One blond brow ticked upwards, a little surprised at something. The question perhaps or the way she was holding herself, as though she was afraid what might happen if she let herself relax. "Is that what you really want, Keira" To be friends?" he asked, searching her face, her eyes, her expression for some hidden meaning.

Caught by his gaze, she stared up at him, wondering how he made her feel like a child and a woman at the same time. A child, because she didn't know how to express herself; a woman, because of the unmistakeable feelings rising in her under his gaze. "No, it isn't," she heard herself confess in a low voice. "But I don't have any right to hope for anything else. I made my bed ten years ago. Lonely as it is, I have to lie in it."

He dismissed her self-admonition, choosing to focus instead on the denial he'd been looking for and the hint that she wanted something more than mere friendship. "Then tell me what you really want, Keira," he told her, giving her the chance, after all these years, to speak her heart without anyone else overhearing what was said between them.

"Jamie ..." Her voice had fallen to a whisper, agonizing over whether or not to just tell him how she felt. Some part of her was afraid that he only wanted to know those feelings before he left her alone, in some form of belated revenge for the way she had broken their friendship when they were teenagers. "I ....I want to be with you. I always have."

His only noticeable reaction to that confession was the slow upward tick of a blond brow, but inside - where it couldn't be seen - he was seething with a flood of emotions. He knew she wasn't toying with him. Even after ten years, he knew her better than that. She wanted to be with him, not as friends, apparently, but as something more. Ten years ago, he would have leaped at the chance, but no matter what people thought of him, he wasn't the same person he'd been ten years ago. Ten years ago, he'd kissed her - one kiss that had changed their relationship forever. It had been a spontaneous kiss, without much forethought or planning, the way kisses were meant to be, but somehow instead of bringing them closer together, it had driven them farther apart. Until today.

At last, he stepped forward, pulse racing, heart thudding in his chest. One kiss had changed everything. What would happen if he gave her another" He didn't say anything as his blue eyes searched hers, as if he was looking into her very soul for the answers to all his questions. He tipped her chin upwards with the touch of his fingers and leaned in, but before he went any further, decided he wouldn't make the same mistake twice. "May I kiss you, Lady Keira?"

She stared up at him, green eyes anxiously awaiting any kind of response to the truth he had asked for and been given. She couldn't read his expression, not knowing what was going on behind the handsome face she had been missing for a decade. Was this where he chose to walk away, or were her hopes founded in some facet of reality' Yet before her nerve broke, she found his fingertips gently tilting her chin upward, relief washing through her in a tidal wave. His gentle question made her smile, understanding just why he needed to ask this time. "I wish you would," she answered him softly. "If only to keep me from saying something terribly stupid to fill the silence."

Over the last ten years, he'd kissed countless girls and women, but there had only been one whose single kiss had stood out among them all. One who made his heart beat a little bit faster, just to be near her. One to whom his thoughts turned in the still of the night. A small smile flickered across his face at her reply to his question. He made no reply, letting his actions speak louder than words. He leaned a little closer, touching warm, soft lips to hers gently, tenderly, letting that kiss linger and suffuse them both with warmth and longing.

It was nothing like that first kiss that had sent them both running in their own way. That had been a teenager's kiss, rushed and longing and filled with the roughness of passion over care. This was a man's kiss to a woman - soft, tender, knowing. And it took her breath away. Keira couldn't help herself; she sighed into the kiss, feeling every last scrap of the tension she had been holding since seeing his name on the guest list for today melt from her body, closing the distance between them to let her hands stroke against his chest as her lips parted just enough to offer a taste of what they had both been missing.

If she'd been any other woman, he might have taken advantage of that small opening, but she was not. She was the one woman who meant more to him than any other. The hell with what everyone else thought. He knew his own heart and was starting to know hers. It seemed his father had been right all along. It had only taken ten years for them both to realize it themselves. They were as meant to be together as Josh and Dru. No one had to tell him that, he just knew it. Her kiss told him that, as well as the beating of his own heart. It was only a matter of convincing those who might doubt them. He broke the kiss just as she was trying to deepen it, showing the restraint of a mature man and not a groping teenager. He took her hands in his own, startlingly blue eyes searching the emerald green beauty of her own. "May I ask your father's permission to court you, Lady?" he asked, barely daring to hope.

His timing was perfect, drawing back just at the moment she was asking for more, proving to her that neither of them were children any longer. Her hands curled into his as they gazed into each other's eyes, amazed that one seemingly random encounter during the ceremonial month had allowed them to move past the strained circumstances of their teenaged years. "I will only allow that if you go back to calling me by my name, Lord Stuart," she told him, a lighter cast to her expression hinting at a teasing smile not quite visible on her face.

His smile widened, a hint of amusement sparkling in his bright blue eyes. There was a hint of the Keira he had once known and loved, happy and playful. Maybe they'd needed the last ten years in order to mature and realize just how much they'd missed each other. "Very well, Keira. Shall I go ask him now or do you think it can wait until morning?" No doubt their little bit of news would go unrecognized, over-shadowed by the unexpected engagement of the Princess Royale, but after ten years of waiting, what was it to wait just a little bit more?

