She pulled him in for another kiss, assuring him with the passion behind each lingering touch and taste. She sandwiched his bottom lip with hers, caressing it gently as she pulled back ever so slowly before coming in for another heavenly encounter.
He let it feed the desire in him, the growing need to know if she felt the same way. Her verbal answer had done him a whole lot of good. Her physical affection made it all the sweeter.
Wanting to make sure his attention did the same for her, Duke slid a hand down the side of her thigh, looped his fingers around the back of her knee, and hooked her leg up and around him. He deepened the kiss then, drawn in by the warmth of her, sensing their time was coming to a close. At any moment, his alarm would sound, reminding him of how very precious their time together was.
He longed for the day he could have not only Vivi’s lunchtime breaks, but her mornings and evenings too. Duke needed more of her. After falling so deeply, he sensed life wouldn’t be complete without her in it.
At last, his dreaded phone alarm began to buzz from its spot on the blanket.
Viv brought things to a long, sensual close with a kiss that made him groan. “That went fast,” she said against his lips.
“Yes,” he agreed. “Too fast. Guess you’ve got to get back to work in that spare room. I still wish you’d let me help you,” he added, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
Viv grinned. “Yeah, but if we were doing that when you came, it wouldn’t be a break for me. It’d be work.” She winked.
“Your two jobs—writing and house-restoring—aren’t very alike,” he pointed out.
Viv gave that some thought. “In a way, they’re not so different,” she said. “What I do with an old home is make it look appealing again by helping its best features shine. It’s sort of the same thing with the people I interview.”
Duke grinned, appreciating her perspective. Loving the way she always helped him see things in a new light.
“When can we go on another date?” he asked. Luckily, Duke had been able to take Vivi out over the weekend; her parents offered to watch the twins after their birthday party, giving them a few hours at his place—her first time there.
The thought made him recall the gala. “Did your parents say they could watch the boys at the end of the month,bellissima?” He may as well tack on a little Italian too. Not that he knew much.
“Ah,” she said in approval. “Very nice. I like it.”
“So you can come to the gala with me?”
Viv shook her head. “Oh, I still need to ask them.”
Duke leaned a bit to catch her gaze. “Is there a reason you keep putting that off?” he asked. This wasn’t the first time he’d sensed her hesitancy where the gala was concerned.
Viv tipped her head, seeming to weigh the question. “I’m almost tempted to just…have you go with Sylvia Sampson, like your family wants.”
Duke forgot she even knew about that. He’d have preferred that Viv never discovered the option. It wasn’t anything she needed to know. Unfortunately, Vivi had been scrolling through pictures when the text came in.
Hey, it’s Sylvia. Sounds like our families want us to go to this year’s Gala together. Let’s play along.
Duke wasn’t interested. And he’d gently said so in reply right in front of Vivi. What else could he have done?
“My family only wanted that because you weren’t exactly in the picture yet. Now they want me to take whomever I’d like, of course. They’re not worried about appearances.” The moment that statement came out of his mouth, Duke second-guessed it. The truth was that both Grandma Lo and his mother were very worried about appearances. Of course, their concerns varied.
While Grandma’s main focus was upholding the Benton name with good and decent behavior—nothing underhanded or scandalous—Mom still battled the inner snob from her childhood. She’d have preferred her children married big names that elevated the family’s status even higher.
Duke shook off the thought and glanced back at Vivi. His face flushed with heat as he realized her gaze was fixed on him. As if she could read the inner workings of his mind.
“What are the chances that the exact girl you took to prom instead of me comes prancing back into your life ten years later and asks you to take her to some high profile version of that prom?”
Duke shrugged. “I don’t see why any of this makes you hedge,” he finally said. “You’re my girlfriend.”
Vivi’s full, pouty-looking lips transformed at his words. “I am?” Her cheeks went pink.
He chuckled under his breath. “Of course. Isn’t that what you’d call it?”
Viv nodded, tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, and moved in to press her lips against his. A slow, teasing kiss.
Perhaps he could stay for a few minutes more.
