Page 19 of Fallen Legacy

I yawn. I’m exhausted. It’s been a full-on day and I’m ready for sleep.

“Come on, let’s head inside,” he suggests, standing up and offering me his hand. This time I take it, letting him pull me up and for a second we both just stand and stare at each other. I clear my throat and pull my hand from his. “You head to bed. I’ll tidy up out here and bring you a hot chocolate up.”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him that all this sweet attentive behaviour won’t work on me, but the words stick in my throat. It really feels like he’s trying to make amends and change. Feeling unnerved by him. I almost run to the bedroom, and I quickly change into the leggings and T-shirt he has left out on the bed for me. He comes into the bedroom some ten minutes later and places the hot chocolate on the bedside table next to me. I don’t miss that he has put whipped cream and marshmallows on it for me.

I try not to ogle him as he strips down to his boxers and climbs into the bed beside me. “Shall we watch Peaky?” he asks me, pulling out his I-pad and opening the Netflix app

I nod my head. We both love the show. Archer reminds me a lot of Tommy, the main character. He’s cocky and self-assured, but he’ll do anything to protect his family.

* * *

On Sunday,we spend another day hiking. Archer packs us another picnic and we sit and eat our food surrounded by the Scottish countryside. It’s so peaceful and serene that you really can forget that there’s an entire world out there. We’re in a little bubble, just the two of us. I can’t even lie and say I’ve hated every minute, because I have enjoyed myself. We stayed up late last night and binge-watched our favourite show. I’ve enjoyed his company, and that’s what is making this so hard. I hate him for lying to me, and I feel like he conspired against me with Wilbur. Can I ever move past that and forgive him and trust him again? He swears I’m his priority now, but how can I believe him? After losing my parents, I haven’t been good at letting people get close, but I let him in and look where it got me. I was left humiliated, hurt, and exposed. It made me feel weak.

We return to the lodge at three in the afternoon and I head straight upstairs for a bath to soothe my aching feet. I return downstairs, finding a very relaxed Archer sitting in a comfy-looking armchair by the large floor to ceiling windows. He’s reading a book. I don’t know why, but I didn’t expect him to be a reader, and it makes me realise there is still so much that I don’t know about him. Our relationship, if that’s what you could even call it, has been fast-paced and very physical.

“You can read,” I state as I enter the room and take a seat on the large sofa to his left.

“I can do many things, Scar, and I do them well,” he replies, briefly lifting his head from his book and sending that signature panty-melting smirk my way.

“What are you reading?” I ask him, being nosey. I’m curious what kind of books he likes to occupy his mind with.

“It’s a book about a guy who travels back in time.”

“Wow, I didn’t have you down as a sci-fi kind of guy? Isn’t that a little geeky for you, the big, bad, leader of the Aces?”

He places his book down on his knee and he arches a brow. “Are you mocking me, Scar?”

“What if I am?” I retort back, feeling brave.

I yelp when he rises quickly from his seat and stalks my way. “Archer,” I protest, holding out my hands to keep him at arms-length. “What are you doing?”

He waggles his brows playfully at me. “Time to put you in your place, little miss sarcasm.” He dives for me, and although I try to get away, his arm wraps round my waist and he lands on the sofa with me on top of him. My back is to his chest. With his other hand, he reaches under my armpit and tickles me.

“I’m not ticklish there,” I tell him with satisfaction.

“Looks like I’m going to have to tickle you everywhere then. Everyone has a ticklish spot.” I protest and squirm as he explores my body and I screech when he touches my left foot.

“No, no please, not my feet,” I beg him. My feet are ridiculously ticklish, so much so that I’ve never been able to get a foot massage or have my toenails professionally painted. “Archer, stop, please. I’ll do anything,” I beg him in between laughing. “I’ll wee.”

“You wee on me, Scar, and I’ll spank you so hard you won’t be able to sit down for a week.”

“Hah! We both know I’d enjoy that, so that’s not really a punishment. Argh, stop,” I say between chuckles, squirming to get his hand away from my foot.

He rolls us so that I end up under him on the sofa. Our bodies are pressed tightly against each other. “You’ll give me anything, huh?”

“Well, I may have overstretched that statement slightly.”

“A kiss,” he tells me. “I want a kiss. And I don’t mean a peck, I mean I want tongues and everything.”

“I hate you,” I snap, pouting at him. The more I kiss him, the more my stupid heart tells me to forgive him, and my head starts arguing that what he did wasn’t all that terrible. “One stupid kiss,” I tell him.

He nods his head, grinning at me. “One amazing, toe-curling kiss. I promise.”

I sigh, shaking my head at him. So cocky!

With my heart pounding in my chest, I raise my head up and press my lips against his. He immediately cups the back of my head and brings me closer, his tongue slipping inside my mouth. I forget all reason and I kiss him back like my life depends on it. Why does he have to be so good at this? He surprises me when he ends the kiss. I expected him to take things further, but he holds my gaze for a second before climbing off me and stalking off the to the kitchen without saying a word. I sit up and stare after him, my stupid libido begging me to call him back here to continue what he started. Thank goodness we’re going home tomorrow because too much more time holed up in this cosy lodge with him and I might lose all reason and just give in to my desires. Monday can’t come quick enough.

ELIZA

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