The heavy oak door clicked shut, muffling the distant sounds of the party and sealing us in the profound quiet of the foyer. Our shared laughter died on our lips, replaced by the sudden, deafening thunder of my own heartbeat. In the silence, the air shifted, growing thick with an electricity that made my skin prickle.
Before I could breathe, before I could think, Duke’s arms were around me. He lifted me as if I were weightless, one arm beneath my knees, the other cradling my back, and started for the stairs. My breath hitched, not in protest, but in awe of the effortless strength, the terrifying rightness of it. My arms looped around his neck, holding on as he carried me up, his gaze locked on mine. This was always where I belonged.
He didn’t toss me onto the bed, but placed me on its ed
