Archive of Our Own

When Kate enters the large banquet hall they hired for the night, she’s struck by the awe that this is her life now.

Her life now includes being the Advocacy Director of the Bridgerton Foundation, one of the largest non-profit organisations in England. Which means she gets a free ticket to their most exclusive event of the year, the annual Hearts and Flowers Ball. Having to doll up, walk a red carpet and talk up her job to some of the biggest names in the world is not something she thought she would have to do when she decided she wanted to dedicate her life to helping people.

The ball is regarded as an event on the level of the Met Gala. Famous people from all over the world gather for one night to dine and party and network, while providing exponential attention to the year’s cause, and donating as much as they like (though it’s an unspoken rule that it’s improper to give less than ten thousand pounds).

The pride that swells in her heart that she’s part of this is unparalleled. Except, perhaps by her boss, Violet Bridgerton.

Violet is the first person she sees, and she is glowing. Especially so, dressed in a decadent silver gown and surrounded by her eight children. They look like a solar system, planets orbiting the sun that is their mother. Her second daughter Eloise once joked that the ball is like Violet’s ninth child, with how much attention she gives it. Kate can also see the comparison, just given the amount of joy radiating off her tonight.

The lady in question spots her and calls her over. Kate’s heart jumps then — for no reason in particular.

As she walks over to the Bridgertons, that non-existent reason comes into her line of sight, and immediately their eyes lock.

Anthony Bridgerton. Eldest Bridgerton sibling, CEO of Bridgerton Industries, menace to society (especially Kate).

She watches as his eyes travel down her body, taking in the outfit she chose for the evening, a white silk slip dress, the neckline a little lower than she might’ve previously chosen for what is technically a work event for her.

But Kate hadn’t been thinking about work when she bought this dress.

She does the same to him — tit for tat, she supposes — and takes in his perfectly tailored black suit, with a singular calla lily pinned to his lapel. When her eyes are back on his face, he has a knowing smirk. She’s sure her face shows the same.

“Kate dear, you look lovely tonight!” Violet says as Kate reaches the family and walks directly into the matriarch’s open arms for a hug.

“You’re one to talk, you look absolutely regal.”

“You’re too kind. You’ve met all my children, right?”

“Of course, hi. Nice to see you all.” Kate looks around at the Bridgertons and takes in the familiar faces from events over the years.

There’s a hubbub of pleasantries thrown at Kate from the various siblings, and once they’ve all had their chance at saying hello, Anthony speaks up.

“Miss Sharma,” is all he says with a nod and a smile. And it’s all she really needs to send a small shiver down her spine. He hasn’t called her Miss Sharma in months — they’ve progressed to just last names at the office — and the new context of it is a little thrilling. Kate is unsure if Anthony catches her reaction, but she swears she sees a corner of his smile pull a little higher.

“Mister Bridgerton,” Kate says, and she thinks she sees the flare in his eyes as he comes to the same realisation she had moments ago. She ensures to keep her face straight as she greets him, only allowing herself a fraction of the smile she wants to give. With sarcasm, she adds, “Always a pleasure.”

“Come now, why so formal?” comes Violet’s jovial voice. “Surely you two have worked together enough to be on a first-name basis.”

“‘Worked together’ might be a bit of a stretch, don’t you think, mum?” is Benedict’s sly response.

“Yeah, I think ‘yelled at each other from across the room’ would be more fitting,” Eloise chimes in.

“Oh!” Colin says. “This is that Kate?”

“Well I’d love to know what that means,” Kate says, eyebrow arched. Anthony shoots Colin a look of annoyance.

“Nothing,” Colin rushes out. “Just that everyone is always talking about your fights.”

“Miss Sharma and I do not fight,” Anthony hisses, very clearly trying to maintain his composure. Kate, meanwhile, is struggling to not laugh. The man who runs one of the largest conglomerates in the world, felled so easily by his younger siblings. She quite enjoys seeing him around his family. “We debate about work. There’s a difference.”

“Not in decibels,” says Eloise. She was privy to more than a few of their blow-ups around the office during her internship earlier in the year. Especially since that would’ve been around when things were really heating up between them.

“It’s all in the name of making the Bridgerton Foundation even better,” Kate says with a playful smirk, deciding to grant Anthony reprieve.

“And that’s the only reason I’ve not interfered,” Violet says, effectively ending the discussion. Kate thinks she sees a glint in her eye she recognizes. It’s the same one Anthony gets when he’s up to something, but Kate has no idea why Violet would have that look right now. She pushes the thought aside for future pondering. “Kate, I’m very excited for your speech tonight. The last draft I saw was incredible.”

“Thanks, let’s just hope I don’t flub a line in front of everyone.” She catches Anthony’s eye for a moment. He already knows this fear of hers is more than the passing joke she’s playing it off as. He softens his features imperceptibly, just for her.

“Is that Timothee Chalamet?” Hyacinth bursts. Before anyone can respond, she's running off in the direction of a scrawny white boy.

“Hyacinth Bridgerton, I did not invite him here for you to—” but the rest of Violet’s sentence is unheard as she runs after her youngest with more agility than one would generally expect from a woman her age.

Their sun now shifted, the Bridgerton siblings all begin to wander off, looking for hors d'oeuvres, or a fresh glass of champagne, or new conversation partners.

All except one.

Anthony maintains a respectable distance, but lowers his voice to a near growl as he says, “Are you trying to kill me?”

