Page 6 of Protecting Lanie

Archer.

She didn’t hear him approach, but suddenly he was there, a looming force of pure control. His presence filled the space, blocking out everything else, and in an instant, the man who had touched her withdrew, his effortless charm slipping into something wary.

“Something wrong here?” Archer’s voice was quiet, even—but there was nothing soft about it.

The man...John, maybe? James?...held up his hands. “Hey, man. No need to get involved. Just talking.”

Archer’s gaze didn’t shift. Didn’t waver. “Is that right?”

John-or-James shifted on his feet. “Didn’t mean anything by it.”

Archer’s eyes flicked to her, and that steady gaze unraveled her completely.

“You good, Lanie?”

She could barely form words, but she nodded.

Archer’s expression didn’t change, but something in him settled. His next words were for the other man.

“You touch her again or any of the other submissives here at the club without an invitation, and you and I will have a problem.” It wasn’t a threat. It was a fact.

The other man didn’t argue. He muttered something under his breath before disappearing into the crowd.

Lanie exhaled sharply, pressing a hand to her chest.

“You should tell one of the Doms if someone makes you uncomfortable.” Archer’s voice was still calm, but there was something else there now—something sharper, like the edge of a blade.

She forced a shaky breath. “I can handle myself.”

His brow lifted slightly, assessing her. “I don’t doubt that.” A pause. “But that doesn’t mean you have to.”

Lanie swallowed hard.

Archer was a Dom at Club Southside. But he didn’t need to be. His authority came from something deeper, something ingrained. The way he commanded the space, the way people responded to him—it made her insides coil in a way she really didn’t want to think about.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

He nodded once, accepting it without making it a big deal. “Get some air,” he said simply, before stepping back, giving her space.

She did. She forced her legs to move, retreating to the kitchen, focusing on the simple certainty of her work.

For the rest of the night, she avoided looking at Archer, but she felt his eyes on her, anyway.

It was late by the time Lanie finished cleaning. The kitchen was silent now, the chaos of the night fading into stillness.

She dried her hands, reaching for her phone...

And froze.

One unread message.

No number. No name. Just words that made her blood run ice cold.

Miss me, baby?

Lanie’s fingers clenched around the phone so hard it hurt.

No. No, no, no.

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