Archive of Our Own

“I’m hungry,” Hyacinth Bridgerton’s voice cut through the soundtrack of the summer afternoon. The sixteen-year-old flopped back dramatically on the oversized towel where Penelope and Fran had taken up residence near the pool for the day; Aubrey Hall was filled to the brim with Bridgertons, and while that was a gift Penelope would never take for granted, she and the sixth-born of the family she loved so dearly shared an affinity for a few minutes of quiet together once in a while. 

That was especially true now, when she was desperately trying to avoid another specific Bridgerton whose side she would normally have been glued to—as she had been the previous dozen summers, ever since she was first invited to join them on their annual trip to the country at the age of twelve.

“You’re always hungry,” Francesca replied with a laugh, and Penelope let out her own giggle at the youngest rolling her eyes—a deep, dark blue that matched only one other pair in the family, those of the brother who was also, in fact, always hungry.

“Please come with me?” Hyacinth begged, knowing she would immediately get her way; she had always been spoiled rotten—lovingly—by each and every one of her seven older siblings, in addition to Penelope herself. It was hard to resist the charm and sweetness that came out of the girl in a neverending flow. “Everyone else is busy out here with the kids and you know how much trouble I’ll end up getting into if I have to be alone with my own thoughts.”

And so, not a minute later, Penelope was throwing on an old t-shirt over her bikini and the three were headed away from the pool and into the house through the back door, making their way toward the large, always well-stocked kitchen to find Hyacinth a snack and grab drinks to take back out to the pool with them. It should have been a quick and easy errand—relatively, depending on how long it took the teenager to decide what she wanted this afternoon, which was always the part of the task that took the longest—but any semblance of a plan flew out the window as Penelope stepped into the room and caught sight of a certain Bridgerton brother’s muscular back, one she knew far too well for her own good. He was making himself a sandwich at the counter, his swim trunks hugging his hips in an unfairly delicious way while he chatted away with Ben, wholly unaware of the girls’ presence—but she knew that could not last long. 

Scanning her surroundings as quickly as she could—the room deeply familiar to her, comfortable even, though it didn’t seem to matter at all now as her mind and heart raced in tandem—Penelope ran to the only place she could think of, opening the pantry closet and sliding inside before shutting the door behind her. Immediately, she regretted her decision. Why on earth she had chosen to run through a door in the middle of the room and trap herself in the kitchen, when she could have just turned and exited the way she came instead, she was sure she’d never know. It would earn a place on her highlight reel of shame, but was not the first poor decision she’d made this week—and not even close to the most embarrassing.

That spot, of course, belonged to her kiss with Colin Bridgerton, third and most beautiful—a fact, not an opinion—of the siblings…world traveler, maker of sandwiches, and her best friend since childhood. He was also, quite simply, the love of her life.

The moment she knew she would never live down had come on the first night of their two week annual stay at Aubrey Hall—a beautiful country home that had been in the Bridgerton family for generations and had always been their favorite getaway—which found all of the adult siblings and partners engaged in a rousing game of poker after the children had fallen asleep for the night. Penelope had ended up in her best friend’s lap, as often happened on nights like these; Colin whispered his next play into her ear as his chin sat on her shoulder and she pulled his cards for him from the hand that held them, placing them on the table so that he would not have to remove his other arm—the one that remained in its rightful place around her waist as he held her close. 

Penelope had soaked up every moment with him, as she always did, and his siblings had made thinly veiled comments about what they referred to as their flirtation all night, as they always did—none of it ever meant anything to Colin, of course. He was touchy with her and always had been throughout their friendship, and she was content to keep it to herself that every nerve in her body lit on fire when he held her that way. Something felt different that evening, though, his breath lingering longer than usual against her ear, his voice ever so slightly lower as he whispered a ridiculous observation, his fingers slightly more adventurous as they sat on her bare skin just beneath the hem of her shirt. Then, when all of his siblings had left the room, she stood to follow them and pulled him up behind her—only for him to lean in and capture her lips in the most satisfying kiss of her life, even as brief as it was.

She’d thought that perhaps somehow, against all the intrusive thoughts telling her she would never be anything other than a friend to him, all of her dreams were suddenly coming true. Her happiness had only lasted a moment, though, before he released her bottom lip with a pop, her mouth chasing his as he backed away and shook his head, murmuring his apologies several times before running from the room. What was her forever-held fantasy and deepest desire had just been a mistake to him—a moment that went a bit too far, that got out of hand, that he immediately regretted.

And now, Penelope stood in a pantry, surrounded by shelves of snacks and too nervous to even turn on the light—if there was one thing that could be worse than having run into Colin in the kitchen, it would certainly be him realizing the lengths she had gone to avoid running into him in the kitchen. Her only consolation was that it looked as though Colin had been almost done making his sandwich when she passed through the room, and his sisters would hopefully be gracious enough to let her know when he left the kitchen and headed back outside to the pool so that she could continue pretending not to avoid him while doing just that. For now, though, she would enjoy her pantry breakdown in peace. 

Peace that was no longer an option when the man she loved came barreling straight into her, completely off-balance as the sound of laughter rang from outside and the pantry door slammed shut behind him.

“Oh!” Penenlope yelped as the firm planes of his shirtless body knocked her into the shelves, her hands coming up to rest on his chest for just a moment as one of his larger ones gripped her hip. His thumb traced circles there for just a moment, as though reason had left him and muscle memory had taken over, before he stepped back, reaching up ahead and pulling on the string above them to illuminate the pantry—and his undeniably gorgeous face as he took a bite of his sandwich, polite enough to swallow before sending a wink her way.

“Hey, Pen,” he said softly, his eyes raking over her before snapping back to her face, blush covering his cheeks as he took another bite.

Penelope did everything she could to avoid checking him out in return, knowing she couldn’t handle what a shirtless Colin would do to her heart and body if she thought about it too long, and instead focused on the well-made snack in his hands, wondering how on earth he was eating at a time like this—perfectly cool, as she did everything she could to merely pretend to be the same.

“Hey, Colin,” she whispered back, chewing her bottom lip and playing with the hem of the t-shirt she wore as a coverup, keenly aware of her thighs being on display as he looked down at her, studying her face with a furrow in his brow.

“What are you doing in here?”

Hiding from you, she thought, though she knew she couldn’t tell him the truth. It hadn’t worked out too well, anyway.

“I was just looking for something,” Penelope answered vaguely, hoping that he would have mercy on her and drop it.

“In the dark?” 

So much for mercy.

“Yeah, um…” she began before swallowing hard, bouncing on the balls of her bare feet. “It’s pretty sunny out. Nice to give my eyes a break.”

“I can turn this back off if you-” Colin started as he raised his sandwichless free hand toward the string again, ready to turn off the light.

“No!” Penelope shouted, cringing as soon as her yell left her lips and wishing she was anywhere but here as he chuckled; she dropped her eyes to his abs before she could stop herself, silently cursing as she shut them tight. “No, uh, that’s okay.”

“What were you looking for?”

Certainly, there were plenty of possible answers to that question—reasonable excuses for why she could have gone into the pantry—but she couldn’t think of a single one; that is, until she remembered the man in front of her licking chocolate from a spoon just a few days ago, nearly melting her into a puddle.

“Pudding,” she rushed out, hoping he would believe her flushed cheeks came from her time in the sun and not her time in his orbit. “I was looking for pudding cups, but I don’t think there are any more.”

