Page 96 of The Duke's Wicked Proposal

“I might... consider it.”

He smiled, slow and soft. “Yeah?”

She nodded. “Not Europe. Not yet. But maybe... something nearby. Somewhere new. With you.”

“We could find a cabin. A quiet beach. Or the mountains.”

She curled closer, their legs still tangled. “You don’t think I’m being ridiculous? For not wanting to go too far?”

He shook his head. “Not even a little. You’ve lived a thousand lives in half the time. If you want to stay still, we stay still. If you want to roam, I’ll follow.”

She kissed him, soft and sweet.

From the hallway beyond the bedroom, a voice rang out—loud, dramatic, unmistakably Lady Mulberry, “Norman has been mostnegligentin his duties to his sister! I haven’t seen him all morning!”

Kitty froze, her eyes wide.

Norman groaned and buried his face in her neck. “God, she’s still here?”

Kitty tried to suppress her laughter, but it bubbled out anyway, uncontrollable.

“We’re going to have to face her eventually,” she whispered between giggles.

“Eventually isn’t now,” he mumbled. “Let her suffer.”

Kitty grinned and kissed his hair. “She’ll have a full-blown opera scene if you don’t check in.”

He sighed, then nuzzled into her. “Let her sing.”

They lay like that, giggling quietly, hearts full. Every breath they took seemed to bring them closer, like the universe had finally narrowed to just the two of them. And in that sun-drenched room, with tangled limbs and the sound of distant drama echoing through the walls, Kitty realized something:

She was home.

And she wasn’t going anywhere.

The End?