Chapter 13
Gianna
I couldn’t stop laughing.
The kind that came from somewhere deep in my stomach and refused to quit. My ribs hurt, my eyes watered, and I probably looked completely unhinged.
Archie stared at me like I’d lost my mind. “Why are you laughing?”
“Because this is ridiculous,” I managed between gasps.
“We’re stranded on a highway I can’t even name in the middle of a rainstorm.
I’m missing interviews I actually needed for my case.
Your fancy car just died for no reason. And somehow this is the most human thing that’s happened to me in months. ”
He blinked at me. Then his mouth twitched. Then he was laughing too, the sound filling the car and mixing with mine until we were both laughing like teenagers who’d just gotten away with something we shouldn’t have.
“We’re terrible at road trips,” he said once he could breathe again.
“We didn’t even make it to the destination.”
“In our defense, the car betrayed us. That’s not really our fault.”
“You’re the one who offered to drive. I could have taken the bus and been completely fine.”
“The bus would have broken down too. You’re clearly cursed.” But he was grinning when he said it, his eyes bright with humor.
“I’m cursed? Your car is the one having a mechanical crisis.”
“The car sensed your cursed energy and gave up.” He leaned back against his seat, still smiling. “This is actually kind of perfect.”
“How is this perfect? We’re stuck.”
“Yeah, but we’re stuck together. That’s not nothing.” His hand found mine across the console, fingers threading through mine with easy familiarity. “Could be worse.”
“How could this possibly be worse?”
“The rain could get inside. Wild animals could attack. Aliens could abduct us.”
“You have a very active imagination.”
“I’m an optimist. I see the bright side of highway disasters.” He squeezed my hand. “Besides, spending three hours in a car with you sounds better than spending three hours anywhere else.”
The way he said it made my heart hammer despite the cold seeping into the car. “You’re very smooth for someone whose vehicle just died.”
“I’m smooth in all circumstances. It’s a skill.”
We sat in comfortable silence for a while after that, watching rain batter the windows with unrelenting force. The sound was almost meditative, a constant rhythm that made the rest of the world feel very far away. No other cars passed. We could have been the only two people left on earth.
Twenty minutes in, I realized I was freezing.
The heat had died with the engine and cold air was creeping into the car through invisible cracks, turning my fingers numb despite being tucked under my jacket. My teeth wanted to chatter, but I was trying very hard not to let them.
“You’re cold,” Archie said, noticing immediately.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re a terrible liar.” He was already moving, shrugging out of his sweater. “Here.”
“I’m wearing a jacket.”
“Then wear mine too. Layer up.” He draped his sweater over my shoulders before I could protest. “Better?”
“Archie, now you’re going to freeze.”
“I’m fine. I run warm.” But I could see goosebumps rising on his arms through his thin shirt. “Just let me help, okay?”
There was something about the way he said it. Not demanding or insistent, just genuine. Like helping me was important to him in ways that had nothing to do with obligation.
“Thank you,” I said quietly.
“Stop thanking me for basic human decency. You’re setting the bar too low.”
An hour passed, then another. The rain somehow got heavier, visibility dropping to absolute zero. No cars drove by and the cold continued its invasion despite the layers Archie had piled on me. My teeth finally gave up the fight and started chattering audibly.
Archie noticed immediately. Again.
“Gianna.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re shaking.” He looked at me for a long moment, something considering in his expression. “Come here.”
“What?”
“Come here.” He opened his arms in quiet invitation. “You’re freezing and I’m an excellent source of body heat. Stop being stubborn.”
I hesitated. Moving closer felt significant somehow—like crossing a line we’d been carefully dancing around. But my fingers had lost feeling and my teeth were chattering and Archie was looking at me with patient understanding that said he’d wait however long I needed.
I unbuckled my seatbelt and moved across the console into his space.
His arms came around me immediately, pulling me against his chest with gentle certainty.
His warmth was overwhelming, immediate, sinking into my bones and chasing away the cold that had settled there.
I pressed closer without meaning to, my face finding the curve of his neck where his pulse beat steady and sure.
“Better?” His voice rumbled through his chest.
“Much better.”
His hand started moving in slow circles on my back, the rhythm soothing and hypnotic.
I let myself relax into him, into the solid warmth of his body and the surprising comfort of being held.
This close, I could smell him properly—something clean and masculine and woodsy that I was starting to associate with safety.
We sat like that in silence, my breathing gradually steadying to match his. The rain continued its assault on the car but inside felt separate from all of that, like we’d created our own small world that existed outside normal rules.
“I’m sorry,” Archie said after a while, his voice quiet against my hair.
I pulled back enough to look at him. “For what?”
“For ruining your day. You needed those interviews and now you’re stuck on a highway freezing in a broken car.” His expression was genuinely distressed. “This is completely my fault.”
“You didn’t ruin anything.” I shifted slightly so I could see his face better. “Sitting in a broken car in the rain with you is better than most of my perfectly planned days.”
“You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”
“I’m saying it because it’s true.” I reached up and touched his face, my cold fingers against his warm cheek. “I’d rather be here with you than anywhere else right now. Even in a rainstorm. Even stranded.”
His eyes searched mine like he was trying to figure out if I meant it. Whatever he found there made his expression soften, made him lean slightly into my touch.
“Can I tell you something?” he asked.
“Always.”
“I’m falling for you.” The words came out quiet but certain.
“I’ve been falling since that terrace three years ago and seeing you again just made it impossible to pretend otherwise.
