Page 42 of Starting Our Chance

24 Loretta

We all called it anight after Felicity had suggested it. I was on the couch, since I wanted the pregnant women to have beds, and there was this super awkward moment with Duke while the others were stomping up the stairs. I had retreated into the living room and plopped down onto the couch. He stopped in the doorway, watched me wrap myself in an afghan, and turned back to go upstairs to his room.

I had been too chicken shit to follow him.

Wanting to follow him had nothing to do with it. It was because we were in a house with two married couples, and I got all nervous at the last second. Why he didn’t come sit with me and either hang out or make out, I wasn’t sure. Maybe he knew that I didn’t want anyone seeing me crawl into his bed. Instead, he nodded once and disappeared to his room—alone.

That left me on the squishy sofa to toss and turn.

However, my self-imposed unrest didn’t stop the dirty fantasies floating through my mind, and I debated sneaking up to Duke’s room. Then I hesitated and thought about telling him that I was waiting down here for him. I salivated at the image of his taut body and what it could do, naked and pressed alongside mine. And those strong arms, which had become so good at holding me when I was upset—how different they would feel when holding me in a passionate embrace.

When the house was finally quiet, I grabbed my phone, noting it was almost eleven. Taking a chance, I sent a text to Duke to see if he was awake. I needed to know what that look was for—why he had turned around.

I sent him a casual message. My phone pinged back almost instantly.

Duke: Yeah, I’m up. I can’t stop thinking about my amazing present on the ride over. The cake was pretty tasty, too.

So, he was thinking about me. That was good, at least. I smiled. The cake had been the perfect way to end the steak dinner. Wide awake now, I sat up and looked around the dark living room.

Me: You’re welcome. Any time *winky face emoji*

His next message came instantly.

Duke: What are you doing?

I squeezed my eyes closed and blew out a big breath. Here goes nothing. Eyes popping back open, my fingers flew over the phone’s screen.

Me: Come down and see. *winky emoji*

I bolted off the couch. Fingering my hair loose from its braid, I slipped out of the sliding glass door, leaving only the screen closed behind me. I then pulled my jammies off and threw them on a nearby chair before diving into the pool.

Holding my breath, I dropped underwater—I had to make him believe that I had been out here for a bit.

When I surfaced, I saw him quietly shutting the screen door. Just in time. Let’s get this party started. His eyes turned to me, and I saw the white-hot lust smoldering in their oceanic depths. I licked my lips and swam into the middle of the pool where I could touch the bottom with my tippy toes.

“Why don’t you come on in?” My heart was hammering in my chest. I took a step back and then another. “The water’s great,” I told him in my best sultry voice. The excitement at the prospect of his naked body coiled with mine had me a little breathless.

His fingers grabbed the bottom of his cotton tee, and he watched me as he lifted it ever so slowly. I let out a low whistle and was rewarded when he shucked the thing onto the chair with my jammies.

I was literally panting; he was so fucking hot. Those muscles were from hard, physical labor and his skin had been kissed by the sun. With a Spanish princess for a mother, and a Viking descendant for a father, Duke was the perfect combination of light and dark.

His hands went to the waistband of his sweatpants. The action made me take another step back and the tops of my breasts came out of the heated pool water. His gaze dropped to take in the sight. His finger, meanwhile, trailed across the waist band of his pants. Biting my lower lip, I nodded, encouraging him to continue.

“You want me to join you, Gorgeous?”

The sexy lines of his sculpted abs were becoming more and more visible. I gulped.

“Or I could go back to bed,” he threatened.

“No,” I squeaked, my hands splashing the water. My breasts were suddenly in the cool evening air. I could have lied to myself and said that my nipples were rock hard from the change in temperature, but who was I kidding. Licking my lips, I demanded, “Off. Now.”

The sweatpants hit the ground, and I was immediately aware that he wasn’t wearing any boxers. Standing alert for all the world to see, was his glorious cock. It’s so big. I wasn’t surprised. Hell, I had fit the whole damn thing in my mouth just a few hours earlier. But now that it was on display, I could do nothing but gulp.

“Get in here.” I’d meant to sound assertive. Instead, the words came out in a plea.

His splash into the pool caused a spray of water to rise up and hit me. I turned, squealing to avoid the drops. It wasn’t that warm of a night, but thankfully the pool was a reasonable temperature. In the next moment, I was caught unawares. Duke had my ankles and gave them a good tug. Down I went, catching a gulp of air at the last second. His body swam over mine, our arms and legs tangling together.

When we surfaced, I blinked back the water and looked into those shimmering, hopeful eyes. This is it. There was no going back.

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