I arch an eyebrow. “I’m sure you hated every moment.”
“Yes, I did,” he grits out. “And as for the dildo, that didn’t come from me, although I would like to fucking know who did send it.”
I rear back at the venom in his words. What the actual fuck? Has he just shown his true feelings about Katarina by getting territorial over her?
There’s a flicker of confusion at my horrifiedexpression, then it clicks. “Jesus, Grace, I didn’t mean I was jealous.” He swipes a hand across his face, sounding more exasperated than angry when he adds, “I’d just like to know who she’s got lurking in the background.”
I snort out a laugh. “Hurts, doesn’t it? Knowing your person of interest has another person of interest.”
His eyes bore into mine as he trails a finger from the capped sleeve of my dress right down to my goddamn soul. “There’s only one person I’m interested in. You.”
Despite the shudder his touch commands, I don’t believe him. I can’t allow myself to believe him. Not when déjà vu is hitting me again for all the wrong reasons. “Do guys who cheat use the same handbook or something? I swear I heard Cameron say the same thing a thousand times.”
Without waiting for his response, I twist in my stool so my back is to the bar and Duke isn’t blocking my view of reality. I’m about to catapult myself off the stool and out of the hotel when Duke’s arm shoots out in front of me.
“We’re not done,” he says, twirling me back so fast I lose balance. I grab hold of his t-shirt at the same time he grabs my thigh with his free hand. He parts my legs and steps between them.
It happens fast. One second, I’m aiming for the exit and the next… Duke cups my face with two large hands, his fingers threading through my hair to the back of my head. There’s heat between my legs caused by the friction of his steely erection rubbing against my throbbing clit.
He stares intently, mapping out my face before his gaze lands on my mouth. I bite down on my lower lip. I bite hard. I can’t let him…
“Open, Angel.”
“Du–”
He brings his lips crashing down on mine and kisses me with a softness I wasn’t expecting. There’s no invasion with his tongue. No plundering my mouth. No stealing my breath. He isn’t taking. He’s asking.
Duke runs his tongue over the seam of my mouth and waits for me to respond. I groan, as much from my own weakness as it is from the thrumming need rising up through my trembling body. He waits for my lips to part, and his patience pays off. I tilt my head to the side to allow him better access.
Duke’s tongue probes, but not far enough, not deep enough. I twist the fabric of his t-shirt in my hands, pulling him so our bodies are flush against each other. He smells of citrus and cedar, and tastes of coffee and… and what? Something familiar. Something that once felt safe. Home. He tastes of home.
A tear tickles the corner of my eye as our kiss deepens. We kiss and we kiss some more. We kiss until I’m dizzy from a lack of air and good sense.
Duke hears the catch in my throat and pulls away. We’re both panting. “I love you, Grace,” he says while my head’s still spinning. “I didn’t think… There was a moment today when I thought I’d never get to say that to you., but I love you, Angel. Iadoreyou,” he whispers. His thumb swipes away my tear before it can fall. “Youarethe center of my universe, and I swear there never was, and never could be anyone else.”
Do not say it back, Grace, I tell myself. I can’t jump back into this perverse relationship when there are still three players. I can’t accept his love and be comfortable with watching him claim another woman. Unless…
I suddenly become aware of where we are. Duke is kissing me while we’re in a very public place. He’s claimingme, not Katarina. He’s choosing me. I blink away fresh tears. “I–”
Just as I’m about to declare my feelings, my peripheral vision takes in our surroundings. Something isn’t right. The pounding of my heart drowns out the background noise, but in truth, there isn’t that much. There’s no chatter. No clink of glasses. Seats are empty and drinks have been abandoned. And then it hits me. Other than Max, there are no witnesses. Even the server has disappeared.
My lip trembles. “You had the bar cleared.”
“We needed to talk. We still do.”
The disappointment is crushing.
I press my palms against his hard chest, and he allows me to push him back a step. I lose his warmth and the hardness that was making my insides flutter. I squeeze my thigh’s together and ignore the jolt of urgent need that’s no good for me.
“This…” I say, gesturing to the room he’d emptied while he was trying to reel me in again. “This tells me everything I need to know. I’m still your dirty little secret.”
Duke’s shoulders slump on a sigh. “My situation hasn’t changed, but things have become clearer. I can’t expect you to take a ringside seat in this shitshow without explaining to you why I’m doing this for the people I love. And one of those people is you.”
My heart stutters. He’s said it again, this time without the distraction of his tongue stroking mine and his cock pressed against my center. Duke loves me. The man I pinned all my hopes and dreams on loves me. I want it to be enough, but I shake my head. “You talk of love, but it’s just words,” I say, voice trembling. “I don’t feel loved, Duke. I feel rejected.”
He flinches at that. “Then give me achance to put that right.” He slips his hand into his inside pocket and takes out a keycard almost identical to the one he’d given me at the Exemplar. “Let me explain why I’ve been forced to do what I’ve done.” As he sets it down on the bar, he leans close enough to ghost his lips over my ear. “And afterwards, if you still need to be thoroughly fucked, I can do that too.”
I don’t give him a response. I don’t have one to give because I honestly don’t know what I should do. My head says give Duke the chance to talk. My needy pussy says give him whatever he wants for just one more mind-blowing orgasm. While my heart asks how I’ll survive the next crack that could rend it in two.
