Page 21 of Starting Our Chance

12 Loretta

Duke was a big guy, so when he stalked onto the porch, pausing only to set the flowers down on a nearby wicker table, my breath caught in my throat. I felt those potent eyes of his and the heat in his gaze had desire instantly pooling inside me. But I remained still, not quite sure he was going to take what I thought he was going for.

Crouching down in front of me as I remained in pigeon pose, Duke completely invaded my space on the mat. But I honestly didn’t mind. Tonight had been a workout, not meditation or mindful practice. My brain had been too occupied with the memory of those sexy lips that were currently a few feet away from me.

His fingers looped around the end of my braid, pushing it off my shoulder so that it fell down my neck. I melted a little at how tender that little gesture was. But I was still waiting to see what he’d give me—waiting to see if his actions would live up to his words.

“I’m waiting,” I pushed.

That rare smile that I was now seeing more and more of brushed across his face. “Always the impatient one, aren’t you?”

“Mmm,” I sighed into his touch as he pulled the back of my neck a little closer toward him. I could smell the hay that was mixed with the spicier scent of male—Duke always smelled so damn good.

When his lips finally closed the distance, they brushed across mine in the merest whisper—as if I was something precious. Something to savor. Duke seemed to have all the time in the world, because his fingers were splaying through my hair, loosing it from the braid.

Tipping my head ever so slightly, he pulled me away, as if testing how bendy I was. I fluttered my eyes open, and while there was no mistaking the fire in his gaze, there was something more there, too. The only word that came to my already fogged mind was reverence.

It was maddening to be so close yet not be able to touch him. I need to touch him. But those large hands were holding me firmly at arm’s length. While my sensitive lips hummed from the brief encounter, I couldn’t deny this moment we were frozen in. Fine. I’ll just show him what I can do. Because I wasn’t blind to what my yoga pose was doing to him.

I pressed my chest forward. His exhale tickled the skin at my neck. I licked my lips then swallowed. This wait was maddening. Yet there were no words to break the silence. And I was glad for that because with him hovering over me, not quite kissing me, was turning me on more than when he had pressed me against his truck and my legs had been wrapped around him. This was different—this was intoxicating.

Once my hair was free, his calloused hands skimmed down to splay across my rib cage. I never took my eyes off him, giving a nod of encouragement. His fingers slipped beneath the cut-outs of my sports tank. Despite the bra, each thumb rubbed across my rigid, sensitive nipples. Closing my eyes to the pleasure, I arched my back ever so slightly.

“Fuck, Gorgeous,” he hissed, so low that I barely heard the words.

This was potent stuff. My hands, which were planted firmly at my sides, pushed me off the ground ever so slightly, deepening the back bend. The speed of his thumbs increased, and I let out a noise of appreciation.

Then suddenly, it was over. The spell shattered and the connection broke when the sound of approaching footsteps hailed from inside the house. Another noise was heard. Duke immediately lunged for a wicker chair. My body tingled with unfulfilled want. As my needy brain shook the fog of desire from my mind, I realized that my mama was opening the front door. Shifting my legs into an easy pose, I smiled up at Mama, hoping I didn’t look too guilty, although the atmosphere definitely reeked with the remnants of a kid’s hand in the cookie jar.

“Loretta, I was going to ask you—” Mama stopped when she saw Duke on the chair across from me.

“These are for you, Mrs. Forman,” Duke cut in, gallantly handing her the flowers. But I think it was the smile on his face that had her perplexed, since the yellow buds were quite self-explanatory.

“Thank you. Can I fetch you a cup of sweet tea or a coke?”

“No, thank you, ma’am, I already told Lore that I was just fine.” It was a lie. But he was saving my ass. Typical.

“Well, if you change your mind—”

“Actually, Mama,” I cut her off. “I was wondering if we could watch a sitcom on your Hulu account?”

I didn’t really have to ask permission, but I wanted to make my intentions crystal clear, and I hoped it was the right move to make. I really need to take a crash course on this friendship-boyfriend-relationship stuff.

Although Duke clearly had some serious skill in this arena. I wanted to see what he was capable of.

Mama gushed and said it was just fine with her if we came inside to hang out. She scuttled away to make us some popcorn, which neither of us asked for.

I stood, gripping the yoga mat with tight fingers. Leaning close to Duke, I whispered, “That was barely adequate. There were a lot of cows.”

A low rumble erupted from his chest. It was hot as fuck, and I instantly knew that it was a sound I could become addicted to. Making it a goal to hear more, I gave his shirt sleeve a tug, and then linked palms with his, making the bold move of walking into the house holding hands. Excitement and nerves filled me. Just give it time to grow. I turned on the TV and offered him a choice of shows. He made a noncommittal noise, so I just picked something. It was supposed to be background noise, after all.

As the TV droned on, we settled into a comfortable cuddle on the couch. It wasn’t the first time we had hung out and watched television—but it was most definitely the first time that we had snuggled this closely.

After a while, Duke looked over his shoulder toward the kitchen. Then, grabbing my wrist, he took me by surprise when he flicked me onto his lap. Dragging me close to him, our mouths met for another kiss. But this time, there was no mistaking just how much he wanted me. While our mouths collided in a frenzy of motion, I felt something stirring, rock hard beneath my ass.

Duke’s hearing must have been super human, because in the next moment he was tucking me against his side. I grumbled a little protest.

“Soon.” The promised whisper tickled my ear and did crazy things to my body.

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