Page 15 of Mine for a Moment

“No,” Archer says before I can answer at all, his hand sliding farther up my thigh, his touch oddly possessive.

Fourteen

Archer

“Thank you for dinner,” Serenity says, seemingly addressing both Emma and me moments after I sign for the bill. The way her eyes move between the two of us makes realization crash through me, and all of a sudden, I feel like a complete idiot. Surely she doesn’t think there’s something going on between Emma and me? Doesn’t she realize that Emma is married—to a woman, no less? She’d never even be remotely interested in me, but I can see how it might seem that way.

Fuck. Is that why she nearly agreed to go on that damn date? I saw it in her eyes. She’s determined to move on from Theo, and she seems convinced seeing someone else is the way to do it.

“I’ll drive you home,” I tell her, stepping away from Emma to move closer to her. I rest my hand on her lower back, and she looks up at me with an adorably bewildered expression.

Theo tenses. “I thought maybe we could grab a drink before we head home?” he says, his tone awfully desperate.

Serenity looks like she’ll give in, and fuck, I don’t want her to.“Sera,” I murmur. She lifts her head, our eyes locking. “Let me take you home.”

I can’t help but grin when she nods, sweet victory rushing through me. I don’t know what she does to me, but whatever it is, it makes me feel more alive than I have in years. “You’ll be fine making your own way home, right?” I ask Emma impatiently, eager to just get Serenity out of here and away from Theo.

Emma throws me a confused look, and I smile tightly. “I… Yes,” she says hesitantly.

“Great. See you Monday, then,” I murmur before leading Serenity away, keeping my hand on the small of her back.

“What are you doing?” she asks the second we’re out of earshot.

“What does it look like I’m doing, Serenity? I’m taking you home.”

“Why?”

“Why not?”

“Archer. You’re being impossible. I told you I didn’t want anyone to know I’m related to Ezra, and you just… God, that looked so suspicious.”

I smirk at her as I hold the passenger door open for her. “Maybe, but not in the way you think. No one would relate the way I just behaved back to Ezra. They’d just think there’s something going on betweenus.”

Her eyes widen, and my heart begins to beat a little faster when she becomes all flustered. Serenity rushes to sit down and pulls the door closed before I can do it for her, and I bite back a smile as I walk around the car to join her, amused by her reaction.

“You’re surprisingly embarrassed for a woman who told me outright that she wants me,” I tell her as I get behind the wheel.

Her head snaps toward me, but I keep my eyes on the road, trying my best to hide my amusement. “I didn’t say that!”

“No?” I ask. “So you don’t want me to spread your pretty thighs and fuck you?”

She inhales sharply, and I can’t help but glance at her. She seemed serious about her list, but now I’m not so sure. “I do.”

Fuck. Just hearing her say it makes my cock harden. I’ve spent days pretending that damn list didn’t affect me when all I’ve been able to think about is the way she’d feel underneath me.

We both fall silent in the few minutes it takes me to drive home, the tension thick as I park in my garage. I turn to face her, an unfamiliar kind of desperation prompting my words. “I’ll do it.”

She raises a trembling hand to her hair, apprehension flickering in her eyes. “You’ll do what?”

I reach for her and grab her hand, marveling at how small it feels in mine. “If you’re truly serious about this, then let me be the one you put your faith in.”

She stares at me speechlessly, and I smile, my heart overflowing with something I can’t quite define. It feels heavy, desperate.

“Come on,” I murmur, lifting her hand to my lips to press a soft kiss to her knuckles. Her breath hitches, and the sound sends a little thrill down my spine. “Let’s go up and talk about what it is you want and what I want in return.”

Serenity nods, and I step out of the car. She’s silent as we walk into the elevator, her breathing a little uneven. Both of us tense when we reach the floor I share with Ezra, guilt threatening to make me change my mind. I push through it and lead her into my penthouse.

“Wine?” I ask, heading straight to my wine fridge.

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