“Whatever could you mean, Mister Bridgerton?” Kate responds with an air of ignorance. She sees his eyes flare up.

“You know what I mean.”

“Enlighten me.” She takes a small step towards him and, exactly as she suspects he would, he does the same.

To anyone who might look their way, this interaction will seem like a regular Bridgerton-Sharma work debate. They’ve built up enough of a reputation that people know to avoid crossfire when they’re like this. It’s a useful thing, since only the two of them know the truth of the matter.

“You know I love your hair like this, all free and curly.” She does. And she can see his hand flex, resisting the urge she knows he has to run his hands through it. “I swear I could smell that perfume that makes me crazy the second you entered the room, did you douse yourself in it to torture me?” She did. “And don’t even get me started on this dress…”

“This old thing?” she jests, looking down at herself as if noting the dress for the first time. Kate sticks her leg out enough for him to see just how high the slit goes, and is rewarded with hearing him let out a deep sigh of absolute agony. “I thought you might like it. Well, more specifically, I thought you might like taking it—”

“Don’t, please,” Anthony begs, squeezing his eyes shut, his fingers pinching his forehead. He whispers the next part of his plea. “Not when I can’t touch you.”

“You can touch me,” Kate says, giving him her most wicked smile. “You just can’t let anyone see.” He grins slowly back at her.

“Is that a challenge, Miss Sharma?”

“Take it however you like, Mister Bridgerton. I am going to go mingle. There are some very famous people here tonight, you know.” Kate turns, being sure to sway her hips as she walks away from Anthony without a second glance, and she swears she hears him groan.

The pair met shortly after Kate was promoted to Advocacy Director the previous year. The former director had apparently neglected to inform Kate that budget reallocations had to be approved by both the CEOs of the Bridgerton Foundation and Bridgerton Industries. So imagine her shock when she received an in-person visit from the latter himself to admonish her for her slip up.

Imagine his shock when the new Advocacy Director decided she would be having none of his bullshit, and instead fought back.

Anthony Bridgerton left that day after signing off on her plans and, according to him, signing away his heart.

He could be an utter cheeseball sometimes.

Their relationship had stayed adversarial at first, and later they would both admit that sometimes they argue just for the sake of having an opportunity to push the other’s buttons. That they even enjoy those sparring matches more than they should probably admit.

All it had taken to push them over the edge they had been dangling so precariously on was a shared late night at a corporate retreat and a bee sting, of all things. The darker pinprick of skin she has on her chest, just above her heart, feels less like a scar and more like him at this point.

No one said she couldn’t be a cheeseball as well.

That was over six months ago now, and their relationship has been more than anything Kate could have ever dreamed of. She’d figured at first that she and Anthony could have fun arguing and then jumping into bed. What she never would've expected was that they would grow to understand and care for each other in a way neither had ever truly experienced before. And that just made everything better, even their fights were more fun for it. They had only recently said I love you to each other (yelled angrily during another argument, of course), and somehow even that doesn’t feel like enough to describe what they share. She’s sure no one will ever make her feel the same flurry of emotions that Anthony Bridgerton does.

But, for Kate’s sake, they have to keep their relationship quiet. At least for now, while Kate is still new in her job and establishing her place. She refuses to let anyone think she slept her way to her position.

The only pushback she’s gotten from Anthony is in regards to his family knowing. She knows it grates on him to have to hide something that makes him so happy, but Violet is still technically her boss, and genuinely one of the best people Kate knows. The possibility of disappointing her, of her thinking Kate just wants to fool around with her son and earn a few points at the company for it, is a risk she’s not willing to take yet.

Soon, she thinks, as she moves through the room, speaking to some actress she’s sure she’s seen in a movie somewhere.

Their paths don’t cross again until just before the speeches are set to begin, at the bar where Kate is looking for some liquid courage.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Anthony asks, concern etched into every facet of him. Even the hand holding his glass of wine is exuding worry, veins popping out along the back.

He’s seen her every night this last week, stressing over having to give this speech. It’s not that she’s never spoken in public before. She has, many times. She’s just never spoken in front of this many people. Important people. This speech, the Advocacy Director’s introduction to the cause, could make or break the trust these people put into it. The cause she chose this year. This speech, her first at this level, could determine just how much people are willing to—

“Kathani,” Anthony says sternly. He doesn’t use her full name often, and after all these nobodies calling her Kate all night, hearing it on his lips is enough to stop her thoughts and bring her head back down onto her shoulders. But it’s the look of fierce determination in his eyes that keeps her steady. “You’ll do great. This is your night.”

She knows this already. She knows in her brain that the speech she and her team wrote is excellent — equal parts insightful, funny and heartwarming — she knows she’s a great orator, and has always been capable of capturing a crowd’s attention. But Anthony’s steady gaze centers her. Allows her to believe it.

Her glass of wine arrives just then, and she downs it in one go. Anthony helps, but so does alcohol. He chuckles lightly at her, and Kate is filled with an intense need to kiss him. But she can’t. So instead, she glances around the room to ensure no one is paying them any special attention, and reaches for his drink, eyes locked back onto his. Her fingers linger, and when he notices that, he takes his time releasing the glass to her as well. Their pinkies intertwine for a second and she feels the cool metal of the ring he wears against her skin.

And just as quickly, the feeling is gone and the glass of wine is in her hand. She chugs that one down too. Anthony leans down then, bringing his lips to the shell of her ear to whisper. “You’re a goddess. I’ve known since I met you. Now the world gets to see the kind, intelligent, gorgeous woman you are. You’ve got this.” She feels his breath against her cheek as he lowers his head ever so slightly to place the faintest of kisses on her jaw.