Colin hummed his acknowledgement before moving closer, his body surrounding her and his bare chest grazing against hers—as she thanked every Greek god and goddess she could remember him ever telling her about for her foresight to grab the t-shirt so that an extra layer separated them now. Reaching behind her, he easily moved his hand to the very top shelf, retrieving what she had pretended to seek like the good friend he had always been.

“Right here,” he said, handing her a pudding cup; she pretended not to feel the way the air left her lungs as his fingers brushed hers just as they had a million times before. “We keep them up high so the kids don’t go through them so fast. Daphne gave me a whole lecture when I  let them have a box of them last time…food groups and all that. Something about a pyramid.”

“Have to save room for those fruits and vegetables,” Penelope offered as he smiled brightly at her.

“I don’t know what category pudding falls into,” he wondered aloud, staring into her eyes in a way that made her realize that wasn’t a safe place for her to look, either.

“Fats, probably,” she said as she dropped her gaze, letting it rake over his body before biting her lip and forcing her head down to look at his feet—maybe that would be safe.

“Chocolate’s a bean though, right?” Colin asked, her brilliant, worldly friend’s question leaving her no choice but to drag her gaze back up to his face, cocking her head at him as he took another bite of his sandwich and wondering what on earth he was doing.

“Um, yeah.”

“I’m glad I ran into you,” he said, his eyes glassy as she glanced up and away, pretending to study the cookies carefully. “I don’t think you would have been able to reach that.”

“I, um-” she started before holding herself back; normally she would have had a rousing back and forth with him for making fun of her height, but she couldn’t banter with him—not now, not without giving herself away or falling apart entirely. She wasn’t sure which would be worse. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“I’ve wanted to hang out.” Colin ran his free hand through his hair the way she wanted to, but she backed up instead, pressing against the shelves and wishing there was any way out that would spare her the heartache of touching him again.

“With me?” she asked, her heart pounding as she tried to determine the best route to the door in the tiny pantry he was filling up with his muscular frame.

“Of course with you,” Colin scoffed. “Are you joking?”

“I mean, I guess we’ve just missed each other,” Penelope lied, knowing full well she had spent every minute since their kiss trying to stay as far away from him as she could to avoid this very situation.

She loved him too much to be in close proximity and pretend everything was fine.

“Just missed each other,” he whispered, and she nodded. “In the same house, all week.”

“Yeah, weird how that happens sometimes.” A fake laugh left her that had him cocking his head at her, opening his mouth and closing it again as she held up the pudding that had done its best to save her. “Well, um, thanks for this.”

His large body was blocking her way, and there was no way out but squeezing past him; without a choice left, she touched him, savoring the feeling of his hot skin beneath her palms as she pushed past him to the door, hoping to save whatever small bit of dignity she had left by leaving this closet as quickly as possible.

“I guess I’ll see you later…probably?” Peneolope said over her shoulder as she put her hand on the knob and tried to open the door.

The locked door.

“No. Oh no. No, no, no,” she whispered as her life flashed before her eyes.

She was locked in a pantry with Colin Bridgerton.

It was the best thing that had ever happened to her.

She needed to get out of there, now.

“Help!”

Taking another bite of his sandwich to mask what would surely be an unhelpful chuckle, Colin watched his exasperated best friend bang her little fist against the pantry door. He was waiting for her to put the pieces together, surprised she was even calling for help in the first place; she had spent more than enough years as an honorary Bridgerton—though he hoped to change that soon—to not know they were almost certainly keeled over laughing on the other side of the door, more than content to listen to her pleas for them to free her from a predicament of their own making. 

“Franny! Hya! Are you still out there?” Penelope yelled. “We’re stuck!”

“You don’t say?” It was Benedict’s amused voice that floated into the small room, followed by the unmistakable snickers of Colin’s two youngest sisters. 

“Benedict Bridgerton, you open this door right now!” she demanded, twisting the knob once more, as though it might have magically unlocked itself since the last time she’d tried it. 

“No, I don’t think I will,” Ben answered with a laugh. “I’m afraid I’m under strict orders.” 

“What is that supposed to mean? Strict orders from whom?” 

Colin grinned as he finished chewing, tickled by her use of proper grammar even in her distress and grateful she was still facing the door and couldn’t direct her ire at him. 

“It means that we’re all tired of whatever it is you two are doing!” Francesca called back, not bothering to answer the second question, as the gleeful giggling coming from their younger sister was enough to make it obvious exactly whose idea this was. 

“We’re not letting you out until you guys talk,” Hyacinth added in a sing-song voice, clearly enjoying every second of her plan coming to fruition. 

“But–but that’s not fair!” Penelope cried dramatically. 

“We’ll be back for you in a bit!” Fran promised, though it did nothing to ease the redhead’s frustration as she pounded against the door. 

“Have fun!” Ben called, his voice farther now as he seemingly retreated from the kitchen, likely pulling his giggling sisters along with him. 

“No, wait! Please don’t go!” Pen tried one last time, wiggling the knob half-heartedly before finally giving up and accepting their fate. She stamped her tiny foot against the tile and practically growled at the locked door, pressing her forehead to the cool wood as she took a few deep breaths.

Her pouting turned out to be Colin’s undoing, his own laughter slipping from him and earning him what she surely believed to be a fearsome glare as she turned back around to face him, crossing her arms over her chest and actually harrumphing. He did his best to hide his amusement, though he struggled not to smile down at his fiery Pen. She clearly had no idea how adorable she was, the furthest thing from intimidating he had ever seen; in truth, if she weren’t so damn cute, Colin might have been more offended by her desperation to get away from him—though he himself was quite pleased by the turn of events. 

After confiding in his littlest sister this morning over their second breakfast, he had made what he believed to be a simple request for her help to find him the time he so desperately craved with the woman who had spent the past week avoiding him. He hadn’t exactly expected Hya to recruit Ben and Fran, who had ended up being the ones to shove him in here, nor did he think she would resort to locking them in a glorified closet, but he was grateful for their ridiculous meddling in this singular instance—he only hoped it would be enough to fix what was broken between himself and his best friend, so long as he didn’t accidentally confess his feelings to her before she was ready to hear them. 

The words were on the tip of his tongue, even now as she narrowed her sparkling baby blues in his direction, so he took another bite of his dwindling sandwich to stop himself from blurting out anything he wouldn’t be able to take back, knowing he’d be in trouble the moment he ran out—luckily, they were surrounded by food. 

Pen huffed as she watched him chew and he raised a brow, challenging her to say whatever was on her mind. “I can’t believe you’re eating right now. They locked us in a closet, Colin!” 

“I’m a growing boy, Penelope,” he said with a wink that earned him a roll of her eyes.

“You’re twenty-six,” she deadpanned, though she couldn’t hide the way her lips quivered as she fought back a smile. 

Offering her a shrug of his shoulders, Colin took a small step forward and held his sandwich out to her as he wiggled his brows. She giggled despite herself and his smile broadened as his favorite song filled the small space, watching intently as her plush lips wrapped around the bread in the exact same spot he had just taken a bite. Noticing a crumb on the corner of her perfect mouth, he instinctively reached out to wipe it away, dropping his hand back to his side when he felt her quick breath of surprise against his skin. The rosy blush on her cheeks deepened and began to trail down her neck as she swiped her tongue over the place his thumb had just been, and it took every ounce of restraint he possessed not to lean forward and capture her pretty pink lips with his own—which was, in fact, how he’d gotten himself into this mess in the first place. 