She laughed quietly, shaking her head at the silly question. "I would suggest asking him now," she offered. "Once he sees us return to the party together, he will jump to entirely the wrong conclusion if you do not set him straight. The man enjoys his gossip columns far too much."

"I would like to respectfully add my own request that Lord Stuart gain your permission to court me," she informed her parents, and was treated to the sight of her mother's jaw dropping open incredulously.

The earl, on the other hand, just chuckled, rolling his eyes at his wife's amazement. "Well, then, it would appear that our permission is merely a formality," he pointed out. "You have it, Lord Stuart. Take care of her."

Perhaps it was a little old fashioned, but he'd rather that than have them think he wasn't serious about their daughter or that he wanted to take advantage of her. There was no rush, after all, and they had ten years of catching up to do. "Good things are worth waiting for, James," his mother had once told him. The lesson had been lost on his younger brother, it seemed, but Jamie had more to prove than Josh, or so he thought.

"Thank you, sir," Jamie replied, laying a hand atop hers as it rested against his forearm. "I will do my best," he promised them both. "You have my word."

"Then she will be in very good hands indeed," the earl smiled indulgently, proving that ten years of absence had not lowered his opinion of the young man before him. He gently patted his own wife's hand, drawing her out of whatever plane of incredulity she'd been circling. "Come, my dear, we should go," he told her. "We have an appointment to keep with our grandchildren." He bent forward to kiss Keira's cheek affectionately, accepting her murmured thanks easily enough, and offered his hand to Jamie. "You never cease to surprise me, Lord Stuart," he told the younger man. "I am very glad of it."

"I hope I never give you cause for disappointment," Jamie replied, uncovering Keira's hand so that he could return her father's handshake with a firm grip of his own. "Lady Talbot," Jamie said, offering her a polite smile. "I wish you both a pleasant evening." He was all well-practiced formality today, despite the fact that he had once been practically one of the family.

Having recovered her composure somewhat, Keira's mother had relaxed her smile finally. "You will have to join us for dinner some night soon, both of you," she told Jamie, delivering an invitation that Keira would not be able to wriggle out of. "Do excuse us, my husband is correct about our prior engagement."

"For once," Keira murmured under her breath, kissing her mother's cheek before watching them go. "Well ....that wasn't nearly as frightening as it could have been. Is your father still an incorrigible flirt, or have you trained that out of him by now?"

Jamie chuckled in amusement at her question. "I think he's been moonlighting as a matchmaker. He was the one who insisted on me meeting with you to discuss the loan to the museum. Nothing my father does is a coincidence. It's all very well planned and thought out," he told her once they were left on their own once again.

Her brow rose, warm amusement spreading through her expression as she looked up at him. "Should I ask him when he's scheduled the wedding to be, then, or shall I wait to be surprised?" she asked, playful for a brief moment despite the curious eyes on them. One thing she had learned in ten years was how to be circumspect - there were no gossip columns bearing her name because she always behaved impeccably in public. That, however, was about to change with the renewal of her relationship with James Stuart.

"Shall we skip the courtship then and go straight to the proposal?" he asked, with an amused expression that seemed to light up his whole face. He, too, was aware of the curious onlookers, but he also knew that in another day or so, they'd be as good as forgotten in light of the news of Dru and Josh's engagement. He laid a hand against hers again, giving it a gentle pat. "Shall we walk in the garden or would you prefer another dance?"

She laughed at that, turning to face him, capturing his hand between her own on his arm. "Would you truly like to know?" she asked him, that barely there twinkle assuring him that nothing awful was about to make itself known from between her lips. "My feet are killing me. I should quite like to be somewhere I can take my shoes off." She hesitated just a moment before adding, "I have an apartment not too far from the palace. Would you care to join me for dinner?"

His eyes twinkled brightly to hear her laughter, which was like music to his ears. "I thought I was supposed to be courting you," he remarked with a smile, though it was mostly just a formality.

"Well, then, Lord Stuart, you need to be re-trained in the art of modern courtship," she informed him through a bright smile. "Women are not simply confined to saying yes whenever they are asked to attend a function. These days, we're positively encouraged to take an active role."

"Well, then, Lady Talbot, I suppose it would be rude of me to decline such a kind offer. Shall we say our goodbyes?" he asked, though there was probably no one left to say goodbye to, since her parents had already left, as well as his father and brother, along with the royals. He wondered just how much she knew about the impending royal engagement, but didn't dare ask until they were assured of privacy.

"I think we shall," she agreed, warm and soft against his arm once again as she looked around, only to find that the majority of people she knew had already left. She laughed softly. "Or rather, I would, if there were anyone remaining who might miss me."

"All the better," he said, glancing around to find his father and brother had already left, as well. "It appears no one will miss me either," he said with a short laugh, except perhaps for the single females who'd been hoping to catch his eye.

