His Wicked Obsession (Archer and Virginia) novel Chapter 514

"Gemma" hugged her knees to her chest, burying her face against them. Her head throbbed with a relentless, pulsing ache.

Julian's words, Dominic's psychotic behavior, along with Archer and Cindy... It all spiraled together, shredding her nerves to pieces.

Just then, a faint scraping of metal echoed from the balcony.

Her nerves instantly on high alert, "Gemma" jerked her head up.

With a sharp click, the restrictor lock on the glass door was violently snapped from the outside, giving way with a dull thud.

The glass door was shoved open an inch, and the freezing winter wind swept inside, sending the heavy curtains billowing into the air.

Seconds later, a towering shadow vaulted over the balcony railing, bringing the frigid cold in with him.

Her heart nearly stopped in pure terror. She opened her mouth to scream.

The figure moved with blinding speed, crossing the room in a few strides and clapping a large hand firmly over her mouth.

"It's me."

A deep, husky voice rumbled right above her head, accompanied by the familiar, incredibly comforting scent of Oud & Bergamot.

It was Archer.

He had ditched his usual immaculate suits for a rugged black leather motorcycle jacket.

The zipper was pulled all the way to the top, covering half of his jaw. His hair was slightly mussed from a helmet, but his dark, mesmerizing eyes gleamed brightly in the dimly lit room.

"Gemma" stared at him with wide, disbelieving eyes.

Not only was she on the second floor of the heavily fortified Harrington estate, but after the casino incident, Dominic had doubled the security detail outside.

She absolutely refused to let innocent people get dragged into the Harrington family's messy quicksand over a woman who didn't even know her own identity.

Archer let her push him, standing as immovable as a mountain.

Seeing her reddened eyes and the sheer panic and defensiveness in them sent a sharp wave of agonizing pain straight through his heart.

"I don't care." He hooked his arm around her waist, pulling her flush against his solid chest. "I only care about you."

They were so close their breaths intermingled.

"Gemma" turned her head, avoiding his intensely predatory gaze. "You have the wrong person. I'm not—"

Before she could finish, Archer caught her chin, forcing her to face him. Dipping his head, he kissed her with unrelenting force.