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“I may have mentioned you when I saw him last night.” I don’t add that I couldn’t stop talking about her all night. Though knowing Caleb and Beckett, they’ll probably tell her anyway.
“Okay then, I’d love to come. Thank you for asking me.”
I reach out to wipe a smudge of ketchup from her mouth. My thumb lingers, because the way she feels so soft and warm is fucking enticing.
“Good,” I murmur. And it is. Because I want to spend as much time with her as I can get.
9
GEORGIA
“You didn’t tell me this party was taking place at Buckingham Palace,” I tease a few days later as Theo pulls his sleek sports car into the driveway of a huge historic home about an hour away from London.
“Beckett’s place has a few less rooms than a palace,” he points out, looking amused at my pure shock. “A few less kings and queens, too.”
“Are you sure?” I ask him. “Because it looks pretty royal to me.”
He parks behind a large muddy Land Rover. Somebody’s fixed a banner over the top of what looks like a four-hundred-year-old doorway. It’s pink and sparkly and has Happy 6th Birthday Daisy emblazoned on it.
Ever since Theo picked me up from outside the hotel I’ve been basically grilling him about his friends. Beckett is a single dad, and Theo and their friend Caleb are godfathers to Daisy. Caleb runs an airline and Beckett works in finance.
Like Theo, Beckett was born into money, as evidenced by the sprawling family home in front of us. Caleb’s family, however, are more newly rich, thanks to his father starting a charter airline.
The three of them went to school together from the age of seven. Boarding school.
I can’t imagine getting sent away from home at such a young age. Not that I said that to him. I also didn’t mention him being the son of a Lord.
I guess I don’t want him to know I’ve been cyberstalking him.
Theo gets out of the car and walks around to open my door. He holds his hand out and I take it, his palm warm against mine.
“They really don’t mind me gatecrashing this party?” I ask him.
He pauses. “Actually, I forgot to tell them. You should probably walk home. Sorry.”
The way he says it, so deadpan, makes me think he’s being serious for a moment. And then he grins and brushes a lock of hair behind my ear, standing in front of me so I’m sandwiched between him and the car. “Relax,” he says. “They’re delighted you’re coming. Everybody’s very laid back.”
“They all live in palaces, how laid back can they be?” I ask. There’s an intensity to Theo’s gaze as he looks at me. And for a second it takes my breath away.
He leans closer, enough that I can smell the deep notes of his cologne. I immediately melt.
“You don’t need to be nervous,” he tells me.
“That’s easy for you to say when you’re obviously used to striding into stately homes and not feeling like you’re an interloper.”
“You could never be an interloper.” He runs his finger over my cheek, and it sends a shiver down my spine. “Want me to relax you?”
I narrow my eyes. “What would that involve?”
“A bit of this.” He pulls me closer, until my body is against his. “And this.” He leans even closer, until his mouth is against mine. “What do you think?” he asks, the words vibrating against my lips.
“I think it might work,” I whisper back.
His mouth lifts into a smile, then he presses it harder against mine, kissing me softly, as he slides his hand down my back, sending shivers up my spine. His palm finds the curve of my back, pressing there, the other reaching out to cup my face.
Every cell in my body tingles. God, this man knows how to kiss. I wrap my arms around his neck, arching my back so there isn’t an inch of air between us. My thighs tighten, my skin tingles, and I feel him harden against me.
When we part, breathless, there’s a half-smile pulling at his lips.