"I would, if I were not coming with you," she murmured softly, curling her hands to his arm as they moved toward the ornate gates that would take them from the garden to the courtyard, where the palace's fleet of cars stood waiting to take guests home.

"I know," he replied, touched by her affectionate reassurance. It was almost as if the last ten years just melted away, and they were teenagers again. Best friends since childhood, there'd been a time when they'd shared everything together - all of it ruined by one stupid impulsive kiss. His larger hand closed around hers, fingers twining together, palm to palm, drawing comfort from her touch. "I know I shouldn't worry. He's a grown man now. He doesn't need his big brother fighting his battles for him."

"Just because he doesn't think he needs it, doesn't mean he won't appreciate you having his back," she reminded him, glancing up as the car drew to a stop outside her building. "Here we are." It was an unassuming building, certainly not somewhere most people would think to look for an earl's daughter. She glanced at Jamie as she pushed open the door. "It's more attractive on the inside."

He ducked his head to look over at the unassuming building they'd stopped in front of, finding it rather ordinary looking, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, in his opinion. "I'm sure it's fine, Keira. Don't worry so much," he told her, giving her a little of her own advice.

She laughed over her shoulder at him, rising out of the car to stand on the sidewalk, waiting for him to join her as she discreetly slipped her dress back down her hips. That was the worst thing about being comfortable in dresses like this, she had decided years ago - the tendency they had to suddenly be much shorter when you stood up. Slipping her key from her clutch, she thanked the driver and reached out to take Jamie's hand, drawing him up the steps and into the apartment building.

He knew it wouldn't be long before rumors and gossip would be flying around with them at the center of it, nor did he care. He had his Keira back - that was all that mattered - and he had no intention of screwing things up this time around. He climbed out of the car and followed her up the stairs, fingers linked with hers, his heart full of mingled excitement and trepidation.

As it turned out, she was absolutely right about the building being far more attractive on the inside. Not to mention easier to navigate than most of the stately houses they'd both been to over the years. Up two floors, and she let him into her own apartment, welcoming him inside with a slightly shy cast to her smile. "This is me," she said, a little superfluously, gesturing for him to make himself comfortable. Afternoon sunlight still shone in through the large windows, displaying the artwork and sculpture that were set around the main room to best effect. Everything was neat and clean, neutral colors enlivened with a splash of purple or red here or there. Maturity, it seemed, had brought with it an understanding of restraint when it came to color for Keira Talbot.

"It's nice," he remarked as he followed her inside. The apartment was bright and modern and spacious, if a bit stark, though the clean lines and bit of color helped warm the space. It was different from the place he called home, but not in a bad way, and could easily house two people comfortably. "You live here alone?" he asked, thinking the place was a little too big for one person, though he wasn't sure how much time she actually spent here.

She nodded, rolling her eyes. "Huge, isn't it' Mummy insisted on making up the difference so there would be a spare bedroom and somewhere to entertain." The wry look on her face was evidence enough that Keira did not "entertain" anyone in her apartment. Setting her clutch down on the coffee table, she paused, easing her feet from her shoes with a deep groan of relief. "Oh, thank the gods," she sighed happily. "High heels on grass and gravel are a form of torture."

His attention was drawn away from their surroundings to watch her step out of her shoes, an appreciative smile forming on his lips as he admired the woman before him. He wasn't sure which he found more enticing, her in heels or in bare feet, and he found himself chuckling at a particular memory. "Do you remember the time we waded in the stream and came home muddy' I thought your mother was going to kill me." He unbuttoned his jacket to make himself more comfortable before claiming a seat on the couch, leaving ample room for her to join him.

Wriggling her toes, Keira took a moment to stretch, bending over to clasp her ankles, forehead on her knees, before straightening up once again. "I remember pushing you in and you pulling me in after you," she laughed at the memory, easing herself down onto the couch beside him easily. "I also remember the four times you stole my underwear while we were camping with your family!"

He chuckled at the memories of simpler, more innocent times. There wasn't much likelihood of them repeating those incidents now they were grown, yet, no matter what happened, no one could take those memories away from them. He reached for her legs to draw her feet into his lap and rub at the soreness caused by the high heels. His touch was gentle but firm as he kneaded the ball of her foot and gently worked his fingers over her arch. "I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone as angry as you were." He remembered the slip of a girl with hands on her hips trying to look fierce while all he could manage was laughter.

Either he had been paying a little too much attention to her reaction to his breath in the car, or he was utterly oblivious; Keira wasn't sure which. The firm, gentle pressure of his hands on her skin certainly wasn't helping her keep her mind on innocent memories, that was for sure. She bit her lip, failing to hold in the low groan of pleasure as he massaged the soreness from her feet, hoping like hell she wasn't blushing as much as she thought she was. "I was furious," she informed him. "It was even worse when you dressed Josh up in my training bra and sent him swimming. I nearly throttled you!"

Jamie rolled his eyes at that particular memory and chuckled further. "The Royal Consort in a training bra," he remarked, when she reminded him of the incident. "We had a lot of fun though, didn't we, Keira?" he asked her, blue eyes shining with merriment, though it hadn't always been fun and games. His mother's death had devastated the small family and broken all their hearts. Jamie had tried his best to be strong for both his father and younger brother's sakes. It had been Keira who'd been there for him when he'd finally broken down and let himself grieve.

