Page 33 of Finding Home at Hearts Hotel

"Finally a moment alone," Darius whispered into her hair, his low, rich baritone carrying a wave of relief as he pulled her close against his chest.

Linda let out a contented breath, her heart giving a wild, rapid leap against her ribs as she relaxed back against his solid, reassuring frame. Her hands came up naturally to rest against his broad chest, feeling the steady, strong beat of his pulse beneath his shirt. "I'm sorry it has been so incredibly hectic here today."

"I can easily imagine," Darius sympathized, his fingers lightly tracing a comforting pattern over the fabric of her shirt as he leaned down, his forehead resting gently against hers. "But you are doing a beautiful job, and your uncle looks happier than I’m sure he must have been in weeks. It is worth every ounce of the effort."

Linda smiled, her green eyes locked onto his handsome features in the gloom of the office. The room smelled of old paper, leather, and the sweet pine breeze drifting through the slightly open window. "Michael told me that everything went well with the municipal council today," she noted, her voice sounding hopeful.

"Yes, it did," Darius said, his expression turning tender and genuine. "We managed to secure the final zoning clearances for the development parcel without a single administrative delay. Isabel, Michael, who is now acting as our lead legal counselalongside Penny for the private heritage trust our parents established for Sweet Blossom Bay, and I have a formal meeting scheduled with them next week to finalize the infrastructure protections."

Linda felt a radiant wave of happiness flood her chest. The news was better than she had dared to hope, ensuring that the local shops and the historic layout of the bay would remain safe from any corporate interference. "That is even better news."

She looked up at him, her heart swelling with an overwhelming affection for the man who had risked so much of his own standing to save her family's home. Her arms looped gracefully around his neck, her fingers tangling in the hair at the nape of his neck.

Darius didn't hesitate. Their eyes locked for a single, breathless second, and then his lips were pressing against hers in a deep, slow, and lingering kiss. The world outside the heavy oak door vanished, the sweet heat of his mouth on hers sending a dizzying tingle straight through her nervous system.

A sharp, metallic click broke the quiet.

The heavy office door swung inward, and Michael stepped through the threshold, his eyes scanning the desk before he froze mid-stride, taking in the close embrace of the couple near the window. He stopped short, a sheepish, knowing grin quickly breaking across his face.

"Oops..." Michael said, raising his hands in a defensive gesture as he began backing toward the hallway. "Sorry about the intrusion."

They broke apart quickly, Linda's cheeks warming with a vibrant, deep flush of pink as she smoothed down the frontof her linen shirt. "It's okay," Linda said, her voice slightly breathless as she adjusted her collar, trying to recover her professional poise under her brother's teasing look. "I actually needed to get back to the kitchen to help Rosa with the guests anyway."

Michael chuckled, offering them a supportive nod before disappearing back toward the terrace to give them some space.

Darius walked her slowly toward the kitchen entryway, his fingers lightly brushing against hers as they walked. "I believe there are a lot of major announcements planned for the evening," he noted, his dark eyes dancing with amusement.

Linda's eyes narrowed in playful suspicion as she stopped near the door, her hands resting on her hips. "Ah, who talked?"

"I heard Owen telling Isabel about Michael and Maggie's impending news," Darius admitted, his lips curving into an irresistible, boyish smile.

Linda tilted her head, a teasing laugh escaping her throat as she looked up at his handsome face. "Were you eavesdropping on your sister?"

"Guilty," Darius said with a laugh, raising both of his hands in mock surrender. "I was actually walking past the side garden on my way from the garage and happened to hear them discussing the details near the rose bushes."

"I'll have to warn Isabel that her brother has a terrible habit of lurking in the shrubbery," Linda teased, her heart feeling incredibly light as she reached for the kitchen door handle.

Darius laughed, his fingers giving hers one final, supportive squeeze. "I'll see you out on the lawn, Ms. Heart."

"See you soon, Mr. Wayne," Linda murmured, her face bright with happiness as she stepped back into the busy, joyful bustle of the kitchen, ready to face the rest of the magical evening.

Darius

The late afternoon sun had slowly faded behind the dark silhouette of the pines, leaving the sky over the bay blanketed in a violet twilight. Darius stood in the center of the high-ceilinged hallway of the family home, his fingers lightly adjusting the linen collar of his shirt. From the open glass doors at the far end of the corridor, the gentle, comforting sounds of the evening gathering drifted through the house. He could hear the rhythmic trickle of easy laughter, the light clinking of glasses, and the smoky scent of the barbecue pits mingling with the sweet fragrance of night-blooming jasmine near the veranda.

For the first time in so many years, Darius felt a sense of peace filling him. The suffocating weight of the corporate battle had finally lifted; the threat against the hotel was permanently gone, and the future of the bay looked brighter and clearer than he had ever dared to dream. His thoughts, as they so often did lately, drifted toward Linda. He could picture her out on the lawn, her green eyes shining under the fairy lights, her easy, happy laughter grounding the evening with a beautiful reality. He thought of their walk on the beach earlier that morning, the feeling of her hand sliding so naturally into his, and the lingering kiss they had shared under the gold light of the rising sun.

He was about to walk toward the back porch to go find her and rejoin the lively group of family and friends when a firm, polite knock at the front entrance caught his attention.

Darius paused, his shoes halting against the polished hardwood. He glanced around the spacious foyer. There was no one else in sight inside the house; Michael, Maggie, Martin, and Penny were already out on the grass, and the rest of their tight-knit circle was busy helping Rosa and the chef carry the final catering trays down the terrace steps. He turned on his heel, his leather shoes clicking quietly against the floorboards as he walked back toward the heavy oak front door to answer it.

When he swung the door open, the salt-rimed breeze of the gulf swept over him, and he froze in surprise.

Baxter and Gill were standing on the wide porch steps, their figures silhouetted against the gold-dusted twilight sky.

"Hi," Darius said, and as the simple word left his lips, he realized that for the very first time in decades, he was actually, genuinely glad to see his cousin standing on his threshold. The old, sharp barriers of executive suspicion and bumbling corporate rivalries had melted away, leaving only the solid, unshakeable bond of family. He looked at Baxter's relaxed shoulders, a quick wave of nostalgia moving through his chest.

"Hi," Baxter and Gill greeted him in unison, their voices relaxed, and fully devoid of the tense, defensive weight they had carried during their exhausting weeks in South Carolina.