“Wha—”
“Please …” His eyes dropped from hers to the floor and he scowled again. “I should have dealt with Madison before we left for the day, as soon as I found out she’d been here. I put you in the firing line this evening—again—simply to avoid an unpleasant task, and I am so very, very sorry.”
Chloe pulled her hands free of Archer’s and reached up to encircle his neck. “An unpleasant task? Really? You English truly are the masters of understatement.”
He gave a wry laugh, finally meeting her eyes. “You’re being too good to me, lightening the mood.” She shook her head. “You are.” He regarded her intensely for a moment. “You’re incredible, do you know that?” Chloe shrugged in mock modesty, trying to lighten the mood again. “I mean it. You’re authentic, you’re brave—so brave. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone speak to Madison like that. I certainly never did.” Chloe bit her lip, false modesty replaced with its true version.
Archer sighed. “How about this? I’ll get dressed and go and talk to Madison. I’ll be firm and clear, something I obviously wasn’t before, and then I’ll take you somewhere for dinner, somewhere quiet where we won’t be bothered. Can I do that? Can I make it up to you?”
She nodded. He leant down and kissed her softly, then rested his forehead against hers. “You are a wonder, Chloe Sims. Oh, my heart.” With those last words, Chloe felt hers burst in her chest, flooding her with something she hadn’t felt in, well, ever.
Was she falling in love?
*
Thirty-two minutes seemed to take an awfully long time to tick over, especially when you were waiting for your lover to tell his ex that it was finally, truly, and completely over.
Chloe could either fret and obsess and imagine the worst—a passionate Archer-Madison reunion in the lobby bar of a five-star hotel—or get dressed for dinner.
Her insides in upheaval, she dried off her damp hair, carefully applied a smoky eye and nude lip, slipped on her dark-wash skinny jeans and a low-cut black jumper that nipped in at her waist, and stepped into her ankle boots.
She looked incredible, but she felt like crap. How had she let herself develop such strong feelings for Archer? When had that happened? It wasn’t that she was anti-love or anything. She hadn’t had some excruciating breakup in her past to turn her sour on love and her parents were still (reasonably) happily married. She just hadn’t prioritised it. She had a good job, even if she was starting to think about her next career move, she had her close friends, she had a life. She didn’t need love.
But did she want it? And if she did, what would she need to give up to have it?
“Besides, who falls in love in less than a week?” she scoffed at herself.
It reminded her of those Christmassy romcoms that Lucy liked so much, where entire relationships unfolded in a matter of days. Truthfully, Chloe also liked The Holiday, but as sexy as Jude Law was, his character came as a package deal with two children and Natalie had to give up her mansion in Beverly Hills. Chloe had secretly crushed on Miles, Jack Black’s character. He seemed like a lot of fun and he was so thoughtful and romantic.
Romance! Ah-hah! A clue. Chloe’s thoughts rocketed back to the village Christmas Fair and the Capels. Every exchange she’d had with them, every time she’d thought of them since the day she and Archer had rescued Mrs Capel, she’d been practically obsessed with …
With what?
She lost the trajectory of her thought and, stumped, poked about in the corners of her mind.
With love, Chloe, you twit. Despite the unkind tone of her inner voice, she agreed with it. She’d been obsessed with love—the Capels’s love, for sure, but also her own. The love she felt for Archer, feeling protective of him, that she was completely herself when she was with him, that she had started imagining how their lives could fit together, that she felt loved by him.
When she heard the key card activate the door to the suite, she had one thought. I’ll know for sure when I see him.
He opened the door and looked straight at her, his eyes swarming with emotions—relief, resolve, joy and, yes, there it was, love. Well, that’s my answer. Chloe leapt up and threw her arms around his neck. He clasped her tightly to him and they held each other for what seemed like minutes. When she felt his arms ease, she stepped back a little and looked up at him.
A frown clouded his beautiful features. “I worried you,” he said softly.
“No.” She shook her head to reassure him, but her eyes welled up, betraying her innermost thoughts. Deep down, she must have worried that Archer would reconcile with Madison.
“I have. I’m so sorry, Chloe …” Her tears turned into sobs as relief coursed through her and in a heartbeat, she was in his arms again, his hands cradling her gently as he made soothing sounds.
Eventually, her sobs subsided, and she pressed away from him. Why on earth had she chosen to go with a smoky eye? She must look like a panda. Embarrassed, she dropped her head and wiped her tears with her hands. “Hey …” His fingertips found her chin and lifted it, but she didn’t want to meet his eyes. He dipped his head to place a soft kiss on her lips, somehow not caring that she was a blubbering mess.
Chloe chewed on her bottom lip. Usually sure of the protocol for handling any disaster, she was at a loss in this one. “I must look a mess,” she said with a half-laugh. Perhaps self-deprecation was the right way to go.
“Darling one, you do look upset, but if ever there was a woman who could pull off tears and smudged mascara, it’s you.”
Chloe pressed her hand to her mouth as a breathy laugh burst from her. When she looked
