Page 101 of The Duke Who Saved Christmas
I dropped my chip into the board as I met his eyes. “Deal.”
***
“Now, how should I have you serve your hours of slavery?” I mused, gently swilling the wine in my glass.
Thomas glared at me. “You cheated.”
“I did not cheat. I told you red was the lucky colour.” I paused. “That and you were too cocky.”
“Or you just have hidden Connect-4 skills.”
“What actually happened is that the prospect of having you at my beck and call for twenty-four whole hours was just too tempting, so I had to really think it all through. Humbling you in the process was merely a bonus.”
He sighed heavily, dropping his head back on the sofa so he was staring at the ceiling. “Sometimes I think I’m starting to understand you, then shit like this happens, and I realise you might just be one of life’s greatest unsolved mysteries.”
“Like the identity of Jack the Ripper?”
“Or the location of Cleopatra’s tomb.”
“I’ll go with the tomb. There are too many possibilities for Jack’s identity, but we really don’t know where good ol’ Cleo is resting.”
“In the morning, remind me to change your name in my contact list to ‘Cleopatra’s Tomb.’”
“Oh, I will. Then I’ll call you every five minutes and hope I one day get to hear you explain to someone why that’s my name in your phone.” I grinned as I put my empty glass on the coffee table, then swung my legs up onto the sofa and adjusted a cushion under my head.
“I have no idea how I could possibly explain that to anyone,” Thomas said dryly, but there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. “Are you going to fall asleep there?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m merely getting comfortable while thinking about how to abuse my authority over you for twenty-four hours.”
“Abuse your authority, hm?”
“Absolutely. I’ve been dreaming about this for twenty years. I’m not passing up the opportunity to make you my slave.”
He covered his face with his hand. He could hide his smile all he liked, but there was no way to hide the full body shake that came with his silent laughter. “Let me guess; it’s not going to be a twenty-four-hour block, is it?”
“I was thinking random sessions of two hours to keep you on your toes. Of course, I’ll have to do the maths to make sure I use up all the hours before I leave again, but I’m sure I can make it work.” I smiled over at him.
Thomas slowly dropped his hand onto his lap. “Do you ever think about staying here?”
“In Castleton?”
“No, South Africa.”
Moron.
“I guess,” I said slowly, rolling onto my side to face him as I stifled a yawn. “It’s not like I hate it here, and that’s not why I left, either. I just knew I wouldn’t be able to achieve my dreams if I settled here after university.”
“Do you feel like you have?”
“What, achieved my dreams? In a way, I suppose. I have my own business, after all, and I’m pretty good at what I do. I make good money, and I’m always booked to the point I turn brides away, so I guess I have.”
“You don’t sound too excited for someone who’s achieved their dream.”
My lips curved up slightly, but I quickly brought my hand to my mouth to cover a yawn. The warmth of the fire combined with the wine was getting to me, and there was the hint of sleep flickering at the edges of my consciousness.
I really had to get up, but I was too damn comfortable.
“Maybe I don’t. But there’s more to dreams than just professional success, isn’t there?” I tucked my hand under my head, briefly closing my eyes. “I might appear to have it all professionally, but I’m still only human, and I get jealous like everyone else.”
