Elle heard the crinkle of the condom wrapper as it ripped. Lightning flashed through the windows, flickering over Theo’s body as he rolled the condom into place. Outside, thunder rumbled. Then he was leaning over her, his big, strong body covering hers. He bent his head and kissed her, his fingers dipping into the heat of her body.

“Yes,” she panted, arching her back.

He stroked her, and then the thick head of his cock nudged against her entrance. She wrapped her legs around his hips, taking him in. He filled her, then withdrew and thrust again, finding a rhythm as their bodies rocked together, touching, groping, kissing. The storm raging outside seemed to echo the emotions inside her—loud, bright, scorching. Desire shot like lightning bolts through her and roiled like thunder in her veins.

She gripped his hips, grounding herself in the feel of his skin beneath her fingers, the way it flexed with each thrust of his body into hers. She’d only been with a handful of men in her twenty-five years. Sex was a big deal for her and never a decision she made lightly. Even though she and Theo hadn’t been together long, her feelings for him already ran deep.

And their chemistry…

“So good,” Theo said, his voice strained.

“Yes,” she gasped.

He bent his head, his lips meeting hers for a fumbling kiss as he brought one of his hands between them to stroke her. Her hips rose instinctively toward his hand, seeking that extra friction against her clit. Sometimes she closed her eyes during sex, not sure where to look. It could be awkward, but not with Theo. She watched unabashed as their bodies moved together, loving the way he looked as he moved over her, the ripple of muscles in his shoulders, the way his hips pumped as he drove into her.

It was sexy. So sexy.

And then she was coming. Her orgasm pulsed through her, radiating through her body with blissful release. She strained against him, moaning incoherently.

“So fucking sexy,” Theo ground out, his hips pumping harder and faster, and then he held himself still as he found his own release. He collapsed on the bed beside her, sweaty and breathless.

She held on to him as she gasped for air, grinning from ear to ear. “Wow.”

“You could say that.” He pressed a kiss to her lips, then rolled out of bed and went into the bathroom to get rid of the condom. When he returned, he slid in close, tucking her against him. “Storm’s raging outside. Will you stay the night?”

Theo tightened his arms around her, watching as she slept. Outside, the night sky still flickered with distant lightning. Inside, well…his heart seemed to flicker with distant lightning too. He and Elle shared something deeper than sex, something that had the potential to get complicated and messy when the time came for him to return to London.

Maybe sleeping with her hadn’t been his best idea, but he couldn’t bring himself to regret it. He’d never done anything like this before, never let himself be ruled by his emotions, never willingly set himself up for a messy breakup. But he’d also never felt anything like the connection he shared with Elle.

After a lifetime of neat and orderly relationships, both with his family and with women, he’d thrown caution to the wind, decided to live a little, to risk things getting complicated. He’d always done what was expected of him. Maybe he deserved this one chance to feel all the chaotic, disorderly, wonderful things everyone else got to experience. Or maybe he’d colossally fucked up. But this didn’t feel like a fuck-up. It felt fantastic. And he was going to do his best to embrace it for as long as possible.

He finally drifted off to sleep with her in his arms. When he woke, Elle was leaning over him in bed, smiling.

“Hey, sorry to wake you, but I didn’t want to sneak out without saying goodbye,” she said softly.

“Leaving so soon?” he mumbled, reaching out to draw her against him.

“It’s almost six. Megan, Ruby, and I need to be in the dining room by seven to serve breakfast.”

“Can’t you hire someone to do that for you?” His voice was gravelly with sleep, his body aching for a few more minutes with Elle.

“We could, but we’re trying to keep costs down.” She glanced away, then gave him a shy smile. “We’re trying to impress our boss on the off chance he’ll let us stay.”

And now he remembered why taking her to bed had been a bad idea. “Elle—”

She shook her head. “I know. We’ve got stuff to discuss, but right now, I really need to go.”

“Dinner tonight?” he asked. “Not here. Let’s go somewhere we can talk.”

She nodded. “We only have a few guests staying tonight, and Megan and Ruby should be able to cover for me for a few hours.”

“Good.”

“Okay. I’ll see you tonight then.” She was wearing one of his T-shirts over her pajamas, her hair tied back from her face. “You don’t mind, do you?” She gestured to the shirt. “I found it on your dresser.”

“Not a bit.”

“Thanks.” With a quick kiss, she slid out of bed and left.

He waited until he heard the front door close behind her, then slid out of bed and watched her cross the grounds, entering the castle through the side door. Once he knew she was safely inside, he stepped into the shower. In the light of day, he was questioning his decision to sleep with Elle. Chemistry aside, a relationship together had the potential to put them both in an awkward situation. He’d do everything in his power to make sure that didn’t happen.

