Archer’s sexy grin immediately put me at ease. Now that I knew he was only looking out for me and wasn’t trying to get in my pants, I didn’t mind dancing with him.
Slipping my hand in his, he tugged me closer until I was flush against him. “I haven’t seen you around much.”
“I was working,” I retorted as he spun me out, then tugged me back to him.
“In the garage? At night?”
“Nope. I found a new job as a hermit.”
He nodded, his eyes scanning the bar before returning to mine. “Glad you took the night off.”
“Why? Were you desperate to see me?” I teased.
“There were no damsels to give a ride home.”
“I’m sure you could have found someone. So, are you back for good?”
“Haven’t decided yet.”
Ever the conversationalist, he pretty much shut me down, but I wasn’t giving up so easily. Under that casual demeanor, I saw something harder. Dangerous. He hid it well, but I had a feeling that was only for the people in town.
“You could always open your own bodyguard agency,” I teased. “You’d be leaving broken hearts all over town.”
His eyes slid to mine, but there was no laughter in his eyes. Something unspoken and tortured swam in his eyes as he came to a standstill. We were the only two on the dance floor not moving, but he seemed to be frozen, unable to snap out of whatever had a hold on him.
“Can I cut in?”
I was so distracted trying to figure out what secrets Archer was hiding that I hadn’t heard him approach.
His presence was overwhelming. The familiar masculine scent was so intoxicating that I didn’t immediately step away. I had missed him so much, and now here he was. I hadn’t seen Liam since the day he showed up at my apartment, pleading with me to give him a second chance.
I was frozen as Archer released me and stepped aside for Liam. And the moment he slid his arm around my waist and tugged mecloser, I melted into him, finally breathing for the first time in six weeks.
My eyes drifted closed as he gently swayed me around the dance floor. I blocked out all the whispers, the penetrating stares, and just let myself enjoy these few moments where my heart didn’t feel like it was shattered into tiny pieces.
“I’ve missed you,” he whispered, his lips brushing against my ear.
God, I missed him so much. I wanted to scream it, to tell him that I forgave him and would give anything to just go back and start over. Tears pricked my eyes as I thought of all the long nights I’d spent without him.
I longed to feel his arms wrapped around me again, to feel his warm skin pressed to mine in the middle of the night. Our romance had been so short-lived, I could almost tell myself I had imagined the whole thing.
But nothing would ever erase what it felt like to belong to Liam. That would be ingrained in my mind until the day I died.
“In sixth grade, I snuck out at night and rode my horse all the way into town. You were doing that dare with your friends…who could stay in the cemetery all night.”
“Why?”
“I know you don’t like ghosts. I wanted to be there in case you got scared.”
“But I had friends with me.”
His hot breath skimmed over my neck as he breathed out slowly. “I knew they were going to leave. I didn’t want you sitting alone all night.”
“I might have left.”
He chuckled in my ear. “You’re too damn stubborn. Even then, I knew you would stay out of spite.”
He was right. I was scared to death, but I leaned against a tombstone all night, refusing to leave. Every time I thought about running away, something inside me told me I would be fine.