"We did," she agreed, her smile relaxing as she settled into the couch, running her fingers through her hair to pull it back off her face. "We have a lot of catching up to do. Ten years of missing you is a big empty place to fill, you know."

The little girl who'd once been his closest friend had certainly grown up. "I don't know what you see in me, Keira, but I know what I see in you. I've loved you most of my life, and even when I tried to forget you, I couldn't." He drew her onto his lap, content for now just to have her close, to rekindle what they'd once had and rediscover each other. "Does it surprise you to know that I love you?"

Drawn close enough to cuddle into his arms and just be, Keira felt the last of her tension ease away at his soft confession. "Should it surprise me?" she asked him, her voice quiet as she lifted her head to look into his eyes. "I thought you had forgotten me, until this afternoon. But after what we've said to each other ....I think we've both been trying to pretend this isn't real for too long."

"Maybe we needed some time apart to grow up," he suggested, though it no longer seemed to matter. The time for blame was over. They were back together again, and it was almost as if no time had passed at all. "So, how long should we make this courtship?" he asked, that merry twinkle in his eyes again.

She laughed quietly, looping her arms around him in a comfortable embrace that transported her back to her early teens in an instant. She remembered crying on his shoulder when her first crush had broken her heart, holding him against the pain of losing his mother, both of them always there for one another when they needed someone to listen. And now she had him back, she had no intention of letting go. "I think we should make your father stew a little longer than Josh is making him wait," she said with a cheeky glimmer in her expression. "What did you have in mind?"

"My father, the merry matchmaker," he chuckled with a roll of his eyes. "I think we should let Josh and Dru have their moment before we have ours. You realize we're likely to be in the wedding party."

"I can't imagine Josh getting married without you standing up with him," Keira agreed with a smile. She'd always envied the close bond between the brothers; as much as she loved her sisters, she was definitely the odd one out. "I have a feeling I may be asked to be a bridesmaid." She rolled her eyes, hoping Dru wouldn't be so cruel as to put her bridal party in something gods-awful.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," he said, a little amused by her reaction to the thought of standing up in the royal wedding. "I don't think they're going to wait long," he added. "She really didn't say anything about it to you?" he asked, wondering what it had been the two young women were talking about when he'd interrupted them at the party.

"Not a word," she assured him, amused by his apparent disbelief. "I imagine she was biding her time and waiting for the Prince's permission to say anything overtly. You walked in on a conversation about something one of our patrons at the museum did to try and get out of fulfilling his promised donation a few days ago."

"Oh..." He looked a little surprised for a moment, chuckling as his own misunderstanding of the conversation. "I thought you were talking about me!" He was glad he hadn't made a complete fool of himself anyway, though he'd come close. "What do you think they're going to say when they find out?" He meant Dru and Josh, of course, anxious to share the good news with them, though he'd just as soon kept it out of the press.

"Goodness, I have no idea," was her reply, genuinely uncertain quite what the reaction would be to the news that James Stuart was taken. "Dru will be surprised, I'm sure. She doesn't know we were so close when we were younger. You know your brother best, though."

Jamie had that look in his mischievous look in his eyes again, though he doubted it would be long before news got around that he and Keira had left the party together, not to mention the fact that her parents knew they were "courting". "What if we don't tell them?" he suggested. He knew Josh wasn't one to read the gossip columns, though his father was likely to spill the beans.

Her brow rose as she smiled back at him, enchanted by the mischief in his eyes even as he made that suggestion. "How long do you suppose that would last?" she asked with a soft giggle. "One of us would cave, I'm sure of it. Or your brother could start reading the gossip columns and pester you about it."

He shrugged. "They're going to announce their engagement tomorrow." That meant that whatever focus was on them would immediately swing to the royals and the impending wedding. No one was going to care or notice what he or Keira were doing, while the royals were in the limelight. "I hope Josh can handle it," Jamie added with a worried frown.

"He won't be alone," Keira reminded him gently, stroking her fingers through his hair as they sat together on her couch. "I know Dru is very young, but she has a good head on her shoulders. She'll make sure Josh has everything he needs. Don't be surprised if you end up on the princess' speed-dial."

"Me?" he asked, a little startled by her remark. "Why me?" He hardly knew the Princess Royale, though it seemed she was about to become his sister-in-law.

"Because you're his brother, and she knows how close the two of you are," the young woman in his lap told him, as though it were common sense. "If ever she needs advice on how to help him, or what to buy him, or even just a suggestion for a date, I would be willing to put money on her calling you."

"So long as your sisters don't call me. Elise has always hated me. I don't think she's ever forgiven me for putting that toad in her bed." Despite the fact that she'd deserved it, or so he'd thought at the time. Her parents had always been fond of him, but he wasn't so sure about her sisters.

