Seventeen.
Duke
“I’m okay,” Maci says, wiping her mouth with a paper towel. “I just need a minute.”
I reach for the door handle to the restroom. “I’ll be right outside, okay?”
She nods, sniffling.
I don’t want to leave her alone and upset, but if she needs a moment, I’ll give it to her. I walk out toward the studio where my brother stands waiting.
“Is she okay?” Cassidy asks when I approach.
I keep a watchful eye over my shoulder for any signs Maci might need me. “Yeah, she’s okay.” I sigh. “She gets nauseous when she’s upset. And with the pregnancy…she tends to get sick easily.”
Butch eyes me sternly. “She’s living with you at the cabin, isn’t she?”
I don’t respond.
“What the hell are you thinking, man? You hardly know this woman,” he barks.
My jaw tightens. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
For a split second, my brother’s expression softens. That damn look. The one I’ve been forced to be on the receiving end of for years now. And I loathe it more than anything.
“You know she’s not—” he starts.
I’m in his face a split second later. “If you know what’s good for you, you won’t finish that sentence,” I threaten, gritting my teeth. “I know who she is, and I know what I want. For the last time, our relationship is none of your business. So, back. The fuck. Off.”
Cassidy steps between us. “Stop it. Both of you. Maci is already upset. She doesn’t need to come out here and hear you two fighting again. She’s here, she’s pregnant, and she’s staying. Even if we need to offer her a place to stay, too.”
Butch snaps his head to Cassidy, and his glare says it all.
“Don’t worry about us,” I seethe. “I’ve got it handled.”
Butch scoffs. “Then you should know the cabin is booked for the twenty-third.”
That’s two days away. Shit.
I bite my tongue when Maci finally emerges from the restroom and toes her way to my side. Her face is pale, eyes bloodshot, and nose bright red. “Sorry about that,” she says quietly.
I want to tell her she has nothing to apologize for, but think better of it given our current audience. “Ready?” I ask.
She nods, turning off the studio lights and locking the door.
My brother follows our lead with his fiancée tucked at his side, but I can’t be bothered by their presence. I’m already weighing my—no, our options. Maci doesn’t need this kind of stress. I just got her to draw back on the apartment hunt, now here she is throwing up because of it.
Unfortunately, places for rent are scarce. It’s why I’ve been staying at the cabin.
When we reach the resort entrance Butch grunts, “Wait.”
We stop while Maci digs through her purse for her keys.
“You think you’ll be able to find something in two days?” Butch asks me.
“Two days,” Maci whispers for only me to hear.
If he makes her throw up again, I swear…
“I’ve got it under control,” I grind out, hoping the look I’m giving him explains the rest.
He sighs heavily, gazing down at Cass holding his arm with pleading eyes. “You’re both welcome to stay with us until you find something or when your house is done.”
I don’t get a chance to refuse their offer because my future wife is too busy walking away from me. “It was good seeing you guys.” She waves over her shoulder, tears streaming down her face as she forces a smile. “I’ll see you Monday, Cassidy.”
I follow her. “Maci,” I call, picking up the pace to a near jog as she hustles through the parking lot. “Maci, wait.” I reach out and catch her arm. “Babe…”
She whimpers, a cry in her voice. “What?”
I lift her chin to meet my gaze, swiping perfect tears from her flushed cheeks. “I’ll make a few calls, doll. You don’t need to worry. I’ll take care of this for us.”
She shakes her head. “There is no us, Duke, remember? We’re friends with benefits. And you know what? You should find someone else. I’m not into whatever wanna-be relationship game you’ve picked me out for. Stay with your brother, I’ll figure something out.”
My chest tightens. Is that what she thinks? This is some fucking game? My hold tightens. “You don’t mean that, angel. Let’s get home and talk—”
“Yes, I do,” she sobs. “Let me go, Duke, you’re hurting me.”
No. This is all wrong.
I release her only to stand there and watch her leave—torn between giving her space and chasing after her like a lovesick fool. I shake my head of the words she said. I know my girl. She didn’t mean them. She’s stressed and scared and I’m going to fix this.
