The first kiss was just a peck, a soft, brief press of his lips against mine. Polite enough not to disappoint the crowd, but not quite enough to fully satisfy them either. They burst into cheers, but before I could even breathe properly again, Jesse leaned back in, those eyes intently focused on my own.
Instead of pulling away, he slanted his head to one side and pressed his lips back to mine. This second kiss was much morethan just a peck, slower and deeper, his mouth moving against mine with a quiet confidence that made my entire body go still.
For a moment, I forgot where we were. I forgot about the guests, the champagne, and the fact that my father was right across from us. Jesse seemed to forget himself too, his hand tightening slightly at my waist as the kiss softened into something warm and unexpectedly intimate.
My heart skipped and then started galloping, butterflies exploding in my stomach and fluttering through my entire body. All I could think about was the warmth of Jesse’s lips and the steady pressure of his hand, the woodsy, masculine scent of him enveloping me and the slight taste of scotch on his tongue.
I found my body inching toward him, my hands suddenly itching to reach for his shoulders. It was intoxicating, utterly maddening that something was holding me back. It took me a beat to remember what it was, and as if Jesse had suddenly remembered too, he finally slowed the kiss to a natural end, but lingered with his lips mere millimeters away from mine.
When he eventually pulled away, the room rushed back, that suspended moment in time evidently over. The first thing that rushed back in was the noise. Applause. Whistles. Someone laughing loudly.
Reality took a second to return, but beside me, Jesse had already straightened up again, one hand still resting lightly against the back of my chair. His voice sounded slightly distorted in my ears when he spoke.
“Alright, alright,” he said, holding up his hands in mock surrender. “You’ve all had your entertainment for the evening.” More laughter followed and his lips curved into a self-deprecating grin. “I’m the lucky one here. Trust me.”
They seemed delighted by his answer, but I couldn’t even bring myself to look at them. Instead, I just stared at thechampagne glass in front of me, finally realizing that it was empty.
My third one tonight.
My fingers curled around the stem, my heart still beating much faster than it should’ve.Am I drunk or did I just have the best kiss of my life?
I honestly didn’t know, but I was suddenly looking forward to finding out. Preferably in private next time, alone with the man I’d already agreed to spend the rest of my life with. The man who might just spend the rest of his own kissing me like that.
CHAPTER 15
WILL
Iwoke up the next morning with the strange, lingering certainty that the kiss from last night hadn’t been my imagination. Or a dream. Or even a goddamn nightmare.
Which is very, very fucking inconvenient.
Because if it had been real, it had also been, without a doubt, the best kiss of my life, and technically, it hadn’t even been meant for me. But I shoved that thought aside and stuck to my routine. That seemed like the safest thing to do right now.
Routine. Normalcy. Getting back to my own life.
As always, breakfast arrived in my room courtesy of Aaron, who seemed invested in personally making sure I never had to pour my own coffee while inside the castle walls. A tray appeared beneath the window overlooking the foggy woods and I ate while watching the grounds the way I had since I’d arrived.
As I devoured my eggs, toast, berries, and coffee, I kept my eyes on the tree line, waiting for Eliza to make her regularly scheduled appearance. Gray morning light stretched slowly across the lawns, mist clinging to the woods at the far edge of the estate, but I found myself looking for three shapes in particular, a pair of flat-coated retrievers trotting faithfully beside their beloved owner.
Eventually, Holly and Maeve came into view, but instead of Eliza emerging from the fog with the dogs, it was a man in formal attire walking them across the lawn. I frowned. The dogs moved obediently at his side, but they looked less enthusiastic than usual.
“Who is that?” I asked Aaron as soon as I realized this was a man I’d never met before.
My footman looked out the window. “That’s Thomas, sir. His Lordship’s valet.”
“Right.”
That meant something was off. On my first morning here, Aaron had told meElizatook the dogs out every morning, but she wasn’t out there today.
After that, I wolfed down my breakfast fast and shot into the bathroom to shower and change. By the time I was finished, Aaron had already left, taking my tray and the empty coffee mug with him. The absence of his cheerful hovering made the castle feel noticeably larger.
I left my room, determined to find Eliza. If nothing else, I wanted to make sure she was alright after last night. Not that she’d seemed upset about the kiss.Actually?—
I shut that thought down too.Focus, Will. She’s Jesse’s goddamn fiancée. Not yours.
Halfway down the corridor that led away from my room, I remembered why I’d been dragging Aaron around with me for the last couple days. I still had no real understanding of the castle’s layout. This place wasn’t a house. It was a maze.
I’d barely made it down one hall before I ran straight into James. He stood near the main staircase with his coat already on while a footman held the door open behind him, and he blinked when he saw me, looking mildly surprised.