When he straightens up, Kate is happy to see this interaction has flustered him just as much as it has her. It takes everything in her to not drag him into some supply closet and have her way with him.

As the crowd settles into their seats for dinner, Anthony and Kate find themselves seated beside each other. They decidedly do not speak to each other. They do, however, speak over each other.

It starts when Violet says hello to Kate. She reaches an arm out in front of her son to hold Kate’s hand, and doesn’t let go for the entire conversation, causing Kate’s arm to brush against Anthony’s chest multiple times. She’s sure his eyes are also trying desperately to not sneak a glance down her dress as she leans towards him.

A few minutes later, in direct retaliation, Anthony places an arm on the back of Kate’s chair and leans over her to greet Mrs. Danbury. She’s caged in by his cologne, his face is inches away from hers, his voice sending vibrations straight to her core. Kate fantasises about just snapping, pushing her nose up against his cheek and sniffing, the way he’s done to her multiple times in private. But she doesn’t.

Once the crowd around them has mostly settled, the ceremony begins. The emcee — some comedian Kate thinks she remembers from Netflix — opens with the usual soft barbs at the attendees. Then, with a promise to keep things short so that dinner service can start, he’s introducing the first speaker.

Which means Kate is up soon.

She’s wringing her hands under the table when she feels a gentle but firm hand slide over both of hers. Anthony pulls her hands apart and entwines the fingers of her left with his right on her lap, squeezing. Kate takes a deep breath and squeezes back.

They stay like that until one of the event planner’s assistants comes to escort her and Violet, who will speak after Kate, backstage. Anthony gives her a final squeeze before letting go.

“Still nervous?” Violet asks as they follow the assistant. It’s a testament to Violet’s tenderness as a boss that Kate is able to admit how she feels.

“Somewhat.” Kate gave a chuckle, but she was sure Violet would see through it.

“I used to be the same. I would look out into the crowd and lock eyes with Edmund when I gave these speeches. It helped to imagine we were the only two people in the room; took the pressure off.”

“That’s lovely.”

Violet has that mischievous glint in her eye again. “Since he’s passed, my children make excellent substitutes for the task. You should try it.”

The way she said it, Kate wasn’t sure if she meant the tactic in general, or using it with one of her children. As they reach the handlers backstage, she decides it must’ve been the former. She thanks Violet for the advice and they lapse into silence as they watch the first and second speakers. The emcee gets back on stage to introduce Kate. As he does, Violet reaches for Kate’s hand and squeezes it, much the same way Anthony did minutes ago.

Then Kate is on stage, behind a podium and microphone, her speech on a page before her and queued up on a teleprompter ahead of her, even though she practically has the whole thing memorised.

She scans the thousands of eyes of the crowd for the two she needs. Instantly, as if by some innate instinct passed down by her ancestors, she finds him. Once she does, she’s no longer in this room, with these people. In her mind, it’s three days ago.

Kate is at home. Well, technically it’s Anthony’s home. She hasn’t mentioned it to him yet, but she’s started thinking of it as hers too. Theirs.

They’re in the tub, her back reclined on him, and he’s playing with her hair and kissing her neck as she recites her speech. Anthony laughs in all the right places, coos at all the right moments, and she’s pretty sure she even feels a droplet on her shoulder when she mentions her parents, who have both passed.

When she’s done, the crack of applause is the only thing that pulls her back to the present. She gives the crowd a once over as she thanks them for their time and attention, and then she’s back in the wings with Violet.

“You were lovely, dear. Not a dry eye left,” she says.

“Just warming them up for you.”

With that Violet is being called on stage to round out the speeches, and Kate returns to her seat.

The first thing she notices as she sits down is that Anthony is ever so slightly closer to her. He must’ve pulled her chair towards him while she was gone. Their arms are brushing with every minuscule move now.

As everyone focuses on Violet’s speech, Anthony leans towards Kate and whispers, his lips brushing against the hollow of her ear, “You were brilliant, of course.”

She fights the smirk on her face as she shushes him delicately and adjusts away from him to better watch the stage. He does the same and says nothing for the rest of his mother’s speech, but she can feel his eyes on her constantly.

Before she knows it, Violet is getting a standing ovation as she walks off stage at the end of her speech, and dinner is being served.

Once the servers begin handing out appetisers, out of the corner of her eye, Kate sees Anthony adjust the table cloth to ensure their laps are covered. She thinks he wants to resume holding hands, but before she can move hers, his hand is on her lap. Kate is suddenly both incredibly frustrated and ecstatic about the exaggerated slit of her dress, because one little nudge of the fabric is all it takes for Anthony’s hand to rest on her bare thigh.

“Mister Bridgerton,” Kate tries to hiss, but at her addressing him that way, Anthony squeezes her thigh, so the last syllable of his name comes out as little more than a breath. “I don’t think that’s very appropriate.”

“Oh, fuck being appropriate, Kate,” he whispers back. “You at that podium owning this room was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”

She gives him a sweet smile, letting him know she appreciates his words. “All the same, your mother is right beside you.”

At this, he does pull away slightly, giving her his most charming smirk. His hand remains exactly where it is. “Very well, Miss Sharma. Enjoy your dinner.”

