Page 18 of Protecting Lanie

Archer’s jaw clenched. “You’re not.”

She looked away. Archer let go of her chin and slid a hand beneath her knees, another behind her back, lifting her into his lap before she could protest. She gasped, stiffening.

“Archer…”

“Hush,” he murmured, holding her close. “You need this. Let me give it to you.”

She let out a shaky breath. “You don’t have to…”

“I take care of what’s mine.”

The words hung between them, leaving little space for air. Lanie inhaled sharply, and when she finally relaxed, he knew she’d stopped fighting it. Archer ran a slow hand up and down her back, soothing, steady. Her body was warm against his, soft where he was hard, fragile where he was unyielding.

She wasn’t just any sub; she was his. The realization sank deep, a permanent mark on his soul.

“Molina doesn’t get to scare you,” Archer murmured against her temple. “Not while I’m here.”

Her fingers curled into his shirt. “I don’t know how to stop being afraid.”

“You don’t have to.” Archer pressed a firm kiss to her hair, his voice raw with promise. “That’s my job.”

Archer held her close for a long moment, letting the quiet between them settle. He could feel the steady rhythm of her breath against him, the faint tremor still lingering in her limbs. She wasn’t ready to talk yet, and that was fine. He could be patient.

But patience didn’t mean inaction.

With one last reassuring squeeze, he pulled back just enough to meet her eyes. “Come on, little one,” he murmured, his voice low but firm. “Time to go.”

She nodded, her fingers untangling from his shirt, and without another word, he guided her toward the exit.

Archer kept a firm hand on Lanie’s lower back as he guided her through the rear entrance and down into the secure parking lot. The evening air was crisp, bordering on frigid.

“You’re not taking the bus home,” he stated.

Lanie stiffened. “I don’t…”

“Not a debate,” Archer cut in.

She exhaled, shaking her head. “You’re overreacting.”

Archer stopped, turning her to face him. “Someone associated with a known trafficking ring just threatened you. If you think I’m going to let you walk out of here alone, you don’t know me at all.”

Her breath stuttered. “I…”

“Get in the Range Rover, Lanie.”

There was no room for argument.

Her lips parted slightly, but she obeyed, slipping into the passenger seat of his sleek black SUV. Archer shut the door behind her, then rounded to the driver’s side, sliding in with controlled precision.

The moment the doors closed, the energy inside the vehicle changed.

Confined. Intimate. Charged.

Lanie fidgeted with the hem of her dress, her bare thigh shifting against the leather seat. Archer’s gaze flickered down, his fingers tightening around the wheel.

“Seatbelt.”

She startled slightly before reaching for it. He caught the strap before she could pull it across her body, his knuckles grazing her collarbone as he clicked it into place himself.

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