Keira burst out laughing at that reminder. Her eldest sister had been steaming mad about the toad, instantly knowing who was to blame, but unable to say a thing about it, because that was the night she'd sneaked her then boyfriend into her bedroom. "I wouldn't be surprised if she's still holding it against you," she grinned, wiping tears of laughter from her cheeks as she clung to him. "I still maintain the toad got more action that night than Dennis did."

"Served her right for being so nasty to you." He couldn't help but grin at the memory of it. He'd gloated over and savored her older sister's horrified reaction to his little prank, but felt it had been well deserved. "It's a little late to apologize now." It was no big secret that he'd been rather protective of Keira when they were young. Whether his prank had been cruel or not, it had had the desired effect. Elise hadn't dared pick on Keira again, so long as Jamie was around.

"You're not popular because you can cook?" he asked with a curious lift of his brows. He reached for the knife and pulled the cutting board closer, refusing to admit defeat.

"Well, it's more because I know how to use a vacuum cleaner and wash my own clothes," Keira admitted with a chuckle, putting down her bowl of goo to fill the steamer with water and locate a griddle. "Apparently I'm not ladylike enough for the painted pretties on the marriage market. According to them, I should be in bed until one in the afternoon and drink until four in the morning."

"No," he agreed with a frown. "You're better than them, Keira. They're a bunch of spoiled brats." And he should know, since he'd slept with enough of them. "You're doing something meaningful with your life, instead of just worrying about what you look like and how rich a husband you can woo." He went about making an attempt to chop the vegetables, albeit awkwardly, but at least he was trying.

"I didn't see what else I was going to do with my life," she admitted in a quiet voice, waiting patiently as he struggled with the vegetables. It was obvious that he didn't have the first idea what he was doing, so it was just as well they'd already been cleaned up in advance. "By the time I reached college, I knew I would never be able to find anyone who matched even a tiny piece of you. I'd pretty much decided I was going to be a batty old lady who never got married and couldn't move in her house for all the art she'd collected."

Jamie's frown deepened, though it was only due in part to her confession and in part due to the vegetables he was puzzling over. A carrot went skidding across the counter as the knife came down on the chopping board. If he wasn't careful, they were going to have some fingers with their vegetables. "Why do you think I'm still single?"

For some reason, the question made her feel shy again, and more than a little jealous, recalling all the women his name had been linked to, and more than a few who had told her themselves about their dalliance with him. She looked down at her bowl, moving to drop a pair of chicken breasts into the concoction she'd made - anything to look busy. "I assumed it was because you weren't ready to settle down," she admitted softly.

Of course, he hadn't slept with everyone whose name had been linked to his or who had claimed to have had a dalliance with him, but he'd had his fair share. His reputation was a little inflated as far as women were concerned, but there was a very good reason why he was still single. "I wasn't," he admitted, his attention seemingly fixed on his chopping, for about the same reasons she was trying to look busy with the chicken.

She nodded, turning the chicken over and over in the bowl. It took a moment for her to realize that if he chopped anymore, they were going to end up with minutely cubed vegetables that would turn into mush in the steamer. "Oh, um ....you can dump those in the top of the steamer and put the lid on," she told him, not intentionally changing the subject, but uncertain whether she really wanted to continue on that just yet.

"Things change," he said, halting his chopping and looking over at the steamer. What she was telling him didn't seem too difficult. He picked up a handful of veggies and reached over to drop them into the steamer. "See" I can cook!"

"Not everything changes." As evidenced by the deep affection she still held for him, like a flame hidden behind high walls. She couldn't help smiling at his triumph as the veggies made it into the steamer. "Congratulations."

He smiled at the praise. If his mother had lived longer, she might have taught him to cook, but once she was gone, he had no interest and there was no one who'd been patient enough to teach him. "Maybe there's hope for me yet." In more ways than one, it seemed.

"Oh, I've always had hope where you're concerned," Keira smiled, moving to transfer the rest of the vegetables into the steamer and set it to do its thing, turning her attention to grilling the chicken in its hashed together coating.

"Are we talking about the same thing?" he asked, as he wiped his hands off on a towel and turned to watch her grill the chicken with mild interest.

"You know, I'm not entirely sure," she laughed faintly, leaving the chicken to wash out the bowl quickly and leave it to drip dry, returning to the pan in time to turn the meat with tongs. Evidently cooking for herself had fine-tuned her kitchen performance to something of a high art. "What are you talking about?"

"What are you talking about?" he echoed, though she'd sort of asked him first. He had a feeling neither of them was talking about cooking, but before he shared anything else of a more private nature, he wanted to be sure.

She stiffened a little, glancing up at him with wary eyes. "You do that a lot, you know," she pointed out quietly. "Wait to be sure of what I'm saying, what I'm feeling, before you share your own thoughts and feelings. Why?"

He arched a brow. From the look on his face, he wasn't expecting her to call him on that or to ask him about it. He considered a moment, not realizing that about himself until she pointed it out. "I don't know," he replied, not denying it. "I guess I'm afraid I'll say something stupid."