Except she doesn’t, not really. Kate will be lucky if she can even remember what she ate tomorrow morning. Not with Anthony refusing to remove his hand from her skin under the table. In fact, throughout each course he continually moves higher and higher, driving her to complete distraction thinking about what would happen if his fingers reached their destination. 

By the time dessert plates are being cleared, Kate is well and truly riled up. The tables begin to empty, and as soon as most of the people around them have left,  she stands up suddenly, causing Anthony to start at the loss of contact. She leans a hand onto the table and bends over, ensuring the neck of her dress is drooping enough for him to get a good view.

“You’re going to pay for that,” she teases. This makes him grin devilishly.

“Oh, I don’t doubt it.”

“This time, darling, try not to make it obvious when you stare at my ass as I walk away.” Kate turns immediately and heads towards the bar. She hears his laugh like it’s the only sound in this noisy room.

It takes her much longer than anticipated to get to the bar, and then when she finally does, she’s accosted by groups of people. It turns out people really enjoyed Kate’s speech. Almost everyone who passes stops to congratulate her on it or ask her questions about it. It’s overwhelming, but not necessarily in a bad way. It also doesn’t escape her that a lot of these people are checking her out and offering to buy her drinks, even after she’s secured a glass of wine for herself (at an open bar, no less). But at least most of them are attempting to talk about her work with her, which she appreciates.

The first time Kate looks for Anthony, she finds him still seated at the dinner table, all by himself, nursing a whisky and watching her. She gives him a smug look and turns back to the person in front of her (some actor who’s been making the rounds on Twitter recently for being hot… or being problematic… she can’t really be bothered to remember).

A few minutes later, she scans the room again, and Anthony is nearer now, standing a few feet away from the bar, caught up in a conversation with Benedict, Colin, and a couple of guys Kate doesn’t recognise. He’s chatting and laughing with them, but Kate can also see him spinning the ring on his pinkie, an obvious tell that he wants to get away. She can see when he senses her eyes, and looks away just as his neck begins to turn her way.

She’s speaking to the comedian emcee when Anthony finally finds her again.

“I was just telling Kate here how her speech inspired me to double my donation this year,” the comedian — Jack something, she thinks — says once introductions have been done. He puts a hand on Kate’s upper arm as he speaks, and Anthony stares at the spot where he touches her.

“Yes, she does have a way with words.” Anthony says, and Kate smirks at him, having figured out her payback.

She looks back at Jack. “As do you. I started your Netflix special some time ago… Didn’t get to finish it though. Something must’ve come up.” She puts on a look of disappointment. It looks real enough, but she’s sure Anthony can tell it’s not. Then she purses her lips in fake thoughtfulness and turns to him.

The look on his face tells her she’s succeeded. He’s remembering exactly how she knows this comedian. They had indeed cuddled up and started his special — gotten maybe half an hour into it, and Kate was honestly getting a bit bored — when she had slipped her fingers down his sweatpants and brought him to orgasm with nothing but her hand and her mouth whispering absolute filth in his ears.

They’d swiftly turned off the special so Anthony could return the favour.

He shakes his head, apparently trying to wipe his mind of the memory, and responds, “Knowing you, it was probably work.”

“Oh no, it certainly wasn’t work.” He’s seething now. Kate loves it. She gives Anthony another smirk and turns her attention back to Jack. “I’m sure it was nothing of import. I’ll have to finish it one of these days.”

Jack (she really hopes she has his name right) smooths his hand down her arm to her elbow and gives her a bright smile. Kate might’ve found it charming if she wasn’t already obsessed with another. “Or you could come to my show tomorrow? It’s nothing like your beautiful words tonight, but hopefully it’s funny. Play your cards right, and I could even get you a backstage pass.” He winks after his invitation, as if it wasn’t obvious enough.

Anthony scoffs lightly and rolls his eyes. He’s playing off mild annoyance, but she can see that the grip he has on his glass is murderous. “If you’ll excuse me, I believe I need to retch— I mean fetch something.” And with a pointed look towards Kate, he moves away,  leaving Kate to politely decline the comedian’s offer.

She can see that it doesn’t deter him. She’s hoping to find a way out of this conversation that won’t make him withdraw his money when she feels her phone buzz in her purse.

AB: Meet me in the lobby.

“I’m so sorry,” Kate says without an ounce of regret. Gesturing at her phone, she continues, “It’s a work emergency.” She’s off before he can get a chance to respond.

She doesn’t have as many people stopping her this time – they’re far too concerned with their drinks and dancing at this point in the night – but it still takes her about fifteen minutes to get to lobby. Kate doesn’t see Anthony at first, but within seconds she’s being pulled into a curtained alcove just off to the side of the coat check.

“I was starting to think you’d ditched me for the funnyman,” Anthony whispers. His lips are grazing her ear and one of his hands is on her back, pressing her flush against him, the other tangling itself into her hair.

“Well he did make a compelling case,” Kate responds. She’s doing her best to feign indifference, but her voice comes out shaky at the onslaught of him, and she knows he can feel her erratic heartbeat against his chest, just as she can feel his pounding one.

Kate’s hands find their home in Anthony’s hair, scraping her fingers against his scalp. He lets out a groan, his hot breath tickling her ear.

Anthony moves his head then, his lips abseiling her cheek as he settles them above hers. If Kate wanted, she could tip her head up half an inch and kiss him, but something about this, the anticipation of it, is just as hot as when they kiss. She can feel the slight tremor in his hand on her back, his unsteady breath against her lips, his semi-hard cock on her leg.

