Chapter 12 Grace #4
The man who looked murderous earlier now appears to want the ground to swallow him up. “I was going to say baby.”
Maddie stares open-mouthed at her husband. “No, you weren’t, Hunter. How do you know it’s a boy? Has Mace hacked Quinn’s medical records?”
Hunter pokes his tongue in his cheek, searching for words to get him out of whatever trouble he’s landed in. “I couldn’t possibly comment.”
Maddie shoves containers into a bag, almost ripping the paper. “Your fucking brother doesn’t know the meaning of personal boundaries.”
“And he’s the one who’s going to look at my security?” I ask. “I’m not going to find hidden cameras in my bathroom, am I?”
“Not if he wants to keep his sight,” Duke says simply.
“Don’t worry,” Maddie adds. “Mace might have some strange idiosyncrasies, but the only woman he secretly spies on is his wife.”
I don’t feel reassured. “He spies on his wife?”
“He stalked her before they got together,” Hunter offers as if that should make me feel better.
His wife scowls at him. “Great input, Hunter. Now Grace is going to think we’re all a bunch of weirdos.”
“And how did you two meet again?” Duke asks. There’s a smirk on his face. As bizarre as this conversation is, it’s definitely broken the tension.
Maddie directs her answer to me. “We met in a church.”
Hunter smiles at the memory. “It was quite an eventful day. At one point, I had to cut her out of her wedding dress so she could–”
“Don’t,” Maddie says, silencing him with one word.
My jaw drops. “And that was the day you met? On your wedding day?”
“God, no,” she replies quickly. “I was getting married to someone else.” Her cheeks start to pink up as she grabs two full bags of takeout containers.
“It’s not as bad as it sounds. We’ll have to meet for cocktails once all this drama with Katarina is over, and I’ll tell you the whole sordid tale.
” She shoves the bags against Hunter’s chest. “Let’s get out of here before you embarrass me further. ”
I like Maddie. I might even like Hunter, but it could be a while before I feel brave enough to step into their world.
Except I’m already in that world.
Duke rests his back against the countertop after they’ve gone, watching me.
I keep to the opposite side of the kitchen, my emotions coiling into a tightening spring.
All it’s going to take is one word, one touch and I won’t be responsible for what comes next.
I might rush right into Duke’s arms. Or I could just as easily run all the way back to Philadelphia.
“I’m scared, Duke.”
He flinches at that. “I shouldn’t have brought you here. I shouldn’t have tried to be clever keeping your name off the flight log,” he admits. “But Katarina’s never shown any interest in what I do at the office before.”
“Because your work doesn’t affect her,” I say. “But your involvement with a co-worker would.”
“I’m sorry.” He hangs his head low. “It’s my fault your name’s been dragged into this.”
“You offered that woman help with the best intentions. It’s not unreasonable to expect her to have your back in return, but instead she’s threatening to tell her uncle. To make him care,” I add, repeating Katarina’s phrase. “And what would happen then?”
“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 stomach hollows. “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.
“But I’ve waited a year. I can wait a little longer,” he says. “I promise, I will fix this.”
Fool that I am, I believe him.