Page 54 of Under the Influence

“Your sleepy face is the sexiest damn thing I’ve ever seen,” Duke says as he pins my naked body to the bed. “Soon, I’ll get to see it every morning.”

My heart beats faster whenever Duke talks about us like we’re a done deal.I want to believe in us.But we’re not there yet.

After Duke and I wear ourselves out, we get dressed and shuffle downstairs for the hotel’s breakfast. With strong coffee and omelets before us, we settle at a table and deal with how our time together is nearly over.

“I’m going to miss you,” I say, tearing up. “Despite its weird beginning, yesterday was perfect.”

When Duke sighs, I assume he’s annoyed about my tears. Instead, he scoots his chair closer.

“Driving to Dunphey is going to be a pain.”

“When will I see you again?” I say, crying harder.

Duke wraps an arm around me and strokes my back. “Don’t get upset. We’ll just need to get more creative.”

Hearing determination rather than annoyance in his voice, I turn off my drama and wipe my eyes. “Creative how?”

“We could sneak over to a Rockwell hotel,” Duke suggests as his sleepy blue eyes watch me with such warmth. “You can say you’re in Dunphey, and I’ll be at my stripper girlfriend’s place to throw people off.”

“Don’t you think people will recognize us?”

“I’ll bring my boring black SUV. I can wear a hat. You can hide your hair. Maybe wear something baggy. We’ll stick to our room as much as possible. It can work.”

“I don’t want to ruin things for Lola and Val. Meeting somewhere in Rockwell is risky.”

Duke hugs me before shaking his head. “It’s the only way we can see each other more often. Sticking to Dunphey means we’ll be apart for days at a time.”

Nodding at his logic, I follow Duke’s lead and start eating. Every few minutes, he stops to stroke my hair or kiss my cheek. His affection steals my sadness over needing to check out soon.

Once my bag is in my SUV and we’re finished up at the hotel, I climb on behind Duke and wrap my arms around his waist. He doesn’t waste time telling me to hold on. I’ve been riding bitch on one motorcycle or another since I was a preteen.

Dunphey isn’t a big place, but there are plenty of backroads to explore. We ride for an hour until we run out of new woodlands to admire. Finally, Duke returns us to the hotel.

“Let’s get lunch,” he says despite neither of us being all that hungry. “I’m not ready to tell you goodbye.”

At the restaurant where we had our second date, we mostly talk about fishing and home design. Eventually, we return to my SUV and his motorcycle. I consider asking to spend another night together. The words sound too crazy in my head. Our people will worry if we don’t come home as expected.

“The wedding is a little more than a week away,” Duke says as he hugs me against him. “With us sneaking around Rockwell, the wait won’t be so bad.”

Duke’s words sound casual yet are betrayed by his sullen tone. I refuse to cry and get upset. I know my moodiness bothers him. Hell, it bothers me! I’m normally the rational one. Now, I need people to give me constant pep talks.

“Thank you for making me come so many times,” I say when Duke looks like he’s struggling with letting me go home.

Duke grins and hugs me one last time before stepping back. “I’m still looking to taste your sweet pussy.”

Blushing, I open my door and try not to get rattled. “Next time.”

Duke grudgingly gets on his motorcycle. Earlier, he talked about how Val has basically moved into Lola’s apartment. He sounded a little jealous at how easily his future VP can spend his days and nights with the woman he loves. I tell myself that’ll be us soon.

The ride home is relaxing. I only get sad when I have to separate from Duke. We pull to the side of a small road and kiss one last time.

The only upside to leaving Duke is I can get home to celebrate with Tuesday. My cousin is waiting for me as I pull into the garage. She looks at my roses and smiles.

“You absolutely glow with sexual gratification!” she announces.

Laughing, I hug her closer. “I couldn’t get enough. His dick is better than any booze or pot. Absolutely addictive.”

Tuesday bounces around. “I knew you had it in you!” she says and then whispers, “And you had him in you, too! No more icy muff! You’re an Earlham slut.”

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