Page 54 of Duchess Material

He flopped over to the side, chuckling. “I fucking hate when you… stare at me like that. Why?”

“Do what? Stare at you… with my face?” Natalie giggled. “Oh, how dare I, Winslow!”

He pulled himself together for good. “Look, princess, it’s just the way you stare. It drives me mad. I want every inch of you and then… well, I think about every inch of you and stare at every inch of you and—”

“Ed, do you think maybe going down on me forever might also have something to do with it? You did it like it was life or death and you were hell bent on saving me.”

Natalie held her arms out. Ed tossed the shirt at his feet to her.

“I love that. I love listening to you lose it. I love feeling you become putty. It is so, so satisfying.”

Natalie pulled her shirt on. “Don’t get drunk on power.”

“I won’t.”

Natalie hopped up, pulling on her knickers, and reaching for her jeans. She did a pants-dance when someone knocked.

“Your Royal Highness, we need to start loading the vehicle. Miss Chandler and Lord Winston are outside waiting.”

Natalie fell into Ed’s arms, sighing. “Of course, they are. I’ll be out in a second.”

Ed looked lovingly at her. “We cannot do this again, Nat.”

“Hmmmmm, no.” She lay her head on his chest, basking in the smell of his aftershave.

“I love you, Nat. I will see you again soon. Text me when you arrive.”

“Same.”

“Pray for me. The drive… it could go poorly. My father informed my mother he fancied a girl on Love Island, and she took it far too personally. They’ve been rowing.”

Natalie snickered. “Have fun, darling.”

Ed kissed her. “I shall.”

Natalie swatted his bum. “We should go.”

“We should.”

Natalie and Ed stopped at the service entrance for a parting snog. Winston laid on the horn to annoy Natalie. She flipped him the bird, still kissing Ed.

Ed walked to his car.

“Love you, Winslow!

Ed climbed into his fabulous toaster car. “Love you, too, Princess!”

Natalie climbed into the back of Lucy’s Range Rover. Two dogs stared back at her.

“You driving her car now?” Natalie wondered after doting on the dogs.

Lucy shrugged. “The dogs prefer it, I think.

“God, you two are terrible.”

“She wants the dogs to protect her from ‘bad vibes’,” Winston chuckled.

“What bad vibes? You have the best of it. Formal dinner tomorrow night and no church service on Christmas. You stay at the big house, eat endlessly, and sit in front of a fire while we toil and greet the well-wishers. I envy you.” Natalie shook her head.

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