“I am a terrible artist.”
I grinned at the ridiculousness of his embarrassment. “You cannot be. You are an architect.”
“I can draw buildings, but people? I am learning.” He smirked, knowing full well what I wanted to see.
I could not stand it. I wanted to tug him to his feet and kiss that smirk right off his face. “Speaking of building things, the frame you made me is beautiful,” I said.
His whole body tensed. Goodbye, smirk. “You saw it.”
I paced a few steps away. “And there was this letter attached to it,” I said over my shoulder.
“Ah,” Charlie said on a breath. He stood from his seat and followed me around the room. “You read it.”
I stopped at the mantel, where Charlie had placed his mufflers and a little clock. I looked over my shoulder again and nodded.
He grabbed my wrist, turned me around, and pulled me back a few steps toward the settee. His eyes had changed from teasing to stormy, and his lips were parted and inviting.
“Before I admit to ever writing those words, I must first ask you something.”
I threaded my fingers through his. “Anything.” I studied his eyes. His wispy hair. His full lips.
“What happened, Ros?” His voice turned soft. “Where is the duke? Where is your family? Did you run away without their permission?”
I should have known he’d worry that I’d left Marlow at the altar and caused a horrible scandal. I shook my head and smiled. “They know exactly where I am.”
He let out a breath of relief. His shoulders instantly relaxed.
And then I told him everything. About the duke. About the land. About Marlow’s threats to my family.
“Ben called a family meeting and made me confess my feelings. My parents, Charlie ...” I shook my head, remembering, and fresh emotion raised to the surface. “They saved me.”
Charlie nodded in understanding as only he could and thumbed away the loose tears that fell down my cheeks. “Are you happy?” he asked. “Do you regret—?”
“I am happy,” I cut him off. “Sohappy.”
His smile sent warmth tingling through me. He traced his hands down my sides to my waist. “I’ve thought of you ceaselessly. I have missed you to distraction.”
I laughed with half joy, half shock to finally be exactly where I wanted. “I’ve missedyou. How are you?” I glanced at his side and his stomach, where he’d been stabbed. “You should not be out of doors, carrying things around,lifting.”
“I am much improved.” He clasped his hands behind my waist, pulling me closer, and I held his arms. “Eloise has helped me organize my things here. The servants have moved all the heavy things. And soon, so says my new surgeon, I will be cleared for all sorts of lifting.” A devilish grin appeared, and he bit his lower lip.
“Charlie!” I laughed, leaning back in his steady hold.
“Ros.” His smile faded slowly, replaced by a look so serious, so affectionate, so full of radiance that I stopped breathing entirely. “I know you are fresh out of an engagement. Perhaps you need time to recover.”
“Charlie,” I said his name with great patience. “I have traveled a long way to be exactly where I want to be.”
He stared at me for a long moment. “Are you sure?”
Slowly, I traced my fingers up his chest and over his shoulders. Then I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his head down until his forehead brushed mine. I nodded against his nose. “Yes.”
I wanted nothing, no one, like I wanted Charlie. Our eyes met for the briefest of seconds before his lips pressed firmly against mine.
He held me there, his every movement soft and careful and slow. Affection turned into warmth that flooded me, surrounded me, stopped all time and sense. This feeling was everything I’d been searching for. No list had brought me here. Charlie had. And I belonged to him.
I softened into his hold, and he reacted by pulling me tightly against him. His lips parted mine, devouring, hungry and urgent like he’d been starved, and I realized I’d been too. He tasted like honey and sunshine, and I wanted to live and breathe him. I wanted more of his hands on my sides, trailing up my back, and his fingers tracing my skin and leaving fire in their wake.
My mind, muddled and useless, focused only on him, and I wrapped my arms tighter around his neck. He groaned and kissed me deeper, until we drowned in each other and had to come back up for air.
