“Stay,” I whispered. I couldn’t bear the thought of another night without her.
She smiled at me, making my heart beat even faster. “I will,” Rose nodded, leaning in to kiss me. It was a soft, almost gentle kiss, one which I returned before deepening it, tongue darting out to meet hers.
As I watched her slowly fall asleep, all I could think was how lucky I was to have met her. How good she looked next to me, both at the gala and now, naked in my bed.
Chapter Fourteen
Rose
Of all the different things I had expected to happen when the new Duke of Claxthorpe arrived, falling in love really hadn’t been one of them. True to his word, Austin learned more about etiquette and manners. He studied the history of his family and of Claxthorpe with such energy that I joked he might need to consider getting a Ph.D. in it.
But no matter how much I wanted Austin to stay, he couldn’t. He had a career in America. And I had one here. Claxthorpe was home for me. It always would be. I went over to the States on visits, watched Austin drive. It made me both feel proud and somewhat wish I’d never seen just how dangerous it could be.
Austin loved showing me around, teasing me about how it was my time to learn his culture. I couldn’t imagine anyone better to teach me. When I had told him as much, Austin had beamed.
Having a cross-continental long-distance relationship was... hard.
Yet, the times we did see each other, things just felt right . Yeah, I wanted Austin to move to England and he’d tried to ask me if I’d move to America. In the end, we had to learn to juggle our work and our lives in a way that allowed us to be together.
Both of us visited, but the visits always felt too fleeting.
Now, as I waited for Austin in the arrivals queue, butterflies swooped around inside my stomach. It was November. Exactly a year after Austin had first arrived in England.
We’d get months together!
The sign I had fashioned read ‘Duke of Hot Ass’. I could tell the moment Austin spotted it, because his smile went so wide it must’ve physically ached.
He raced across the room to me, dropping his bags at my feet so he could sweep me up in his arms. He lifted me, pulling me tight against his body as he sought out my lips. We kissed until our lungs were burning, pouring all the months’ worth of longing and desire into the contact.
When Austin pulled back, I gripped the lapel of his jacket, making him hold still so I could get a look at him. He looked different than he had when I’d first met him. Not physically - he still had the same hair, the same eyes, the same muscled chest that made me want to slide my hands under his shirt.
He looked at me differently. “I missed you, beautiful,” he breathed.
I could feel my own smile widen, but there was also a definite softness at the edges. “I missed you, too,” I told him truthfully. We spoke almost every day, either on the phone or via some form of video chat. It wasn’t the same as seeing him there. Being able to touch him and take him home felt pretty great.
“Mark’s instructed the staff to make all of your favorite dishes, so I hope you’re hungry,” I said with amusement clear in my voice. Mark had definitely grown to love Austin as either a son or maybe a younger brother. Not that he’d admit to it, but we all knew. He’d been almost as excited about Austin’s arrival as I was.
Austin ran a hand down my side, stopping at my hip. “I’m hungrier for you than for food,” he whispered, bending so that only I would be able to hear him. I could definitely sympathize with that. It was all I could do not to rip Austin’s clothes off right there and then.
“Think we can stop off somewhere on the way?” he suggested, waggling his eyebrows. “I don’t think your Citroën will be very comfortable, but we can give it a go.”
I laughed at that. Mostly because I knew that, despite his teasing, Austin was completely serious. “We absolutely can not,” I answered shaking my head. “Let me remind you of your status, Your Grace,” I added, giving Austin a pointed look.
“And besides,” I said as I walked us out of the airport. “I have been advised that a duke should be picked up in an Aston Martin, so I’ve done that.” There were a lot of cars that belonged to the estate. Probably more so now that Austin had taken over. I knew that me coming to pick him up in a British car would excite him.
Maybe not quite as much as a quickie on the side of a road. Which we definitely were not going to do.
Austin practically ran ahead of me to the car park, as if he needed to see with his own eyes that it really was an Aston Martin. I had to admit, it was quite a lot more luxurious than the car I’d picked him up in when we’d first met.
“Will you let me drive?” he asked, as he swung his suitcase into the backseat. He’d got his British license over the summer, and was now legally insured to drive. He’d said it made him feel more like he belonged.
Truthfully, I had known there was no way I’d be the one driving home the moment I got in that car. Driving was Austin’s passion as much as it was his job. The idea of seeing how happy it would make him was a sure way to get me to say ‘yes’.
