by Rachel Lacey
“We were probably introduced at the wedding,” Elle said, extending a hand. “But honestly, I met so many people that night, it’s kind of a blur. I’m Elle.”
“A pleasure,” he said as he took her hand and shook.
“I can’t wait to catch up with you guys and hear all about your honeymoon, Elle, but jetlag is a bitch. Flynn and I are going to take a nap before dinner,” Ruby told them.
“Absolutely,” Elle said, her blue eyes crinkled in concern. “You should sleep. We’ll contain our excitement and nosiness about your trip until you’re rested.”
“What she said.” Megan linked her arm in Elle’s, and they started back toward the castle. “See you guys in a little while. And welcome home.”
“They’re very excited to see you,” Flynn commented with an amused twinkle in his eye as she unlocked her front door.
“We’re like family at this point.” She pushed the door open and stepped inside, tugging her suitcase behind her. “We all lived in guest rooms at the main castle when we first got here. But after Elle moved into the owner’s quarters with Theo, and Megan moved into the farmhouse with Jake, I came down here to the guest house. Feels much homier.”
“It’s nice,” Flynn said as he moved the rest of their bags over the threshold.
Ruby clucked her tongue, eager for this next reunion too. “Simon? Oliver? I hope you guys haven’t forgotten me.”
Simon’s gray head poked around the doorway from the bedroom, and he trotted down the hall toward her, meowing all the way. As she turned to greet him, she saw Oliver sprawled on the couch in the living room, eyeing her balefully as if deciding whether he still loved her after she’d left him for three weeks.
“I missed you guys.” She squatted down and scooped Simon into her arms. He pressed his head against her cheek, purring loudly and still meowing his happiness to see her.
“He’s a talkative one,” Flynn commented, crouching beside her.
“They’re Siamese. They tend to be that way.”
Simon leaned out of her arms to sniff Flynn’s extended hand before nuzzling him. Oliver hopped off the couch and strolled over, stalking around Flynn with his tail held high.
“Didn’t want to be left out, hm?” She reached out to pet him, and he rubbed against her thigh, purring even louder than his brother before making his way over to Flynn.
“Well, I guess I’ve passed muster,” Flynn said, laughter in his tone, as both cats circled him, demanding his attention.
“You have,” she agreed, standing.
Together, they moved their luggage to the master bedroom, where Flynn insisted they take a quick shower before bed to wash off any germs she might have accumulated during their travels, despite the private jet. Always so considerate.
The hot shower refreshed her, but somehow made her even more tired. As she slipped into her bed with Flynn beside her, she finally realized the difference between pre and post-trip Ruby. She’d left this house a single woman in search of adventure, and she’d returned a woman in love.
Flynn woke to the sensation of being poked in the crotch. What the hell? He reached out reflexively, his hands encountering fur. One of Ruby’s cats sat on top of him with a paw pressing into his balls. Careful not to startle him and engage the claws, Flynn lifted the cat and set him on the floor. That’s when he saw the other cat stretched out on Ruby’s chest, fast asleep. Apparently, they were glad to have her home.
A quick glance at the clock told him it was just past five. Jetlag really was a bitch, because he was simultaneously restless and exhausted. Outside the window, the sun was just dipping below the treetops as afternoon turned to evening. They were due up at the main castle for dinner soon, but Ruby looked so peaceful, he couldn’t bring himself to wake her. No doubt, she needed the sleep.
He slipped out of bed and padded down the hall to the kitchen for a glass of water. The cat that had awoken him followed, darting in and out between his feet as he walked. “Are you Simon or Oliver?” Flynn asked the cat. They looked very similar, with light gray bodies, darker gray on their heads and paws, and striking blue eyes. Siamese, Ruby had said.
“Meow,” the cat answered, jumping up on the counter to watch as Flynn filled a glass with water from the spout on the refrigerator.
“You guys take good care of her, don’t you?” He drank it down without pausing for breath.
The cat never took its eyes off him. “Meow.”
