His footsteps retreated down the hall, calm and unhurried, like he hadn’t just walked past a closed-door humming with unresolved want.
The silence that followed felt louder than before.
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. “Well,” I murmured, resting my forehead briefly against Archie’s chest, “that was… something.”
A low laugh vibrated through him. “Jeremy has the timing of a Greek chorus.”
“Do you think he?—”
“Yes,” Archie said immediately. “And no, he will never say a word about it.”
I smiled, easing back just enough to look up at him. His eyes were dark now, focused in a way that made my stomach dip pleasantly.
“I should probably go change,” I said, though I had no idea why I needed to change my clothes. Maybe to get distance? Maybe to catch my breath? I didn’t want to move, so I didn’t.
“Mmh,” he agreed, clearly not convinced by the suggestion.
I hesitated, then tilted my head. “Hey.”
“Yeah?”
“Your birthday is almost here.”
His mouth curved slowly. “Hmm.”
“What do you want for it?”
The grin he gave me then was unapologetic. Dangerous. Familiar. “You,” he said.
Heat bloomed instantly, low and sharp.
Then his gaze shifted—just slightly—toward the garment bag hanging on the back of the door. The one Rachel had insisted on putting somewhere safe. Somewhere visible.
“And,” he added, “I wouldn’t mind seeing what’s in there.”
I laughed and shook my head, stepping back just enough to reclaim space before my resolve evaporated completely. “Absolutely not.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Not even a peek?”
“Nope.” I backed toward the door, fingers brushing the handle. “You’ll see the dress on Homecoming night.”
His smile softened into something intent. “Worth the wait?”
I didn’t hesitate. “I think so.”
The look he gave me then—like he believed me, like he was already imagining it—sent another shiver through me.
“Dinner,” I said, mostly to remind myself that reality still existed.
“Dinner,” he echoed.
But when I slipped past him, his hand brushed mine—just briefly, just enough—and the promise in that touch followed me out the door.
Some things, I learned, were only getting harder to resist and I wasn’t sure I wanted to anymore.
Work was…grounding.
That surprised me.