“But you’re not to speed anywhere but the motorway,” I instructed. There was no point in saying anywhere because then he’d just break that promise. Driving sensibly down country lanes was something Austin could do.
I handed Austin the keys and smiled at the way he kissed me in exchange. “Are you going to pay for parking, too, Your Grace?” I teased.
He did pay for parking. Moreover, he surprised me by taking the scenic route, avoiding as much of the motorway as possible. The winter sun lit up the green grass on either side of the windy lanes leading up to Claxthorpe Castle. When Austin crested the hill, we both caught our breath.
He reached out, giving my hand a quick squeeze before he returned to the gearstick. “Happy I’m home?” he asked me.
“I really am,” I said with a smile. There was no lie to it either. The first time I had driven Austin here - only a year ago! - I couldn’t have ever imagined it to lead to this. To us . And yet, I couldn’t imagine my life in any other way than with him in it.
When we finally pulled into the courtyard, Mark was already waiting. I knew that as soon as we got out of the car, Austin would have to be the duke. So for a moment more, I kept him just to myself, leaning in to kiss him when the car had stopped.
“I love you.”
He smiled against my lips, one hand stroking through my hair. His thumb brushed against the hollow of my throat, sending warm shivers all the way down my spine. It was almost enough to make me regret not stopping somewhere on our way.
“I love you, too.” The words made my heart swell. Austin had to be the duke right now, but I knew that his heart belonged as much to me as it did to Claxthorpe Castle. I could share him, at least for the rest of the day, with the place I’d loved all of my life.
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Longer works by Camellia Tate:
Game Plan
Sometimes, knowing the name of your soulmate is more trouble than it’s worth. That’s how Connor Lewis feels when photographs of his soulmark get published.
The hockey fans go crazy. Every Ashley in the Madison area is wild to convince Connor that she’s the one. All Connor wants to do is focus on his game.
Ashley Walton isn’t looking for a soulmate. She wants a relationship based on something real.
That makes her perfect for what Connor has planned. He asks if she’ll pretend to be his girlfriend, on the understanding that it’s just until the media frenzy dies down.
They expect it to be a few months, at most. Ashley’s really more interested in learning from the Howlers’ PR team than she is in Connor.
At least at first.
Everything about their ‘relationship’ is a show staged for the press. Except, Connor spends every waking moment with Ashley on the brain. Finding out she wants to move miles away for her dream job hits him like a body-slam
into the boards.
The closer they get, the more Connor is willing to risk to keep Ashley at his side. Falling in love wasn’t in their game plan, so Connor takes matters into his own hands...
Best Shot
Finding your soulmate is supposed to be easy ! Especially when everyone carries their soulmate’s name written on their skin.
Best friends Thea and Doe would never fall out over a man. Doe’s soulmark reads ‘Blake’ and Thea’s is ‘Frederick’, so the possibility has never crossed their minds.
Enter Blake Ashbury. Thea is first to meet the gorgeous hockey player. As soon as she finds out his name, she gives playing matchmaker her best shot. She should be over the moon to introduce Doe to her soulmate. It doesn’t matter that Thea is the one who loves Blake’s jokes, or that his touch feels like fire and electricity. Blake isn’t meant to be with her, so Thea will back off.
At least, that’s the plan.
Blake never expected meeting his soulmate to be so complicated. Doe is sweet. She’s everything Blake thought he wanted in a girlfriend. He can’t understand why it’s Thea who makes his pulse race!
Thea and Blake aren't meant to be together, so why is it so hard to keep the chemistry between them down? The longer they spend together, the harder it becomes to remember that they need to keep their distance!
Empty Net
Coming December 27th
A tiny portion of the population have empty space where the name of their soulmark should be.
Ryan Newell believes that hockey is his one true love. Knowing he doesn’t have a soulmate, he gives his heart to the Madison Howlers. It’s only his body that he gives away freely.
A little too freely. A scandalous picture lands him in hot water with the team’s PR. To fix his rep, they send him off to fundraise for a local charity.
That’s where he meets Naomi Stone. Being blind since birth, Naomi has never seen the name that’s written on her skin. All she knows is that Ryan makes her pulse race and her skin tingle in ways she’s never felt before.
As things heat up between them, Ryan starts to feel like he’s in over his head. Having a girlfriend isn’t something you can train for. Knowing that he can’t be Naomi’s soulmate is a thought that Ryan can’t escape.
Finding love is hard enough without knowing you are no one’s destiny.
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