Chapter 2
Duke tried to contain his excitement over having Bailey sitting across from him. She was the last thing he’d expected to find in Centerville. While he’d spent two weeks every summer with his aunt, he’d never run into Bailey.
If the rumors were to be believed, it was because Bailey practically lived at the auto mechanic shop that her father and uncle ran. A fact that he thought was hot as hell. He liked a resourceful woman. He always had.
Mainly because he was ambitious himself. Right after college he’d taken a huge gamble and started his own marketing and advertising company. He’d known from an early age that he wanted to run his own business like his aunt and uncle did.
Aunt Jorie had been one of the main people that believed in him even when Mom didn’t.
Not that he blamed his mom. She’d been a single parent dealing with the premature death of a spouse while raising two kids on her own.
He’d done his best to take it easy on his mom but there were times when he’d been frustrated because she hadn’t understood him and had been more preoccupied with trying to mold him into who she thought he should be.
That’s why he felt more at ease than Bailey probably realized. He was drawn to her because from what he’d experienced, she was unapologetically her. That’s all he needed her to be. If she thought a little oil or grease on her face would turn him off, she had another thing coming.
She was beautiful and funny. Even when she was grumpy. Which was more often than not because she was trying so hard not to like him. But then there was her laugh. An adorable giggle so full of happiness that he wasn’t above engineering things to make sure he heard it every time there were together.
If he had his way, that would be a lot.
Yep.
He was a goner.
The last thing he’d ever expected was to find the woman he wanted to give his last name to in the middle of what was a time of pure chaos.
Losing his uncle last year had been painful.
But the news of his aunt having a heart attack had almost pushed him over the edge.
After everything they’d done for them, the least he could do was help take care of his aunt and their cattle farm while she recovered.
After all, he probably wouldn’t have had some of the success that he had without them.
They’d been his first customer when he’d been trying to build his portfolio.
He’d been shocked when they’d paid him after the success of his marketing campaign for them.
His aunt and uncle had become paying customers ever since but he wouldn’t take more than fifty percent of what he normally charged.
At the age of thirty-two, he’d achieved more success than he’d ever expected and did pretty well for himself. His chosen career also gave him a lot of flexibility that he appreciated in moments like this.
He returned his attention to Bailey as he balled up the wrapper his sandwich had been in.
She was in the process of performing what could only be described as oral sex on her cupcake and he stifled a groan.
If he hadn’t seen her enjoying one of the ones he’d tried to bribe her with before this moment, he would have thought she was egging him on.
Instead, it was just a testament to how much she enjoyed the baked treat.
“You’re ogling me again,” she said after swallowing the icing she’d just removed from the dessert.
“What can I say? You’re gorgeous,” he replied.
She shook her head. “How long do you plan to keep this ruse going?”
“As long as it takes for you to realize that it isn’t one,” he countered.
Bailey put her cupcake down, warning him that things were going to get heavy. She studied him for several seconds before clearing her throat.
“I’m not like other women, Duke,” she warned.
“I know. That’s what attracts me to you,” he said. “I’d like to think that I’m different from other men.”
“You are,” she whispered then bit her lip.
She looked away for several long minutes before turning her gaze back to him. What he hadn’t expected was for them to be full of unshed tears.
“Shit, Bailey. I’m not trying to upset you,” he stated.
She shook her head before discreetly wiping away a tear.
“It’s not you, it’s me.” Then she laughed.
“That does sound cliché when I say it aloud.” She paused again, exhaling deeply.
“I won’t go into much detail right now but life hasn’t been easy for me.
I’m a daddy’s girl through and through. Only I don’t wear high heels and makeup.
It’s shop jumpers and motor oil for me.”
She picked up her cupcake and took a bite.
He did everything to stay relaxed and looked as if he had all the time in the world to wait to hear what she had to say.
Technically he didn’t but he wasn’t going to rush her.
They were having a break through and he was certain this was something he needed to know.