"Jamie, I'm cooking dinner for you," she reminded him as gently as she could. "It's never stupid to own your own feelings, your own thoughts. There's nothing you can say to me right now - short of telling me that you're only here because of some bet - that will make me want you to leave. Didn't I just tell you that I love you?"

"Okay," he said, turning to face her, almost as if what he was about to say was some sort of challenge. "What if I told you that none of my relationships ever worked out because they weren't you? You're the only girl - the only woman - I've ever really loved, Keira. I know I've got a reputation for being something of a....I don't know what....but the truth is no matter how many women I've dated, not a single one compared to you. I've tried to forget you and failed. It wouldn't be right to marry someone I don't love. It would never work. The only woman I've ever really wanted was you. So, you want to know why I never settled down" It's because the only woman I ever wanted to settle down with was you."

He'd eaten at the party, as well, but it had been hours since then, and as tall and broad as he was, it took a lot of food to keep him from getting hungry. "The walk of shame?" he echoed with a chuckle. "I didn't notice any paparazzi parked outside your apartment waiting to flash cameras in our faces." He took another sip of the wine before setting the glass down and taking up his knife and fork.

"Very true. I'd forgotten how observant you are." She settled into a rhythm as she ate; small bites, interspersed with the bright conversation he remembered and generous sips of wine, relaxing as the evening wore on. Relaxing enough, in fact, to broach the unfinished topic between them. "So why is it so difficult to believe that I would willingly go down to the Temple with you this very evening and marry you without telling anyone else?"

He settled into easy, relaxed companionship with her as they conversed over dinner, the years apart melting away once again as they spent some time catching up. It came as no surprise when the topic of conversation circled back around to the subject of marriage. He refilled both their glasses for the last time, the wine bottle as empty as their plates. "It's not so much that it's difficult to believe as I'm not sure it's the wisest thing to do right now."

"Since when do you do the wise thing?" she asked, teasing him easily as she pushed her plate away. "I always used to envy you, how brave you were to act on impulse and it always came out right. I don't think I have an impulsive bone in my body."

Jamie pushed his own plate away and folded his arms against the table, turning serious. "Since I'm going to be duke someday. My father isn't getting any younger. Besides, don't you want a big white wedding?" He wasn't trying to talk her out of it, by any means. He just wanted to be sure she wasn't making a hasty decision without considering all the consequences. And there was the impending royal wedding to consider. "When I do marry you, I don't want it to be a secret. I want everyone to know about it," he added, reaching across the table for her hand.

Her fingers slid into his as he took her hand, the sincerity in his words touching her more deeply than she could have imagined it might. "So we'll do it properly," she agreed softly. "After the royal wedding. But it doesn't need to be a big wedding, Jamie. More than half the people we'd invite would only be there because they're of the right rank, not because we'd want them there. Our marriage should be about us, James and Keira, not the earl and the lady." Odd, how there had been no proposal, and yet they were both absolutely on the same page when it came to where their future was going to take them.

"Alright, a small white wedding," he countered with a warm smile. It didn't really matter who was there, so long as their families and close friends were in attendance. It shouldn't quite be the media circus the Royal Wedding threatened to be, but there was still likely to be plenty of attention from the public and press.

She grinned, leaning close as she raised his hand to kiss his knuckles. "And you get to pick the date," she added mischievously, rising to gather up their plates and move back toward the kitchen. Neatness, it seemed, was something she'd ingrained into herself since moving away from her family.

"Me?" he echoed, following her to his feet to help with the dishes. "Why me" You're the bride. It should be when you want." So long as it was after the royal wedding, it didn't really matter when. The truth was he was just as tempted to elope as she was, but he also thought their families might kill them if they did, and he didn't really want it to be a secret. They'd waited ten years for this - it was worthy of a celebration.

"Because I said so," she laughed, leading the way into the kitchen. It was only the work of a minute to rinse the plates and put them in the dishwasher, ending when she turned to ease herself into his arms. "I think it's about time you kissed me properly, James Stuart. I haven't been dreaming about polite little pecks for the last ten years, you know."

He was only too happy to take her into his arms, though he couldn't help teasing her a little before she received her reward. "Oh, do you? And what exactly do you think I've been doing?" he asked, blue eyes twinkling with mischief. They'd only shared a handful of kisses so far and all of them had been fairly chaste.

"I think you've been trying to be a gentleman, when we both know different," she smirked up at him, a sweet twinkle in her eyes. "At least in private, anyway." Fingertips playing in and out of his hair, she smiled, her invitation offering far more than just a kiss. In a strange way, she was inviting him into her life to stay, if he would only accept.

He was more than ready to accept, but he was having too much fun teasing her to let her off that easily. "Trying, eh?" he asked. Her touch was doing strange things to his insides that he'd never experienced with any other woman before. "I'll have you know, I'm nothing if not a gentleman, Lady Talbot," he told her, leaning close to leave whisper-soft kisses against the side of her neck.