“This not compelling enough for you?” Anthony says. She senses more than sees the smirk on his face.

“Are you jealous, Anthony?”

And that’s when the last bit of tension breaks. She’s not sure who lunges first, or perhaps they meet each other halfway, but within seconds they’re kissing, desperate and hungry. Their fingers tighten around each other, bringing them unimaginably closer. The hand on her back slides slightly lower to cup her ass, and she reciprocates by lifting her leg to hook around him. Anthony squeezes and hums his appreciation.

They kiss and they kiss and they kiss. One would think them lovers reunited after years of solitude, not partners who woke up together that same day.

Only once they’re both well and truly out of breath do they come up for air. Anthony takes a moment, then starts lightly kissing his way from her forehead to her neck, answering her previous question in between each one, “I could’ve punched that asshole for flirting with you, touching you.”

“I appreciate your self-control,” Kate purrs as Anthony works on a spot at the base of her neck, rhythmically kissing and biting and licking. She chuckles. “Are you giving me a hickey right now?”

He pulls his head up and puts just enough space between them to look at her with a teasing glint. 

“Why? Don’t want anyone to see you’ve got a lover?”

Kate rolls her eyes and gently whacks his chest. “Give up on it already, love.” She gives him an exaggerated sigh. “Unfortunately, there’s only one unfunny white man who does it for me.”

She lets out a yelp as her feet are displaced, Anthony pulling her fully off the ground and wrapping her legs around him. Kate adjusts herself, bringing her arms around his neck and giggling at the excitement.

“I happen to think I’m quite funny, actually.”

“Of course you are, darling,” Kate gives him a quick kiss. “I meant Richard Madden.” Before Anthony can do more than let out an indignant scoff, she kisses him, deep and urgent. And then they’re off again, all tongue and teeth and hands and smiles.

He thrusts against her, and the friction sends a shockwave through her body. Kate gasps, and the action causes their lips to detach. Anthony takes the opportunity to kiss down her neck to her chest.

The moment catches up to her then, and Kate puts a hand on his face to stop him before he gets to her breasts.

“Anthony,” she breathes. It’s like suddenly, all the noises from the party, all the people outside, come rushing back into their little corner. The curtains hiding them seem incredibly flimsy now. “Not here, jaan.”

He pulls away slowly, letting her feet fall to the floor. They keep their arms around each other, and Kate can see he’s a little frustrated. She reaches up and gives him a soft kiss. “We’ll finish this at home.”

He refocuses on her, a sharper look in his eyes, and she realises what she’s done. She called his place home. In that moment of silence, an entire conversation is had with their eyes.

Home?

Yes. Home. You absolute buffoon.

Is that any way to treat your roommate?

Don’t make me take it back.

I wouldn’t dare.

They grin at each other, then Anthony brushes a couple of strands of hair behind her ear and kisses her one more time. “Very well then, let’s get you home.” The pair separate, at least as much as possible in the alcove they’re in, and straighten themselves up. “I’m guessing that means we’ll have to endure the party for a little longer?”

“At least an hour more is fair.”

“Of course, dear.”

“I quite like it when you’re subservient,” Kate says, patting Anthony’s cheek. “I should get you hot and bothered more often.”

“You always have me hot and bothered, my love,” he simpers. She coos and he rolls his eyes playfully. “Alright, you first. I’ve got a bit of cooling down to do,” he glances towards his crotch, which is still significantly tented. “Not sure why I bother, as soon as I see you in that dress again, we’re gonna be right back where we started.”

Kate chuckles and kisses him on the cheek. “It’s doing its job, then.”

After a quick touch up in the bathroom, she re-enters the party and is immediately dragged into a conversation with Mrs. Danbury and a few other colleagues, discussing the office pool on who will be giving the highest donation. Kate has her money on Taylor Swift.

It’s like every nerve in Kate’s body is connected to Anthony’s, because even halfway across the room and surrounded by people, she knows exactly when he walks back into the room. She’s proven right when she glances at the entrance and sees he’s also found her. He gives her a wink and strides in the opposite direction.

Kate finds herself more at ease, perhaps because she’s had a little more to drink, or perhaps because she’s in the company of people she’s more familiar with. She dances a bit, and she jokes with some work friends, and even makes nice with some of the more down-to-earth personalities in the room. And the entire night, she’s certain to look up and see Anthony. If his eyes aren’t already on her when she does, he’s only seconds away from finding her as well. Whether he’s drinking with his work friends at the bar, or holding Hyacinth back from running after some actor or another, he always manages to look at the exact right time.

Then finally, with a singular crook of her eyebrow, Kate lets him know it’s time to leave. He bids goodnight to the people surrounding him, so she does the same, and they meet halfway to the exit.

Anthony’s hand is on the small of her back as they make their way through the crowd, and Kate glimpses Violet watching them walk out together. Kate is certain she’s smiling. When their eyes meet, Violet only nods her head, and then turns around to speak to someone.

Kate thinks she finally gets it, but she pushes it away for now as they reach the valet.

They use their time in the car (and the partition hiding them from the driver) wisely, so that when they arrive at Anthony’s building they’re practically running hand in hand through the lobby. As soon as they get into the elevator, he’s kissing her again, pressed up against the wall. They’re kissing like teenagers, all teeth and tongue, hands everywhere.

By the time the elevator opens up, Anthony’s arms are wrapped tightly around Kate’s waist, so he uses their position to lift her and carry her to the door, their chests practically seared together. She wraps her legs around him to give him a better grip.

