“Extremely so. Until I realized it couldn’t be true.” He kissed her again. “I could feel that it wasn’t true. I could sense it. I knew you wouldn’t do a thing like that, it didn’t sound like you.”
She kissed him deeply. God, she loved this man. And he was here! She couldn’t believe it.
Her head snapped up. “What did you say just now?”
“About me being jealous?”
“No, before that.”
“About how much money you think I have?”
“No, the other thing.”
“That I love you?” Sebastian rubbed his chin. “Nope. I can’t remember.”
She walloped him again, he caught her arms and pulled her against his chest. Her favorite place.
“Helen Hobbs, if you haven’t figured it out by now, I love you.” He caught her face between his hands. “You drive me nuts. You’re messy. You’re the apple to my orange. And of course, you had to live in the middle of nowhere, two hundred kilometers from the nearest Olympic-sized pool.”
“But apart from that?”
“Apart from that. You’re awesome. And yes … I love you.”
It was dark and wet outside, but Helen’s bed was warm and cozy. Especially with her in it. Naked. Curled up against him.
She shuffled her butt against his crotch and pulled his arm across her like a blanket. “Do you think Vera Hampton will move her teapot collection to Pendlebury Manor?”
“Let’s hope not.” Seb had only just finished explaining the full details of who now owned the estate. When Helen had been stripping his clothes off in the hall on the way to her bedroom, he’d only managed to relay the basics—that George Hampton and his K-Brand had teamed up with Get Living and Strive UK to purchase the Pendlebury Estate for use as an adolescent mental-health center which would promote fitness, sports and the outdoors as a way to aid well-being.
“It’s all gonna take a while,” Seb told her. He planned to retire after next year’s Olympics and he’d oversee the whole project, finally putting his business degree to good use. “I’ll have a lot to learn, and it won’t be a picnic doing this—us—long-distance, but I wanna try.”
“Me too.” Helen twisted to face him, snaking her arms around his neck to pull him down for another kiss. “How long have you been planning this?”
“Since you were in the hospital that day. I first pitched the idea to George at the finale dinner. We talked some more a few days later when you were in Cornwall, then brought Mikey in, who then approached Strive.”
“You’ve been busy.”
“The number of lawyers involved has been insane. Everything’s taken so long to process. I would’ve gotten here sooner if I could.”
“I think you timed everything perfectly.” She shifted so that she now lay beneath him, slinky and hot and all his.
They had six days together before he was due back in Vancouver to resume training and attend more Strive corporate events. He had meetings in London with George Hampton and Mikey, but every other minute he planned to be here with Helen. Preferably naked.
“What happened to the golf course people?” she asked.
“They didn’t take much persuading to retract their offer. Sounds like they knew Pendlebury just wasn’t for them.”
“Thank you.” Helen ran her fingers along his chest. He’d missed her wandering hands. “And in two years’ time this place will be completely ours?”
“Yes.Ours.” Seb kissed her nose. “I love the sound of that.”
And then he showed her—again—just how much he lovedher.
Epilogue
Twoyearslater…
“Really, Sebastian. If a month’s notice is all you’re giving me then I suppose I have no choice.”