Colin didn’t think he could be blamed for it; it wasn’t his fault his best friend was so perfectly kissable—perfect in every way, really. He would, however, take the blame for what happened after he’d finally acted on the feelings and dreams that had been plaguing him for months on end. 

Best friends for well over a decade, Colin and Penelope had always been just that. Until suddenly, they weren’t—when one day, she’d peered up at him with those shimmering blue pools that had always called him home and he finally realized why that was. She was still his best friend, of course, but she was also so much more. It happened a few months ago, just before he was meant to leave on a long assignment, and instead of leaning in and kissing her right then and there, Colin decided to wait. He could make all the excuses in the world—and had over the last several months—but if he was being honest with himself, he had let his own fear get in the way. Fear that he wasn’t enough for her, that he couldn’t give her everything she deserved and more, a fear that was seemingly confirmed when he’d learned just a couple weeks into his trip that she was seeing someone else.

He had taken too long to figure it out, and he was paying the price—hopelessly in love with the girl of his dreams and forced to watch her live that dream out with someone else. 

He’d been so grateful to learn that she hadn’t even attempted to bring her boyfriend on the family trip to Aubrey Hall, and even happier that the first night of their trip had been just as wonderful as it had always been. Sure, he had been relentlessly teased by his siblings and their partners for his flirting—something he had brushed off in the past, having never realized just how obviously he’d been in staking his claim on the girl who owned his heart before he even knew it—but Penelope hadn’t seemed to mind it. Colin had completely lost himself in her and in the fantasy of them, as her lyrical laughter soothed him, as her every touch ignited him, as her very being made him feel whole. And though he knew she wasn’t his, knew she was someone else’s, he hadn’t been able to stop himself from kissing her at the end of the night. She had only just begun to kiss him back when he realized what he’d done and panicked, running from the woman he loved as he muttered his apologies for having crossed the line. 

Colin wasn’t sorry for having kissed her, not really; it was the best kiss he’d ever had, the taste of her a memory he never wanted to forget. But he was sorry for how it happened, for putting her in that position and taking something that wasn’t his to take. He’d tried to apologize properly the next morning, prepared to explain himself and promise that he could be her friend—no matter that he would have been breaking his own heart by doing so; she was all that mattered. 

She was everything. 

She’d always been everything. 

Except she’d run from him, and she’d continued to run all week, hardly ever staying in the same room if she could help it and surrounding herself with members of his family. Unable to recall a time when his Pen had ever avoided him like this, Colin had grown more and more frustrated, though in truth he simply missed his best friend. So when Hyacinth cornered him this morning, he’d told her everything; his most meddlesome sister hadn’t seemed surprised, likely having figured out his feelings long before he had, but she had shared something that had changed everything and had him begging for her help. 

Now here he was, stuck in the pantry for the foreseeable future with the love of his life, praying she’d give him a chance to explain. 

“I can’t believe they locked us in here,” Penelope sighed, leaning against the door and letting her head fall back, her eyes fluttering closed. 

Colin watched her for a long moment before risking another small step closer, hearing her breath hitch ever so slightly as he twirled a long auburn curl around his finger, though her eyes remained shut. 

“Come on, Pen,” he whispered, tugging gently on the lock of hair until he was treated to the sight of her baby blues once more. “Is it really so bad? Being here with me?”

Her gaze softened as she shook her head and whispered back, “No, Col, of course not. It’s just…”

She trailed off, her eyes flitting away from his as she took a deep breath. Colin bit his lip, trying his best not to smile when he noticed the way her gaze traced hungrily over his bare torso, lingering at the waistband of his swim trunks before lifting to his face again. Always able to read him better than any other, Penelope must have immediately realized he’d caught her checking him out, her typically ivory skin now closer to scarlet as she rolled her eyes at herself and turned her head to the side, refusing to look at him any longer. 

“Don’t you ever wear a shirt?” she groaned.

Colin hummed and popped the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth, chewing as he allowed his own gaze to travel over his best friend before taking one more small step forward. He savored the sound of her caught breath as he tucked her hair behind her ear and stroked his thumb over her jaw, gently guiding her back so he could see her face. Trailing his fingers down her neck and over the sleeve of the oversized shirt she was wearing, he was itching to reach for the hem and see just how far down that pretty blush had traveled, but stopped himself, moving his hands behind his back as she stared up at him.

“I could,” he finally answered her quietly, letting his eyes drop to her chest once more before finding home in her bright blue again. “But then what would you wear, sweetheart?”

Colin smirked as Pen gasped and looked down at herself first, then back at him, seemingly at a loss for words as she realized that she was in fact sporting the tee he’d worn out to the pool earlier; he, of course, had noticed the second he’d turned the light on. It was far from the first time she’d worn his clothes, and had likely been second nature for her to reach for it, but that hadn’t stopped his heart from pounding just for seeing her in it, and it most certainly hadn’t stopped his cock from twitching in his trunks, practically begging him to make her his. 

Granting her a moment of reprieve—and needing one himself—Colin backed up and ran a hand through his hair before turning and reaching for a pudding cup of his own, grinning as he heard her bite back what was clearly a whimper. By the time he faced her again, she’d schooled her expression as best she could, though her fingers continued to drum nervously against her thighs. 

“So,” Colin started as he peeled open the lid to his treat, noting her curious gaze flitting between the cup and his lips. “We should probably talk if we ever want to be let out of here, yeah?”

“Talk about what?” Penelope asked with a forced chuckle. 

He raised a brow and cocked his head, studying her closely before dipping a finger into the chocolate pudding and bringing it to his mouth to suck it clean. Watching Pen’s eyes darken, Colin smiled as he released his own finger with a pop so he could answer her. “Well, I thought we’d start with that kiss.”

Her shocked gaze met his momentarily before she began to look anywhere else in the tiny room. “Why–why would we need to talk about that?” 

“Because it appears there was a misunderstanding between us that I’d very much like to fix.”

“There’s no misunderstanding,” she said, shaking her head adamantly as she still refused to meet his eyes. “You already apologized and it’s fine, Colin—truly.”

“Mmm, I disagree,” he murmured, wishing more than anything that he could close the distance between them and tip her chin back so he could see her face, but he couldn’t—not yet. Instead, he took another swipe of pudding as he waited for her to gather her thoughts.

“What else is there to say?” Penelope shrugged before letting out a long sigh, her head resting against the cool wood again. “I already know you regret it.” 

“That’s where you’re wrong, sweetheart,” Colin corrected her gently. “I could never regret that.” 

Pen finally gave him what he wanted as her glistening eyes found his once more. “Then why did you run, Colin?” 

“Because, Penelope, up until about two hours ago, I was under the impression that you still had a boyfriend.” 

Penelope’s mind went entirely blank as she stared at him, her mouth dropping open, then closing again, only to open once more for a different reason—Colin had dipped two of his long, perfect fingers back into his pudding. The heat pooled between her legs as she bit back a moan; it was obscene, the way he sucked his fingers between his perfectly plush lips, and she wanted nothing more than to lunge toward him, to lick the chocolate from his lips before taking care of his fingers herself.

“Penelope?” The smirk on his ridiculously handsome face made her realize that she had forgotten his last words entirely; had no idea, in fact, what it was that she was supposed to be addressing.

“What?” she exhaled, panting as she drew her gaze up to his and silently cursing her body for betraying the feelings she wasn’t supposed to have for her best friend.

