Page 40 of The Elusive Phoebe (The Widows of Lavender Cottage #1)

Without thinking, without calculating the consequences, she reached for him. Her hands found the lapels of his coat, and she pulled him toward her, needing his warmth, his strength, his solid presence to chase away the fear that was threatening to overwhelm them both.

Archie came willingly, his arms closing around her with desperate relief. He held her tightly, as if he could shield her from all the dangers in the world through sheer force of will, and Phoebe melted into his embrace with a sigh that seemed to come from her very soul.

This. This was what she had been missing all her life without even knowing it.

She had never truly been held before. Not like this. Robert had been gentle and respectful during their brief intimacies, but there had always been a careful distance between them, a politeness that prevented true closeness. And before Robert, there had been no one except...

Except Archie. Brief moments stolen in childhood and adolescence—comfort after a fall, celebration after a victory, goodbye embraces before forced separations.

But never like this. Never with the full knowledge of what it meant, what it could lead to, how precious and rare it was to find someone whose arms felt like home.

"I've never..." she began, then stopped, not sure how to put the revelation into words.

"Never what?" Archie's voice was muffled against her hair, his breath warm against her ear.

"Never been held like this. Never felt..." She searched for the words. "Safe. Cherished. Like someone would fight the world to keep me from harm."

Archie's arms tightened around her. "Because that's exactly what I would do. Will do. Am doing."

They stood together in the growing dusk, the sound of waves against the cliffs providing a soothing rhythm that gradually calmed their racing hearts.

Phoebe breathed in the familiar scent of him—soap and wool and something indefinably masculine that was uniquely Archie—and felt the last of her fear begin to ebb away.

"I don't want to let go," she admitted quietly.

"Then don't," Archie said simply. "Don't let go."

The words hung between them, brave and honest and terrifying in their simplicity. Phoebe pulled back slightly to look up at his face, seeing in his eyes everything he had just declared—love, devotion, fierce protectiveness, and underneath it all, hope.

"Archie," she whispered, her heart pounding so hard she was sure he must be able to hear it.

"I know you're not ready to hear it," he said quickly. "I know you need time, need space to figure out what you want. But I couldn't keep pretending?—"

"I love you too."

The words spilled out before she could stop them, before she could second-guess herself or worry about the consequences. They were simply there, as natural and inevitable as breathing.

"I love you," she repeated, stronger this time, more certain. "I think I never stopped loving you, all these years. I just... I was so afraid to admit it, even to myself."

Archie's face transformed, joy and wonder and relief chasing away the last shadows of fear and doubt. "Phoebe..."

"I love you," she said again, because the words felt so good, so right, so long overdue. "And I'm tired of being afraid. I'm tired of letting fear keep me from the things that matter most."

She was ready for his kiss—eager, hungry for the connection she had been denying herself for so long. His lips were warm and sure against hers, and she could taste the salt air on his skin, could feel the tremor in his hands as they cupped her face.

It was nothing like the careful, polite kisses she had shared with Robert. This was fire and need and years of longing finally given voice. This was Archie, her Archie, the boy who had promised her always and the man who had crossed an ocean to keep that promise.

When they finally broke apart, both breathing unsteadily, Phoebe remained in the circle of his arms, unwilling to give up the warmth and safety she had found there.

"What happens now?" she asked, looking up at him with eyes that were bright with unshed tears.

"Now," Archie said, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead, "we keep each other safe. We solve Robert's puzzle. We deal with whatever threats are hunting us. And then... "

"And then?"

"And then we figure out how to build a life together. If that's what you want."

"It is," Phoebe said without hesitation. "It's what I've wanted since I was fifteen years old. I just forgot how to want it."

"Then that's what we'll do," Archie promised. "Together."

As they finally made their way back toward the cottage, still holding hands, still stealing glances at each other like conspirators sharing the most wonderful secret, Phoebe felt as though the world had shifted on its axis.

She loved him. She had said it aloud, and the sky hadn't fallen, and her heart hadn't broken from the vulnerability of it. Instead, she felt lighter than she had in years, as if some burden she hadn't even known she was carrying had finally been lifted from her shoulders.

Mrs. Figgins appeared in the cottage doorway, her face creased with concern. "Is everything all right? I heard shouting."

"We had an uninvited observer," Archie explained tersely. "Mrs. Figgins, have you noticed any strangers in the area recently? Anyone asking questions about the cottage or Lady Smalling?"

The housekeeper's expression grew alarmed. " No, sir, nothing like that. But then again, I've been mostly keeping to the cottage since you sent word you were coming. The added security measures have been added.”

Phoebe tried to keep her voice calm despite the fear coursing through her veins. "Perhaps we should move our departure to first light tomorrow?"

Archie nodded grimly. "I'll send word to London tonight, alert our contacts there of the situation.”

As they settled into the cottage for what would clearly be an uneasy night, Phoebe found herself looking frequently toward the windows, wondering if their mysterious watcher was still out there in the darkness.

"We're close to something," she said quietly as they shared a late supper. "Robert's enemies can sense it. They're getting desperate enough to risk showing themselves."

"Which means we need to finish this quickly," Archie agreed. "The longer we take to complete Robert's puzzle, the more time they have to organize against us."

"London, then. Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," he confirmed. "And once we have all three pieces of the cipher, we'll finally understand what Robert left for you—and hopefully, we'll have the tools we need to end this threat permanently."

Phoebe touched the small package containing the cipher device and Robert's documents. "Whatever it is, it must be extraordinarily valuable for them to risk so much to obtain it."

"Or extraordinarily dangerous to them," Archie said thoughtfully. "Perhaps what Robert left isn't just valuable—perhaps it's the very thing that could destroy his enemies once and for all."