“Just a little longer, Angel,” Duke says, leaning to the side to grab the remote. “Look, there’s less than half an hour left, and we’re just getting to the good bit.”
Smug grins should be an Olympic sport because I’ve been smiling all the way through this movie, and Duke’s last comment threatens to undo me. Thegood bitis where Kate Beckinsale and John Cusack finally find each other. Their Serendipity moment.
“You’re such a romantic.”
“I am what you made me,” he whispers in my ear, pressing my back to his bare chest by splaying a hand across one of my breasts. His thumb flicks and strokes my peaked nipple. “Right here in this bed.”
We’ve finally made it back to the Exemplar, and naturally we were able to secure the exact same room as before because, you know, his family owns the hotel. My familynow. That’s taking some getting used to. Duke and I were married two weeks ago. Ed was best man, Meri was maid of honor and Ash Griffin’s newly-found daughter was a flower girl. Even the latest addition to the Griffins was there. Baby James was very well-behaved and slept through the ceremony snuggled up to his toy griffin.
The only thing that would have made the day more complete was if Katarina had been there. She would have stolen the show, obviously, but I hear she’s planning a wedding of her own. She’s marrying some billionaire who owns his own island in the South Pacific. I don’t know much about him, but the chances of it being a love match are slim. In which case, I plan on sending Katarina a wedding gift, a certain personal item she left behind in a sparkly, purple box.
She missed Killian’s funeral. It was a quiet affair by all accounts, and his death remains unexplained. The Griffins honored Killian’s wishes and the McConkeys have no idea that he died trying to rescue a Bratva princess. Even Vasili won’t want the truth coming out. He won’t want John McConkey finding out he’s responsible for his son’s death, nor will he want his allies to know his niece gave herself freely to his enemy. Katarina won’t be allowed to grieve, that’s for sure.
That wipes the smile off my face.
I glance at my phone on the nightstand and catch the screen glowing. I know without looking that the message will be from Ed. He’s temporarily relocated to Brimstage to project manage work on Corbyn House.
Duke had finally followed through with his threat and fired Ed on his first day back at the office. Ed got over his shock pretty quickly when Duke showed him his new office, which is next to mine on the Executives’ floor.
Ed and I are combining our skills and knowledge to deliver the projects Duke and I have been developing. Noah DeVere reports to me now, which should be awkward but secretly, I think he finds it easier working with me than Duke. My husband can still be a surly pain in the ass.
“More photos?” Duke asks. He’s noticed my phone light up too.
“They’ll either be of Marmalade curled up in bed with him, or Levi.”
Duke reaches over and checks my phone. He chuckles. “It’s all three.”
Levi is one of the Griffins’ bodyguards and is currently accompanying Hunter and Maddie on a business trip to Brimstage. After Ed was shot, Levi had offered his services for Ed’s rehabilitation, with added extras. It’s another happy ending. And new beginnings.
Duke continues playing with my nipples and I wriggle backwards so my very naked ass is up against Duke’s groin. The bed creaks as I wriggle some more, seeking out a familiar hardness. Ah. There it is.
“The movie, Grace,” Duke growls. “They’re about to–”
I snatch the remote and switch off the TV. “It’s a stupid story. What idiot finds the love of their life then makes it almost impossible to find them again?”
Duke clears his throat. “You mean like the idiot sitting between my legs?”
I try to turn but Duke binds me to his chest with his arms. I settle for casting a glare over my shoulder. “Not just me.”
“I had your address.”
“Ah, yes. That’s right. You’re the idiot who parked outside my house for a year, devising an elaborate plan toget me to move to Chicago instead of just walking up the path and knocking on my damn door.”
“Fair point,” he agrees, kissing my nose. “I just wanted to give you enough time to work on your list.”
His hold on me loosens and he starts mapping out every inch of me with his fingers. He starts with my neck and shoulders, my clavicle, the valley between my breasts. My back arches as he traces more circles around my nipples then moves lower.
I rest my head back on his shoulder. “This was the final item on my list. Being back here,” I tell him as he kisses my neck.
Duke’s hands travel down to my hips, my thighs. His touch sends tingles through my body and as I draw up my knees, he hooks his hands beneath my thighs and lifts them so my feet are planted on either side of his legs.
Fingers trail up my inner thighs and I shiver in anticipation. Duke opens me up with one hand while his other teases me. Fingertips move closer to the area throbbing with need, but not close enough.
“Tell me what you want, Angel,” Duke commands. “Use your words.”
We’ve done nothing but fuck, eat and sleep on a repeating cycle since we arrived yesterday, and the movie was merely an interlude. I ache for all the right reasons and I plan on suffering a little more.
My arms reach behind me, holding onto Duke’s hips that roll gently so his steel rod of a cock rubs up against my spine. “I want to ride you. And I–” He slides his fingers through my center to my entrance. Fingertips tease while his thumb applies a constant pressure on my clit that turns a low throbbing need into a thigh clenching yearning. “I wantto watch myself bounce on your beautiful, pussy-destroying cock.”
