6. Archer
6
ARCHER
I take Madison's hand in mine, her soft fingers intertwining with my calloused ones as I lead her away from the main lobby. She looks up at me with those warm brown eyes, a smudge of pale blue paint still dotting the tip of her nose from earlier. I reach over with my free hand and gently wipe it away. Madison giggles, her laughter like music to my ears. It's a sound of pure, uninhibited joy - something I haven't heard or felt in a long time.
"Where are we going?" Madison asks as we walk, her voice light and playful. The early evening sun casts a golden glow across her face.
"To my place," I reply simply. "It's not much, but it's home."
I suddenly feel a pang of insecurity. My rustic little cabin in the woods is a far cry from the posh city apartments she must be used to. But Madison smiles and squeezes my hand.
"I'd love to see it. I bet it's cozy."
"It is. Though not nearly as grand as the resort itself," I admit as we trek slowly along the worn dirt path that winds behind the property. "Eleanor was real good to us, letting the staff live on- site as part of our employment. Makes it easier, being so remote up here and all."
Madison cocks her head curiously. "I had no idea there were staff cabins back here."
"Yep, a whole little hidden village of them. Me and a couple of other folks stay year-round to keep an eye on things. The rest come and go with the seasons."
I point through the trees to a cluster of small cabins and outbuildings. As we approach, I find myself babbling to fill the silence, nervousness taking hold.
"It's not fancy like what you're probably used to. No cable TV or high-speed internet out here. Hope that's alright."
"It's perfect," Madison assures me. "I don't need any of that stuff. I'm just happy to be here. With you."
My heartbeat quickens at her words. What is this irresistible pull I feel towards her? I haven't let myself get close to anyone in so long...
We reach my cabin door, and I fumble for my key. Is she really choosing me - a gruff, solitary mountain man - over her sleek city life? I barely dare to hope.
I push the weathered wooden door open and gesture for Madison to head inside. As soon as she crosses the threshold, I follow closely behind, the door swinging shut with a soft thud. The click of the latch echoes in the charged silence between us.
Madison turns to face me, her dark eyes locking with mine. In that moment, the air crackles with a palpable electricity. My breath catches in my throat as she steps closer, closing the distance until we're mere inches apart.
"Archer..." she breathes, her voice barely a whisper.
That's all it takes to shatter my restraint. I surge forward, capturing her lips in a searing kiss. Madison responds instantly, her arms winding around my neck as she melts into me. The feeling of her soft curves pressed against my hardened body sets my blood on fire.
Lost in a haze of desire, we stumble further into the cabin, hands roaming and tugging at clothing. I break the kiss just long enough to trail my lips down the smooth column of her neck, reveling in the breathy sighs escaping her.
"You have no idea how badly I've wanted this," I murmur against her skin. "Wanted you."
Madison's fingers thread through my hair, urging me even closer. "Then show me," she challenges, her voice husky with need.
That's all the encouragement I need. In a flurry of movement, I lead us into the bedroom, articles of clothing falling haphazardly to the floor as we go. By the time we tumble onto the bed, skin meets skin; no barriers are left between us.
I hover over Madison, drinking in the sight of her sprawled beneath me, her beautiful curves, her hair fanning out across the pillow. "Are you sure about this?" I rasp, giving her one last chance to change her mind. "Because once we start, I don't think I'll be able to stop."
Madison reaches up, cupping my face tenderly even as her eyes blaze with unmistakable desire. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life."
The sincerity in her voice, the raw emotion shining in her eyes, it takes my breath away. In that instant, I know I'm lost. Completely and utterly lost to this woman.
"I'm yours, Madison," I vow softly. "For as long as you'll have me."
Then, with a groan of surrender, I claim her mouth once more, pouring every ounce of pent-up passion and longing into the kiss.
Seconds later, I have Madison pinned beneath me on the bed, my body settling between her thick thighs like I was always meant to be there. I take a moment to gaze down at her, marveling at the picture she makes with her hair spilled across my pillow, cheeks flushed, and eyes dark with desire.
"Archer, please," Madison whimpers, arching against me impatiently. The feel of her slick heat pressing intimately against my straining erection nearly undoes me.
With a low growl, I begin kissing a trail down the smooth column of her throat, over the swell of her breasts, pausing to lavish attention on each rosy peak until she's writhing beneath me. Then, lower still, my beard rasping against her sensitive skin as I map the dips and curves of her stomach with my mouth.
When I finally reach the apex of her thighs, Madison's breath hitches, her hips lifting eagerly to meet me. I take my time, pressing slow, open-mouthed kisses along her inner thighs, inhaling the intoxicating scent of her arousal. She's already so wet for me, glistening and ready, and I can't resist any longer.