So much for her secret crush; it had survived a decade, and one kiss and a few minutes in this pantry had revealed it all within a matter of days. Maybe he had travel advice for her, knew of somewhere far, far away where she could escape in shame, never to be discovered. She could start a whole new life there, find a little apartment and settle down, live a quiet life in some tucked-away seaside town—though perhaps asking Colin himself what her options would be wasn’t the best idea if she needed to hide from him. Maybe she could-

“I said,” Colin repeated with a chuckle, making it more than clear that her avoidance wasn’t going unnoticed as he cocked his head to the side, “I was under the impression you had a boyfriend.”

Oh…that. It wasn’t the hardest thing to address.

Not even the hardest thing in this closet, she thought as her gaze landed once more on his sunkissed abs.

“I did,” she rushed out before her daydreams could take her any further from the conversation at hand. “I did have a boyfriend—I just…don’t anymore.”

Penelope held her breath, preparing to watch him eat again, but instead his denim eyes sparkled with sweetness—it was somehow even more sexy, the kindness that flooded his features, the concern that filled his voice despite the lack of surprise in his reaction. “Do you want to talk about it? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay,” she admitted honestly. She knew she should probably be a little less okay about her recent breakup with her boyfriend of several months, but the truth was, she hadn’t thought about him at all since the day they went their separate ways. It was clear to her why she wasn’t bothered, but that wasn’t something she was willing to share when she had already embarrassed herself in front of Colin so thoroughly. She began tapping the top of her own pudding cup incessantly to calm her nerves. “I don’t think it was ever really going to work out with Alfred.”

“And why is that?” Colin asked as his gaze remained locked on her, the pantry somehow feeling even hotter than the day sunbathing by the pool had been; he then made a choice she was certain she’d never forgive him for—forgoing his fingers altogether now and lapping up the pudding with his tongue. Penelope averted her eyes with a whimper, only to find his bare chest once again.

“I can’t have this conversation while you look like that,” Penelope huffed out, and he had the audacity to laugh.

“Look like what?” Colin teased, staring into her eyes as he raised an eyebrow.

A challenge? A threat? It worked for her either way—though, everything he did worked for her.

He was her Colin.

“Like…” Penelope made a critical mistake, letting her gaze linger on his mouth as her own began to water, watching as he licked the chocolate pudding from his lips. Swallowing hard, she looked back up at the eyes she’d love to drown in, finding amusement dancing in them. “Colin, I’m sorry for taking your shirt-”

“Don’t be,” he interrupted with a smirk she desperately wanted to kiss off of him—that would teach him a lesson. “It looks better on you.”

“It doesn’t.” Her voice wavered as she let out a shaky breath, stuck between her mind and her heart—knowing his compliment didn’t mean anything, and knowing that it did.

Did he know what he was doing to her? Penelope could not decide whether it was better or worse if he did; whether it was more embarrassing if he knew that she was head over heels for him with no hope of it ever ending, or if he had no intentions at all and she responded so thoroughly anyway.

“It does,” Colin shot back, not giving her even a moment to recover from his praise before making her cheeks heat all over again. “It’s yours now.”

“I’m giving it back,” she said, reaching for the hem.

“It’s yours, Pen. It’s done.” A mischievous grin she knew far too well grew across his face as his eyes lit up. “Actually, you can have all of my shirts.”

“That won’t be necessary,” she whispered, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

“If we ever get out of here, come to my room after this and I’ll empty my suitcase for you.

“Colin!” she yelped, feigning disapproval when nothing could be further from the truth; every bit of his plan sounded like heaven—from keeping his shirts to his then-necessary shirtlessness to a visit to his bedroom.

“You look cute,” Colin offered far too casually, shrugging and lapping up more of his pudding as she did everything in her power to keep herself from climbing him like a tree right in front of his family’s snacks.

“Here, take it,” Penelope begged, setting her pudding cup on the shelf beside her and removing his t-shirt, throwing it at him harder than she meant to and pulling a laugh from him as he dodged the fabric, turning to see it hit a bag of cookies and send them tumbling to the floor. He shook his head at her and stuck his fingers back into his pudding, bringing them to his mouth. Colin’s smirk quickly faded, however, as his gaze raked over her body.

Well, that was brilliant, she thought.

Colin was still shirtless, and now she was in a little yellow bikini with nowhere to hide.

Great work, Penelope.

“Did you wear that for me?” he whispered, the words seeming to have tumbled from him unbidden before he bit his lip, looking flustered himself for the first time since being thrown into the closet. “Not that you-I just mean, yellow’s my favorite color.”

Of course she had; she chose it because she loved it, but there was no denying that she had been drawn to it with the hope that Colin would notice her in it—her Colin, who had claimed yellow as his favorite color for as long as she’d known him. She had hoped that after all these years of being the best of friends, he might finally check her out with that sweet but sultry look in his eyes—not dissimilar to the way he stared at her now, but she set that observation aside as she stared back at him in silence.

“Why wouldn’t it have worked with Alfred?” Colin asked softly, offering her a welcome reprieve as he drew them back to only slightly less risky conversation.

“I didn’t really like him that much,” Penelope admitted, blushing as she watched the one she had wanted the whole time, the one she’d always liked. The truth was that she had only even begun dating at all in an attempt to get over her lifelong crush on the man in front of her, the one now practically fucking a pudding cup with his tongue; she never thought she’d one day dream of being a cup of pudding, but it seemed this week was full of firsts. “And he was-”

Penelope hesitated. She hadn’t wanted to have to tell Colin this to his face, and it had been the reason she had begged his brothers and sisters to tell him for her so she could avoid this very moment, though she couldn’t have imagined a burning desire to lick chocolate pudding off his nipples would be part of the equation.

“He was what?” he asked, leaning back against the shelves and giving her what little space he could, but his gaze was so strong, so sure, that it didn’t feel as though he was farther away at all.

“Jealous,” she whispered, the truth falling from her lips, unable to be hidden any longer. “Jealous of you.”

“Why was he jealous of me?” Colin whispered as she picked up her own pudding cup from the shelf, playing with the foil cover to give herself something to do, anything to busy her hands and distract her from his body as she did her best to answer his questions.

“He thought there was something between us,” she murmured, ripping the foil from her lemon pudding and running the tip of her finger over it, watching as he followed her movement.

“And what did you tell him?” Colin asked, his eyes darkening.

“That you would never have feelings for me,” she whispered, her eyes fluttering closed as she dropped her head back against the door.

“So you lied,” his voice surrounded her softly. “And he knew.”

“I - I didn’t,” Penelope retorted as her eyes popped open, her brow furrowing in confusion as she studied him. “I told him it didn’t matter what I felt, that you had never seen me that way, wouldn’t ever see me that way or return my feelings. But he wouldn’t let it go; when I said I was coming here for vacation, he said I had to choose—him or you. So I’m here, obviously.”

Penelope went silent at her own admission, pressing her fingers further into the pudding before lifting them out, savoring the feeling of the creamy lemon treat against her skin and preparing for the world to come crumbling down around her. 

“Are you going to eat that?” Colin asked, far more calmly than he had any right to be and biting back a grin.