You’re brilliant and determined and funny in ways that catch me off guard.
And sitting here with you, stranded in the middle of nowhere, I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be. ”
My heart forgot its normal rhythm, started doing something complicated that made breathing difficult and speaking impossible. He was looking at me with complete honesty, no walls or careful distance, just raw truth laid bare.
“I’m falling too,” I managed finally. “It terrifies me. I’m not good at wanting things. But I want this. I want you.”
His hand came up to cup my face, thumb tracing my cheekbone with deliberate gentleness. “Can I kiss you?”
I didn’t bother answering with words. Just closed the distance between us and pressed my lips to his.
The kiss started soft, tentative, like we were both afraid of breaking something fragile.
His mouth moved against mine with careful attention.
Then his hand slid into my hair as he deepened the kiss.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer, needing more.
His other hand found my waist, fingers pressing into my side through layers of clothing, anchoring me to him.
The kiss turned urgent, hungry. His tongue traced my lower lip and I opened for him immediately, tasting coffee and something warmer, sweeter. He groaned against my mouth and the sound went straight through me, lighting up nerves I’d forgotten existed.
I shifted closer, practically climbing into his lap despite the awkward angle and the console between us. He didn’t seem to mind, just pulled me tighter and kissed me like I was air and he’d been drowning. His hand moved from my waist to my lower back, the touch searing even through fabric.
When we finally broke apart, we were both breathing hard. I rested my forehead against his, our breath mingling in the small space between us. His hand was still in my hair, fingers gentle against my scalp. My hands were fisted in his shirt, holding on like letting go might make this disappear.
“I’ve wanted to do that since the moment I saw you again,” he said, his voice rough.
“You could have done it sooner.”
“I was trying to be a gentleman. Trying to take things slow.”
“How’s that working out?”
“Terribly. I have no self-control where you’re concerned.” He kissed me again, softer this time but no less intense. “None at all.”
I kissed him back, pouring everything I couldn’t say into the contact. All the fear and hope and desire I’d been trying to ignore for weeks. He met me with equal intensity, his hands moving over my back in patterns that made me forget about the cold and the rain and everything except this.
We kissed until my lips felt swollen and sensitive, until I was pretty sure I’d forgotten my own name, until the windows had completely fogged over from our combined breath and body heat.
When we finally pulled apart again, Archie tucked me back against his chest, his arms wrapped around me like he had no intention of letting go.
“You’re dangerous,” he murmured into my hair.
“Me? You’re the one who just kissed me senseless.”
“You kissed me first.”
“Details.” But I was smiling, my face pressed against his neck where I could feel his pulse still racing. “We’re both dangerous.”
“Agreed. We should probably come with warning labels.”
“Warning: may cause highway disasters and inappropriate making out in broken cars.”
He laughed, the sound vibrating through his chest. “Perfect. Very responsible.”
We sat tangled together in comfortable silence, his hand still moving in slow patterns on my back.
I could have stayed there forever.
Then headlights appeared through the rain.
Bright and sudden, cutting through the gray curtain surrounding us. An old pickup truck slowed and pulled onto the shoulder ahead of us, hazards flashing through the rain. A figure got out with an umbrella, walking back toward our car with careful steps.
Archie rolled down his window as an elderly woman peered in at us, taking in our closeness with a knowing smile that suggested she knew exactly what we’d been doing.
“You two having car trouble?” she asked, her voice warm despite the weather.
“Yes ma’am,” Archie said. “Engine died about two hours ago. We’re waiting for roadside assistance.”
She made a disapproving sound. “Nonsense. You can’t sit out here in this weather. My house is just up the road. You can wait there, warm and dry, until help arrives.”
“That’s very kind,” I started, “but we don’t want to impose.”
“It’s no imposition at all. I’m Mary, by the way. And I have soup on and plenty of space.” She looked between us with grandmotherly approval. “Young couples shouldn’t spend their Saturday night stranded on highways.”
I opened my mouth to correct the “couple” assumption but Archie’s hand found mine and squeezed gently, stopping me.
“We’d appreciate the help, Mary,” he said. “Thank you.”
Mary beamed at us like we’d just made her day. “Wonderful. Follow me in your car if it starts, or I can give you a ride if it doesn’t.”
Archie tried the ignition one more time. Miraculously, the engine turned over with a rough cough but started. “We’ll follow you.”
Mary headed back to her truck and we pulled onto the road behind her, following her taillights through sheets of rain.
“You stopped me from correcting her,” I said.
“I did.”
“Why?”
He glanced at me, his expression serious but warm. “Because she wasn’t wrong. Not really. Not anymore.”
“Archie.”
“I know this is fast. I know we’re supposed to take things slow and be reasonable. But Gianna, I don’t want to be reasonable about you.” He reached over and took my hand again. “If you want me to correct people when they call you my girlfriend, I will. But I’d really rather not.”
I looked at our joined hands, at the way his fingers fit between mine like they belonged there. Thought about the kiss that was still making my lips tingle. About falling and fear and wanting things I’d convinced myself I shouldn’t want.
“I don’t want you to correct them either,” I said quietly.
His smile could have powered the entire city. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
He lifted my hand and kissed my knuckles, his eyes never leaving mine. “Good. Because I’m keeping you.”
“Possessive.”
“Completely.” But he was grinning. “You’ll just have to deal with it.”
“I think I can manage.”
We followed Mary’s truck through the rain toward her house, and despite the broken car and the missed interviews and the storm that showed no signs of stopping, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt this happy.