Chapter 18 #2
Kat took the opportunity to shift onto her side so she faced him. She reached up, slid her hand through the length of his hair, enjoying the cold water against the insides of her fingers. And when he closed his eyes, made a slight purring sound, she repeated the action.
“I’ve always been a fan of this hairstyle on men,” she said. “Not too long, not too short.” She traced a fingertip down to his jaw. “And the way you keep your facial hair trimmed, but not gone altogether—I like that too. Scruff is…” She bit back the word and shook her head.
But Duke wasn’t about to let her off that easy. He turned to her, leveled a long hard look at her, and grinned. “Scruff is what?”
She shrugged, felt her face turning red as she spit the word out at last. “It’s sexy,” she admitted.
His smile broadened even more. “You think I’m sexy?”
Oh, if he only knew. “Maybe.”
His brow lifted. “Hmm…well on my end, there’s no maybe about it. You are, by far, the sexiest woman I know. You’re gorgeous, of course,” he said, “but add to it what you’ve got going in here…” He leaned in, traced a finger over her temple. “That makes you even hotter.”
An audible gulp moved down her throat.
“You’re intelligent. Passionate. And beautiful in so many ways, Kat Benton.
” He whispered that last part, and brought his face to hers.
“We should talk about where we’re going to live.
” He placed a kiss along her brow, slid his bottom lip down the bridge of her nose, and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. So good.
“Where we’re going to live?” she repeated, too distracted by the enticing feel of his mouth so close to hers.
“Yes,” he said. “How would you feel about moving in with me?”
She pulled back to look at him. “After we get back?”
He nodded.
Kat considered that. As part of the social experiment, couples agreed to live together for the duration of the eight-week trial period.
Earlier during their trip, they’d figured out that they lived only twenty minutes away from each other, which was fortunate. Some of the couples didn’t even live in the same state.
Kat pulled away to gaze at his glorious face once more, unable to imagine what it’d be like to live in a billionaire’s penthouse. “Will you still make breakfast on the weekends?” she asked.
He nodded. “You might have to bring your pillow collection though, my sweet pillow princess.”
Kat grinned. “That has a nice ring to it.” She moved in to take his hand and enjoyed the sensation of skin on skin as his fingers slipped through hers. “Yes,” she said. “About moving in with you, I mean. I’d love to.”
It felt funny saying it. Like the process was premature and far too late at the same time. Heck, they’d been on their honeymoon for days now. Spending every waking moment side-by-side, and it’d been beautiful.
“I can’t wait to bring you to a family get-together,” he said. “You can really get to know the whole clan. My favorite in the bunch though, is Lilly and Link.”
“The little ones from the wedding?” Kat asked, recalling the adorable duo she’d seen running around with Jeanie’s kids.
“Yeah,” he said. “They’re kind of like my niece and nephew, I guess you could say. Their granddad is Michael, the guy dating my mom. And I’m pretty sure they like me more than the rest of the crew.”
The comment reminded her of something he’d said back on their first day there. “Even more than Zander?” she asked. “You said kids love him but they hate you.”
She’d said it playfully, but at the words, his face tightened. His grip on her hand did too. He cleared his throat. “Yeah, most do.” He shifted position a bit and shrugged. “But these guys are different.”
Kat nodded as the untouchable thought floated a little closer to her conscious mind. “Speaking of Zander,” she said. “Charlotte said she wants us to set her up with him. Think he’d go for it?”
She wasn’t sure what had egged her into asking, only knew that it might bring her one step closer to grasping that out-of-reach thought once and for all.
His eyes widened, then narrowed as he held her gaze. “Kat,” he said, voice raspy and low.
“Yes?”
“I want to tell you something.”
A quick rush tore through her chest, thick with clashing waves of excitement and fear. Was it possible he’d say what she hoped to hear? Or would he say something she might dread hearing instead? Something that might ruin this dream-like state they were in?
“Okay,” she said.
He looked down, seeming to lock his gaze on the grip he had on her hand. He ran a thumb along the back of her knuckles. Released a breath through pursed lips. His face reddened.
“I, um, when I first met you, I wanted to know more about you. I wanted to know everything, in fact. And I’m so glad that I’ve been given that chance.”
Kat couldn’t help but get a little stuck on the statement. They’d met knowing they’d get to have that time together; it’s what the show entailed.
“While five days might not seem like enough time to fall in love…” His gaze moved up to lock on hers, and a burst of fire hot heat—as blazing as the cobalt blue of his piercing eyes—seared through her chest.
“I have fallen in love with you, and I really want this marriage to last.”
His words chased the anxious doubts from her mind, replacing them with explosions of warmth. Hope. And love. So much love.
Bravery followed, the courage to say how she felt in return. “I’m in love with you too,” she admitted.
A smile spread across his handsome face. There was an obvious shift in his posture as well, the stiff set of his shoulders turning lax in the next breath. Relief.
Had he worried that she might not feel the same? Perhaps he had, but Kat could assure him in more ways than one.
Already he was lowering his head to hers, seeming to have a similar idea. Kissing Duke had always been a blessed event.
Even the small kiss exchanged at the altar. The moment they shared in the limo. Their kisses had evolved since then, become expressions of interest, desire, and a growing attraction she couldn’t resist.
This time his mouth met hers with a new sense of passion.
A celebration of the love they shared. And that’s when she realized that she’d only been stuck in her own thoughts and fears about falling in love.
Whatever question or concern sat in the back of her mind, just out of reach, it was a frightened muse from her past, looking to save her from the kind of hurt she’d suffered with Bradley. But that wasn’t going to happen again.
It was time to let go of that doubt and enjoy the love blooming before her eyes. As she vowed to do that very thing, Kat’s trust in Duke broadened and swelled. Hopefully this time she could trust herself as well.