Avery's Game Of Revenge
Chapter 187: Have Her Way With Him

Chapter 187: Have Her Way With Him

Archie studied every detail, her lips slightly swollen from their aggressive kisses through the night, her dark hair tangled against the pillow, the pale curve of her cheek, and the purplish hickeys scattered along her neck. His eyes trailed lower, catching sight of more evidence of last night’s passion before he cautioned and forced himself to look away, pulling the duvet up to cover her properly.

His attention shifted to the documents on the bedside table: her name change paperwork... and their marriage certificate.

The reality of it still hadn’t fully sunk in, but as his eyes drifted back to her, lingering on her peaceful expression, a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

Last night had been... intense. He hadn’t held back. But guilt was the furthest thing from his mind.

Avery had matched him in every way, surprising him with her own hunger, her own willingness to lose control with him.

A mix of emotions swirled in his eyes and chest; adoration, obsession, disbelief. He had her now. And he wasn’t about to let her go again.

He smirked to himself, murmuring under his breath. Even though he knew he’d have to take a punch from Arthur for this... His gaze softened as he looked back down at Avery. "It would be worth it, though."

Unable to resist, he leaned down, pressing light kisses along her forehead, her cheeks, the bridge of her nose; small, worshipful touches, as if he couldn’t get enough when all of a sudden, without warning, her eyes snapped open.

They both froze, faces mere inches apart, the air between them charged with sudden tension.

Archie didn’t pull back.

And neither did she, her brows furrowing in confusion as she tried to make sense of the face before her and why it was in such close proximity.

Silence ensued between them for several seconds until all of a sudden, Avery let out a scream and leaped away from him, putting distance between them like her skin had touched fire. She rolled to the other side of the bed, fell to the ground but wasted no time in lifting herself back up.

Her back hit the wall, the duvet clenched tightly around her body as her wide, panicked eyes stared at him like a deer caught in headlights.

"What’s going on?" she demanded, her voice high and shaking. "Where is this place? Why am i here? And why are you here? Why are we..." The words poured out of her like a barrage of bullets, fast and frantic, with no pause for breath.

Archie’s frown deepened. For a second, he couldn’t speak. He didn’t want to believe she was asking those questions genuinely, not really. Because if she had forgotten...

If she had truly forgotten what happened last night, or worse, couldn’t remember, then fuck.

This wasn’t going to end well. She already hated him before all this. What if she thought he took advantage of her or worse?

While his thoughts tangled in silent chaos, Avery was spiraling on the other side of the room.

She paced a few steps, the duvet dragging at her feet, hands clenched in the fabric so tightly her knuckles were white. She was waiting—no, bracing—for Archie to explain. To say something. Anything. But he was just standing there, unreadable, too quiet.

Just when she opened her mouth to snap at him again for the calculated look in his eyes, a breeze, sharp and sudden, brushed against her bare skin.

Her gaze dropped to her body and she let out another piercing scream as the realization slammed into her like a freight train. "I’m naked?" she gasped, her voice pitching even higher. "Why the hell am I not wearing anything?!"

Her head snapped toward Archie, and she pointed at him with a trembling hand. "Tell me nothing happened between us! Tell me this was some kind of mistake or—"

But the moment her eyes landed on him, her words withered.

He was shirtless.

Hickeys and deep, angry nail marks were scrawled across his skin like damning evidence.

He was only wearing a pair of dark shorts.

Something had happened between them. Surely.

Archie cleared his throat, voice careful. "You need to calm down."

But the look on her face—pure horror, laced with something that felt like disgust—stabbed into him deeper than he expected. He hated that look. Hated it so much he almost wished he could go back and stop last night from happening altogether.

Almost.

Because nothing—absolutely nothing—could make him regret what had happened. Not the way she had felt in his arms, or how she had clung to him, or the way their bodies had moved like they were made for each other.

"Calm down?!" Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts, raw with disbelief. "You are seriously asking me to calm down?!"

Archie’s expression shifted into his usual mask of nonchalance. "Yes," he said coolly, folding his arms. "Before you pass out from over agitation."

She glared at him, nostrils flaring. But she sucked in a deep breath, trying and failing to regulate her breathing.

Then he said, with infuriating calm, "Judging by your reaction, I take it you don’t remember what happened."

Her eyes widened in horror as she sank down to a squat, the duvet pooling around her feet while her hands dug into her hair.

Her voice came out small. "We... something happened between us. Just answer. Yes... or no."

Archie didn’t respond right away.

His jaw clenched, the muscle twitching as he studied her—her trembling frame wrapped in the duvet, her eyes rimmed with disbelief and dawning fear, her voice barely a whisper, like she was terrified of the answer.

He could lie.

He could tell her nothing happened, that she’d simply gotten drunk and passed out in his room and he’d been the gentleman she clearly wanted him to be.

But that would be a betrayal worse than whatever shame she was drowning in. Plus he was sure she already knew the answer anyway.

So he just shrugged, "You don’t need me to answer that."

Avery nodded, but kept her head buried in her hands, her fingers trembling against her scalp as she tried to summon even a scrap of memory, anything that could explain the gaping hole in her mind and how she got herself in this situation.

She could recall the phone call from Brian last night, and meeting up with him at the bar. They’d talked, ordered cocktails, and even played a few games.

That much was clear.

But what happened after? Did Brian leave? Would he leave without her?

Maybe he took a bathroom break and she had left him alone? That was highly impossible but then, the situation she was currently in was enough to tell her anything could have happened last night.

Had she followed Archie out of the bar? If so, why? And why couldn’t she remember doing it? She was sure she hadn’t drunk that much. A cocktail and a half at most—nothing strong enough to make her black out.

Unless...

Her breath caught.

Did Archie kidnap her? Abduct her while she was vulnerable?

But even before the thought could fully register, she shook her head, the idea dissolving. No. He wouldn’t. As infuriating, cold, and irritating as Archie could be, he wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t take advantage of her, then just sit there afterward, waiting for her to wake up the next morning.

Which only left one option.

She was the one who had taken advantage of him.

Her heart plummeted to the pit of her stomach.

Apart from the sore ache between her legs and a few scattered hickeys, she didn’t feel violated. Not in the way someone would if they’d been forced. If anything, her body felt... ravished? If that was a good word to use.

But even the fact that she felt good about it made her chest tighten with nausea.

Archie, on the other hand; his body was littered with evidence. Scratches, bruises, dark bite marks. He looked like he’d come out of a fight he hadn’t agreed to be in.

Her head lifted slowly, and her eyes found his. They were clouded with guilt, disbelief, something dark and unbearable.

"You’re supposed to be strong," she said softly, her voice nearly cracking. "Much stronger than a nineteen year old."

Archie blinked. "What?" His brow creased in confusion.

"If you’re strong," Avery continued, "then how did I overpower you and have my way with you?"

Archie’s frown deepened. "What the hell are you talking about?"