Flynn set his glass in the sink and moved to the window, staring up at the castle. Somehow, he couldn’t quite imagine Ruby living there. The Ruby he knew was too practical and sensible to live in an overdone mansion of a home like Rosemont Castle. The guest house suited her, though.
“See that tower on the left-hand side of the castle?” she said softly from behind him.
He turned. “I didn’t hear you get up.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist. “That was my bedroom.”
“What was?”
“The top of the tower.”
He looked at the tower, with its semi-circular walls and oversized windows. “Really?”
“Remember how I told you that we all lived in guest rooms at the castle when we first got here? That was mine.”
“Very Rapunzel of you,” he said, reaching around playfully to tug at her hair.
“It did have sort of a fairytale princess vibe,” she told him. “And the views were amazing. But I like living here in the guest house a lot more. That room felt like a fun vacation, but this feels like home.”
“I can see that.”
“Time to get ready for dinner.” She leaned in to press a kiss against his cheek.
“Are you feeling up for it?” He’d heard her cough a few times since they landed in Virginia, and he couldn’t shake the feeling she needed sleep more than she needed to socialize with her friends tonight.
“I’m exhausted, so we won’t stay too long, but I’m also starving. Besides, if we go back to sleep now, we’ll be awake in the middle of the night, ready to start the day.”
“That’s true.” The best way to acclimate to jetlag was to go to bed at the right time in your new time zone. He followed her to the bedroom to get dressed. Ruby put on snug-fitting jeans and a flowy orange top, and he couldn’t resist pulling her in for a lengthy kiss before they started their walk up to the castle. “I love that color on you.”
“Thank you.” She slid her hand into his and squeezed.
Outside, it was cool and crisp, refreshing against his gritty, tired eyes. “So much quieter than London.”
“The only thing you hear outside at night are the bugs singing. I love it. It’s so different here from where I grew up. Feels so good to breathe in all that fresh air.” She sucked in a long, audible breath, coughing on the exhale.
“Should I worry about that cough?” he asked cautiously.
She shook her head. “I’ll be coughing off and on for weeks after a bout of pneumonia like that, but the dry air on the airplane probably aggravated it a bit.”
“That makes sense.” They walked up the stone steps to the castle’s front door, and he pulled it open, stepping back to motion her inside. “After you, my lady.”
“Why thank you.” She gave him a devilish grin.
They followed the sound of voices toward the kitchen, where Elle, Theo, Megan, and Jake were gathered with glasses of wine, talking and laughing. Ruby tugged Flynn’s fingers, her excitement palpable as she led him toward her friends. There was more hugging, and back slaps for Flynn from both Theo and Jake. An older woman with graying hair pulled Ruby into a tight embrace, exclaiming how worried she’d been.
“Thanks, Beatrice,” Ruby told her with an affectionate smile. “This is Flynn Bowen. He and Theo went to school together.”
“Oh, I’ve heard all about your adventures with Flynn these past few weeks,” Beatrice said, turning to Flynn with arms extended. “It’s so nice to meet you. I’ve cooked for the Langdons for over thirty years.”
�
�A pleasure,” he told her as she enveloped him in a warm hug, catching him slightly off guard. Obviously, things were more casual here in America than they were in Great Britain. He wasn’t sure he’d ever hugged his own cook, but he couldn’t help but be taken by the warm, family-like atmosphere in Theo’s kitchen.
More wine was poured, and they migrated into the dining room for salads and bread before their meal, while Elle and Megan peppered Ruby for details about her time in Paris.
“Not quite the adventure I had planned,” she said, darting a glance over at Flynn. “I’ll admit, it was intimidating getting sick in a foreign country where I didn’t speak the language while I was traveling alone.”
“Wouldn’t have known it by the way you tried to keep me from coming to stay with you,” he said, nudging her elbow with his.
“I’m known to be a bit stubborn,” she said with a shrug and a smile.
“She’s a lot stubborn,” Megan confirmed. “I would have been on the next flight to Paris if you hadn’t convinced her to let you stay.”
