Page 40 of Starting Our Chance

23 Duke

We had been planningthis trip for the past few weeks. Since I’d found out that Loretta was back, I had been scheming to get her to come along. Nikki had sworn that she’d bring her, but that had, of course, fallen apart. I hadn’t given up hope, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that it had been hell waiting to see if Lore would come.

Now, she was sitting across from me, our fingers intertwined on the center console, and a little over a hundred miles of the drive to go. Those long legs of hers were bare, shoes kicked off, pretty blue toes on the dash. As much as I was eager to get to our destination and wrap my arms around her, this was also one of the most pleasant drives I had ever taken.

“Yeah, I started taking martial arts during my senior year of college.” Lore’s light hearted laughter filled the car. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her flexing a bicep for me.

“Impressive.” My thumb ran across the back of her knuckles. “So, would you want to grapple sometime?”

I heard her gasp a little, but after quickly cutting my eyes to her, saw a devious grin on her face.

“I thought that was the plan . . . you know, for this weekend?” Lore twisted in her seat, legs coming down and body angling toward me. She added in a whisper, “At least, that’s what I want.”

Confusion suddenly clearing, I chuckled. “No, I meant actual grappling. I took some classes. And while I might not have years of skill on my side, I do have a height and weight advantage over you.”

Lore was fiddling with the center console. She popped it up and the bench seat beneath it was revealed. She quickly unbuckled and re-latched herself into the center seat, and leaned in close. “I would like that, too. But I’m talking about sex, you goon. Lots and lots of sweaty, hot sex.”

I gulped some air as all my blood instantly went south. She didn’t used to have such a dirty mouth on her. While keeping my eyes on the road, I could tell Lore knew what was stirring in my jeans, and she was angling to do something about it. “Gorgeous, you’re killing me.” My voice sounded strangled to my own ears.

“I know.” Her palm ran across my chest, and then her fingers were undoing my buckle and fly. “May I?”

Oh, Lord, I wanted to say yes. But I didn’t want her to feel like she had to. Lore must have sensed my hesitation, so she planted kisses along my jaw. “I’m your girl. But to be honest, I’ve been thinking about this for a while now.” Her fingers slipped into the fly of my boxers, freeing my ridged cock from my underwear. Her thumb began a slow circle around my tip. “Please, Duke? Let me show you how much I want you.”

Without waiting for a response, she dipped her head and circled her tongue where her thumb had just been. “This was the birthday gift I was supposed to give you when I delivered the cake.” Lore brought her head up to kiss my chest, while her hand slipped deeper between my legs to cup and squeeze my balls.

I gave her a nod, not trusting my voice. She really wanted this—I would be an idiot to stop her. Dropping her head, I jerked as her tongue ran across the length of my shaft. Fuck. This girl will be my undoing.

First, she tested me, tasting and licking, but I gathered that it was more to see how I’d fit. Given there was no need to be quiet, my groan filled the cab of the truck. It was all the encouragement she needed to continue. Although I hadn’t had the chance to bury myself in her yet, this preview of what was to come had me yearning for more. It felt like I could spend the rest of my days with Lore, and I still wouldn’t have had enough of her. I need to be enough for her. I won’t lose her.

She said that she wasn’t leaving. She said that she wanted me. And given the way her mouth was devouring my cock, I believed her.

I lost myself to her ministrations, all while trying to keep the truck between the white and yellow lines—yeah, that was a feat I should have been awarded a medal for. My knuckles were gripped tight on the steering wheel, and I felt close to blowing my load down her throat. I clenched my thighs, which were straining with the need to release. A moment later, I roared my appreciation into the cab of the truck.

When she came up, her tongue ran across her lips. “Yeah, so I wanted to do that before the others showed up. And I’ve been fretful this whole time thinking that I would have to wait until tonight.”

She was babbling, and it was adorable.

“I’m so glad you did.” I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. Fuck, did I dare to tell her what I was thinking? How much she meant to me?

Snuggling into my body, she confided, “I want you, Duke. And I’m in this for keeps—I’ve come to realize that I have everything I need here in Waynesboro Parish.” Lore shrugged. And just like that, she laid aside all my fears.

Pulling her head down, I kissed her hair without taking my suddenly blurry eyes off the road. “Thank you, Gorgeous, you have no idea how much I needed to hear that.” I planted another kiss, then asked, “On a different note, can you zip me up? It looks as though Logan is going to pass me, and his truck is big enough for Marcus to look in here since he’s riding shot gun.”

~*~

THAT EVENING WE HADan epic beach bonfire. I was eternally grateful that Lore had taken me with her mouth in the car, because it was almost impossible for me to keep from throwing her over my shoulder and marching up to my bedroom as it was. All day we had enjoyed the sandy beach and now, after a fabulously cooked steak supper, we were passing a bottle around the fire pit.

It was the best part of the day as my dark-haired beauty was tucked up under my arm as we perched on the stone bench. We listened to Marcus sing a song while Logan played the fiddle. It was pretty decent. If Tyler was here, he would have played the guitar. I sighed, thinking about my buddy. Ty wasn’t supposed to be in the country, let alone hiding out somewhere with Nikki. While their problems weighed on my heart, they didn’t outweigh the problem of Lore’s boss coming down here to intimidate her.

We had chatted about it in the car, and Lore was adamant that he wouldn’t strike out against her. Not when he thought she was the best link to his money. However, true to form, Lore had decided that he wasn’t going to win, and with Felicity’s help, she would find a way to rid herself of the whole mess once and for all. Nonetheless, I was going to keep an eye on her and use my fists or rifle to protect her if need be.

We were far away from that for the moment, though. So, this just had to be the most perfect of birthdays, especially as the woman I had always wanted had been glued to my side all day. And she’d confirmed that this was where she was going to stay.

Of course, there was a slight blemish to this perfect situation: Samantha. She was being a class-A bitch. And I wasn’t going to stand for it much longer—only until Logan finished that song. I took a deep breath to control the anger in my chest. I didn’t want to snap at the woman who had always been too high maintenance for my liking. As the song ended, I was about to pull Logan aside and give him a piece of my mind when I watched in disbelief as Samantha made another jab at her old friend.

“I’m sorry, Sammy, I must have been in a hurry. I’ll go close the lid on the cooler.” Lore, true to her reformed self, took the hit with grace and did not lose her temper. I, on the other hand, was livid. I rose with my girl and began to walk over to the Petersons.

Loretta must have noticed, because she sprinted back to me and slipped her hand into mine. The shock of her touch rippled through me like an electrical current. I looked down to where our hands were suddenly glued together. Her little paw fit so perfectly into my calloused grip.

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