I doubt there would be much sleeping…
That’s what scared me the most about Duke. It wasn’t his gruff, pain-in-the-ass attitude. Or even the constant scowl that marred his face.
It was the fact that I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him since we ran into one another at the store. If the girls hadn’t been with me last night, I would’ve had a long date with my favorite vibrator, going round for round with his name on my lips.
If I knew he was only a room over, sleeping or not… Well, neither I nor my vagina could be trusted.
Duke glanced between the three of us. Both our girls held pleading looks in their eyes, as though this was the most important and exciting decision that could ever exist.
“If I say yes, will you stop staring at me like that?” he asked his daughter.
She nodded enthusiastically. “I promise.”
He pinched his nose and sighed. “Fine, but?—”
Charlie and Harper both let out hoots of victory, effectively cutting him off. When he turned to me, I just shrugged. “Kids want the damndest things.”
Duke didn’t say anything as Harper and Charlie said their goodbyes to one another. Before I could hand over her bag, Duke stopped me. “This isn’t a good idea.”
“What isn’t?” I hoped that playing the fool would help me get out of this situation. I knew as well as he did that this little flirtation held no future. It was a recipe for disaster. My time in Pinecrest was limited, no matter how much I didn’t want it to be. And Duke didn’t strike me as the kind of guy who wanted to do long distance to make things work.
Not that there was anything to make work, anyway.
I was getting way too caught up in my head over the whole affair. So what if we’d flirted a little bit? Two people could be attracted to each other and choose not to act on it. In fact, it happened all the time.
“You know damn well what,” he growled.
God help me, that shouldn’t have been so hot. What was wrong with me?
“Listen… It’s not like anything has to happen. We’ll tell the girls our schedules are conflicting, and that’ll be that. No adult sleepovers to worry about.”
“I don’t like to lie to my kid, Olivia.”
“Neither do I, but have you got another solution? Because I sure as hell don’t see one.”
The muscle in his jaw ticked. I absentmindedly wondered how he had any teeth left, given how hard he ground them together. “Then I guess that’s what we’ll do,” he grumbled.
He dropped my hand and stepped back, leaving me utterly confused as to what transpired. “I’m sorry. We’ll do what now?” I asked.
Duke paused, and the pained look that crossed his face was almost enough to make me regret poking fun at him. “Look, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen Harper smile like that. Clearly, it was good for her. And I know it may come as a shock to you, but I try to do what I can to make sure she doesn’t feel like she’s missing anything by only having one parent present.”
“It doesn’t.” Though he said it as a rhetorical statement, I couldn’t help the words from spilling out. Because it didn’t come as a shock at all. Despite only being around him a handful of hours at best, I already knew that Duke would do whatever it took to make Harper happy.
Duke shifted on his feet, looking uncomfortable at what I’d said, but he continued. “If doing this sleepover thing will make her happy, then I’ll do it. Maybe you could teach me a thing or two about nail beds or whatever.” He waved his hand in the air awkwardly and I laughed.
“Alright. I’ll see what I can do. Hopefully, you’re not a lost cause.”
Duke grabbed the bag strap, tugging it free from my grasp. He hesitated beside me, dropping his head so his lips grazed the shell of my ear. “I may be an old dog, but I can still learn new tricks, honey.”
Then, as calm as ever, he turned and walked into his house—leaving me standing in his driveway with soaked panties and a sudden desire to see exactly what new tricks he was referring to.
DUKE
“Duke,would it be okay if I leave a little early tonight?”
I turned to see Sawyer standing behind the bar, twisting her hands in front of her. We’d been doing inventory all morning, but she seemed quieter than usual.
“You good? What’s wrong?” I asked, wiping my hands along my jeans.