Chapter 23
McKenzie loved kissing him. She loved the way his beard rubbed against her face and how he held her so close.
She loved the tenderness, the barely contained desire and the sense of wonder that came over her every single time her lips connected with his.
In her former life, she would’ve looked right past the long-haired, bearded man wearing a leather vest that put full-sleeve tattoos on display.
A lot of women went wild for ink on a man. She’d never been one of them, until now. Until him.
Until Duke.
“What’s your real name?” she asked between tongue-twisting kisses.
“Duke.”
“No way.”
“Way.”
“That’s not a nickname?”
“Nope.”
“Who named you that?”
“No idea.”
“You’ve never asked your mother where the name came from?”
“Nope. More kissing, less questions.”
“Not until I finish asking my questions.”
He groaned and dropped his forehead to her shoulder. “What else you want to know?”
“Why haven’t you asked her that?”
“I’ve seen her five times in my whole life. It’s never come up.”
“Duke…”
“Don’t do that pity thing. I’m totally fine with it. She is who she is, and I’m not trying to make her into the mother of my dreams. Already had that with Rosemary.”
“Oh, I love that.”
“Don’t do that eye thing again. Once in a day is all I can take.”
“What eye thing?”
“When you use them as the most powerful weapon in your considerable arsenal.”
“I do that?”
“Yeah, you do, and it works, so cut it out.”
“What does it do to you?”
“I’m not telling you out of self-preservation.”
“Come on! I want to know.”
“No.”
“I could get it out of you.”
“You think so?”
“I know so.”
“Now you’re just getting full of yourself.”
“I’d rather be full of something else.”
“McKenzie…”
“Yes, Duke?”
“I feel like this is getting way out of control before we’re ready for that.”
“You’re not ready for it?”
“I want to be, but…”
“But what?”
“You’re a lot younger than me.”
“I know.”
“You’re a single mom.”
“I also know that.”
“You’re Rosemary’s granddaughter, and she meant the world to me.”
“She did to me, too. Isn’t that a nice thing to have in common?”
“It is, but…”
“Duke?”
“What?”
“Do you want to have sex with me?”
“Holy hell, woman.”
“Well, do you?”
He pressed his hard cock against her and nearly whimpered from the jolt of pleasure. “Isn’t it obvious?”
“Yeah, it is, so why are you trying to come up with a million reasons why we shouldn’t?”
“I don’t want to mess this up.”
“You couldn’t.”
He laughed—hard. “Sweetheart, there are a million bazillion ways I could mess this up.”
“You won’t.”
“How can you possibly know that?”
“It’s the weirdest thing…”
“What is?”
“That I feel like I know you better than I’ve ever known anyone, even though we haven’t known each other that long.”
“How is that even possible?”
“It’s all the little things… How you went to the police station to ask about us after the storm.
You brought as much of our stuff as you could rescue from the cabin, and then you went back and got Mr. Bear and cleaned him up for Jax.
It was how you drove us around and showed Jax the flowers in your garden, and don’t get me started on the cross-stitching.
” She fanned her face. “Sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. ”
“You gotta be freaking kidding me,” he said, even though he was deeply moved by her recitation of the facts of their story thus far.
“I’m so not kidding. I’ve never been more surprised by anything.”
“Not even Eric’s wife and family?”
“That’s got nothing on you cross-stitching.”
“Something is wrong with you.”
She tossed her head back and laughed as hard as he’d seen her laugh yet.
He took full advantage of the opportunity to nibble on her glorious neck.
She gasped and shuddered, and he was fucking done.
Done.
How had he lived for thirty-six years without craving someone like this?
It was hard to hear any other thought in his head around the drumbeat of desire, but one kept creeping through:
Too much. Too soon.
Too much. Too soon.
He wanted to ignore it, but he’d learned to trust his instincts in all things. That’s what’d allowed him to have a successful life without much help or guidance. With something this important, he couldn’t ignore the voice that had never steered him wrong.
“MK,” he whispered against her lips.
“Hmm?”
“I want what you want.”
“I like when that happens.”
“Me, too. It’s just that… I want to do this right, and knocking one out on the sofa while your baby sleeps in the next room isn’t right.”
“It could be.”
He shook his head. “I want you to take a beat and think this through. We both know everything changes after that happens, and I like this a lot the way it is now. I don’t want it to become something different.”
“It’ll become something better.”
“You’re very certain of that.”
“I am, but I want you to be, too.”
“I’m very certain that you’ve turned my whole life upside down in the best way possible.” He kissed her because he couldn’t resist her plump, swollen lips. “I’m very certain that you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.”