As he takes his keys out of his pocket, Kate kisses down to his neck, then starts the same motions he did with her earlier. Kissing, biting, licking. She feels his chuckle against her lips as he lets them in.

“Is this a payback hickey?” he asks, pushing her up against the door once he has it closed. Instead of answering, she returns to her work on his neck, undoing his shirt buttons and pushing off his jacket in the process.

“The lily was a nice touch, by the way,” she says as the flower falls to the floor with his jacket.

“Yes, well you’ve got me addicted to the scent, haven’t you,” Anthony responds. He buries his face in her neck and sniffs deeply. “I had to get my fix somehow.”

“And my fix?” she asks, rutting her hips up to feel the friction of his tented pants against her. The movement sends a shock up her spine and she lets out a soft moan.

“You always know how to get yours, darling,”  he says, kissing down the column of Kate’s neck to her chest, forcing her to lift her head. “And I’m always happy to give.”

Anthony uses his teeth to pull the neck of her dress low enough to tuck under her left breast, ensuring to scrape over her already puckered nipple. He kisses around her breast, diligently ignoring the hardened peak in favour of the soft flesh around it. Just as Kate is getting ready to complain, he sucks her nipple into his mouth, and she curses at the rush it sends through her body. He pays attention to her left for a bit, and then mirrors his actions on her right.

“Shall we…” Kate starts, breathless from his mouth on her. He looks up at her as he continues to suck on her nipple, a cocky smile on his face. “We should… Anthony… Bed ,” she finally gets out.

He pulls back and smirks at her. “You don’t want to fuck against the door? You’re getting boring, Kate.” But he’s already pulled her against him and is moving towards his — their — room.

“I’m only thinking of your knees, my love,” she says, patting him on the back. “You were on them last night as well. If they give out, how would we do that again?”

“I would find a way.” Anthony sets her down once they’ve entered the bedroom. They face each other now, stare at each other like they’re drinking each other in for the first time and not the millionth. It’s that delicious anticipation again. They revel in it.

“I know you would.”

She reaches out and slowly undoes the rest of the buttons on Anthony’s shirt and pulls it off. She does the same with the rest of his clothes, kissing him softly the whole time, feeling his breath go ragged at her touch, until he’s in nothing but his underwear, his erection at attention.

When she’s done, he takes a step forward, closing the distance between them. He grazes a finger back and forth on her shoulder. “What was it you were saying at the start of the night?” His finger slips easily under the thin strap of her dress, pulling it down while he trails kisses along the path. “You thought I’d like this dress? But what was the next part again? I don’t think I’d let you finish.” He moves to her other side and grazes her shoulder again, waiting for her response.

“I thought you’d like taking it off more.” And with that, he pulls down her second strap. Nothing left to hold it up, the fabric falls to the floor, exposing Kate’s lithe body in nothing but a flimsy thong.

“I can’t stand it when you’re right,” Anthony chides playfully, and she’s halfway to a laugh and rebuttal when he’s pulling her into his chest and kissing her again.

Kate had thought — sometimes still thinks, if she’s honest — that the novelty of kissing him would wear off eventually. Or, not necessarily wear off, but change. Like when they fell in love, their kisses would become less passionate and more… comfortable.

Sometimes it’s like that. Sometimes Anthony will see her in the morning, making them chai (he’s become quite fond of the way she prepares it) and he’ll kiss her chastely, before settling in to check his emails. Kate thinks that’s all she needs in those moments, and she loves it. The domesticity of it.

And then there’ll be times when they’re right down the middle. Sunday afternoons, or wine-drunk late nights after work, where they kiss languidly, like there’s nothing else in the world to do, like time has frozen itself to let them just be. Sometimes those kisses lead to fucking on whatever surface is nearest, and sometimes it devolves into laughter. It doesn’t really matter. It’s all bliss.

But there are times where it’s like their early days again, too. They become ravenous, like they’re in a competition that they both refuse to lose. Nothing they do is enough, not until they’re fully naked, pressed tight, and moaning into each other’s mouths.

Which is, essentially, the plan right now.

Anthony tips them over so they fall onto the bed, catching himself before he crashes into her. They giggle while they kiss. Kate brings her arms around his neck, and pulls him flush against her. She’s desperate for the feeling of his chest against hers, and the sweet friction created by his sheathed cock on her barely-covered slit.

He kisses a path from her neck to her breasts as he grinds against her. “We’re far too overdressed, don’t you think?” Before she can nod, Anthony has made quick work of removing his boxers, and tossing them to the ground. He kisses down her stomach, stopping at her hip as his hands hook around the thin fabric there and pull with much more fanfare than was afforded to his own underwear. As soon as they’re off, he spreads her legs and bends her knees, opening her to him fully.

Kate’s fingers twine into his hair as he settles his body between her. Anthony moves lower, sucking on her inner thigh, sure to leave yet another mark, this one just for him to see.

She sighs his name, giving his hair a firm pull to get his mouth where she needs it most. It works, and his tongue quickly licks a stripe from her entrance to her clit, causing Kate to buck her hips and let out a yelp of delight.

“So wet already, Kate,” he says against her, planting kisses in between his words. “All for me, dear?” And she knows it’s true, and knows he does as well, but she has too much fun teasing him to say so.

“Well, mostly,” she responds sweetly, her voice breathless. “I was just in a room with some of the hottest people on the planet, you know.”

