I love this man.
Beyond thought.
Beyond sense.
Beyond reason.
And as I hold him close, breathing hard from the efforts of our lovemaking, my head still awhirl with aftershocks of desire, I only have one thought.
He is mine, surely as I am his.
I will never let him go.
* * *
After, we lay in the darkness — a tangle of naked limbs sprawled across the wool blanket. Dawn is breaking in the distance, the first rays of the day lightening the horizon. We do not move. We stay exactly as we are, breathing each other in. Savoring the moment.
“Sleep,” he murmurs, kissing the crown of my head. “You must be tired.”
“I… I’m scared to fall asleep.”
“Why?”
“The last time we did this…” I press my eyes closed at the memory of prom night. The ache in my heart when I awoke that day alone. “You were gone.”
His arms tighten around me, holding me firmly against his chest. His mouth presses harder against my hair. “I’m not going anywhere, Jo. I’m not going anywhere ever again.”
“You promise?”
“I promise.” His body shudders beneath me as he inhales. “And I’m sorry. You’ll never know how sorry I am, about that day. If I could take that memory away, I would. If I could go back and change things…”
I tilt my head to catch his eyes. “I know. And you don’t have to be sorry. I forgive you.”
His lips brush mine gently — a kiss so sweet and so soft, tears fill my eyes. “Thank you. You have no idea how much I needed to hear that.”
We’re quiet for a few moments. I trace patterns on the bare skin of his chest, mimicking the carved letters on the wall.
AR + JV
4EVA
He chuckles sleepily, his lips curved in amusement. “That’s right. 4EVA.Forever. Knew it even back then.”
I snuggle closer. If I could burrow under his skin and disappear, I would do it. I appease myself with listening to his heartbeat instead, each steady thump a reminder that he’s really here. Holding me. Loving me.
Mine.
“Archer?”
“Mmm?” He sounds drowsy. His eyes are closed.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
“You said Jaxon is on the run…”
“Mmm.”