Page 157 of Empire of Ache & Ruin

“I don’t need one.” He plants a quick kiss on my cheek, then whispers, “Try not to scream.”

He picks me up and tosses me over the wall. I place a hand over my mouth to muffle my scream as I hang in midair, turning a few circles in the dead of night as the rope unwinds. A few seconds later, Archer climbs down the rope and positions himself behind me.

“Ready?” He presses his lips to my ear.

I nod. He releases the rope, and we go flying straight down, stopping only a foot before we hit the ground. I’m still dizzy, trying to figure out what just happened when Archer begins to remove all the ropes off my body. When he’s done stuffing his equipment back into a large backpack, he takes my hand and heads straight toward the woods behind the house.

“There are only two men guarding the back fence. We’ll be able to sneak past them.” He ushers me through the gardens.

I glance behind me at my childhood home, feeling nothing at the prospect of never seeing it again. I follow him into the safety of the dark behind the tree line. If I had to guess, we were headed to his house two miles away. Dad had mentioned that the home had been abandoned since Archer left. He had his men scope out the place before we moved back to Bedford. He wanted to make sure Archer’s family wouldn’t try to contact me.

By now, I’m sure Dad has figured out I’m not joining him for dinner. How long will he wait before he comes looking for me? Before he realizes I ran away with Archer. Butterflies flutter in my belly. I’m with Archer again. And he loves me.

“We’re going home?” I ask, holding on tight to his hand.

He stops and turns. For some reason, my question makes him beam at me. “Yes, Paloma. We’re going to our home.”

“Dad will not stand for this.” I step closer to him.

“We’ll deal with him when the time comes.” He dips his head toward the shimmering light in the distance. “We’re almost there.”

An hour later, the pond behind his property glistens under the moonlight. Even though the last time I was here the ground was covered in snow and the pond was frozen, this place feels like home. I almost died here, but I didn’t because Archer was here to save me. Just like he saved me again tonight.

“Bad memories.” He slows down his pace now that we’re in the safety of our home.

“Not at all.” I smile at him while the night becomes alive around us with the rhythmic buzzing of cicadas, the chirping of crickets, and an owl hooting in the distance. Our voices disturb the call of the spring peepers. The tranquility of the pond settles around us as water trickles quietly somewhere to our right. A minute later, when they feel safe again, they resume their singsong. “This place is so beautiful. When I woke up this morning, I never thought I’d end the night with a moonlight stroll with you.”

“When I woke up this morning.” He walks me back until I’m caged between his body and a huge tree. “I thought about how I could not spend another day without you.” He bends down and kisses me hard.

“I want you.” I slip my hands under his shirt, feeling his skin grow hot under my touch.

“Fuck.” He kisses my neck. “Even when I was in a coma, I couldn’t stop thinking of you. I dreamed of nothing else but you.”

I don’t have the heart to tell him that I made myself never think of him, not even his name. Knowing I would never see him again hurt too much. I was a coward who couldn’t deal with the pain of losing the love of her life. But all that is behind us now. Archer is alive. He came for me.

“I need you now.” He captures my mouth again, and our tongues collide in a desperate dance.

He cups my butt cheeks. On instinct, I wrap my legs around his waist and immediately feel his hard length press against my aching bud. His lips never leave mine as he frees his erection and enters me, stretching my walls to their limit. I dig my nails in his back, reveling in the feel of his steel cock deep inside me.

“Fuck, Little Dove.” He pauses to inhale against my neck. “You feel better than I remember.” He rolls his hips into me.

Bracing a hand on the tree trunk, he leans me against it to support most of my weight. He meets my gaze and then powers into me. Sex with Archer is like getting plunged into another world, a place where nothing matters but my own pleasure and the fulfillment of all my desires. He grips my hips tight as he continues his relentless torment on my G-spot.

My core tightens as he swells into me with precision. I’m already spiraling, tottering at the very edge of the cliff. Desires burns through me, and I can’t hold it anymore. Too much time has passed since the last time I felt this alive.

His entire body tenses, and I know he’s about to climax too. Gripping my ass, he pumps hard into me, fucking me without mercy in the only way he knows how. I want no one else. Only him. I let my head fall back and let my orgasm rip through me.

The sensation that fills me up is hot and raw. It’s more than pleasure or bliss. It’s everything combined into one perfect release of all this love I’ve contained inside my body when I thought he was lost to me.

“Jesus.” Archer wraps his arms around me as we ride the last of our climax together.

“Omigod.” I labor to catch my breath. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too.” He sucks hard on my neck, branding me as his.

He holds me against him for a few minutes, before he lets my legs fall to the ground. I lean on the tree as blood rushes to my legs. With a knowing smirk, Archer bends down and scoops me into his arms. I don’t protest as he carries me past the pond, beyond the tree line back to our home.

I lean my head on his shoulder and let the sway of his steps lull my senses. As soon as we cross the gate, he helps me into a golf cart. Smiling, I watch him walk around and take the driver’s seat.

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