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you,” he tells me. “Never wanted to belong to anyone the way I belong to you, Serenity.”

His breath hitches when I reach between us and line his cock up. “Then show me,” I whisper. “Show me that you’re mine.”

He tightens his grip on my hips as he pushes into me slowly, intentionally, his eyes never leaving mine. The way he moans when he bottoms out inside me has my head falling back against the wall, and Ismile when he kisses me just below my ear, his soft pants tickling my skin. “You have no idea how much I needed this,” he whispers, before grazing my neck with his teeth. “I think of you every second of every day, Serenity.”