“I, I don’t know-” she stuttered as he dipped his finger into his own cup and brought it up to her mouth, raising an eyebrow. She opened for him, moaning when his finger rested on her tongue as she closed her lips around him, sucking the chocolate from him before letting him go with a pop.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, wishing she didn’t crave so much more of him. “I-”

“I’m not,” he murmured back. “I’m not sorry. I know I said I was when after we kissed, but-"

“You didn’t know?” Penelope interrupted, swallowing as she watched her question settle over him. “You have seven siblings, none of whom know how to keep their mouths shut, and they all knew we had broken up.”

“They were talking about him one day, and when I saw his name, I muted the group chat,” he admitted, blushing as her jaw dropped. “I didn’t want to be around while they were talking about him. He’s not the only one who was jealous.”

“You were…jealous?” Penelope asked slowly, and he set his empty pudding cup down as she swallowed thickly, lost in the blue eyes that never left hers.

“Ridiculously,” he whispered.

“Why?” 

As he stepped closer, Penelope gasped and squeezed her pudding cup, creamy lemon and shock and embarrassment splashing all over her bikini-clad chest. “Oh!”

Her eyes snapped back up to Colin’s face to find him breathing heavily, hungrily. Before she could think better of it, she dragged a finger across her chest, collecting as much pudding as she could, and held it up to him as an offering—of pudding, of her, of all of her—trembling when he closed his mouth around it.

Colin hummed at the sound of Penelope’s breath hitching as he captured her finger between his lips, still relishing in the knowledge that he could affect her this way and wondering how it was he had never noticed until now—perhaps he was as oblivious as his littlest sister claimed. He kept his gaze locked on hers, wishing he could swim in those brilliant blue pools as he swirled his tongue over her skin. A loud groan rumbled through his chest as the taste of the tart lemon pudding and his sweet girl flooded his senses, making sure to savor every last bit before wrapping his hand gently around her wrist; he slowly pulled her finger from his mouth, watching her plush pink lips part at the obscene popping noise that echoed around the pantry. 

Following her gaze to the place where he was still touching her, Colin trailed the very tips of his fingers up her arm, staring intently at the goosebumps that appeared in his wake. Utterly fascinated by her reaction to his touch, he stroked his thumb over her crimson-stained cheek before twirling one of her fiery curls between his fingers as he grinned down at her. 

“Even better than the chocolate,” he mused with a wink, delighting as she blushed impossibly deeper and allowing himself the pleasure of following its path down to her chest, still rapidly rising and falling. 

Aware of the way she squirmed under his attention, he took his time memorizing her just like this, eternally grateful for the way she’d thrown his t-shirt—hers now, just as he’d promised—at his head; as much as he loved seeing her in his clothes, he wasn’t sure anything could compare to this. She was Aphrodite incarnate, her lush curves on display for him in the lemon yellow bikini he was certain she’d chosen with him in mind. Colin licked his lips as he noted the remnants of pudding left behind on her creamy breasts, hungry for more—hungry for her. It took every ounce of self-control he possessed to leave it there for now as he raised his gaze back to hers, finding the shimmering baby blue of his dreams all but swallowed up by her blown pupils. 

His Pen was apparently just as hungry as he was; luckily, he had just the thing for her. 

“You want a taste, sweetheart?”

Penelope blinked once, twice, three times before his words seemed to register, and eagerly nodded, her tongue darting out to lick her lips as her eyes flicked between the pudding cup in her hand and his mouth, making her wishes blatantly clear—and really, who was he to deny her anything? 

Colin tucked her hair behind her ear before plucking the plastic cup from between her fingers and lifting it to his lips, the whimper she didn’t bother to hide this time as he lapped at the pudding traveling straight to his cock. With the creamy dessert still on his tongue, he took another small step toward her, crowding her against the door as he wove his free hand into her mess of curls, tilting her head back. Unadulterated want that was surely reflected in his own features was written all over her face as she nodded once more.

“Please,” she begged, the word barely more than a breath, but that was all he needed, leaning down just as she pushed up to the tips of her toes, their mouths crashing together in what could only be described as a feral kiss. Pen greedily sucked the pudding from his tongue, reaching for him at the same time; one hand clutched at his bicep while the other settled at his waist to keep him close—as though he would ever want to be anywhere else. 

Kissing Penelope was unlike anything Colin had ever felt before; she ignited something in him he hadn’t even realized existed. With every frantic touch and every sweet sound, he had never known anything to feel so…right. He was home, because she was his home—because she always had been. 

Eventually they came up for air, and Colin pressed his forehead to hers, trying to catch his breath and rein in the need that was threatening to overwhelm him. He had to tell her—before they went any further, she had to know what she meant to him. 

A small hand lightly traced its way up his arm and sank into his hair, and he practically purred under her touch; a moment later, his favorite sound in the world surrounded him as a giggle bubbled out of her. He opened his eyes to find his best friend already watching him, her blue eyes sparkling just as they always had when she looked at him—could he really have been so blind? 

“Hi,” she whispered shyly, gently scraping her nails over his scalp as her other hand trailed up and down his side. She was so damn cute that Colin couldn’t help but pepper her face with kisses, winning more of her perfect laughter as she wriggled against the door. He leaned back to get a better look at her, but before he could go too far, Pen pulled him down for one more brief kiss, giggling as he nuzzled his nose against hers and beaming up at him when he straightened. 

“Hi, sweetheart,” he whispered back, untangling his hand from her hair and brushing his thumb over her cheek. Colin smiled as she turned to press a kiss to his palm before letting her head fall back against the door so she could peer up at him. 

“I like when you call me that,” Penelope admitted quietly. “Makes me feel like I’m yours.” 

Colin’s heart pounded in his chest as he leaned down to kiss her again, his forehead finding hers once more, his hand coming to rest on her hip. “You want to be mine?” 

She nodded against him. “More than anything.”

“You asked why I was jealous,” he began as he rubbed soothing circles into her supple skin, and Pen nodded again. “I was jealous because I couldn’t bear the idea of you being with someone else. Because I want you to be mine, Pen. Because…because I’m yours, sweetheart—completely and utterly, yours.”

“Mine,” she whispered, her eyes brimming with tears, and Colin nodded, his own vision starting to blur.

“Yours, Pen,” he murmured against her lips as their mouths met for a kiss that was sweet and soft and everything—just as she was sweet and soft and everything. She had always been everything. As they broke apart, Penelope moved her hand to his chest, settling it directly over his racing heart as the other continued to gently massage his scalp.

“I’m yours too, Col,” she said softly. “I’ve been yours since the day we met.” 

Leaning down to bring his mouth to her ear, his lips ghosting the shell of it, Colin grinned as he felt her shiver under his breath. He spoke a single word against her skin. “Mine.”

“Yes, baby,” she sighed as he nipped at her lobe. “Yours.”

Pen tilted her head to the side to grant him better access to her neck, a sweet moan falling from her lips as he started to trail kisses down the column of her throat. Her grip on his hair tightened deliciously when he sucked at her pulse point, and he felt his straining erection twitch in his trunks as he groaned into her skin. The impulse to mark her—to claim her as his, because she had always been his—rushed through him, every noise he pulled from her spurring him on as her hand anchored him there. Soon, however, she was urging him farther down, guiding him back to the treat he’d left behind and giving him exactly what he’d hoped for, a burst of lemon hitting his tongue as he ran it over the soft tops of her perfect breasts. Even after the pudding was gone, Colin continued to devour her, scraping his teeth over her pert nipple through the fabric of her swimsuit before pulling both into his mouth, his free hand wrapping around to her lower back to hold her where he wanted her. 

