Page 16 of His to Claim

“Are you scared of my brother?” I ask, crossing my arms, getting straight to the point.

“I’m not scared of anyone,” he says without hesitation.

Then the worst possible thought enters my head. Maybe after he saw me without the mask on, he’s no longer attracted to me. I rub a hand over my heart and the urge to cry hits me. Is that why he’s being so cool now? He just doesn’t think I’m pretty and it’s as simple as that.

Suddenly, I’m so embarrassed and I don’t want to even look at him. Turning the other way, I face the window and stare out at the passing night and cars. Rejection hurts and I know that better than anyone. The only guy I ever dated rejected me and slept with another woman right before I almost slept with him. It was humiliating.

Painful memories of Rendall and what a fiasco that relationship was—if you could even call it that—fill me and my heart aches. What is wrong with me? Am I that undesirable? It seemed like Archer wanted me, but that’s when he didn’t know who I was and maybe it was just exciting because we were strangers wearing masks.

I really have no idea. A part of me wants to ask him. But there’s no way in hell I’m going to subject myself to further embarrassment. No, thank you. I’ve experienced enough mortification for the night.

Since I don’t say anything to keep the conversation going, the rest of the drive is absolutely silent. At some point, I close my eyes, lean my head against the window, and drift in and out of a light sleep.

I’m not sure how much time passes when I hear the crunching of gravel beneath the tires and open my eyes. A quick glance at the glowing numerals on the dashboard tells me it’s been a couple of hours and I yawn, sitting up and leaning forward to get a better look out the windshield.

It’s pitch black out and we’re really in the middle of nowhere. Tall trees surround us and after driving down a long, winding driveway, a small cabin comes into view.

“Where are we?” I ask sleepily. My dress feels too tight and all I want to do is take it off and slip into a warm, comfy bed.

“My place. It’s safe,” he assures me.

“Sorry for being such an inconvenience.”

“It’s fine.”

“I didn’t mean to ruin your evening.”

Archer stops the car in front of the cabin and looks over at me. “Ruin my evening?” he echoes, a dark brow arching. “Sweetheart, you were the best part of tonight.”

My heart flutters in my chest and he’s looking at me so intently that I can’t even string a sentence together.

“C’mon, let’s go inside,” he says and gets out.

I open my door and a cold breeze whips my hair and skirt up, chilling me. Rubbing my hands up and down my bare arms, I watch him open the trunk and pull out a duffel bag.

“Wow. You’re prepared,” I comment. Why does he have a packed bag with him? “Were you planning on coming up here after the party?”

But he shakes his head. “No. I just always have a bag ready.”

“Why?”

“In case I need to leave fast.” He eyes me. “Why do you ask so many questions?”

“I’m inquisitive,” I tell him with a cheeky grin.

“Clearly.” His tone is dry, but he gives me the hint of a smile. “Let’s go inside before you freeze. I have some clothes you can borrow so you can get out of that dress.”

“Oh, thank you,” I gush, following him up the steps and waiting while he unlocks the door. “I can’t wait to get this thing off. As pretty as it is, I’d like nothing more than a pair of comfy seats and a T-shirt.”

“That can be arranged.”

We go inside and Archer flips on a light then locks the door behind us. There’s a chill in the air and he turns the heat on as I move forward, looking around. It’s small, but oh-so charming. A large fireplace takes up one wall with a worn, comfy-looking couch in front of it. There’s a small kitchenette and stairs that go up to a loft which I assume is a bedroom. It seems like he hasn’t been here in a while because I notice a light coating of dust on the entryway table.

“This is nice,” I say, clasping my hands in front of me and rubbing them briskly.

“I can make a fire,” he tells me, noticing that I’m cold. “Fair warning, it’ll heat this place up fast.”

“I won’t say no to a nice, warm fire.” I watch him lean over, unzip the duffel bag and start digging around inside. His tight ass pops out from under his suit jacket, giving me quite the view and I lick my lips.

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