That mouth smiled. “You want to yell at me some more, don’t you?” he murmured.
Yes. But that wasn’t what troubled her. It was the other urge she had—to take off her clothes and climb him like a tree. “I don’t always give in to what I want,” she said stiffly. “For instance, I wouldn’t mind wrapping my fingers around your neck right now and yet I’m not. Admire my restraint, won’t you?”
His smile widened, the sexy ass, and then he shifted so they were actually touching, chest to chest, toes to toes. “Go for it,” he murmured.
Chapter 14
#CantHaveJustOne
Archer watched, fascinated and mesmerized as always by the energy that shimmered off Elle in waves. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes flashing as she slapped a hand to his chest and opened her mouth, undoubtedly to let him have it, and he couldn’t help himself.
He kissed her.
Maybe it’d been to keep her from letting him have it, but mostly it was to get his tongue in her mouth again because he needed the taste of her more than he needed anything on the planet.
Elle held herself still for all of a single heartbeat and then in typical fashion she dove right in, flinging her arms around him with that soft, sexy little moan that came from deep in her throat.
She undid him, every time. Desperate for her, he held on tight. Her breath fanned his face, her lips just grazing his as she pulled back to look at him, her mouth wet.
He stared right back, unable to move, hell, unable to so much as fucking breathe until he had her again. To that end, he slid his hands over her body, knowing now how to make her gasp and writhe against him with that sexy little needy whimper. He had his hands gliding up the back of her thighs when she stopped him with one word.
“Wait,” she gasped.
He froze. “Wait? Or no?”
She hesitated at that and then dropped her forehead to his shoulder. “Okay, here’s the thing.”
Oh good. There was a thing . . .
“I’m still really mad at you.”
“Understood,” he said, wanting to be agreeable.
“I mean really, really mad,” she said. “But now it’s all sort of mixed up with something else.”
“And that is . . . ?”
“I want you,” she said, stirring him up with nothing more than the words. “But,” she said when he started to talk. “I want you on my terms.”
“I’m listening.” In truth, he didn’t care what the terms were, he’d give her whatever she wanted.
“We do this,” she said, “but only with the understanding that it’s within our temporary hold.”
“The temporary hold of me, and let me quote you here, ‘staying the hell away from you’?”
“Yes,” she said. “You good with that?”
No. Hell, no. But he’d worry about it on the other side. He wrapped his hand in her hair and gave a gentle tug so that she was looking at him.
“Archer? You hear me, right? This is happening in another time continuum only?”
“I hear you.” He just happened to disagree. Lowering his head, he leaned in to kiss her but once again she stopped him.
“Another rule?” he asked.
“The light’s on,” she said.
“Yes.”
“But it’s already full daylight and these are fluorescent lights. No one looks good under fluorescent lights, Archer.”
“You do. You look good under anything.” He flashed a grin. “You’re going to look amazing under me.” He leaned in to get started on showing her but she put a hand to his chest.
“I’m serious.”
“I know,” he murmured soothingly while dragging his mouth along the slope of her collarbone, thinking the sooner he got her naked, the sooner she could start to fall for him the way he was falling for her . . .
“Look, I know I carefully cultivate this whole ice queen thing”—she broke off with a moan when he nibbled at her throat—“and that you might think I’m perfect and all, but—”
He snorted against her skin and she smacked him in the chest. He caught her hand and she played tug-of-war with him, giving up when he placed her hand flat on his chest.
“Elle,” he said. “You always look perfect to me.”
“But this is what I’m trying to tell you! It’s all an illusion. It’s the magic of good clothing.” She peered into his face, sweetly earnest. “Do you understand what I’m trying to tell you?”
“No.”
She sighed. “I just don’t want you to . . .”
Cupping her face, he lifted it to his. “What?”
“Be reminded of that girl I used to be,” she whispered.
He frowned at that, completely lost. He’d thought they were playing but clearly they were not. “What are you talking about?”
“The girl who came from nowhere and had nothing and didn’t have any direction or even know who she was,” she said. “That girl! I don’t want you to see her when you look at me.”
He stilled in shock. “Elle, that girl was braver than anyone else I’d ever met. She was willing to do anything to protect her sister, to save her sister, in spite of having zero odds in her favor.”
Her breath caught as if she desperately wanted to believe him but was afraid to. “I’m not her anymore,” she said quietly.
“Yes, you are. Beneath the veneer, beneath the makeup and pretty clothes and badass sexy shoes, you’re exactly who you’ve always been. You just need someone to remind you.” He tugged her cute little sweater off her shoulders and tossed it to his desk. “Show me,” he said softly.
“Show you what?”
“Show me who you are beneath it all.”
She laughed a little breathlessly. “What, I’m just supposed to put on a striptease for you?”
“Reveal,” he corrected. “Reveal the real you.”
She crossed her arms. “Why would I do that?”
“Because I’m going to do the same.” He checked the lock on his door and hit the intercom button on the phone on his desk.
“Yes?” Mollie asked sweetly, knowing damn well that she’d sent Elle back here without warning him.
“I’m unavailable until further notice,” he said.
“What if any of the guys need you?”
“If they like their jobs, they won’t.”
“But you have a meeting in fifteen minutes—”
“Unavailable, Mollie.”
Elle stared at him as he disconnected, her arms falling back to her side.
Archer did his best to look like something she couldn’t live without. He must have succeeded because she said, “You seem like a man with plans.”
“I have you all to myself.” Finally. “I do have plans. Big plans.” Plans to make you want to keep me . . .
“You’re . . . flirting with me,” she said, sounding surprised.
“I’ve been in denial about that but yes. I’m flirting with you.”
She continued to stare at him for a minute and then seemed to come to a decision. She stepped back and untied her wrap dress at her waist.
It fell open.
So did his mouth because she was gorgeous in nude-colored, sheer lace and a pair of black fuck-me pumps.