“I had a feeling that might be the case.” He’d gotten a glimpse at the strength of their friendship that morning they’d had breakfast together in London. “But it made more sense for it to be me. I was so much closer and able to work remotely.”
“Oh, I think it turned out perfectly,” Megan said with a sly smile.
“Megan!” Ruby shot her an embarrassed look.
He squeezed her knee beneath the table. “I was glad I could help.”
“So were we,” Elle said diplomatically. “It gave us all peace of mind knowing you were there with her. Otherwise, I would have spent my whole honeymoon worrying.”
“Speaking of your honeymoon, I need details,” Ruby said. “And pictures.”
And so, conversation shifted to Elle and Theo’s honeymoon in Tahiti. They regaled the table with stories about their vacation. Ruby ended up on the other side of the table with one arm around Elle’s shoulders as she looked at photos on her phone.
They ate chicken Florentine and shared more casual, comfortable conversation than Flynn could remember sharing with a group of friends in ages. The truth was, he spent most of his time traveling to work locations, supervising crew, or conducting business with various corporate associates. Even family dinners tended to focus on talk about Exeter.
By the time he and Ruby left the castle, he was comfortably full and relaxed, eyes watery from so much laughter. “Your friends are fantastic.”
Ruby looked over at him with a smile. “They’re the best.”
“I have to agree.” It drove a dagger through his chest because he knew, after tonight, he could never ask her to leave Rosemont Castle for him. But it also gave him peace about heading out tomorrow, because he could always picture her here, happy and thriving, surrounded by people who loved her. Ruby was a gem in every sense of the word.
“I’m glad you’re here,” she said.
“I am too. And I’m glad I’ll get to see a little more of the area with you tomorrow before I leave. But right now, I’m glad to spend this night with you.”
“I’m pretty happy about that too.” She gave him a look that set his blood pumping.
He was more than happy that he’d gotten to spend those two weeks with her while she was recuperating, but now that she was well, and especially after that moment they’d shared together on the plane, he wanted—needed—this last night with her.
If she was up for it.
“You must be tired,” he said.
“Not that tired.” She stopped and turned, claiming his mouth for a kiss that lit every cell in his body on fire.
“I’m really glad to hear that.” He slid his palms down her back, pressing her closer, lost in the feel of her breasts against his chest, the roll of her hips as they met his.
“Look up,” she whispered.
He did and found himself staring into an endless expanse of stars overhead, highlighted by the moon, which hung bright and round just above the tree line to their left. “Full moon.”
“Mm hmm. Sounds like a good excuse for anything and everything we want to do tonight.” She slid her fingers through his belt loop and yanked, leading him toward the guest house.
And he sure as hell wasn’t going to argue with that. He followed, hands roaming wherever he could reach as they walked. She let them into the guest house, locking the door behind them. “Alone at last.”
“My three favorite words,” he murmured, pushing her up against the wall.
A funny look flashed through her eyes, but it was gone almost before he could even wonder what it had been. And then they were kissing, and all the lust he’d pushed aside while she was sick came rushing to the surface. His cock hardened, pushing against the fabric of his trousers, aching in time to the pounding of his heart.
“Been waiting all night to do this.” She jumped up, wrapping her legs around his hips. “Take me to bed.”
14
Ruby woke, simultaneously disoriented and relieved to find herself in Virginia. Her bed. Her house. All the familiar sights and smells of home, including a warm cat curled over her feet.
And Flynn sprawled across the sheets beside her.
Not hers. Not familiar, at least not in the context of home. And yet, waking beside him had come to be as familiar as waking with a cat on her feet. It felt good and right. They’d left “one day in London” status behind ages ago. Maybe they’d never really achieved it, because the feelings had always been there, rooted in the instant connection that had bound them together since they met at Elle’s wedding.
He’d be leaving after lunch, headed to DC for a business meeting. Pre-trip Ruby would have pushed her feelings to the side and said goodbye as planned. But as she rolled toward him in bed, her bare chest pressed against his, bodies warm and sluggish with sleep, she knew she didn’t want to say goodbye. She wanted a relationship with Flynn, whatever it might look like, no matter how risky or dangerous or uncharted.