I pull out my phone and jog to my truck to make a phone call to the brother stationed overseas. No one other than Ma has heard from him in almost a year, not that he minds. He’s never had a caring bone in his body—he’s always been strictly business.
And when the phone rings instead of going straight to voicemail, I thank every lucky penny I’ve ever picked up that he’s got service wherever the hell he is.
“Duke,” Beau rumbles. His voice grits like sandpaper on unpolished granite, and I’m surprised to hear he’s lost his accent.
“Hey, brother.”
I arrive at the cabin a half hour later than Maci. I aimed to give her an hour’s worth of space, but…well, here I am. All the lights are out, but I know she’s here. Her car is parked out front, and the bedroom door is closed.
I knock lightly before pushing it open. “Maci?”
The light under the new bathroom door illuminates my path. I open the door only to reveal her shaking and sobbing on the floor. My heart aches to see her like this.
I drop beside her and gently coax her into my arms. She doesn’t fight me as I bring her to rest on my chest, rubbing her back soothingly. “I worked it out with Beau,” I say. “We can stay here, sign a lease, and pay a monthly rent. He even said this works better for him since he wants a regular tenant in this cabin. The bigger cabin next door is the one everyone wants for family vacations—not this one. We’ll put your name on the lease, and it’ll be all yours after that, all right? My house will be done in another four months, give or take. And if you’ll let me, I’d like to stay here with you so I don’t have to sleep on the twin-size bed from my childhood.”
She lifts her head from my chest. “R-Really?” she chokes out, wiping her damp, quivering lips.
I brush the hair back from her face. “It’s Beau’s call. This is his property.”
“Does he know I live here with you?” she asks quietly.
“He does now.” And after the ass-chewing I tossed his way, he won’t forget it.
Ma might have a hard time putting her black sheep, middle son in his place, but I sure as hell don’t.
Maci throws herself at me, hugging me tight with a heartbreaking sob that hits me deep. I hold her close as she hides her face in my neck. “I’m sorry I snapped at you,” she cries. “I-I didn’t mean it. I really didn’t. I’m so sorry, Duke.”
I shush her cries as I hold her like this for a long moment until she finally lets me look at her. “Let’s get you cleaned up.” I help her in the shower and leave her to get ready for bed.
I sit on the couch in just my boxers and watch the fire I lit dance in front of me. Absently wondering how I’m going to get this out. I can’t let her slip through my fingers.
The thought alone is too painful.
I glance at the bedroom door to find her standing there. Cautiously, she walks to me. Her hair is damp and pulled to one side, no makeup, and wearing one of my T-shirts that goes well past her ass.
When she gets within arms’ reach, I bring her to straddle my lap. She hiccups, snaking her arms around my neck as she settles in. Her emerald eyes still red and puffy.
I take a deep breath. Here goes nothing…
I rub her thighs, leaning my head back against the couch. “We need to talk.”
Her lower lip wobbles. “No.”
I chuckle. “Yes, angel.”
Her glossy eyes shine. “You’re still going to call me that?”
“If you’ll let me,” I say with a heavy sigh. “I…like you, Maci. A lot. I don’t want to play this game, as you called it. I want to be with you. Us. You and me. Not just some…feeling when we’re alone.”
Her hands drop from my neck to rest on my chest like she’s bracing herself. “No, you don’t,” she whispers.
“I do.” I gently lift her chin to face me. “And I need you to tell me how you feel.”
She blows out a shaky breath. “I’m pregnant, Duke.”
I nod, encouraging her to continue.
“It’s not fair to you the…situation I’m in right now.”
“I’m not asking for facts here, sweetheart,” I say. “Tell me how you feel.”
She shakes her head, on the verge of tears once again.
“Maci, I’m not going to sit here and act like I don’t care that you’re pregnant with another man’s child, because I do,” I grunt, and her face falls. I grip her hips to keep her from leaving. We need to get this out in the open. “I get that it’s not fair. To you. To me. But I don’t care. We’ll make it fair. For us, for the baby. I care about you, Maci. I care about your baby. I want you how you are. Even when you’re sneaking out of bed at 2:00 AM to eat a spoonful of peanut butter.”