Spreading her open with my thumbs, I lean in and run my tongue along her slit, groaning at that first exquisite taste of her. Madison bucks against my face with a sharp cry, hands fisting in my hair. Encouraged, I delve deeper, exploring every fold and crease, circling her clit with the tip of my tongue before drawing it between my lips to suck gently.
"Oh God, Archer, yes!" Madison moans, holding me tight against her as I feast on her hungrily, spurred on by her breathy cries and the rock of her hips. I bring one hand up, sinking two fingers deep inside her silken heat, matching the thrust of my tongue against her clit. Her inner muscles grip me like a vice as I work her higher, teetering on the edge.
When I crook my fingers just right, rubbing against that sensitive spot inside her, Madison shatters with a keening wail, thighs clamping around my head as she comes apart under my mouth. I groan against her flesh, lapping at the fresh gush of her release, prolonging her pleasure until she's trembling and spent.
Placing one last tender kiss against her sensitive bud, I crawl back up her body, gathering her close. Madison cups my face, bringing our mouths together in a deep, searching kiss, no doubt tasting herself on my tongue.
"Mmm, that was incredible," she purrs languidly when we finally break apart. "But I'm nowhere near done with you yet, mountain man." Her hand trails down my chest to wrap around my painfully hard length, giving me a slow, teasing stroke.
I grin wolfishly down at her, catching her hand and pinning it above her head as I notch myself at her slick entrance. "Ready for round two, sweet girl?"
Madison's answering smile is pure sin and invitation as she hooks one leg over my hip, urging me closer. "Bring it on, baby."
Slowly, carefully, I push forward, eyes locked with hers as I sink into welcoming heat, inch by agonizing inch. We gasp in unison when I'm seated to the hilt, fitting together like two puzzle pieces finally complete. I hold still for a long moment, savoring the feel of her fluttering around me, hot and tight and perfect.
"I want you, Madison," I rasp, the words torn from someplace deep inside. "I want you so damn much."
"I want you too, Archer," she breathes, tears of joy glimmering in her eyes. "Now shut up and fuck me already."
"Yes, ma'am." With a wolfish grin, I pull nearly all the way out before slamming back in, setting a hard, driving rhythm that has the headboard knocking against the wall and Madison's pleasured cries echoing through the room.
I pound into her relentlessly, angling my hips to hit that magic spot inside her with every powerful thrust. Madison meets me stroke for stroke, nails scoring down my back, heels digging into my ass as she urges me deeper, faster, harder.
The tension coils tighter and tighter at the base of my spine as I lose myself in her, in the slap of flesh against flesh, the broken cries spilling from our lips, the press of her sweaty skin sliding against mine. I can feel her getting close again, clenching around me rhythmically.
"Come for me, baby," I command gruffly, reaching between us to circle her clit with my thumb, my own release barreling down on me.
With a soft cry, Madison shatters around me. I bury my face in the crook of her neck, following her over the brink. Wave after wave of pleasure washes through me as I spill inside her, the intensity nearly too much to bear.
We cling to each other as the tremors fade, slick with sweat and breathless. I roll onto my side, pulling Madison against my chest. She drapes a leg over my hip and an arm across my chest as if she's afraid I'll disappear.
I kiss the top of Madison's head, savoring the warmth and softness of her in my arms. "Stay with me," I whisper.
Madison tilts her head up, gazing at me with eyes full of tenderness. “Okay.”
I blink awake to the pale gray dawn streaming through the cabin windows. The bed beside me is rumpled but empty. Madison? I roll onto my back and rub my tired eyes. Then I hear her voice drifting from the main room.
"Yes, I agree. It’s a lovely resort. It just needs a little work, and it’ll easily be more attractive.” She pauses, probably listening to the person on the other end of the line. "This is all I've thought about since my grandmother passed. Right now, sprucing it up is my number one priority."
My heart seizes in my chest. What the hell? I sit up, sheets tangling around my legs. After everything we shared, after last night... how could she lie to me like this?
"I still have a lot to think about..." Her voice trails off as she moves further away.
I press a fist against my mouth, reeling. She used me. Played me for the love-struck fool I am. The resort, my home, the land I've poured my blood, sweat, and tears into for years - she only sees dollar signs. Not the beauty, the memories, the legacy.
How could I let her get under my skin so easily? Let myself fall for her manipulative charms? I was so sure she was different. That what we had was real.
But it was just a con—a means to an end for her. I was a pawn in her little game. Well, not anymore. I swing out of bed and reach for my jeans, crumpled on the floor.
She made her choice. And it's not me. Not the resort. I was a blind idiot to think a sophisticated city girl could ever be content with a simple mountain man like me.
I tug on my boots with jerky movements, my jaw clenched tight. Fine. She wants to rip my heart out and destroy my home, she can go right ahead. I won't stop her.
But I sure as hell won't stand around and watch her do it. Watch her walk away without a backward glance. Tears sting my eyes as I grab my flannel and yank open the bedroom door. I'm done.