“Yeah!” Birdie smiled from ear to ear.
“How are you going to make this work? Are you going to move to America?” he asked me.
I shook my head, unable to contain the pride in my voice as I said, “No. You’re looking at the palace's new art curator. Birdie is moving here.”
“No way! That’s amazing. Birdie, I'm so happy for you. Congratulations. We should throw a party to celebrate the new job.”
Birdie chuckled. “I think I’m good on attending any parties for a while,” she said, eliciting a snort from me.
Vince let out a bark of laughter. “Fair enough.”
The string quartet slowed down their upbeat melody to a soft version of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.”
“Dance with me?” I asked.
“I would love to.” Birdie’s eyes were shining with joy.
I grabbed Birdie’s hand and pulled her to her feet and to the dance floor. Wrapping my hands around her middle, I pulled her close to me, and we swayed to the strings playing in the corner. Birdie set her hand on my pec and lay her head against the center of my chest.
As we danced, I thought back to the night of the welcome gala. While Birdie was dancing with Oliver, I had wanted so badly to cut in and hold her close to me just like this. I pulled her in tighter and kissed the top of her head. I was so thankful that everything had led us to this, with her in my arms.
I was ready to get out of this party and take Birdie home and fully consummate this relationship. I couldn’t wait to take her inside my cottage and show her how much I had missed her and all of the different ways that I loved her.
“Knox…” Birdie whispered.
“Hmm,” I murmured, tightening my hands on her waist.
“What are you thinking about?” She pushed her stomach against my hardening cock.
I let out a shameful laugh.
“You. And how I can’t wait to go home.”
“Is that right?” She pulled back and looked at me with a heavy, amorous gaze. “I’m ready to leave whenever you are.”
“Let’s go,” I said a little too eagerly.
With her hand in mine, I led Birdie to the side of the ballroom. A large, ornate tapestry hung against the wall. Birdie looked side to side, and I could tell that she was confused. I looked around the room to see if anyone was looking at us.
“I thought we were leaving?” Birdie asked.
“Do you remember the night of the gala and how you asked if I knew any escape routes?”
“I do.” She grinned, catching onto my train of thought.
“Keep a lookout so I can open the door.” I winked.
I pulled the corner of the tapestry aside and pushed against the top of the intricate chair rail until I felt a small click. A small passageway opened, and a cold breeze blew in.
“Okay, let's go.” I took Birdie’s hand as she bent down to crawl through the small door. I pulled my phone out of my back pocket and turned on the flashlight. We traveled down a stone-lined passageway, took a turn around one corner and then down a few stone steps.
“This is so cool,” Birdie said as she ran her hand along the wall. “Do you know where we’re going?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “I do. Oliver, Xavier, and I used to sneak around these tunnels to spy on our parents when we were younger.”
“How very naughty of you.”
“You have no idea, baby.”