“More, Col, please,” Penelope begged him, her hips canting forward and matching moans sounding from them both as she pressed herself against his hard cock. Colin leaned back, and she let out a needy whine, staring up at him with her full bottom lip stuck out in a pout that he quickly captured between his own, suckling at it for a moment before pulling back again. “Why did you stop?”

“You wanted more,” he panted, running his finger just under the edge of her bikini top. “This needs to come off, sweetheart.” 

“Then take it off,” Pen demanded. “Now, Colin.”

“I like it when you boss me around,” he groaned as he handed her the pudding cup, skating his fingertips over her curves until he reached the strings at her back. He pulled at the ends of the bows and tugged at the flimsy fabric, letting it drop to the floor between them, his mouth falling open as he took in the most magnificent tits he’d ever seen. His hands twitched at his sides as he fought the instinct to reach for them just yet, his gaze begrudgingly leaving them behind only when his best friend called his attention back to hers—even then it was difficult, as her laughter made them bounce in the most delectable way. 

“You like them?” she asked, blinking up at him much too innocently, as though she had no idea how sexy she was. 

“You’re never wearing a shirt again, Pen,” Colin deadpanned, grinning when she giggled again, her eyes laced with want but still shining brightly for him. 

“Only if they’re yours, right?” she teased, and he was vaguely aware of the way she’d dipped her finger into the pudding again, swirling it around. “You did say I could have them all.”

“That was before I saw your tits, sweetheart,” Colin sighed, his eyes drifting back down to her chest as he licked his lips. “Fuck, Pen, they’re even better than I imagined.”

“You imagined them?” Penelope asked, her question punctuated by the soft squelch of her finger in the sweet cream. 

“Uh, yeah, only every day for the past six years,” he said, trying to concentrate on their conversation as his aching cock leaked in his trunks. 

“Six years?!” she exclaimed. “Colin!” 

“What?! It may have taken me way too long to figure out my feelings, but I’m not blind.” He glanced back at her face as she made a sound of disbelief. “Pen, you must know you’re a goddess.” 

She hummed and cocked her head, her eyes twinkling with something he immediately recognized as mischief.

“What?” 

“If I’m a goddess,” she mused as she pulled her finger from the cup and began to smear pudding over her breasts, collecting more to leave a trail down her belly, “then maybe you should worship me?”

Completely entranced by the woman in front of him, Colin took a moment to catch up. He blinked back at her, opening his mouth automatically when she brought her fingers to his lips with the last dregs of pudding, having tossed the plastic cup to the ground. He sucked the offering from her fingers, releasing her with a soft hiss of breath as she reached up to lace her other hand through his curls, tugging him down so she could whisper in his ear. 

“My Colin,” she purred, capturing his lobe between her teeth. “Always so hungry.” 

Colin groaned and nodded as she guided his mouth back to hers, sucking at his tongue and swallowing down his answering moan, kissing him senseless until they were both gasping for breath.

“Lick me clean, baby,” she murmured against his lips, rubbing her nose over his and waiting for his eyes to find hers again. “Then you can have me for dessert.” 

He didn’t need to be told twice, pressing one final kiss to her lips before making his way to her breasts. Lightly scraping his teeth over a pudding-covered nipple, he moaned as her grip on his hair tightened once more, his name falling from her lips as he soothed her with his tongue, pulling her peak into his mouth and suckling at her—his Pen impossibly sweeter than the pudding he licked from her skin. With one hand at her back, he lifted the other to her unattended breast, groaning around her as her ample flesh filled his palm and spilled between his fingers. It wasn’t long before Penelope was babbling above him; still, Colin took his time with her, pressing his knee in between her legs as her hips began to chase more and more, letting her ride his thigh while he devoured her. 

It was everything he’d ever dreamed of and so much more, bringing his best friend to the brink of her pleasure. He was determined to make her come just like this—before he got to his knees so he could worship her properly. 

He nodded and scraped his teeth over her once more as he pinched her other nipple between his thumb and forefinger, urging her closer and closer to the edge. With one last flick of his tongue, his love went completely still, her mouth dropping open in a silent scream as she came for him. Pleased with himself for having gotten her there, Colin slowed his ministrations to gently tend to her as she found her way back to earth—back to him. When her body finally went limp against the door, she pulled his mouth to hers for a lazy kiss. Pressing his forehead to hers after they parted, he wiggled his brows, covering her face with a smattering of kisses when she playfully rolled her eyes at him, only stopping once she was a giggling mess. 

“That was–” she started, trailing off as he began to kiss his way down her body and sank to his knees in front of her, mapping every freckle, every curve, every silvery stretch mark with his tongue. Her hands found their way into his hair, tugging until he looked up at her with a satisfied grin stretching wide across his face. 

“I think the word you’re looking for is fucking incredible, sweetheart,” he offered as he hooked his fingers around her bikini bottoms and raised a brow. “Now, I believe you promised me dessert.” 

“That’s two words,” Pen laughed as she nodded, bending to kiss him once more. “Take them off, Colin.” 

Again, Colin did exactly as he was told, guiding her swimsuit down her legs and helping her step out of it. He groaned at the sight of the red thatch of curls covering her mound, shining with her own arousal, and wrapped his hand around her ankle, lifting her leg over his shoulder to give himself access to her pretty pink pussy. They both gasped as he dragged a knuckle through her folds. 

“So wet, Penelope,” he praised her. “Is that all for me?”

“Yes,” she breathed. “It’s always for you, Col. I was wet the moment I saw you in those trunks.” 

“Good,” he murmured as he leaned forward to lick a stripe over her, moaning at the first taste of her sweetness. “Fuck, Pen, you might be the best thing I’ve ever tasted.” 

“Then eat me, baby,” she whined, using her hold on his hair to urge him forward. “Please.”

Colin licked his lips. “With pleasure, sweetheart.” 

Penelope threw her head back, holding the chestnut waves she had loved for years between her fingers as Colin ate her like a man starved—like a man who hadn’t had multiple breakfasts, lunch, a post-lunch sandwich, and two pudding cups already, but she was certainly not going to complain about his talent or hunger. His efforts with his pudding cup had only been a warm up for what he now did to her, it seemed, as he licked her and swirled his tongue expertly around her clit while she whined and tugged him closer. He was giving her everything she could ever have dreamed of, and she still needed more.

More of this, more of him—now that she knew he was hers, no amount of her sweet Colin would ever be enough.

Her desperation to be ever closer to him only seemed to spur him on, his movements coming faster and more deliberate as he gripped her thigh, the combination of his tight grasp and the gentle caress of his thumb nearly enough to do her in. It could not have been more than a minute later when her palm slammed against the door, her other hand tightening its grip on his hair as he sent her over the edge again, babbling his name—the only word she could remember while she floated away. Colin continued to lick her as she began to breathe again, a satisfied hum leaving him. After he gently brought her leg from his shoulder to the floor, she slid down to meet him where he knelt in front of her, guiding him to sit with his back against the shelves so she could straddle his lap.

“You’re such a good eater,” Penelope teased as she settled onto him, giggling when he tickled her beneath her ribs; he moved his hands to her back, his once frantic movements now gentle and soft, soothing circles being traced on her skin. After gazing into his eyes—sparkling for her—she leaned forward to kiss him, licking the seam of his lips and smiling against him as he opened for her, deepening their kiss before pulling away to drag the tip of his tongue along the base of her throat.

