by Elle Boon
Chapter Four
Duke took the steps up to his porch, each one feeling as though he was walking through mud, the heavy sludge pulling him down. Shit, why did he feel as though something terrible was about to go down.
“You gonna look at those before coming inside?” he asked Cosmo.
He asked the question, thinking it would get his mind off of his own issues. First and foremost what had been so awful that Lennox had given up her dreams.
“No. I’m not sure if I will. Whatever is in here is her business. I want to give her a chance to tell me without me breaking her trust before it’s given.” Cosmo shocked him with his words.
Duke looked to his right, amazed to see Cosmo standing next to him, the papers rolled up and tucked into the back of his jeans pocket. “You are a conundrum, my friend.”
Cosmo snorted. “I’ve heard that a time or two.”
Feminine voices floated out to them, his Lennox’s smooth as whiskey one and then there was a slightly accented, higher pitched one. “She speaks almost perfect English,” he remarked.
“Yeah, I noticed that too.” Cosmo pulled the door open, standing to the side for Duke to go in first.
With the door open, the two girls’ voices were a little more distinct. Duke heard Lennox asking the other one questions. When they stepped into the living area, the two of them were seated on the leather sectional, looking at ease. Lennox had brushed her hair out, the dark tresses a stark contrast to the blonde he had been used to. “Comfy?” he asked, leaning asked the door jam.
The two ladies were startled at his voice, jumping a little. Lennox recovered first, shifted to her side, her long legs rubbed against each other, drawing his gaze. “Very much,” she agreed.
His cock jerked at the soft purr in her tone. She always had a sex kitten quality to her smoky voice. It had been the same since she’d been fifteen, and he’d heard her crying behind her dad’s car. He’d rounded the sleek Benz Doc had driven, wondering why she was alone. When he’d seen tears rolling down her cheeks, he’d immediately lifted her onto the trunk, demanding to know who he needed to kill. His words had brought a smile to her young face, making his jeans uncomfortably tight. It had taken him several minutes to get himself under control and a visit to the clubhouse, a quickie in the back, before he’d felt like he could walk straight. After that he’d kept his distance knowing she was way too young for him. “You’re trouble, little girl.” He shook his head.
“I’m not a little girl, Duke.” She sat up, anger replacing the soft, sweet sex kitten.
He wasn’t going to argue with her. Little Lennox had grown up in the last three years. Hell, she’d grown up the night of her eighteenth birthday. Nope, he wasn’t going back to that fucking night, the night he’d lost his fucking head.
“What room you want us in, Duke?” Cosmo asked.
“You want one on this level, or one in the basement?” he offered.
Cosmo raised one quizzical brow. His best friend knew what he had in his basement. Like his brother, Duke had certain likes and dislikes. They also didn’t take their own safety for granted. Their father had taught them well that life came with certain risk factors. Since their very lifestyle could bring out the crazy in others, they’d decided to put in some safety measures, just in case. In both their basements, they’d had safe rooms, plural installed. In case someone tried to break in, or a fire broke out, they could escape to the basement and enclose themselves inside. The rooms were designed to protect them with electricity and oxygen filtered into them. They could survive for days on end if needed. They were also in the process of creating a tunnel between the two homes that nobody other than King and a select few were aware of. Of course he didn’t kid himself into thinking Keys was unaware, the fucker knew everything.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Lennox asked, wariness sharpened her voice.
Her question brought him back to the matter at hand. “Like what?” he countered.
“Don’t answer a question with a question, mister negotiator,” she muttered.
He moved into the room, taking in the space, wondering what she saw when she looked. He’d not thought too much about the decorating, allowing someone else to do it for him. Unlike King, he’d had it done by a professional. The woman had been very odd, but she’d been good. He’d told her he wanted light and airy, but not cluttered, leaving the place open for his ole lady once he found her. With Lennox on his charcoal grey sofa with the yellow pillow clutched to her like a weapon he wondered if she liked it. What the fuck was he thinking? The very fact Doc would walk if he claimed her was reason enough not to entertain such thoughts. The other more pressing reason, she fucking hated him after he shredded her heart. Yeah, that was a damn good reason. “Come on, let’s go to bed. It’s been a long damn night, and I’m tired.” He held his hand out to her.
She looked at his palm, then at him. “I agree. You got a blanket and pillow? I’ll sleep here.”
He snorted. “Not on your life, princess.” Duke was done arguing. He strolled across the room, taking a page out of his brothers’ book, lifting Lennox up and put her over his shoulder.
“Eep,” she yelled.
“See you in the morning, Cosmo. We’ll be in my master downstairs.” He walked past Cosmo who was staring at Dai-tai. It appeared as if the two of them were having a staring contest. The storm clouds brewing in the woman’s eyes didn’t bode well for his friend, but then again, Cosmo enjoyed a good fight.