Since he didn’t have anything on his schedule, he planned to spend the morning in his grandfather’s private quarters searching for the missing heirlooms. Where else could the old man have hidden them? He dressed and headed up to the castle, stopping in the kitchen for a scone and a cup of tea. Elle and her friends were there, bustling in and out with plates for their guests. She wore a snug blue skirt with a navy top and yet another pair of sexy, sparkly sandals, and his body revved up at the sight of her.

“Good morning,” she said, only the slight pink of her cheeks betraying the fact that they’d spent the night together.

“Morning.”

“Morning, Theo,” Megan said, glancing between him with a knowing smile.

Either she was exceptionally perceptive, or Elle had already told her friends where she was last night. He didn’t mind. In fact, if he’d bothered to think about it, he would have known it was inevitable that they would find out. He greeted them all before heading down the hall to his grandfather’s quarters. It was quiet here, empty, even though none of Alistair’s belongings had yet been removed. It was more of a feeling in the air, as though something was missing now that his grandfather no longer inhabited the space.

Theo sat at his grandfather’s desk to eat his breakfast. As he sipped his tea, he checked—yet again—for hidden compartments concealed somewhere in the desk, but as far as he could tell, there were none. A sudden brainstorm hit him, and he walked down the hall to the rooms that had been his grandmother’s. It would be just like Alistair to hide Rose’s prized jewels somewhere in her room.

Except after three hours spent combing every inch of her bedroom—and even the bathroom that had been hers—Theo was no closer to finding the jewelry. Rose had been gone over thirty years. Her rooms were long-since cleaned out. Empty. Stale.

Something stirred in Theo’s chest as he walked back into his grandfather’s room. All of Alistair’s photos were still here. Photos of Theo, his father, the rest of the Langdon family, but mostly, the photos were of Rose. Rose in the gardens. Rose riding her favorite horse, Guinevere. Rose seated at the piano in the lounge, her fingers dancing over the keys the way Elle’s had done. So many photos of Alistair and Rose together.

There was something between them, a connection visible even on film. Theirs had been a love so strong that Alistair had crossed an ocean for her. He’d forsaken his duties in England, built this ridiculous castle, and been shunned by his family, all for the love of a woman who’d died before her fortieth birthday.

“True love, that’s what we had,” Theo remembered his grandfather telling him. “That’s the kind worth fighting for.”

Theo thought of Elle, of the connection between them. It wasn’t love, although it was maybe something more than lust. This was the first time he’d felt anything that gave him even a glimpse of understanding into what his grandparents had shared. Look where it had gotten them, though. Alistair’s reputation had been ruined after he moved to America, and then Rose died, leaving him alone to raise a son in a country that wasn’t theirs.

After growing up in the shadow of Alistair’s flawed legacy, Theo couldn’t afford to chase love and fancy. He had obligations to uphold. Expectations. Duties he’d been raised to fulfill. And he would, just as soon as he’d wrapped things up here at Rosemont Castle. Funny how his life seemed to get more and more complicated the longer he stayed in America.

“You didn’t sleep in your room last night,” Megan said as they climbed the steps to their rooms for a midday rest.

“And how do you know that?” Elle asked, momentarily playing dumb because she had no idea whether she and Theo were sharing their relationship—was it even a relationship, or just sex?—with anyone else yet.

“Because Remington got scared by the thunder, and he was crying so loud I could hear him in my room. I went to see if you needed help with him, and you weren’t there.”

Ruby’s mouth opened in a silent O, her eyes wide behind her glasses.

Elle flinched. “Sorry. I didn’t even think about the dogs during the storm last night.”

“Too busy screwing Theo’s brains out?” Megan asked with a smile.

“Megan!” Ruby looked abashed. “And Elle, you’re their foster mom now. You really need to be more responsible. A lot of animals are scared of thunder.”

“I’m really sorry. I’ve never had a dog before. I didn’t know.” Elle walked into her bedroom, opened the two dog crates, and gathered Remington and Darcy into her arms.

“It’s okay. I had your back,” Megan said as she sat on Elle’s bed. “They all slept with me. So tell us about your night with Theo.”

She could feel her cheeks burning as she sat next to Megan on the bed. Remington hopped up next to her, laying his head in her lap. “Well, it was amazing, but now I’m kind of wondering if it was stupid. He’s basically my boss and—”

“And you’ve never done anything even remotely like this before, which tells me that this thing between you and Theo is worth taking a few risks over.” Megan squeezed her hand.

