Page 96 of Beautiful Thing

“Irresistible. That’s another good one. Do you know how irresistible you are to me?” His breath is warm as it fans across my jaw. “Right and wrong don’t matter when it comes to you.”

“Oh, Archer…” is all I can whisper.

Gazing into that handsome face, I abandon any lingering bits of hesitancy. We’re adults and if we both agree to tear up the rulebook we’ve written, who’s to stop us?

We both lean in until our lips are touching. I gasp at the electricity the contact generates. Archer growls quietly, hooking one powerful arm around my lower back to drag me closer.

He teases and explores my lips with soft pecks and brushes of his mouth against mine. His kisses quickly manage to get me all worked up. I plaster my body against his and loop my arms around his neck.

When I feel a subtle twitch from inside his pants, I begin to rock my core against his lap. He responds by working his pelvis against my center. It’s not long before he’s as hard as concrete beneath me.

“Fuck…” I hiss out, already turned on beyond reason. “We said ‘just talking’ tonight.” My teeth clamp down on his supple bottom lip, tugging the slightest bit.

Archer’s hips halt on an upward thrust. He cranes his neck backward to catch my eyes. “Do you…” he groans in pain. “Do you want me to stop?”

The look on his face tells me he’d stop in a heartbeat if I asked him to. But he’s praying I don’t ask him to.

I sink down urgently, rubbing my aching core back and forth on his erection as I rake my fingers through his hair. “Keep going, Archer. I want you to keep going.” I angle my pelvis against the seam of his jeans, giving my clit the friction I need.

His shoulders sag with relief. His cheek grazes against mine, the roughness of his beard sending shivers down my spine. “Y’know what? Idowanna talk.”

Surprised, I pull back slightly to stare into his face. “You do?” We’ve already established that Archer isn’t exactly the chatty type.

He nods, a boyish smile on his lips as his hand slips across my ass and under the hem of my sweater dress. “Tell me again what you like about me.” His palm strokes up my back.

I can’t help the wide grin that breaks free when he makes the vulnerable request. My attention bounces around his face and upper body. I like his muscles and his scent and his hard-won smiles. I like his strong hands and his kind heart. I like his intimidating aura as well as the gentle soul hidden beneath. There’s so much I like about this man, I don’t even know where to start.

“I like how big you are.” I drape my arms over his wide shoulders. “You’re friggin’ gigantic. I like wrapping myself around you. You’re like a tree I want to climb.”

There’s laughter in his voice as he lightly scratches his fingernails down my sides, causing the signals to momentarily cross inside my brain.“You can climb me any day, baby. Whenever you want.”

I giggle at the ticklish sensation of his fingernails traveling over my ribs. “I like your eyes, too,” I continue, my tone growing more serious. “They’re so dark and intense. Your stare has always been kind of intimidating to me. But now that I’m finally brave enough to look deeper…” I pause, trying to find the right way to explain the way his stare makes me feel. “You know how they say the eyes are the windows to the soul? A little bit cheesy, I know.”

He chuckles. “Just a little bit cheesy.”

I grin. “When I look deep into your eyes, all I see is the kindness that’s hiding out in the corners of your soul.”

Archer’s eyebrows furrow slightly, but he says nothing. Instead, he leans in for a kiss. Our tongues find each other, engaging in a sensual dance that feels natural.

His hand travels around to the front of my torso. He cups my left breast, flicking his thumb over the thin lace covering my nipple as we kiss.

This.I’ve been missingthis.I’ve been needingthis. Been fantasizing about it every single night since the first time our lips touched.

The passion. The urgency. The desperation in the way he kisses me.

Soon I’m drowning, my lungs begging for air. My lips break free from his bruising kiss.

I trail a fingertip across his bottom lip as I grind down on his erection. “Ireallylike your lips.”

“Oh, do you?” He gathers the hem of my sweater dress in his hands, slowly pulling the fabric up to expose my torso.

“Yes,” I whimper, lifting my arms and allowing him to rip the garment over my head. “I love the way your lips feel on me.”

Archer unhooks my bra and peels the straps down my arms, letting my breasts bounce free. “Noted.” He cradles my aching globes in his palms, squeezing them together and momentarily burying his face in the valley. “More of my lips on your body, coming right up.”

He begins dotting kisses all over my cleavage before sucking each pointed peak into his mouth in turn.

“Yes, Archer. That feels so good,” I rasp out mindlessly, rolling my hips as my eyeballs spin back in my skull. “I like that thing you’re doing with your tongue. And—ooh!—with your lips. Oh my…Oh…”

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