Hadn’t that been the whole point of her adventure? If she was going to really embrace this new side of herself, she had to throw caution to the wind and go after what she wanted. And that meant, she couldn’t let Flynn leave Virginia without telling him how she felt.
“Morning,” he said, wrapping an arm around her.
“Good morning.”
“Did you sleep well?” he asked as his hand roamed upward into the tangled depths of her hair.
“So well I don’t remember a moment of it.”
“The best kind of sleep,” he said.
“Especially when I have you beside me.”
“Especially then.” He brought his hips into alignment with hers so she could feel his hard cock pressing against her.
“Hold that thought,” she whispered before sliding out of bed. She went into the bathroom to pee, brushing her teeth for good measure while she was in there, before climbing back into bed.
Flynn lay just where she’d left him, sheets tangled around his legs, cock still standing at attention. She crawled across the bed to straddle him, letting his cock rest between her thighs.
“Love waking up this way,” she said, rocking her hips against his.
“Agreed.” His fingers dug into her ass, sliding her up and down the length of his cock, igniting a fire inside her, concentrated in her clit, which throbbed at the contact.
She dipped her head and kissed him, nipping at his lower lip as their bodies moved together, letting the heat and the friction between them build. That was the best thing about morning sex, in her opinion. Everything was relaxed and unhurried, softened by the last remnants of sleep lingering in her veins.
They kissed as the sun crested the treetops outside, touching and teasing in its gentle light. Eventually, Flynn reached for a condom on the bedside table and rolled it on. She sank onto him, leaning forward so that her breasts brushed against his chest, creating a delicious friction as their bodies moved together.
This was another thing that came with time, knowing
just how her body fit with his, what his lips tasted like first thing in the morning—the sharp spearmint of his toothpaste—and how the brown of his eyes seemed almost green in the morning light, a mossy color that sucked her in, locking her in his gaze as it liquefied the closer he grew to his release.
She rocked her hips faster, using the leverage of her position to grind her clit against him as she moved, and with a gasp, release rushed through her. Flynn thrust into her hard and fast, tensing with a groan as he came inside her.
She rolled onto the sheets beside him, snuggling her face against his chest as her heart rate returned to normal. “Now I’m awake.”
“Me too.” His fingers combed gently through her hair.
“Elle insisted on sending breakfast down to us this morning, so we can stay in bed as long as we like.”
“Brilliant.”
In the end, they snuggled in bed until their breakfast platter arrived, and then they ate apple-cinnamon French toast, poached eggs, and fresh fruit at the little table in the kitchen. She wore a green knit robe, and he wore only his boxer briefs.
She’d never lived with anyone the way she’d lived with Flynn these last few weeks. Probably, she would have thought she wasn’t ready for that kind of step, that she’d miss her freedom and independence, but she didn’t feel like she was missing either of those things when they were together. She just enjoyed being with him.
After breakfast, they showered and dressed. “Feel like going for a walk around the grounds?” she asked.
“I’d love to.”
So, they put on jackets and left the guest house. Outside, the October morning was cool and brisk, dew gleaming on the grass so that it seemed to sparkle in the sunshine. The sky was a perfect shade of blue, offsetting the gray of the castle walls. The flower beds around the fountain in front had been filled with mums in fall hues, purple, burgundy, and a deep orange, a more vivid version of the treetops in the distance.
“Let’s go this way first.” She led Flynn away from the castle, toward the pastures where several horses grazed and the walking trails beyond. “Jake rents the barn. He trains horses for a living. That’s his horse, Twister.” She pointed to a beautiful red-coated horse in the nearest pasture. Twister raised his head and whinnied, trotting over to the fence to greet them. “And the funny-looking little white mare in there with him is Bug. She came to us as a rescue horse in our Fairy Tails program, but Jake adopted her for Megan.”