It seemed he had found a particularly weak spot of hers without even trying. As his lips brushed her neck, she all but melted into his arms, a tiny moan ghosting against his ear as her fingers tightened in his hair. "Right now, I could stand for the gentleman to look the other way," she whispered into his ear, pressing close to him. Ten years of dreams could never compare to the stark reality of having him there in her arms, to the whirling, burning desire that pooled deep inside her at the merest touch he gave her. "You're such a tease, Jamie ..."

"Am I?" he murmured against her neck. If she only knew. If nothing else had been gained by his dalliances these last ten years, it had been experience. He was no boy any longer. He knew what to do with a woman. He could, in fact, give his brother lessons in that regard, but he thought it better Josh learn on his own. He let his lips linger against her neck, his breath soft and warm against her skin before pulling away to scoop her up in his arms to take her to the bedroom.

She giggled as he swept her up, bare feet dangling as her arms looped about his shoulders. Now it was her turn to tease - he'd put her in the perfect position to explore his jaw, his neck, with her own lips, fingertips playing in and out of his hair as she breathed him in. "I'm glad you grew out of using that horrible cologne," she murmured with a wicked grin, biting his neck with gentle teeth.

There was no need to ask permission any longer. This was what they both wanted, and he knew it. There was no need any longer to hold himself back, so long as she wanted him. He was determined not to let her go this time, no matter what happened from this moment forward. He kissed her like he'd never kissed anyone else before - slowly, languidly, deeply. It wasn't just any kiss, but the kiss of a lifetime and the one he'd been waiting for and longing for nearly all his life. He eased her back onto the bed as he kissed her, gently this time, no more jokes, no more teasing. His hands moved in further exploration of her body as his mouth explored hers.

Seduced or seducer, it didn't matter any more. Lovers wasn't enough to describe what they were to each other. ten years of wishes, of dreams, of longing thoughts in the dark of the night, all coming together in this moment as Keira surrendered completely to loving her Jamie, to being loved in return. Touching and touched, she gathered him into her arms, unwilling to let go even for a brief moment, each caress firing her blood a little hotter as his name ghosted against his skin, carried on soft moans that were entirely for him.

He gave as much as he took, an attentive, experienced lover who knew what to do with a woman in his arms. Though she was all new territory for him, she felt comfortable and familiar and most importantly, she felt right. There would be no more lonely nights, no more tears, no more dreams and wishes unfulfilled. He wondered why he had waited so long, but maybe it was better this way. Maybe by being apart for so long, they had better learned to appreciate what they had lost. Either way, he made sure she knew how much he had missed her. No words were necessary - every kiss, every caress, every soft breath, every whisper of her name as they re-discovered each other told her of his love and desire. He got her undressed finally and undressed himself, both of them in wonder of the other. Being with her was like a dream come true, and he wasn't going to let anything ruin that dream.

A decade of waiting should have made this a hurried, frenzied coupling, yet it seemed that as they reached the point of no return, the world slowed down. Every touch, every kiss, was savored in tenderness, each of them sharing as much as they could. Though she could have wished to be a virgin for him, Keira couldn't deny that it felt good to be able to give as much as she was given, to know a little of how to touch and kiss even as she learned what he liked. Tangled in his arms, she shared more than her body with him - as they rose to that anticipated crest together, she felt as though her heart and soul were inextricably bound to his. More so than ever before, she belonged to him, no matter what came of them.

He had given his heart to her a long time ago, whether she knew it or not; now he was giving her his body, as well. As their shared passion rose and crested, he, too, felt that connection, bound together heart, body, and soul. He whispered her name as he went over the edge, her name like a prayer against his lips. There was no more wonderful feeling than this, and she was there with him to share it again and again.

It seemed to take both a heartbeat and an infinity of pleasure for the world to swim back into focus, to find herself curled close in his arms as her fingertips stroked over his skin, in awe of the incredible man her childhood friend had become. Her lips brushed against his, softly loving in the wake of their love-making. "I do love you, Jamie," she whispered to him, needing him to believe her to his very core. "I think I always have."

"Even when you were pelting me with rotten apples?" he teased, hands smoothing up and down her bare back as she touched her lips to his.

She giggled softly, the sound somehow more intimate in the heavy stillness they had created together. The smoothing trace of his hands on her skin was going to bring her back to the brink again, she knew, certain she would never get enough of him. "Especially when I was pelting you with rotten apples," she countered, just as teasing. "Remember who it was who snuck you into the house and found you clean clothes while you were in my shower?"

"It was the least you could do after you ruined my favorite shirt!" he countered with a chuckle as his fingers found the small of her back just above the curve of her rear and lingered there to trace small circles against her flesh. "Spring," he said abruptly, going back to an earlier conversation. "Let's get married in spring."

"Apple blossoms," she murmured, somewhat cryptically, her smile soft, her eyes focused for a moment on a different time. But perhaps it wasn't so cryptic for him - the only flowers he had ever given her were apple blossoms, stolen from the trees in one of the orchards on his family's estate in Roslae. She'd been eight, and in tears because of a few cruel words from her big sister about how the bridesmaid dress chosen by another sister made her look fat and ugly. Jamie had cheered her up with a handful of apple blossom, and had even allowed her to wind some of them into his hair. Her smile deepened as she recalled that day, tucking herself ever closer into him as her lips touched a new kiss to the very corner of his mouth. "Spring," she agreed with him quietly.

