“Nothing’s going to happen,” he answers, lifting his gaze but not his head. “I’m going back to Chicago and I’m going to continue with the charade until Katarina gets on a plane and we never see her again. And she will get on the plane, even if I have to drag her kicking and screaming.”
“I want to believe that, I really do. But whatever hold Katarina has on you won’t vanish overnight,” I tell him.Hunter’s warning comes back to haunt me. “And if she doesn’t leave? What if she makes you marry her?”
I search Duke’s face, looking for some indication that it isn’t a risk, but his expression remains shuttered.
I swallow loudly. “If you marry her, I’d lose you. Not that I ever really had you, not really, but I’d lose you, Duke. Forever.”
Duke straightens up at that. His hollowed features harden into granite. Unbreakable. Unstoppable. “There isn’t a version of this where I don’t get you, Angel,” he promises as he steps forward. “I might be following the path of least resistance right now, but be under no illusion, we will be together. I’m willing to bet my life on it.”
A shudder runs down my spine. Is that what’s at stake? Has Vasili threatened to kill Duke if he doesn’t comply? Could a relationship with me cost him his life? I shake my head, warding Duke off as he approaches, but he ignores me. With my back pressed against the countertop, all I can do is step sideways to escape him until I’m backed into a corner.
“Stop. Please.” I say to keep him away. “You can’t be with me. You can’t give away your feelings for me. You just can’t!”
“I won’t let them hurt you, Grace.”
The howl I release is a miserable mix of fury, frustration and hopelessness. “I fucking know you won’t! That’s the problem!” I seethe. “You’ll put everyone else’s needs first.”
“If I can, yes,” he says, as if it were that simple.
The fight leaves me and when Duke takes another step closer, I can’t look at him. “I shouldn’t be around you, not if it puts you in danger,” I say weakly. “I need to get the hell out of your life.”
“I’m tempted to agree,” he says roughly and my stomachhollows. “But I can’t keep you safe if you’re too far away.” A shadow falls as he stands close enough to block out the light. In a whisper, he adds, “Stay, Grace. Let me protect you.”
As I lift my gaze, a tear trickles down my cheek. “And who protects you?”
“Let me worry about that.”
I scowl at him. “You’re so infuriating.”
“I know.” A smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. “And you’re going to hate what I’m about to do next, but I’m going to do it anyway,” he says, wrapping his arms around me and pinning me against his body. His fingers rake through my hair and he tightens his hand into a fist as he presses my head to his chest.
I couldn’t move if I tried, but leaving the safety of Duke’s arms is the last thing I want to do. I don’t hate it. I hold onto Duke’s shirt with clenched fists, but when I try to lift my head so my lips can find his, Duke’s grip on my hair tightens and I’m forced to keep my cheek pressed to his chest.
“No kissing,” he reminds me.
“They were self-imposed rules I made to respect a woman who doesn’t damn well deserve it. Fuck Katarina and fuck her uncle,” I hiss through clenched teeth as I fight against his restraint.
“Grace, I made a promise to a certain someone with far more self-restraint than you have right now. I gave her my word, and as much as it’s killing me, your past-self spoke a lot of sense.”
Knowing I can’t fight his hold, I try a different approach. I twist from side to side, grinding my body against his. Duke’s hips buck and his rigid cock digs into my stomach.
“You don’t play fair,” he whispers.
“I want you, Duke. I’ve wanted you for too long.”
“We can’t take the risk, not now that Katarina has you in her sights. If I know her at all, you can bet she’ll confront you at some point, and she isn’t subtle. I want you to be able to answer truthfully when she asks if you’re fucking her fiancé. Information is power to her, and she has enough.”
I force myself to still, but despite our agreement, we cling to each other a little longer. I feel the pressure of his mouth on top of my head.
“Is that a kiss?” I ask, somehow not letting my voice break.
“I’m resting my lips,” he says, his warm breath sending tingles from the tip of my head straight to my center.
I can hear the steady thump of Duke’s heart against my ear. I could stay like this all night, but his grumbling stomach says otherwise. “We should eat before we head back to Chicago.”
It takes a while for Duke to answer, and while some internal debate rages inside his head, he keeps hold of me. Tight. His lips tickle against my hair. “The only thing I want to eat is your pussy, Angel,” he whispers.
Again, I try to lift my gaze. Again, he stops me.
