Page 101 of The Strawberry Patch Pancake House

He chuckled at the way she emphasized ‘week’ like it had been an eternity but with the way he was kissing her, it felt like it had been a century since they’d had sex. She wasn’t sure how much more she could take.

‘If we have sex again, are you going to freak out and tell me it’s all just physical between us?’ he asked, brushing the tip of his nose along her cheek until his mouth was on hers again, coaxing little sighs from her lips.

‘I don’t think I can claim that anymore,’ she said and felt his lips tip into a smile. How could she possibly claim it was just physical, when she very clearly liked this man. She still wasn’t really sure how it had happened. Somewhere in between the pancakes and the pasta and the kissing and the talking, she’d maybe fallen in love with him.

The thought sent a dizzy thrill through her body.

This had never happened to her before.

‘Good,’ he said. ‘Because I can’t pretend I’m okay with that anymore.’

His gaze met hers and she saw it, she saw that maybe he had fallen in love with her, too, and she couldn’t help the grin that broke out across her face.

‘So…’ she said, running her fingers through his hair. ‘You want to sleep over?’

Archer’s grin followed hers, the dimple popping in his cheek.

‘You know I do.’

The dizzy feeling grew.

‘But…’ He glanced down the hall toward Olive’s bedroom.

‘We’ll be so quiet,’ Iris promised, running her hands across his chest. She’d forgotten that Olive had been safely tucked away at Grandma’s house the last time they did this. ‘And we have the bells in case she sleepwalks. And you know nothing can wake her once she’s passed out. And?—’

Archer cut her off with a searing kiss, pressing her back into the wall and she groaned in relief. If she had to spend another night alone, she might not survive it. Her vibrator certainly wouldn’t.

‘You’ve convinced me,’ he murmured, leaning his forehead against hers.

‘Good.’ She smiled and he kissed her.

They broke apart barely long enough to get through her bedroom door and close it behind them before they were kissing again. She couldn’t get enough of it. Of him. Of this. Archer had broken every rule she’d had about men. Every idea that all she needed a man for was sex.

His lips were familiar now, the feel of his tongue against hers, his hands grabbing and holding her body, the way he moved, the way he groaned as she raked her hands through his hair. It was all familiar. And she’d never had that before. Relationships had been fleeting, hot and heavy for a few weekends, at most. Never this. Never this feeling of longing and desire wrapped up with comfort and friendship.

Never with this feeling of home and family.

It was cozy and nice and still made Iris want to tear Archer’s pants off.

And if that wasn’t love, then she didn’t know anything.

But she didn’t tell Archer any of that, because at the moment she was trying to get him out of said pants and he was trying to get her to slow down.

‘Iris,’ he grumbled. ‘Wait.’ He grabbed her hands and she huffed in disappointment.

‘We can go slow,’ she said. ‘I promise. Just take your clothes off.’

Archer stared at her with heat in his eyes and a little smirk on his lips.

‘Please,chef,’ Iris purred, and he immediately dropped her hands and yanked the shirt over his head. His pants soon followed and Iris was left with a nearly naked Archer standing in her bedroom.

He tried to pull her in close again, but she swatted his hand away.

‘No, no, no,’ she scolded. ‘We’re going slow, remember?’ She gave him a wicked smile as she slowly began her perusal of his body. And it was a good body. Strong and broad, not like he worked out a lot but like he could carry you out of a burning building if needed.

She dragged a fingernail across his chest and he shivered.

‘What are you doing, Iris?’