“I knew you were awake,” she says with a watery laugh.
I grin. “I meant it when I said I’m here for you. Now I’m here, wanting both of you. So, tell me, what do you want? Because I’ll give you both the world if you’ll let me.”
Her lips part in a pretty gasp. “Oh, Duke.”
“Be honest with me. I need to know.”
A single tear escapes her. “I…I’m falling in love with you,” she confesses, and my heart hammers in my chest. God, yes. “But…everything isn’t going to be sunshine and sex six months from now. You won’t be my first priority if we’re together. You’ll come second, maybe even third to other responsibilities. I can’t ask you to take this chance on us. We’ll both just end up getting hurt.”
My jaw tightens. “You don’t know any of that, Maci. And I have no problem coming second to the baby. I’d expect nothing less. You think I haven’t thought it through a thousand times over? Because I have. It’s all I’ve been able to think about since I met you. You have been my priority for the last three weeks, Maci. Both of you have.”
“Duke—”
“I wish I would’ve met you before, doll, I do. But I wouldn’t trade this life growing inside of you for anything.” I place my hand over her stomach. “This baby is you. Beautiful, smart, peanut butter obsessed.” She pains a smile, tears falling. “No, it’s not always going to be sunshine and sex. Not now, not over the next six months, not for the rest of our lives if we’re lucky. But don’t think for a second, I won’t be right there with you waking up in the middle of the night doing anything you ask of me for the two of you.”
She starts to cry, and I hold her face in my hands. “If you don’t want this, if you don’t want me… Fuck. You better tell me now because I don’t know if I’ll ever let you go after tonight.”
Her lips fall against mine with a hunger that fuels my own—it’s an answer, a prayer, a damn Hail Mary to my soul. I kiss her back, tangling my hands into her long, damp hair. Her hands drop to my boxers, fumbling to slip past the elastic band and release my thickening cock.
Not wasting the moment, I tug my shirt up and over her head, tossing it to the side, and groan. No panties. Straddling me—emotions and body bare—I kiss her hard. The need to claim her, to finalize us has been building inside of me for weeks.
I cup her hot, greedy pussy and grind the heel of my palm against her clit. She moans into my mouth, stroking my freed length pulsing with need.
I rub my fingers through her silken folds, spreading the moisture from her sweet little hole. She positions herself over me, and before I have a chance to say otherwise, she drops her hips—impaling her tight cunt on my cock.
“Fuck,” I groan.
She leans forward, bracing her hands on the back of the couch as she starts to move. Her breasts bounce in my face, tempting me for a taste. I suck one perfect pink tip into my mouth and guide her hips to move faster.
She moans. Her inner walls tighten around my length with every fall of her hips. And every second I’m drawn in closer—to release, to everything I’ve ever wanted.
Her forehead rests against mine. “Duke…” Her voice a husky, feminine plea.
Begging me.
Needing me…
“I’m gonna make you the happiest woman in the fuckin’ world, angel,” I growl, taking over her steady ride with a buck of my hips. My cock slams hard into her, and her legs tremble against my thighs.
“Yes,” she cries.
I grip her ass, wrap an arm around her, lift her, and fuck her from below. She cups my face, our tongues twisting and turning as my thrusts pick up to a brutal pace. Fucking her deep, and making her mine.
Our combined release crashes into us at the same moment. She lets out a sexy-as-sin moan as her walls pulse and draw my cock deeper. The orgasm that rips through me has me pinning her above me with a jerk of my hips and a growl that’s borderline feral. The punishing grip I have on her is sure to leave a mark in the morning.
With my claim coating the inside of her trembling pussy, my pounding heart beating in time with hers, and our panting breaths mirroring one another—I’ve never felt more grounded.
I hold her close as we come down from the high, knowing this time was different. We’re not faking this anymore. This isn’t a game. This is real—us.
The three of us.
And I’ll do everything in my power to keep it that way.