Page 28 of Protecting Lanie

His gaze flicked toward the guest room, where Lanie was sleeping, blissfully unaware of what was coming.

That was about to change.

CHAPTER 8

LANIE

Lanie’s heart pounded as she stared at her reflection in the full-length mirror in the walk-in closet of the room Archer had given her. It was off the luxurious bath attached to her room. She sure as hell didn’t look like a victim. Not tonight.

The deep emerald-green dress clung to her curves, the silky material pooling at her ankles. The plunging neckline left little to the imagination, the open back daring in a way she’d never allowed herself before. A delicate mask, edged in black lace, concealed the upper half of her face, adding a touch of mystery.

This was her choice. She was done hiding. The click of the door opening behind her sent a shiver down her spine. She didn’t need to turn around to know it was Archer. The air changed when he entered a room—thicker, charged with something that made her stomach flip in the most delicious way.

He didn’t speak right away. He didn’t have to. Shefelthis gaze trailing over her exposed skin, dark and unrelenting.

Lanie inhaled deeply, turning to face him. "Well?"

Archer stood just inside the doorway, dressed in a sleek black suit that fit his powerful frame perfectly. His mask was simple—black, edged with silver—but it did nothing to soften the raw dominance radiating from him.

His jaw was tight, his blue eyes burning as he raked his gaze over her.

"Change," he ordered.

Lanie’s lips parted. "Excuse me?"

Archer closed the distance between them in three slow steps, his sheer presence making her pulse skitter. "That dress is too revealing."

She arched a brow, tilting her chin. "I like this dress. Reyna got it for me."

Archer’s fingers curled under her chin, lifting it higher. "I don’t care."

Heat coiled low in her belly. She wanted to fight him on this. Wanted to tell him he had no right to dictate what she wore.

But the way he was looking at her? Possessive. Furious. Like he was one breath away from throwing her over his shoulder and locking her away where no one else could see her. Heat coiled in her lower regions. There was a part of Archer that made everything go all gooey inside. It made her stomach tighten in ways she didn’t want to analyze.

Lanie swallowed hard, forcing herself to hold his gaze. "I’m going to this party, Archer. With or without you."

His grip tightened slightly. "You think I’m going to let you walk into a den of predators dressed like that, looking like this?"

"I think you don’t own me, and that the rest of the team thought this was the best way to draw Vinnie out."

Archer exhaled sharply through his nose, his nostrils flaring. For a long moment, they stood locked in a silent battle. Then, suddenly, he smiled. Slow. Dark. Dangerous. Lanie’s stomach dropped.

"You want to play, little one?" Archer murmured. "Fine. But you’ll play by my rules."

Before she could react, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the shadows of the room’s alcove.

The world tilted as she found herself pressed up against the wall, her back against the cool, polished wooden panel, Archer’s heat surrounding her.

Her breath caught.

"Let me beveryclear," Archer said, his voice a deep growl. "If you walk into that party looking like this, every man there will want you."

Lanie’s breath came faster, her skin prickling with awareness.

"And that," Archer murmured, brushing his lips over the shell of her ear, "is a problem."

Lanie’s fingers curled into fists at her sides. "You can’t scare me into staying behind."

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