The next morning, I worked on the budget with Larry and reviewed plans for the Winter Spirits with Hunter, even though I wouldn't be around to carry them out. I'd hoped to see Soren all day, but the most I heard was a couple bumps in the wall, probably for the sake of the guests. By four o'clock, I had finished my work for the day and was about to turn the key in my suite when my gaze darted to the sconce light fixture on the panel next to me. Soren had once told me not to try it, but that was before we became...friendly.

I needed to talk to Soren about my run-in with Archer and some things that had been on my mind. This was his private place, the haven Hazel designed for the brothers. I should have waited it out, but I couldn't. I was running out of time.

Looking down at my clothes, I wrinkled my nose. I was wearing a Reynard polo and khakis. Not exactly what I wanted Soren to see me in after two days apart. I ducked into my suite and jogged to my bedroom closet, stripping off my work clothes and putting on a pair of dark skinny jeans and a jade green sweater that dipped low in the front. Taking my hair down, I let it fall loose around my shoulders and dabbed on a bit of blush and mascara.

When I was satisfied that I didn't look like a hotel manager anymore, I took a deep breath and stepped into the hallway. Before I could stop myself, I pulled on the light fixture and put my palm on the wall. Pushing gently, the panel gave way and swung open. I stepped inside, turning on my cell phone flashlight to light my way.

This passage looked no different from the rest—the same cold, gray stone walls and floors, the feeling musty and damp. It wound up longer than what I imagined, until finally I reached a set of black iron double doors that featured arched windows with floral embellishments. I chewed my lip, nervous to knock. Not because I was nervous to see Soren, but because I didn't want the wrong brother to answer the door.

I exhaled a long breath and rapped my fist on the door before I could chicken out. For almost a minute, nothing happened, and I considered knocking again, but the soft padding of feet stopped me. Soren opened the door and both of his eyebrows shot up.

"Gemma, what are you doing up here?" he asked, looking behind me like I was bringing the guests for a house party with me.

I shrugged, letting my arms drop to my sides. "I wanted to talk to you, and I...I just thought I'd see if you were home." It felt like a stupid thing to say. If he wasn't here, then he was somewhere on the property. Technically, he was always home. "I shouldn't have come. I'm sorry, I'll go," I said, turning away, rubbing my forehead with my fingers.

"No!" He grabbed my arm and ushered me backward. "I was just surprised to see someone knocking on our door. It's been quite some time. The last few years of her life, Hazel had problems navigating the stairs in the dark, so we always went to her. Come in."

He stepped to the side and I entered the only true home Soren and Archer ever knew. It was bright and open with sleek leather furniture and modern decorative pieces. A massive flatscreen tv was mounted to the grey stone wall and on each side were floor to ceiling bookshelves crammed with books. A MacBook sat open on the natural wood dining table with six high-back chairs. The kitchen area was filled with concrete countertops and stainless-steel appliances. The Hydes' home was a far cry from Hazel's suite that was stuck in the 1800s.

Soren gestured to the sofa and spoke over the smokey voice of Stevie Nicks playing from the stereo, "Can I get you anything to drink?"

I walked to the sofa and sank down into the soft leather. "Yes please. Just a soda is fine."

It was strange to be in his personal space, tucked inside his prison. He moved more freely here, his shoulders not as tense and his walk a bit lazy. It even made the dynamic between us feel different, yet he was just as courteous as always. This was where Soren could be himself with no worries.

He returned with two cans of Sprite and cracked them both open before handing me one.

"Thank you," I said, taking a sip and sitting it on a coaster on the coffee table.

He sat next to me on the couch and ran a finger through the hair falling around my face. "Is there something on your mind?"

I nodded and turned my body toward his. "Yes. Did Archer tell you that we ran into each other in the hallway yesterday?"

"My brother hasn't said much to me in the past weeks. Why, what happened?"

I sighed and replayed the entire conversation for him, even the slap I'd delivered at the end of the interaction. "It just got me to thinking..." I stopped, drawing my bottom lip between my teeth. This is another question that I needed the answer to but was too afraid to ask, too afraid to face the possible truth.

Soren set down his soda and turned to face me. "Talk to me."