Instead of an answer, he rolls his eyes and sucks her clit into his mouth. Her grip on his hair tightens while her other hand moves to his shoulder, pulling him as close as possible. His tongue darts out to swirl around her nub, the practiced circles sending Kate’s head rolling back, a moaned “fuck” escaping her lips.

“If you insist,” Anthony mumbles. He instantly has his tongue inside her cunt, and Kate bucks up in reaction. He finds his rhythm then, repeatedly coming up to kiss her clit, and then pushing his tongue into her. Like a man starved, he savours every inch of her, licking and sucking and pushing in all the right places. Kate helps, using the grip she has on him to grind onto his mouth.

It’s not long before the tension building in her stomach tells her her orgasm is approaching, and while he’s made her come with just his mouth before, she needs more right now.

“Anthony!” she practically squeals. It’s becoming difficult to form coherent thoughts, much less speak in full sentences. But luckily, as if he’s inside her mind, he knows exactly what she needs before she says anything more.

His tongue takes one last long thrust into her core before landing on her clit again and staying there as he pushes a finger inside her. At first he uses just the singular digit, curling and probing at the spot he knows all too well now. Then a moment later, he both adds another finger and brings his other hand up to pinch her nipple, and that’s all Kate needs.

She climaxes with a litany of curses and gasps for air and Anthony’s name. Her body trembles and her hands clench around him, almost unsure of whether they want to pull him nearer or push him away. Anthony stays put for a bit, lapping at her folds while she rides out her orgasm.

“Must you always?” he asks, pulling himself back up to kiss her deeply. He tucks one arm around her waist while the other hand curls into the hair at the nape of her neck.

“Teasing you always seems to get me the best results,” Kate says, her breath still ragged. It strikes her then that it’s true. She doesn’t think she’s ever had fun during sex before this relationship. Sure, she had good sex before Anthony, but the partners she’s had before were all very focused on the pleasure of it, not the fun. Kate and Anthony tease and play and laugh with each other without shame or pretence, and it leads to some of the best orgasms either has ever had.

“Besides,” she whispers, wrapping her arms around his neck to bring him closer so she can continue. “Even with all those hot people, you’re the only one I thought about all night.”

He grins at her, and their lips meet again. It’s pure fire as Kate pulls him flush against her. She feels the heat of his hard-on in between her legs, and it stirs her to action. Maintaining their kiss, she reaches an arm out to the bedside table, opening the drawer where they keep the condoms and pulling one out.

She opens the packaging behind his back and brings her hands between them to put it on him. Anthony — forever attuned to her movements — raises his hips to give her more room to work with. Their kiss only breaks when he groans against Kate’s mouth as she wraps her hand around him and pumps.

Their eyes don’t leave each other as she guides him to her slit. They breathe like they’re sharing the same bit of oxygen between them as she slides the tip of his cock against her folds, gathering her wetness. But the air is thick with that damn anticipation again, and Kate isn’t ready for that thread to snap just yet. It feels too achingly good.

“Kate,” Anthony breathes. “God.”

“New nickname for me, dearest?” she tries, but there’s barely any strength behind the words. And the look in his eyes tells her she might be joking, but he’d gladly get on his knees and pray to an altar for her.

She tries to make her eyes say she feels the same about him as she stops her strokes, lining him up right at her entrance. That’s all he needs to take over and press into her. Anthony kisses down her neck as he starts thrusting into her, the hand in her hair moving to caress her breast, pinch her nipple. Kate’s hands move down, one landing on the middle of his back and the other continuing down to his ass. Her nails scrape him gently and his movements speed up in response.

Still sensitive from her first orgasm, so it isn’t long before Kate feels her next one coming on. She can tell by the way his thrusts have gotten messier that he’s almost at his release as well. And Kate knows what she needs to do. She brings a leg around his back and uses the leverage she has to flip them over so she’s lying on top of him.

Anthony grins up at her from his new position on the pillows. He brings his hands up to cup her face as she settles back down onto his cock. They groan in unison when she’s fully seated.

Kate places her hands on his shoulders to adjust her angle so she can start moving her hips. His hands on her move down to her neck and pull her head down so their faces are pressed together. He starts thrusting as well, his hips coming to meet her halfway, desperate for as much of her as possible, and Kate doesn’t mind, because he’s finding that spot over and over again.

They both have the same idea then. Anthony brings one of his hands down to cup her breast, massaging the flesh and tweaking her nub. Kate shifts her weight to one hand, using the fingernails on her other to scrape down his chest, over his nipple, and up again, over his nipple, back and forth. She curses while he hisses, each swallowing the others noises.

“Kathani,” Anthony pleads, using her full name for a second time that night.

She’s not sure if that’s what does it, or the particular thrust he says it on, or the sharp pinch on her left nipple, but she’s seeing stars now, her entire body writhing with the strength of her release. She’s saying his name and moaning and kissing him, lost in the bliss of the moment.

Her orgasm causes her center to throb around Anthony as he continues to pump into her. Her nails digging into his chest and her shivers of ecstasy add to the sensation, and all of it leads him to one final moan of her name against her lips as he explodes inside her.

Everything around them fades for a moment as the pair remain connected, riding out the aftershocks of their release with slow grinding and overly tongue-y kisses. Kate relaxes her body into his as his arms come to wrap around her lower back, hers tucking under his neck.

