Passionate Exchange

Chapter Forty-Nine

I ask Archer as I lay on his bed with my legs in the air, "why did you wink at me?" He's sat at his computer desk doing homework. I know, I was shocked by this too. I took the opportunity to come to his room seen as we're the only ones in the house. His parents are at work and Penny's at the store.

"I wanted to get your attention." He tells me as he scribbles something on his piece of paper, his tongue poking out between his lips slightly in determination.

I can't help but laugh. "You wanted to get my attention to leave?"

He swivels around in his chair, biting the end of his pen. I can't rip my eyes away from his lips no matter how hard I try.

"I like seeing the effect I have on you." He admits causing my cheeks to flush. Why does my body have to prove him right? He grins when he notices.

"You do?" I prop my head upon my hands.

"Winking at you made you blush."

Everything he does makes me blush. It's my body's normal reaction to him. I never had this problem before. I could get through an entire presentation without going red which I was always proud of but as soon as Archer's within ten feet of me I turn into a tomato.

"You're lucky Penny was too preoccupied to notice." My eyes narrow slightly, letting him know I'm serious. If he doesn't want her to know about us, he should be more careful.

His grin widens. "I'm very lucky." With his words, his voice grows deeper. Butterflies stir in my stomach as it rumbles through me. He sucks his lip between his teeth as he looks at me, really looks at me. It takes all my effort not to pounce on him there and then.

Feeling confident, I stand up and walk over to him. He watches me intently as I do so though I never let my gaze waver from his. His eyes twinkle with excitement with each step. Once I reach him, I lower myself onto his lap with my legs at either side of the chair. He sucks in a breath. Now it's my turn to grin.

"I affect you."

His lips thin into a line. "Never." He swallows hard, exposing his previous lie.

I giggle softly, knowing that he's trying to deny it but failing miserably. I'll show him I do. A smirk makes its way onto my lips as I place my hands onto his bare skin underneath his shirt, running my fingertips up and down his torso. A current pulses in my fingertips but I focus all my attention on him, waiting for him to show that I affect him.

I lean down so my mouth is next to his ear. "Are you sure about that?" I whisper. He shudders involuntarily. I'm filled with triumph at his reaction. He's only digging himself a deeper hole. He might as well give up now. Except I don't want him to.

He moves his hands to the small of my back before standing up. My eyes widen as my breath hitches in my throat. I wrap my legs around his waist instinctively to stop myself from falling. His grin widens more than I thought it could at this and I roll my eyes, biting my smile.

He drops me onto his bed and hovers above me. His hands are next to my head, caging me in. Instead of feeling trapped by them, I find them comforting. I feel safe in his arms.

"You're a tease."

I laugh and prop myself up on my elbows to bring my lips to his. I peck him lightly, pulling away before it goes any further. He sticks his bottom lip out in disappointment. "Only for you." I copy his earlier actions, allowing my gaze to travel up and down his body. He raises his eyebrows in shock.

Before I can let out the giggle that's bubbling within me, he lowers his body against mine before kissing me. My body acts on its own accord as my hands claw at his back. I kiss him with just as much force.

Remembering the confidence I felt earlier I flip him over, so I'm straddling his waist. His hands move to my hips and I smirk into the kiss. He's definitely proved that I affect him. Right now, I feel on top of the world. His confirmation boosts my ego more than I ever thought it could.

I pull away breathlessly, placing my finger against his lips. Amusement dances in his brown eyes as he watches me. I drop my gaze to the space between us.

"Do you want to come to London with me?" I blurt out.

His eyes widen at my sudden question but not as much as mine do. I wanted to ask him, but I wasn't sure if I was going to. My mouth decided for me, I guess. It also made a lot of other one's for me tonight, like kissing Archer when my mind was being controlled by him.

"When?"

I blush slightly but do my best to hide it. My hair falls in my face when I lower my head, casting a shadow to cover my deep pink cheeks. "I was thinking Christmas break." I bite my lip anxiously. He runs his hands through his hair only for it to fall back on his forehead moments later.

"Don't worry, I'm going to ask Penny too. You're letting me stay in your home, so I thought it was only fair to let you stay in mine."

He thinks about it for a second. I chew my cheek as I await his answer. Is it too weird? I know we're not even together and I'm already asking if he wants to travel to another country with me. I mean, I've already met his parents though. He's yet to meet mine.

"Sure." He answers with a shrug. I'm pulled out of my thoughts at his casual tone.

"You want to come to London with me?" I repeat the question to make sure I'm hearing him correctly, blinking rapidly to further convince myself I'm not dreaming. I didn't expect him to agree this easily.

He reaches up and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. My lips part involuntarily at the intimate action. "Why not?"

Relief washes over me in waves, excitement following it in its wake. I kiss him again repeatedly to show my appreciation but freeze once I remember something. I pull away and am met with that same pout of disappointment. I chuckle softly. Maybe he's right, I am a tease.

"What's wrong?"

He cups my cheek with his hand, and I lean into it, my eyes fluttering closed on their own accord. "What do you want for Christmas?"

He starts to laugh causing a crease to form between my eyebrows. Once he sees that I'm serious he stops. His lips purse into a line as he thinks about my question. "A car, a mansion, a horse-" He starts but I cut him off.

"A horse?" I picture him riding a horse and stifle a laugh.

"That's what I said."

I shake my head in amusement. A horse, really? I wouldn't pin him to be the type who enjoys horse riding. This realisation causes me to begin to wonder if he does actually like horses or if he simply said it as a joke. But, before I ask, I decide against it. I can't let him distract me.

"Tell me something that I can actually get you," I demand. My hands move to his shoulder as I push him down further into the mattress. A smirk grows on his lips.

"I don't need anything." His voice is thick with lust. He's answering my question, yet his mind is somewhere else.

I roll my eyes at his answer. "I'm getting you something, it's not up for debate."

His eyes lower. I follow his gaze to see what he's looking at and realise I'm still straddling him, blushing hard at this. His fingers rub circles into my hips causing me to groan. "It's November, we have plenty of time to talk about it." He makes a good point. "Plus, you're being pretty distracting right now. Christmas is the last thing on my mind."

I clear my throat and try to get off of him, but he grabs my thighs, holding me down. I take a sharp intake of breath at the contact of his skin on mine. It doesn't take me long to forget our conversation.

"That doesn't mean I want you to move." He states.

He grabs my face, pulling it down towards his. I let him. All I want is to enjoy this time we have together while we can. I don't know how long Penny will be at the store, but I hope it's a while.

"I like kissing you, Madison Roberts."

I can't keep the smile off of my face. "I like kissing you too, Archer Anderson."