I looked down at my hands until he put his thumb under my chin and raised my face to his. Sighing, I said, "Does it ever bother you that I was with your brother before I was with you?"

He released my face and clicked his tongue against his teeth. I could almost see his thoughts rolling around in his head as his eyes swept back and forth over the living room before landing back on me. "I'm really not interested in your time with Archer. He moved quickly and his relationship with you was a game to him. There is no comparison between what I want and what he wanted. The only thing that bothers me about him being with you is that he hurt you."

Relief spread through me and butterflies beat their wings against my stomach as I met his gaze. "And what is it that you want, Soren?" I whispered.

"Just to be close to you and enjoy your company for as long as I can. I want what we have to always be simple for you. Something you look back on with fond memories." He tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear. "Is the time we spend together memorable for you?"

"You could say that." One side of my mouth tilted into a smile, and I pressed my lips to his jaw right under his ear. "In fact, I've, ahem, remembered our time together for the past two nights," I said with a wiggle of my eyebrows.

Soren wrapped his arms around me and lifted me onto his lap, my legs straddling his. "And what was it that you remembered the most?" he asked, his fingers inching under my sweater.

My palms drifted to his chest, fiddling with the buttons on his shirt. "There are a few things I can't get out of my head, but your mouth on me is something I'll never forget."

"I'm more than happy to taste you again," he whispered and pulled my sweater over my head.

I finished unbuttoning his shirt and pushed it off his shoulders, running my fingertips over his smooth skin. "Please."

He pressed me into the couch, hovering over me as his fingers made easy work of my jeans. The cool leather calmed my sizzling skin and his hands wandering over me quickly heated it again. Soren kissed his way down my sternum and stomach until his warm breath penetrated the thin fabric of my panties. He licked and bit, and with a groan moved them to the side to place his lips on the place I wanted to feel him the most.

I lifted my hips to his mouth, pressing myself against him. "Oh, God, Soren," I moaned, feeling my core contracting with every nip of his teeth and swipe of his tongue. I tangled my fingers in his hair and pushed gently, letting him know how badly I wanted him. "Don't stop," I begged, my release building almost embarrassingly fast.

He feasted on me as if he were a starving man, and I could fill that hollow ache in him. Every lap of his tongue and kiss from his lips brought me closer. I moaned his name, which only made him more eager to please me. It was as if my happiness in that moment was his. I chased after my release, my body tensing until it couldn't contain the pressure anymore. I lost myself in the unrelenting strokes of his tongue, until I gripped his hair and pulled him away from my sensitive center.

He crawled back up my body, and I spread my legs further to welcome him before wrapping them around his hips. He nuzzled his face in my neck and said, "I can't get enough of you, Gemma."

I laughed and pushed his hair off his forehead. "Well, that's perfect because I can't get enough of you." I sobered when I thought of the other thing that was on my mind. "Soren?"

"Yes?" He drew lazy circles on my back, sending shivers up my spine.

"I read more of the tome yesterday. There isn't that much left to go," I murmured, my lips against his temple.

His fingers stopped their tracing for a moment, but he recovered quickly and asked, "And what did you find?"

"I know why you don't want me to fall in love with you."

"And why is that?"

"It'll break the spell...it's what Archer wanted from me. And if I break the spell...if I fall in love with you...it's over. You'll leave, but you don't have to worry about me anymore and hurting me the way Hazel was hurt. Is that why you were so mean to me when we first met?" I asked, tears choking my voice.

He dropped his head to my chest and released a long breath. His body sank against mine like he had carried this heavy weight for too long, and I saved him of it just in the nick of time. "During one of my last conversations with Hazel, she gave me a warning. She said that I was about to face heartache like I've never known." He swallowed and looked away from me. "She told me that just as she easily fell in love with me, so would..."

"So would I," I finished for him. "You thought if you were a big enough asshole, you'd be able to hold me at arm's length." My lips quirked into a smile. "See how well that worked out for you."

He laughed and shook his head. "It worked out perfectly. Everything I care about is here. Even if you are no longer a part of my every day, I need you to be part of some of my days."

I ran my hands over his skin, lifting his chin and placing a kiss on the corner of his mouth. "I will be. I'm not going away forever, but if you change your mind...I understand."

"Never," he said, picking me up and carrying me into his room.