“Or I’ve had a serious lapse in judgment.” She held Remington against her chest, filled with remorse at having left him alone and afraid last night during the thunderstorm.

“Even if that’s true, you’re allowed to have those moments too,” Megan told her with a laugh. “Live it up a little, Elle. You deserve it.”

“I just have one question.” Ruby pushed her glasses up on her nose. “Is it true he’s, ah, royally endowed?”

Megan choked, and Elle’s cheeks grew even hotter.

“Ruby!” Megan managed, laughing so hard tears leaked from her eyes.

Ruby shrugged. “It’s a legitimate question.”

“He’s…” Elle paused, remembering the glorious sight of Theo naked in bed. “Well, yes, he is.”

They all doubled over in laughter. Remington wiggled from Elle’s lap to Megan’s, tail wagging madly as he tried to figure out what was going on. Elle wiped the tears from her eyes. “Where in the world did you hear that, Ruby?”

“On the internet, of course. I did my research once we found out he was going to be staying here with us.”

“And the internet knows the size of Theo’s dick…how?” Elle asked, still blushing furiously.

“Well, there are rumors,” Ruby said. “Which is why I asked because rumors, especially about public figures, often aren’t true.”

“This one is true,” Elle confirmed with a grin.

“Of course, it is,” Megan said, nodding. “I mean, just look at the man. He walks with the kind of confidence that says ‘hung like a stallion.’”

“Well, to be fair, that confidence could be born out of his high-class upbringing. Some of the most powerful men in history have had very small penises. Take, for instance—” Ruby named a very prominent former US president.

Elle and Megan doubled over again in laughter.

“Who knew Ruby was such an expert on penis size?” Megan asked, still giggling.

“I like to do my research on things,” she said, setting down her laptop with a shrug, a smile tugging at her lips.

“Ladies, we totally need to continue this conversation later, and with wine,” Megan said.

“Raincheck?” Elle said. “I’m meeting Theo for dinner. We’re going somewhere outside the castle so we can talk through how this is going to work.”

“That sounds smart,” Ruby said, nodding.

Megan rolled her eyes. “Don’t do too much talking and let it spoil your fun.”

“We won’t, but some talking is necessary,” Elle said. “This is complicated, no matter what.”

The rest of her day was too busy to think about anything but her job here at the castle, which was lucky because otherwise she would have spent it watching the clock, counting down to her date with Theo. She took Remington for a jog—they both needed the stress relief—then spent several hours catching up on her duties with the inn. It was Monday, and many of their guests were checking out today.

“Hey, Elle, we got an email through our webform that you’ll be interested to read,” Ruby told her as she came down the hall. “I forwarded it to you.”

“Oh. Okay.” Elle clicked through their reservation system and saw that all their scheduled guests had already checked in, which meant she was officially finished with work for the night. She climbed the steps to her bedroom to get ready for dinner with Theo—date? Was it a date?—checking her email as she went. The message was from the Pearsons, Dan and Dana, who Elle had been so sure were going to adopt Remington last week.

---

Attached was a photo of Azalea and Clover, tongues out as they lounged together in the Pearson’s backyard. Tears welled in Elle’s eyes. She ran back downstairs to show the email to Megan, and then she, Megan, and Ruby shared a group hug.

“This is amazing, you guys. They weren’t our dogs, but we still helped two shelter pets find their forever homes. I’ve been thinking about Azalea ever since we met her, and I’m so happy for her. It’s going to happen for our Fairy Tails pets too,” Elle said.

“And in the meantime, they get to live a pampered life,” Megan said.

“It’s great,” Ruby agreed. “So far, everything is just like we hoped it would be. Maybe better. Except for the fact we’ll probably have to shut down in a couple of months.”

“Well, what do you think about trying to keep the program running?” Elle asked. “Maybe we can find a new location for our Fairy Tails program.”

“It’s a possibility. We’ll have thirty grand we could invest together,” Megan said, looking thoughtful.

“It might be enough for a down payment somewhere,” Ruby said. “Nothing anywhere near as nice as this, though.”

“If we went back to Florida, the money would go farther.” Although even as she said it, Elle realized she didn’t want to go back to Florida. Now that she’d spread her wings, she wanted to keep flying. But she’d do whatever it took to keep up this forward momentum in her life, even if it meant going back home.

“I’ll do some research online and see what I can find,” Ruby said, patting her ever-present laptop.

“Perfect. All right, ladies, I’ve got to go get ready for dinner with Theo.” With a wave, she headed to her room. He’d texted earlier and asked her to meet him at six. She had no idea where they were going, though. What should she wear?

