Page 91 of The Duchess Games

The ice she had been carrying inside her chest began to melt.

“I’m heartily ashamed, love.”

“I’m the one who should be ashamed,” she said.

“Not ever.”

“I knew what I was doing.”

“And you’d do it again.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Yes, but differently.”

He shook his head. “I love that about you.” He kissed her cheek, the tip of her nose. “Please tell me I haven’t ruined everything.”

“If you tell me I haven’t ruined everything.”

“Be my duchess, Cat.”

She blinked. “I couldn’t,” she said. “I’m a fisherman’s daughter. A smuggler.”

“And I’m a duke but you’ve never held it against me.” He ran his hands up her arms. “You’re already my duchess. You have been since that summer. You just never knew it.”

She laughed, she couldn’t help it. Happiness bubbled in her veins. “That seems like something I should have known.”

“Unfortunately, my sister is right. I’m an idiot.”

She laughed again. And then she kissed him because she didn’t know what else to do with all of the emotions welling inside her. He kissed her back, stroking his big hand up her spine, digging his fingers in her hair. He nipped at her mouth, again and again until she forgot where they were.

On a smuggler’s beach.

In Cornwall.

“Callum, I love you. I never stopped loving you. But I can’t move to London.” She tried to ease back.

He stopped her. “Good. I hate London.”

“You can’t mean it.”

“I do mean it. Emphatically. And before you object any further and wound my ducal pride, just remember that I can keep Armstrong and his men in line.”

She pretended to consider the matter. “That is true.”

“What do you want? What do you need? Diamonds? Dresses? Horses?”

“God, no.”

“Salt?”

She beamed at him. “Now that is the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me.” She kissed again, just because she could. “About that private beach of yours…”

“The cove where I first kissed you?”

“Yes. That’s the one.”

“What about it?”

“Don’t you think it would make a splendid smuggling cove?”