They still then, nothing but their breaths against each other making any noise in the room. Anthony gives a satisfied hum and lifts his chin to kiss her on the forehead.

It’s a few minutes before, without discussion, they separate, Anthony slowly pulling out of Kate, sending one last thrill down her spine. He moves to dispose of the spent condom while she reaches for the wipes they keep in the bedside drawer so they don’t have to get up, not immediately. Somehow, their legs stay intertwined the entire time.

And it’s this — the familiarity and flow of their movements as they clean up, like they’re the same being — that feels like home. Kate thinks then that maybe it isn’t that she’s starting to see Anthony’s place as home. It’s Anthony. She rolls back on top of him when they’re done, chest to chest, her face tucking into his neck as he curls his arms around her once more.

All Kate can focus on is the feel of their hearts. How they’re not necessarily beating in time, but in tandem. One after the other, creating a pattern that she thinks is what love feels like, what home feels like. The rhythm and the realisation makes her giggle like a schoolgirl thinking about her first crush.

“Are you laughing at me?” Anthony asks, trying to sound offended, but she can hear the smile in his words. He squeezes her waist, and this just causes her to giggle more.

“Not this time, jaan,” she says. She loves laughing at him, with him. Loves teasing him and arguing with him and torturing him. She hopes she can do it all and more for the rest of her life. But this isn’t a moment where she feels the need to play with him. Kate would much rather turn her face so she can see his. See how he knows what she’s going to say before she says it. “I’m just happy to be home.”

Anthony’s entire demeanour softens, so she expects it when he says “Me too.”

“By the way,” she says, remembering the lightbulb moment she had as they left the ball. “I think your mother is on to us.”

“Pardon?”

“Either that, or she’s trying to set us up.”

“Again, pardon?”

Kate explains all the strange moments she’s had with Violet throughout the night, leading up to that final look of what she can only describe as satisfaction at seeing them leaving together.

“D’you know what?” Anthony says when she’s done. “At one point, she, Daph and I were talking to some model we both found dreadfully boring and when the girl moved on, Mum made a joke about me not ending up with someone like that. And then they got all serious and Daph said she hoped I ended up with someone who would challenge me, push me to be my best self.”

“And?”

Anthony takes her hand and holds it against his chest. “And I immediately thought of you, of course. But now I think Mum did as well, because then she asked me about that homelessness campaign you’re starting up. Not sure why she’d ask me about that, except to—”

“Put the association in your head.”

“Exactly. She’s crafty, especially when it comes to her children’s love lives.”

They’re silent for a minute or two, and then they both begin at the same time.

“I’m sorry—”

“I think that—”

The pair stop and chuckle. This isn’t the first time they’ve done this, and Kate is sure it won’t be the last. Anthony squeezes her hand to indicate she should go first. She’s glad, because she knows he was about to apologise for his mother, and she doesn’t want him to. She focuses on his chin as she speaks.

“I think, especially given Violet’s wanting to pair us up, we should tell our families.”

The man below her is quiet for a moment, but she knows he heard her. She can feel it in the way he’s staring holes into the top of her head and the way his grip on her waist has tightened ever so slightly. Anthony whispers her name — her full name once again — reverently, and she knows he wants her to look directly at him before he speaks. When she does, his eyes are glistening and the crease between his eyebrows is at its deepest.

“Are you sure?” he says, barely louder than he said her name. “I don’t want you to feel like we have to say anything because my mum—”

But Kate is shaking her head at him as soon as he starts, and she kisses him before he can continue. She loves him for being concerned, but she’s sure. She’s tired of hiding, and tonight has confirmed two things. First, that she deserves her place at the Bridgerton Foundation, and all her work and her performance on stage tonight serves as proof of that to anyone who would dare question it. And second, that the one person she was truly worried about upsetting wanted this for them. Likely more for her son than for Kate, but she doesn’t discount that maybe Violet wants this for her too. Happiness. Home.

She tells Anthony as much, in between kisses and smiles and laughter. They make plans for how they’ll break the news until they fall asleep, wrapped up in each other, in their bed, in their home.

Next day, both their families know. Kate takes Anthony to brunch with her mother and sister, and Anthony takes Kate to dinner with the entire Bridgerton family (a tradition for the night after the ball). They’re all over the moon with excitement. Most declare that they had some idea, knew there must’ve been more to their bickering. The couple takes all their teasing and answers most of the questions. Only Violet remains quietly serene, revelling in her eldest child and dearest employee’s happiness. She’s the only one of the bunch who truly knew these two would work. She’s just happy they had the sense to figure it out before she made them.

Next week, the companies know. They sign all the required documents. They assure all concerned parties that they have never let their feelings for each other influence business decisions (absolutely true) and that they have never defiled the workspace with their romantic encounters (completely false). Kate finds out she won the office betting pool on who would donate the most, but also that Mrs. Danbury won the secret pool about when Kate and Anthony would get their heads out of their asses and hook up.

Next month, the public knows. They’re not anywhere near popular enough to warrant paparazzi attacks or social media uproar, but they do get a couple Buzzfeed and Whistledown articles about how they’re both incredibly hot and even hotter together. It’s nice, and the uptick on their accounts mostly just gives the couple an opportunity to bring attention to work the Bridgerton Foundation is doing.

Next year, at the Hearts and Flowers Ball, Kate gives another speech, this time lovingly introduced by her husband, Anthony. They’re in constant contact with each other, they dance all the slow dances (and many of the fast ones), and they finally have sex in that curtained alcove.