His Wicked Obsession (Archer and Virginia) novel Chapter 176

Katya finally pulled away from Alexei, smugly wiping the corner of his mouth before waving at the two of them.

"Alright, we won't bother you anymore. We have an evening opera to catch. Bye!"

With that, she dragged her boyfriend out just as forcefully as she had brought him in.

Virginia couldn't wrap her head around it. Katya had literally come all the way up here just to flaunt her relationship in their faces.

She sat there in a daze, unable to process what had just happened.

Before she could recover, a towering figure stepped right in front of her.

Archer stood inches away. He reached past her to push the door shut, trapping her completely between his body and the heavy wood.

He looked down at her, his Adam's apple bobbing sharply.

"Virginia."

"...Yes?"

He didn't say another word.

He leaned in, planting one hand flat against the wall while the other slid to the back of her head, locking her in place.

His lips crashed down onto hers.

Virginia's mind blanked completely, a roaring sound rushing in her ears.

She knew she should push him away.

But as her hands came up, the moment her fingertips grazed the crisp fabric of his shirt—and the solid, taut muscle lying right beneath it—she completely forgot how to move.

His lips were warm and slightly dry. He moved against her mouth with a slow, devastating patience, as if this were a perfectly calculated siege he had been planning for ages.

The fingers she had raised to push him away slowly curled into fists, bunching the fabric of his shirt against his chest.

Her body proved much more honest than her mind, and she actually found herself slowly responding to him.

Feeling her surrender, Archer's eyes darkened, his breathing growing instantly ragged.

The hand cradling her head tightened its grip. What started as a tender brush of lips quickly escalated into a deep, consuming kiss.

Soon, even that wasn't enough for him. His mouth trailed away from her lips, tracing the line of her jawline down the sensitive side of her neck, before coming to a stop just above her collarbone.

His hot breath spilled over her skin, sending a violent shiver cascading down her spine.

She couldn't even tell whose heart was beating faster—his, or hers.

Archer lifted his head from her neck, resting his forehead against hers, their noses brushing.

It was then that she saw his eyes—so incredibly dark, swirling with an intense, raw desire that had been suppressed to its absolute limits.

Looking into his eyes, Virginia suddenly had a ridiculous thought: *If only time could freeze right here.*

No Chloe Caldwell. No Toby. No five-year gap of a painful divorce.

Just the two of them.

But reality was merciless, and time waited for no one.

She closed her eyes tightly, ruthlessly crushing that dangerous, burning feeling deep down in her chest.

"Archer."

"Yeah," he rasped, his lips hovering a hair's breadth from hers, utterly lost in the intoxicating heat of the moment.

"I think you're forgetting something," she said, opening her eyes. Her gaze was crystal clear, her voice chillingly calm. "You're married. You have a child."