“Best meal I’ve ever had,” he chuckled, sucking on her pulse point as her body let her know loudly and clearly that this was far from over.

“You’re so good to me,” she murmured into his hair, moving her hands to his cheeks and tilting his face up so that she could study him, only to find him blushing the prettiest shade of pink she’d ever seen before he tugged her closer for another kiss—sweeter, slower.

“I love you, sweetheart,” Colin murmured against her lips, and she put her hands on his cheeks again, pulling him back, unable to help the way her breath hitched as the words she had longed to hear for years spilled so easily from him. She found nothing but affection swimming in his eyes—and maybe a little more hunger; it was her Colin, after all.

“You what?” Penelope bit back a grin, knowing full well what he had said and sure that it was true, but it wasn’t every day the love of her life told her he loved her, and she couldn’t help wanting to hear it again.

“I love you,” he repeated, louder this time with a raise of his eyebrows. “Surely I made that clear?”

Penelope lunged forward, tugging Colin’s perfect bottom lip between hers and running her hands over his chest, her nails grazing his nipples as he moaned into her mouth. 

He loved her.

Her sweet, beautiful Colin loved her.

Her wildly sexy, forever hungry Colin loved her.

And she-

“Oh!” Penelope gasped as she released his lip with a pop, giggling when he chased after her and granting him one more peck as his shimmering eyes met hers; after taking a deep breath, she said the words she wished she had been brave enough to say a long time ago, but couldn’t let another moment pass without declaring now. “I love you, too.”

“Yeah?” Colin asked, the smile that had been Penelope’s favorite since childhood appearing on his face, her heart aching at the sight of it. Laughing, she nodded before kissing his forehead, each cheek, and the tip of his nose as he tightened his grip around her.

“Yeah, baby,” she promised easily—she had never been more sure of anything than she was of her love for him—and felt his cock twitch beneath her, ripping a moan from her throat that he echoed back to her. “Colin, I need you.”

“You can have whatever you want, sweetheart,” Colin whispered, sending a new rush of desire through her.

“Want to feel you,” she exhaled, rolling against him as the back of his head hit the shelf behind him, his eyes fluttering when he mouthed his yes, and she slid back just enough to pull his cock from his swim trunks, her mouth watering at the sight of his erection. “Mine.”

“Always yours, Pen.” Colin licked his lips, staring at her fingers as she wrapped them around his length, stroking him and watching the tip weep for her. “Oh fuck.”

“Good, baby?” she asked, and he chuckled, nodding wordlessly and gripping her hips to keep her close as she worked him with her hand.

“Yes,” he croaked out before wrapping his long fingers around her wrist, stilling her movement while she snapped her eyes up to his, swallowing hard. “I just-can I-”

“What do you want?” Penelope moved her free hand to soothe his furrowed brow with her thumb, waiting for him as he hesitated. “I’m yours, Colin. Tell me.”

“I want to finish inside of you,” he rushed out, and she whimpered, pulling him in for a kiss and licking into his mouth.

“Need you,” she sighed against his skin, licking his jaw to his earlobe before nipping it gently. “Need your cock so badly.”

“You’re sure?” Colin asked, moving her gaze back to his with two fingers under her chin as she nodded, smiling at her absolutely wrecked man.

Her Colin.

“Ready?” she asked him, smiling when he nodded, slack-jawed and gone for her as he released her wrist and she stroked him once more. Guiding him between her folds, still dripping wet for him—always for him—she rubbed the head of him against her clit, both of them moaning before she positioned him at her entrance. Panting and keeping her eyes locked on his, she began to slide down onto him, her lips finding his again; he kissed her through the stretch as she took each glorious inch of him. When she was finally fully seated, she rolled her hips, but he stopped her, gasping and trapping her bottom lip between his teeth gently.

“Stay,” he whispered, his plea softer than she had ever heard him.

“I don’t think I’m going anywhere without you, Colin,” Penelope teased, and he sucked the sensitive skin below her ear before whispering.

“Stay still for a minute,” Colin whispered, his instruction sending a shiver down her as she nodded against him. “Need you to be so quiet, sweet girl.”

It was only then that Penelope remembered where they were—in the middle of the kitchen, behind a door that was locked from the outside, a door that could be opened at any moment. That even through this closed door, every sound they made put them at risk of being heard by one of the many Bridgertons who were far too close by for comfort. 

“Colin!” she yelped before covering her mouth, giggling as his eyes shone at her, his eyebrow raised. “I think it might be a little late for that, don’t you?”

“I didn’t think of it sooner,” he murmured, his fingertips tracing her collarbone reverently. “I was a little distracted by being trapped in this closet with the hottest woman I’ve ever seen—in a bikini and covered in pudding.”

Penelope laughed and Colin pressed a finger to her lips; she let out a whimper, the very thought of their need to be quiet making her impossibly wetter for him as he reached out to suck on her bottom lip.

“Shhh,” he whispered against her, and she nodded, kissing him hard as she began to ride him, though a moan left him immediately.

“Telling me to shush—you’re so loud,” Penelope gasped as Colin dropped his lips to her shoulder, chuckling into her skin before leaving kisses there as she moved faster, keenly aware that they were already on borrowed time and needing this too badly to stop before they were finished. “Baby, you feel so good.”

“Pen, fuck,” he choked out as he thrusted up into her, leaving her seeing stars as he buried himself somehow deeper. “I’m not going to last long.”

“Good,” she murmured as they picked up their pace, their rhythm messy and perfect. “Because we don’t have much time, and if you don’t fill me up in here, Colin, I fucking swear to you-”

Colin groaned as his hand snaked between them, his fingers finding her clit quickly and rubbing circles; she gripped his hair and shoved her tongue into his mouth, panting as he sucked it in time with each roll of their hips.

“Come on my cock,” he begged, and she pulled his tongue between her lips, returning the favor and sucking as she moaned around it—giving him what she desperately hoped was a preview for later, when they had a little more time. She was just as hungry for him as he was for her, and wanted a turn to drop to her knees, replacing his tongue with the hard cock that was filling her so well. Colin whimpered as he tugged his mouth away from hers. “Pen, where can I-”

“Inside me,” Penelope reassured him, pressing her forehead to his as his eyes searched hers. “Don’t make a mess in here, baby; let me feel it all. You’re mine.”

Her words seemed to be all it took to let him release inside of her, leaving her feeling wet and hot and full of him as she followed him over the edge. Neither could stop themselves from the screams of Colin and Pen that left their lips, but quickly swallowed their sounds with kisses while they trembled in each other’s arms, giggling together as they came back to earth.

Back to each other, where they belonged.

Colin and Penelope.

Penelope and Colin.

A lazy grin tugged at the corners of his mouth as his best friend left soft kisses all over his face, grounding him after what was easily the best sex of his life—as embarrassingly quick to be over as it was, not that she seemed to mind. Being with her, being loved so well by her, it was so much more than he ever thought possible for himself, and Colin knew he would spend the rest of his life thanking every god he’d ever come across for the woman currently sitting on his lap. His eyes fluttered open as she ran a hand through his mussed curls, his smile growing at the sight of her sparkling baby blues. 

“I can’t believe we just did that,” Pen giggled as she settled her hands at his nape and began to play with his hair, leaning in to run her nose down the length of his own before capturing his lips for a soft kiss that was much too brief for Colin’s liking. She laughed as he chased her mouth with his own, granting him another peck that turned into another, then another, her forehead eventually finding his once more.