He remembered that day, too, but not as vividly as she had, nor had he realized how important that simple gesture had been to her. He had merely been trying to make her feel better the only way he knew how. He smiled contentedly now that they had settled on a date of sorts, or at least had agreed on a time frame. He turned his head to brush a soft kiss against her temple. "I love you, Keira," he told her softly, in a serious tone of voice.

"I love you back," she murmured to him, as serious in her own declaration as he was in his. Her fingers smoothed against his cheek, caressing the face that had haunted days and nights for far too long. "I'm glad your father can't leave things alone," she admitted with a warm smirk. "I should buy him something to say thank you."

"Making you his daughter-in-law should be thanks enough," Jamie pointed out. His father had always been fond of Keira, and Jamie knew he'd like nothing better than to make her part of their family. There had been a time when their families had been close, when she had been just as welcome in his family's home as he'd been in hers. Nothing had ever really changed as far as that went, except that the two of them had grown apart. It seemed as though all that was about to change once again. "You know we're going to hear a lot of 'I told you so's'."

She laughed softly, nestling close in his arms, a tender kiss brushing the curve of his shoulder for a brief moment. "To be fair, I think we have earned them," she conceded ruefully. "But at least we have corrected our mistakes now. I have no intention of letting you go again, Jamie. Ever."

"That goes double, Keira," he replied, winding an arm around her shoulders to hold her close as she nestled against him. "I'm afraid you're stuck with me." He chuckled a moment as another thought came to mind. "What do you think Josh and Dru are going to say when they find out?" He didn't know the Princess very well, but knew she and Keira were close friends.

"Gods alone know what Josh is going to say," she giggled quietly, warmed by how easily they fitted together, limbs entwined on the cool sheets. "I promise not to tease him too much until he calms down about his new role in life, though." Her smile deepened as she considered the Princess Royale. "Dru will be ridiculously excited, if I know her," she mused. "I imagine she'll try to pay for our honeymoon or something ridiculously romantic like that. But only if I survive being throttled when I ask her to be my maid of honor."

"Josh has been so wrapped up in his own problems lately," Jamie muttered with a small frown. "I think he's worried something's going to go wrong." He hoped his little brother would at least be happy for him - as happy as Jamie was for him. "Everything's worked out just the way my father wanted. I don't know how he does it." Of course, it went without saying that Josh would be Jamie's best man.

"You and I both know there is nothing Parliament can do to prevent them marrying," Keira reminded him gently, understanding the concern easily enough. "By virtue of the constitution, Parliament gains influence on the marriage of the legal heir only from the date of their eighteenth birthday. They have to abide by the decisions made before then. It's why so many of the royal marriages have taken place so young, after all. Josh has something those past princes never had - love."

"And so do I," Jamie replied, rolling her onto her back and sliding on top of her. It had only been a few minutes since they'd finished making love, but it was early, and they had the rest of the day to themselves to do whatever came natural. "Do I need to ask permission to make love to you again, Lady Talbot?"

"Oh, good gods, don't call me that!" She giggled all over again, the sound bright and comfortable even as her arms and legs wrapped themselves around him once more. "Lady Talbot is my mother, your lordship. If you ever ask my mother for permission to make love to me, I will sink into the ground then and there and never come up again."

"I think permission was implied when she gave us her blessing," he replied with a warm smile of his own. "One day you'll be a duchess," he reminded her, though he had no idea when that might be. His father would likely remain duke as long as he was able, but Jamie was in no hurry to take over the position. He was in a hurry, however, to make love to Keira again, and it was doubtful it was something he'd ever grow tired of.

"I'll be your duchess," she pointed out affectionately, drawing her fingers through his hair as she drew him down to her once again, soft lips offering more of the kisses that had brought them to this point in time. The rank meant nothing to her; it was the man in her arms that meant everything. She could feel him stirring against her, the barest hint of his desire enough to bring her with him, every nerve aflame with the need to take and be taken. She didn't think she was ever going to be immune to his touch.

He was more than willing to reprise what they had just shared together, as was evidenced by the all too obvious effect she was having on his body. He was beginning to understand why some said love-making was a sacred act to only be shared between two loving souls. With every other woman before her, it had only been about a fleeting moment of physical pleasure, but with Keira, it was so much more. It was as if they were of one mind and one body when they joined together, moving together, sharing their most intimate secrets.

If only ten years ago they'd known that they had been made for each other, fitting perfectly, each into every nuance of the other. Even if they had then been parted, it would have made the absence easier to bear, knowing that somehow they would find each other again. In spring, when the apple blossoms decorated the orchards once again, the decision reached tonight would find completion, but until then, Keira was determined that she would never again be far from her Jamie's side.

((The Duke of Roslae should get an award for setting both his sons up so successfully! Many, many hugimungus thanks to James' player!))