Her swallow is faintly audible and when she speaks, it isn’t much louder. “Maybe I wanted to come talk to you.”
With that, I bite down my smile and turn to look at her. “Seems to me you’re only interested in talking when there are no living witnesses.”
That makes her snort and visibly relax as she takes a small step forward. I lean on the table, creating space between us that nearly kills me.
“Seems to me,” she mimics, “I’ll have to get over that sooner rather than later.”
“Is that so?” My tone drops to a husky voice that’s better suited for a dark bedroom. The moon-lit night feels right for us somehow.
She takes another step forward. Quietly, she admits, “Sybil wants to move in tomorrow.”
I can’t help but snort. “She’s always been impatient. How do you feel about that?”
She shrugs coyly. “I’m not sure—as long as you both are positive, I have no complaints. The coven is open to anyone looking for a home and a family.”
“Mm,” I hum. “I like that.”
This time her gulp is silent, given away by the small bob of her throat.
“None of that, Archer,” she scolds, but there’s no fight in her words for once.
“None of what, Renata?” I ask, pushing off the table. “You don’t want to hear every thought I have? The things I like and dream about?”
She shakes her head. “I already have a good idea what you dream about.”
“Yeah, you.” I reach up and run my fingers along her cheek. It’s intoxicating now that I have felt the softness of her porcelain skin. “Always you, my great undoing.”
She lets out a dry laugh, but doesn’t pull away. Fuck, that is the biggest win so far.
“That’s exactly what I’m trying to avoid.”
The tone of sincerity sparks a new wave of questions. Starting with,what the fuck does that mean?But this is a rare, beautiful vulnerability she’s offering me, and I’d take this moment over a thousand answers.
What does that say about me? Probably that Esme’s nickname is correct.
“What if I want you to know everything?” My hand slides down her cheek and rests gently along the nape of her neck. My fingers tangle in her long, silky hair and I use it to my advantage, tilting her head back so she’s looking me in the eyes. “What if I even begged for it? If I got down on my hands and knees right now for you? Hm?”
“Archer,” she pleads. I’m about to drop my hand, thinking she maybe really doesn’t want this. Before that heartbreaking rejection has settled, she slides her hands under my open leather jacket, settling there as she lightly rubs them against the thick cotton of my sweater.
Her eyes are heady and her full, pink lips are partially open, waiting.
She’s fucking gorgeous.
That word doesn’t begin to encompass what exactly she does to me—how my blood runs hot at the sight of her, or the heart palpitations that begin from a second of her attention.
Lover boy, indeed.
“Don’t fight it—don’t fightme.” I assess her, watching her resolve crumble before my eyes, but the uncertainty is still there. I would do anything to scrub it from her features forever. “We’ve waited a decade for this, and it wasn’t a coincidence.”
“Oh, the fates that bind us,” she murmurs. It’s an old saying and not one my family uses—at least not my parents and siblings. I recognize it from Everly’s text, though.
“I only care about the ones that brought me to you, Little Wisp.”
The subtle way she leans forward is all I need to gain the last ounce of encouragement to make my move.
With my hand still tangled in her hair, I tilt her head to the perfect position for me to fit my lips against hers.
It’s the most exhilarating moment of my life—until the door behind her bursts open and Renata practically jumps out of her skin.
