Page 86

She leans forward, her pajama top sliding down her shoulder, revealing her creamy skin. “I’m not going anywhere, buddy. Not until I’ve seen the estate you’re so willing to give up.”

“When you see it, you’ll know why.” I grin.

Fuck, I want her. Again. But not here, not now, when the whole house is waking up and privacy is non-existent.

There’s a loud bang from somewhere downstairs that reinforces my thoughts.

I drag my eyes away from her body and force myself to lean back instead of forward. I still reach for her face. “Come on, let’s get dressed and get out of here. Before I change my mind and we scandalize three centuries of Hunts before breakfast.”

Her lips curl like she wouldn’t mind that at all.

“I’m not sure if that’s a threat or a promise,” she murmurs. Her lips part as she exhales. Her eyes on my unshaved face.

“It’s a promise,” I say softly. “Definitely a promise.”

19

GEORGIA

By the time I shower and head downstairs, Ravensmere is already full of people. Catering staff are carrying boxes into the kitchen, strong men in dark clothes are hefting tables and chairs into the large reception room. I have to weave through them to where Theo said he’d meet me, holding my purse and jacket close to my chest to stop them from getting tangled up.

My elbow catches the huge Christmas tree in the center of the hall, and the branches shudder. An ornament drops onto the polished wood and shatters, shards skittering across the floor.

“Damn.” I crouch down instinctively, reaching for the largest pieces. A hand presses on my shoulder. I look up, expecting to see Theo, but instead Kate is looking down at me.

“Leave it,” she says lightly. “The staff will sweep it up.” Her voice carries just enough. “Barbara, Georgia’s had a little accident.”

I blink, trying to figure out if she’s being helpful or not. “I can pick it up,” I say. “I’m the one who broke it.” Please god don’t let it be a family heirloom.

“What’s going on?” Theo arrives, his brows dipping when he sees me crouched by the tree.

“Georgia smashed the partridge bauble. The Victorian one,” Kate says mildly, as Barbara bustles in, a dustpan in her hand.

My stomach tightens. “Victorian?”

Barbara takes the shard from my hands. “It’s all right, love,” she says. “It was cracked already.”

Oh god, I’ve definitely smashed an heirloom. I stand to let Barbara get to the tiny pieces of glass all around me.

“Don’t worry about it,” Theo murmurs. He must have noticed my terrified expression. “They’re hideous. I’ve been trying to get rid of them for years.”

“Easy for you to say,” Alex tells him, walking in from the kitchen. He slides an arm around Kate. “You’re not the one tasked with keeping this place standing for the next generation.”

Kate smiles up at him. “We can buy some new ones.”

“Are you ready?” Theo asks me, as Barbara stands and carries the remains of the ornament away in the dustpan.

“Where are you going?” Alex frowns.

“For a walk,” Theo tells him. “Thought we’d check the grounds out after the storm.”

“In those?” Alex nods toward my boots. “Hope they’re waterproof. It’s a mess out there.”

Kate tilts her head, her eyelashes sweeping down. “I might still have my old wellies somewhere,” she says to Theo. “From when we used to tramp through the lower fields. They’d probably fit you, Georgia.”

Used to.

“I’ll survive,” I say lightly. She’s only trying to be helpful, right? “They’ve managed New York winters. Hopefully they can cope with Norfolk mud.”