Several minutes ticked by before she was finally composed enough to continue. “I’ve had bullies for a long time about not being ‘girly’ enough. Even now, men tease me about knowing more about cars than they do. Relationships are hard for me so I don’t have them. I haven’t wanted to. But you...”
Her voice trailed off as she frowned. As if she didn’t know what to say when it came to him. Something that didn’t bother him. He wanted her to think about him as long as it was in a good way.
“You make me feel things I can’t quite explain,” she admitted. “I’ve never really felt them before and it’s scary.”
She stared at the cupcake in front of her as if it held the answer to all of the secrets in the world. When she finally looked up at him, the emotion in them was almost blinding.
“I need to know this isn’t a game to you. That you won’t hurt me,” she whispered.
“Why do you think I would do that?” he probed.
“Well, the obvious elephant in the room is that we aren’t the same race,” she stated. “Then it’s obvious that I am different. Maybe this is just a challenge for you.”
He didn’t consider that to be a big deal. Over the years he’d connected with people from all walks of life. A person’s skin tone was the least of his worries. Now he needed to make that clear to Bailey.
“I’ve dated outside of my race before. That’s not a problem for me. Is it for you?”
Her eyes widened at his question. “Of course not, you’ve met my best friend, Ginger, even if only in passing.”
“True, but having a friend of a different ethnicity doesn’t mean that you are willing to date someone that is.”
“I’m fine with it,” Bailey confirmed.
He extended his hand to her. She hesitated a second but stretched hers out and placed it in his. While it was soft, he felt a rough spot or two. They weren’t quite callous stage but it was clear that they knew hard work. His respect for her grew even more in that moment.
“Then I think we’re okay. Now, I can’t promise you that I won’t ever do anything dumb,” he began and she stiffened before making a move to pull her hand back.
He tightened his grip with a smile. “But I swear that I will never do anything to intentionally hurt you. That would make me beyond stupid considering how hard I’ve worked to get here. ”
She studied him for several seconds and then nodded. “Okay. I’m willing to give whatever this is a shot.”
“Good. Now finish your cupcake,” he ordered.
She picked up the baked good before looking at him again. “Speaking of which, you have to cut back on bringing me these. I can’t afford for my hips to spread any more than they already have.”
“Trust me when I say you have a gorgeous ass. There is nothing to worry about,” he replied.
“I didn’t say anything about my ass,” she retorted before rolling her eyes and taking a bite of the cupcake.
“I know, but it is connected to your hips so I wanted to clear that up in case you were wondering,” he retorted.
She shook her head. “You’re off to a bad start.”
“Really? Am I not supposed to compliment you?” he asked.
She frowned. “I’m getting ready to change—”
“Bailey!”
She jumped at the sound of her father calling her. Then she glanced down at her watch and flinched.
“Crap. My time is up. I have to get back to work,” she stated before stuffing the last bit of the cupcake into her mouth.
Duke rose to his feet, waving her away when she started hustling to clean up. “I have this. The only thing I want you to worry about is where you want to go for our next date.”
“Oh! Um...okay,” she stammered. “Uh...”
He pulled his cell phone out, unlocked it, and handed it to her. “Add your number while I put this away.”
There wasn’t much to get rid of so by the time he’d finished, she handed his phone back. Before slipping her arms back into the sleeves of her jumper. Much to his dismay, she had been more decent underneath than she’d claimed. The tank top covered more of her delectable skin than he’d hoped.
“I texted you from my phone so that I know it’s you when you reach out.”
He accepted the phone with a nod. “I’ll call you tonight.”
“Okay,” she replied with clear confusion.
“What is it?” he asked.
“It’s okay if you just want to text,” she stated.
“Nope,” he replied with a shake of his head. “While there are times when I may be too busy to talk I prefer to hear your voice and your laugh. Besides things don’t always come across well on text.”
“True,” she murmured. “Okay, then I’ll talk to you later.” She went to walk away then stopped before looking over her shoulder. “Did you ask my father for permission to marry me?”
He laughed. “That’s for me to know and you to find out.”