After rummaging in her closet, she decided on her favorite little black dress. It was knee-length and A-lined and could fit in just about anywhere Theo might take her tonight. And since he seemed to have such a thing for her shoes, she wore her favorite pair—the Gucci sandals she’d been wearing when she got the call she and her friends had won Modern Home and Gardens’ Almost Royal contest.

She accented the dress with a red, chunky necklace, pulled one side of her hair back in a gold clasp, grabbed her black clutch, and headed for the stairs. Theo stood in the foyer in black slacks and a burgundy button-down shirt (the perfect complement to her outfit! She internally high-fived herself), looking mouth-wateringly handsome. His black hair was neatly combed, and his blue eyes watched her with obvious appreciation as she made her way down the stairs.

“You look stunning.” He leaned in to place a gentle kiss on her cheek.

“Thank you.” She accepted the arm he held out, tucking her hand around his elbow as he led the way out the front door.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I thought it would be easier if I drove us myself,” he said as they made their way toward the guest house where his shiny black Mercedes was parked.

She fought a smile. “That might seem weird to you, but I’ve never been on any other kind of date so no, I don’t mind. In fact, I would rather it be just the two of us than have a driver along.”

“My thoughts exactly.” The lights on the Mercedes flashed as he unlocked it before coming around to open her door for her.

“Thank you,” she said as she sat. The inside of the car carried the faint scent of his cologne. It smelled like him, and that made her smile.

“If I wasn’t driving us, I couldn’t do this.” Theo leaned over, bringing his lips to hers with a greedy kiss.

She closed her eyes, absorbing the feel of his mouth on hers, his touch, his taste, absolutely everything about him. After a few long minutes, he straightened in his seat, his expression glazed over with lust and need.

“So does this mean you think we should keep our relationship private?” she asked. It was something she’d been wondering since she left the guest house last night.

“I think it’s probably best if we keep things low key, but I’m not too worried about it.”

“Megan and Ruby already know, for the record.”

He gave her an amused smile as he started the car. “That’s fine, and I figured they did. My only concern is the press.”

The press. She hadn’t even thought of that! She gulped. “Oh, right.”

“But they aren’t really keeping tabs on me here in America, so we should be fine.”

“That’s good.”

“Anyway, I wanted to be able to talk openly tonight, so I’m driving us to a restaurant I love over in Centerville. It’s about forty-five minutes from here, far enough away from the castle that no one will recognize me.”

“Okay.” She liked the idea of dinner with Theo where no one would recognize them. It sounded romantic and exciting.

They kept the conversation light for the rest of the drive, talking about his work with the Langdon Family Foundation and her hopes for their program at Rosemont Castle. While they talked, Theo guided them over the winding roads through the Appalachian Mountains. The dips and curves made her stomach drop like she was on a rollercoaster.

“These windy roads don’t seem to bother you at all,” she said, remembering Megan’s white-knuckled drive to the animal shelter a few weeks ago.

“I grew up driving these roads so, no, they don’t bother me.”

“I guess that would make a difference,” she agreed. “Do you miss living here? I know you prefer London.”

He frowned. “There are things that I miss. I do love this area, but I’m content to visit it.”

“But you won’t have a reason to visit once you sell the castle,” she pointed out.

“That’s true.”

“Well, I love it here,” she said, twisting her fingers into her dress as they took another sharp curve, hugging the side of the mountain. “It’s beautiful, and the people are friendly. I love the weather. I love the mountains. I love the castle. Have you ever been to Orlando?”

“Once, on business.”

“Aw, your family never took you to Disney World when you were a kid?”

“No,” he said dryly. “I guess the Langdons aren’t exactly the theme park type.”

“Well, even having visited on business maybe you can appreciate what I mean when I say that it’s crowded, hot, and just tourist overload. I really don’t miss it at all.”

“What about your family?” he asked, glancing over at her with those piercing blue eyes.

“I think some families get along better when they have some distance between them. Does that make sense?” Because she’d been talking to her dad regularly since she arrived at the castle and actually felt closer to him than she had in years.

“It makes perfect sense to me,” Theo said. “Although, I suppose it might be different if your mom were still around.”

“Yes, it would.” And Elle really appreciated how effortlessly Theo seemed to get her.

He drove down Centerville’s quaint main street, and Elle fell in love with Virginia and the Appalachian Mountains just a little bit more. The store fronts looked like something right off a postcard with the mountains smudging the horizon behind. He pulled into a public parking lot on the corner and found an empty spot.

As she gathered her purse, he came around to open her door for her.

Gah. Whoever said chivalry was dead never met Theo Langdon because damn, he knew how to treat a lady and make her feel special. If this was what it felt like to date an earl, she never wanted to date American men again.