“I can’t believe I just came that fast,” Colin sighed, scoffing in feigned betrayal when Penelope had the audacity to giggle again. She squealed and wriggled on his lap as Colin tickled her under her ribs, their loud moans echoing in the pantry at the reminder that his half-hard cock was still nestled inside her. He moved his hands to her hips, holding her still and kneading her perfect curves as she settled herself again, grinning sheepishly at him and pressing a kiss to the tip of his nose in apology. 

“You were perfect, baby,” she assured him sweetly, the same mischievous glint shining in her eyes as she slowly dragged her hand over his chest, brushing her pinky over his nipples. “Besides, it just means you’ll last longer during my turn.” 

“Your turn?” he asked, swallowing hard as the promise of more made his cock twitch again. 

“I hardly got any pudding,” Pen pouted as she blinked her big blue eyes at him. “You’re not the only one who’s hungry, Colin.” 

Colin groaned and threw his head back against the shelves as Penelope laughed and licked a stripe over his exposed neck, sucking briefly at his pulse point before pulling back, looking extremely pleased with herself. 

“Assuming you’d be amenable, of course…” she added innocently.

Colin hummed as he pretended to consider her offer. “I suppose I can’t have my girlfriend going hungry now, can I?”

“Girlfriend,” she repeated quietly, a sweet blush decorating her ivory skin—he loved that he could make her do that, even after all they’d shared since getting locked in here. 

“Well, I thought it might be too early to start calling you my wife,” Colin said with a wink, grinning as his best friend buried her face in his chest. He gently lifted her by her shoulders and rubbed her arms, kissing her softly and nuzzling his nose against hers. She sighed sweetly and brought her forehead to his, her eyes glistening. “You’re it for me, sweetheart. I love you so much, Pen. So yes, girlfriend…if you’ll have me?”

“If I’ll have you?” Penelope asked as she pulled back, her mouth agape. “Colin, in what world would I not?” 

It was his turn to blush as she peppered his cheeks with kisses, only relenting when his own giggles burst from him and leaning back to beam at him, looking completely satisfied. 

“I love you, Colin. I’ve loved you every day that I’ve known you. Of course, I want to be your girlfriend—and wife, one day.” 

“Just say the word, sweetheart,” he murmured against her lips, drinking down her sigh. As they broke apart, he wrapped a lock of her auburn hair around his finger and stared into her glistening eyes. “I’m sorry it took me so long to catch up, Pen, but not a day has gone by that I haven’t loved you.”

“I know, baby,” she promised him. “You have nothing to apologize for. We’re here now—on the floor of the pantry perhaps, but here…together. That’s all that matters. You and me.” 

“You and me,” he echoed, humming in contentment as the love of his life kissed him softly, only for them to both jump at the unmistakable sound of approaching footsteps on the other side of the pantry door. 

“I’ll grab the snacks, you get the drinks,” his eldest brother directed.

“Perfect,” Eloise answered. “Huh, I thought maybe Pen would be in here.”

Anthony scoffed in reply. “You think she’d hide out in the one place Colin is the most likely to be?” 

Colin didn’t hear his sister’s response as Penelope buried her face in his neck, her shoulders shaking with laughter; he muffled his own laughter in her hair, blindly reaching for the shirt she’d thrown at his head and gently guiding her back so he could pull it over her head. Helping her to her feet, he bit his lip to stop himself from moaning as his softened cock slipped from her, then stood up after her. 

“Why the hell is there a chair in front of the pantry?” his brother asked, and a moment later, they could hear the wooden legs of a chair scraping against the tiled floor of the kitchen as Colin attempted to make his girl look just a little less disheveled. 

“Just be cool, we can make some excuse and then run to my room.”

“Cool, right. I can be cool.” 

He smirked and pressed a kiss to her forehead before spinning to grab the whole box of chocolate pudding from the top shelf right as the door to the pantry opened behind him. 

“What the–”

“Oh, hello, Anthony,” Penelope said brightly. “Thank god you found us.” 

Colin turned just in time to watch his best friend awkwardly pat his brother on the shoulder as she snuck past him, forced to bite back his laughter at his sister’s squawk of surprise at seeing their shared best friend sidling out of the pantry. In the meantime, Anthony’s head kept swiveling between the redhead and his younger brother, who had only just noticed the yellow bikini left behind on the floor. 

“What the hell were you two doing in there?” Anthony demanded. 

“What do you mean, two? Who else is in there?” Eloise chimed in. 

“Colin!” his brother said, thankfully directing his attention back to the kitchen and giving Colin time to scoop up the swimsuit before scooting out past his brother. 

“What the fuck?” his sister yelped at the sight of him. “Explain, please.” 

“Well, you see—um, well…your siblings thought it would be funny to lock us in there,” Penelope started rambling out an explanation as Colin made his way to the refrigerator. “They were tired of us avoiding each other, and–”

“So you two were just…what? Sitting in there?” Anthony asked as their sister scoffed in disbelief.

“Mhmm, yep,” Pen squeaked adorably, sending a pleading look in Colin’s direction. He shook his head at his girlfriend and crossed the room to her. 

“Very cool, sweetheart,” he teased quietly as he handed over her swimsuit, the box of pudding cups, and the canister he’d retrieved from the fridge. “Hold these for me, will you?”

She looked up at him with a furrowed brow, the two of them completely ignoring his most annoying siblings. “Whipped cream? Oh–” 

Whatever she was going to say was cut short by her own squeal as he bent down and wrapped his arms around her thighs, hauling her over his shoulder before straightening up—careful to keep a hand at the bottom of her shirt, knowing he wouldn’t be forgiven anytime soon if she accidentally flashed either of his siblings. 

“Colin Bridgerton!” Penelope admonished him through her giggles as he carried her from the room, not bothering to spare a glance back at the two left behind.

“What the fuck is going on here?” Eloise yelled after them. “Why did you call her sweetheart?”

“Why are there pudding cups on the ground?” Anthony shouted, worrying about something very different than their sister. “And why are you taking more with you? Those are for the children!” 

“I’ll buy them more!” Colin called back, passing by his youngest sister in the hall a moment later. 

“What are you–oh my god, it worked!” Hyacinth exclaimed.

“What worked?” Penelope asked as Colin started climbing the stairs, looking back over his shoulder to shoot his sister a wink; Hyacinth squealed and ran back outside, presumably to tell her co-conspirators. “Colin Bridgerton, did you ask her to lock us in that damn closet?” 

“Of course not,” he assured her as he kicked his bedroom door closed behind him, walking to his bed and tossing his girlfriend onto it. She threw everything she was holding to the side, narrowing her eyes as he climbed over her and began peppering her face with kisses until she was laughing underneath him. With one final peck on the tip of her nose, he leaned back and stared into the eyes of the woman he loved. “Just needed a little help getting you alone. Couldn’t go one more day without telling you how much I love you.”

Pen blushed and pulled his mouth to hers, murmuring against his lips. “I love you, too.” 

Colin kissed her, quickly lost to the magic of what it was to be with his best friend, just as they were always meant to be. He gasped into her mouth as she flipped them over, chasing her kiss and grinning when she granted him one more before sitting up, straddling his hips. She reached for the canister of whipped cream and flicked off the lid, shaking it and positioning her finger, though she didn’t press it just yet as she smiled down at him.

“I think it’s time I had my dessert, don’t you?”