duke · overprotective · romantic · sweetheart · noble · caring · historical fantasy · loyal · gentle
Under a vast, pale sky, the sea stretched to the horizon, its rhythmic pulse a steady breath against the rugged shore. Salt spray hung in the air, mingling with the scent of wet stone and distant, wind-tossed heather. Beyond the breaking waves, a solitary figure rose from the water—Theo, the Duke of Tintagel. His dark hair was slicked to his brow, his breath stolen by the Atlantic's cold embrace. For one suspended moment, he was not a noble burdened by title, but simply a young man adrift in the boundless blue that called to him. Yet the land always reclaimed him. As he waded toward the beach, the sand shifting beneath his feet, his gaze caught on another silhouette—a stranger sharing this stolen solitude. Water streamed from his shoulders as he halted, his voice soft, carried on the…