Page 4 of Protecting Lanie

“Breathe,” he said, his voice a low command.

Her breath hitched, and she realized shewasn’tbreathing. She forced air into her lungs, her cheeks flaming hot.

Tessa let out a low whistle from behind her. “Well, that’s one way to make an impression.”

Lanie felt her stomach twist. Impression? No. Disaster? Absolutely.

“I’ll...I’ll clean it up,” she rushed to say, dropping to her knees to scoop up the ruined pastries and finding herself at groin level. Before she could do anything but stare at his leathers, which showed a hardening cock behind the fly, Archer crouched beside her.

He cupped her chin in his hand, and its gentleness surprised her. She stilled.

“Eyes up here, pet,” he rumbled.

Her eyes met his, and she felt as though she could spend forever there. The last thing she expected was for him to help.

His fingers brushed over hers as he grabbed a macaron and popped it in his mouth, seeming to savor it before swallowing. The brief contact sent a jolt through her that had nothing to do with shock.

“Not the end of the world and these are delicious, little one.” His voice was smooth, unwavering. But something about the way he saidlittle onemade her insides twist in a way that had nothing to do with embarrassment.

She shook her head quickly. “No, but it’s a mess, and it was my fault. I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

His lips parted slightly, as if considering her words. “Accidents happen.” He popped another macaron in his mouthwith what seemed to be deliberate slowness. “But you seem ready to punish yourself for it.”

She swallowed. Hard. She hated he could see that.

“I just don’t enjoy screwing up,” she admitted, keeping her eyes on the floor.

Archer was silent for a beat. Then, softly, “Has anyone ever told you that making a mistake doesn’t makeyouone?”

Her breath caught, her gaze snapping to his.

How did he do that? How did he see right through her with just a handful of words?

Before she could respond, Logan reappeared. “Uh… is now a bad time to ask if there’s a backup tray?”

Lanie blinked, the moment fracturing around her. “Right. Yes. There is.” She pushed herself to her feet quickly, stepping away from Archer before she did something reckless—like lean into him, just to see if his strength was as unshakable as it seemed.

“I’ll get it,” she said, smoothing a hand down the front of her apron. “Tessa, can you...”

“Already on it.” Tessa shot her a knowing grin before ducking into the walk-in cooler.

Archer stood smoothly, towering over her once again. He should’ve looked ridiculous, standing there in his leathers, which were now covered in sugar and cream, but he didn’t. He looked exactly the same—composed, steady. Andthatwas what unsettled her the most.

“You’re shaking,” he observed, his voice quieter now.

Lanie curled her fingers into fists at her sides. She was. Not from fear, but from something she couldn’t name. Something he stirred inside her.

“I’ll be fine,” she said quickly, forcing herself to meet his eyes.

Archer studied her for a long moment before nodding once. “Good.”

Just as he turned to leave, she surprised herself by speaking. “Wait.”

He stilled, glancing back.

She exhaled. “Your leathers...I should at least offer to get them cleaned.”

His lips curved slightly—just enough for her to catch a flicker of amusement in his eyes. “Don’t worry about it, little one.”

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