Page 155 of Empire of Ache & Ruin

“What?” I ask.

“Tonight. I need you in a more amiable disposition. Do you understand?” He glowers at me, with an added mix of frustration and impatience. “None of this lifeless version of you I’ve had to put up with for the last three months. Do you understand? Answer.” He raises his voice.

I startle. “Yes.”

“Five minutes,” Dad says through gritted teeth before he leaves.

As soon as the door closes behind him, I plop myself on the vanity stool and drop my head to my hands. What have I done? Why did I let myself think of Archer like that? Goosebumps flutter across my skin. A tiny token was all it took for my body to ache for him all over again.

I wait for the pain to flush through me, but it doesn’t come. Hope blooms like spring flowers and begins to grow in the dark void in the middle of my chest. This little crystal swan means hope. Hope that he survived Hunter’s bullet. Hope that despite everything my family has done to him, he still wants me.

Even if Dad believes Hunter bought me another crystal and left it here for me, I can’t discount the idea thatArchermight be alive.

CHAPTER38

I LOVE YOU TOO

Paloma

The whole way home, Dad is on the phone with his lawyer. He’s disgusted that after three months I’m still not in possession of my inheritance. I lean my head on the car window and stare at nothing. Tonight, I have to entertain Archer’s killer and pretend I’m this happy little doll. I can’t do it. All I want to do is scratch Hunter’s eyes out and tell the world what he did.

My stomach is in knots by the time the car rolls to a stop in front of our house. I don’t bother waiting for Dad to finish his call. I climb out and head inside. I’m halfway up the stairs when Dad calls after me. I stop and turn to face him.

“Hunter will be here in an hour. Wear your black cocktail dress with the bracelet I gave you.” Dad braces his hand on the banister, waiting for my response.

“Okay.” I nod and continue on my way.

I go straight to the shower. Dad didn’t give me time to change out of my sweaty clothes before. After being in the car for so long, I feel gross. The warm water in my hair releases the tension in my muscles. I make quick work of the shampoo and body wash. As much as I’d like to stay under the warm spray, I know better than to make Dad wait. The last thing I want is for him to come into my room and wait for me while I get dressed.

In the closet, I find a cocktail dress hanging on the valet rod. I slip it on, then apply light makeup to my face before I blow-dry my hair. When I’m finished, I stand back to look at my reflection in the mirror. Dad isn’t wrong when he says this lifeless version of me is pathetic. With a sigh, I return to my bedroom to sit on the bed and wait until it’s time to go downstairs.

Something in the air shifts as I stand in the middle of the suite. I glance up toward the terrace, and my heart skips a beat. His tall frame, clad in dark jeans and a black T-shirt, crowds the threshold. He’s more beautiful than I remember. That intense blue gaze of his is filled with yearning. I can’t move. My bare feet are glued to the area rug. Because the moment I reach for his mirage, and he disappears, my hope will vanish along with him. I want to stand here forever, looking at his impossibly handsome features—his straight nose, full lips, and that cut jawline.

“I love you too,” he says as if the last three months hadn’t happened.

As if we’re still in the Hamptons, and I’m confessing my love for him while he lies on the asphalt dying. Except, he’s in my suite, looking at me with so much love in his eyes. And he’s not dead.

Am I dreaming? If I am, I never want to wake up.

“How?” I go to take a step, but my knee gives out from under me.

I brace for the inevitable pain, but it never comes. Archer reaches me before I drop to the floor and pulls me hard into his arms. His body feels like heaven to me, warm and strong, and very much alive. His heart thumps hard in his chest and makes something inside me ignite. My own heart stopped beating months ago, lost in the dark abyss Archer left in his place after he died. But now, I feel it drumming in tandem with his.

“Are you really here?” I take in a deep breath, trying to contain the rush of adrenaline surging through my body, a mix of glee and desire all in one.

“I am.” His mouth finds mine.

I never thought I would have a chance to feel him again. Bit by bit, his desperate kiss chips away at the void lodged inside my chest. The empty hole breaks apart to let in the light as Archer’s body heat fills me up again with his love.

“You’re alive,” I say on his lips, fisting the front of his T-shirt. “You are alive.” Those three words echo in my head as I lift his shirt to inspect him.

A smile pulls at his lips as he lets me explore his torso. I slide my hands over his abs, then move on to his straining obliques until I find the puckered scar. It looks like the stitches were recently removed, but it’s healed. I run the pads of my fingers over it.

“I’m sorry it took me this long to get back to you.” He cups my face. “I tried to come for you, but my family wouldn’t let me. And I was too weak to even leave my room, let alone go against them.”

“I thought I would never see you again.” I press my body to his, reveling in the feel of his muscled frame against me. “You promised you would never leave. And you did. You left me.” My tears soak his T-Shirt.

“I’m so sorry.” He meets my gaze, smiling at me. “I’ve been dying to kiss these lips since I woke up two months ago.” He bends down and claims my mouth again. “I’m here now.”

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