When she would’ve protested that, he kissed her again. “I get to say who that is for me, and it’s you. Three hundred thousand percent you.”
Her little whimper nearly broke the fragile hold he had on his control.
“But I want you to consider the other stuff I said. I want you to be totally sure.”
“I am.”
“McKenzie…”
“Duke.” She leaned in and took his earlobe between her teeth and nearly made him come in his pants when she bit down on it.
“Maybe I’m a bit younger than you, but I’m a fully grown woman who knows the difference between a guy who’d make for a fun one-night stand and one who could go the distance.
I’d never have let you anywhere near my son if I wasn’t one hundred percent sure you’re in the latter category. ”
“I never should’ve let you catch me cross-stitching.”
Her husky laughter was the best thing he’d ever heard. “That was an error of epic proportions.”
“I’m beginning to see that.”
“I want to be with you. I want to end the best day I’ve ever had with you.”
What in the world could he say to that? “Can we bring Jax over to my place?”
“Uh-huh.”
“He won’t wake up?”
“If he does, he’ll go right back to sleep.”
“Okay, then…”
“Should I get him?”
Duke felt good about having tried to do the right thing, but the time for talking was over. “Yeah, I think you should.”
Jack Downing found Billy Weyland floating in about six feet of water in the southern corner of the Great Salt Pond.
“Son of a bitch,” he whispered upon realizing what he was looking at. He’d met Billy a few times at the gym and had liked talking to him while he worked out.
He reached for the handheld radio to call in the grim discovery. “Downing to base. Come in.”
“This is base. Go.”
“I’ve found Weyland in the southeast corner of the pond.”
After a long pause, the dispatcher said, “We’re sending additional resources. Please stand by.”
“Copy.”
While he waited, Jack never took his eyes off the body.
Other people would be in charge of retrieval, thank goodness.
After his brother was notified, word would ricochet through the island community that the second missing man had been found dead.
He hurt for Morgan, who’d held out hope even in the face of grim odds.
Billy and Jim had taken a foolish risk and had paid for it with their lives.
In a contest of man versus Mother Nature, she almost always won. After growing up on an island, Billy and Jim should’ve known that.
Blaine and Deacon Taylor were in the first boat to pull up next to Jack’s.
He pointed.
“Damn it,” Blaine said. “I was so hoping.”
“I know,” Jack said. “Me, too, but at least Morgan and Billy’s friends will get closure.
” He surprised himself with the statement as he rarely used that word and seriously doubted such a thing even existed.
He knew all too well how elusive a concept closure was after having lost his wife to breast cancer when she was only thirty-five.
The fire department boat joined them next and took command of the scene.
Blaine transferred to Jack’s boat since Deacon would be assisting in the recovery. “Give me a lift back to the dock?”
“Sure.”
Jack turned the boat toward McCarthys’, thankful to be leaving the scene before he had to see more of Billy.
“Are you all right?” Blaine asked.
“Yeah, I’m glad we found him even if it wasn’t the outcome we wanted.”
“Agreed.”
“How’s Deacon doing after finding Sturgil?”
“He seems okay.”
“Keep an eye on him. After his own ordeal, that’ll hit close to home.”
“I hear you, and I agree.”
“I’ve been thinking nonstop about Tiffany and sweet Ashleigh.”
“Thank you for that,” Blaine said. “They appreciate the outpouring of love and support.”
“They deserve it.”
“For sure.”
“How’re you dealing with it?”
Blaine looked over at him. “Me? Doesn’t involve me, except for supporting them, of course.”
“It involves you.”
“How do you figure?”
“You just became that little girl’s only father.”
“Yes, I guess I did.”
“That’s kind of a big deal, no?”
“It only makes official how I already felt about her. I’ve always loved her like she was mine. How can you not?”
“Right? She’s adorable and sweet. I love the way she takes care of Addie.” Jack had spent a memorable evening with the Taylors recently and had fallen in love with Blaine’s little girls.
“She’s her second mommy. Cutest thing ever.”
“She’s a doll.”
“I hated that son of a bitch Sturgil and what he put them through,” Blaine said fiercely. “I fucking hated his guts.”
“That’s understandable.”
“So why do I feel so bad that he ended up dead in the pond?”
“Because you’re a decent kind of guy who wouldn’t want that for anyone, even someone you hated.”
“My mom used to tell us not to hate anyone, and I swear to God, I’ve tried not to. But that guy…”
“Yeah, I think your mom would give you a pass after some of the shit he pulled.”
“She knew all about it and probably has her own opinions. Then again, she thought I should steer clear of Tiffany when we were first together.”
“Really?”