Cosmo held his fist out, bumping his knuckles but didn’t say anything else.
“Wait, hold up. I am not staying down in your dungeon of ill repute with you. Nope, I’ll just sleep...eep, if you slap my ass one more time, Duke, I will—Ouch, asshole, that fucking hurt.” She yelped again when he gave her another swat.
“You cuss at me one more time and I’ll make sure you can’t sit on this fine ass without wincing,” Duke said, his big hand ran over her butt, loving the firmness beneath his palm. He’d always been an ass man. Lennox’s ass in particular was one he absolutely loved. Nice and round, firm, and heart shaped from hours of dancing.
LENNOX CLENCHED HER ass, the very fact her body was reacting in a most embarrassing way made her glad she was wearing jeans instead of a dress or shorts. “Duke, you can’t just threaten to spank me. I’m not a...a child.”
His hand smoothed over her ass, fingers running down the seam of her cheeks. “I’m well aware you’re not a child, Bellissima.”
She growled when he didn’t take note of her words, dismissing the fact she said she wasn’t going with him. His long legs eating up the ground, her body hanging over his shoulder, she didn’t bother to struggle, knowing it wouldn’t do any good except make a spectacle in front of Cosmo and Tai. She tucked her hands into the pockets of his jeans to keep herself from moving too much, or at least that’s what she told her inner hussy.
The muscles in his behind flexed with each step they took, making it a monumental effort for her not to dig her nails into them. Purely to test the strength of him. Sure, she could lie to herself all day long.
“You keep that up and I won’t make it downstairs before I strip you naked, Lennox.” Duke’s words penetrated the fog she had almost descended in.
“Doing what?” she asked puzzled at his outburst.
He stopped at a door that was almost seamlessly concealed in the paneling of the kitchen. Had she not known it was there, she wasn’t sure she’d have noticed it. Using his hips as a brace, she struggled to lift and look backward, not an easy feat from her upside down position. She marveled at the creativity put into disguising the panel that he placed his palm on first, a red light beeped twice then he punched in a series of numbers before the light turned green. “Jeezus, paranoid much?” she asked.
Duke grunted, but he didn’t contradict her. The wall snicked open, revealing a door that looked straight out of a bank vault. “One can never be too safe,” he said.
His mother had been killed so she knew he was pr
obably thinking if she’d had something like a safe room she’d have still been alive. Lennox wanted to hug him and offer him some platitude. Only from past experience she’d learned Duke didn’t like that kind of shit. No, he was too manly for hugs and comfort. Asshole.
“What’s that sniff for?” Duke asked.
Lennox hadn’t been aware she’d made any noise, her mind seemed to always go to places it shouldn’t when she was around Duke. Instead of answering him, she concentrated on their trip down the stairs, worry filling her at the concrete steps that were illuminated by inset lighting. “Duke, what the hell is down here?”
His deep chuckle sent a shiver down her spine. Not of fear, exactly. Lennox knew many things about Duke Royal. First and foremost being, he would never hurt her, not physically. Well, not if she didn’t want him to. Why that last thought made her excited she wouldn’t think too hard about.
Before she could ask him anything else, she found herself being sat on her feet, the blood rushing to her head making her slightly dizzy. “Easy,” Duke murmured.
She leaned into him, resting her head on his hard chest, breathing in his scent. “God, you smell so good.” Lennox didn’t allow herself to feel embarrassed at her outburst. He knew she had a thing for him. Hell, he knew she liked his scent, and his taste. Nope, not going there.
“So do you, baby.” His hand palmed the back of her head, holding her to him.
Since she could, she inhaled, taking more of his scent into her lungs. If she was only going to have this one night to remember, she wanted to take as many memories as she could to last a lifetime. “I’m tired, Duke.” She felt hot tears burn the backs of her eyes. She hated what had happened. The reason she’d given up her dream and ran home like a little girl was a wound, a huge gaping wound that she didn’t think would ever heal. How women ever got over something like that, a betrayal...she didn’t know.
“Talk to me, baby.” His fingers massaged her scalp, soothing, easing some of her tension.
Lennox shook her head. No way on God’s green Earth could she tell the one man who meant more to her than...even her dream of what had happened wasn’t on par with her feelings for him. She couldn’t stand to watch his eyes go from wanting to pity. Nope, she would rather never see him again than tell him.
“Tell me why you brought me down here instead of home, Duke.” Lennox wrapped her arms around his waist, letting her hands trace his back. He had such a strong body, every muscle cut to perfection with tattoos covering a lot of real estate, each one chosen for a reason.
A tug on her hair was followed by a growl, but she ignored it while she let her hands explore under his cut. He hadn’t taken it off yet, but Lennox didn’t let that stop her wandering hands.
“Baby, you’re playing with fire,” he warned.
She kept her head buried against his chest, knowing he could tug her away at any moment, enjoying the power he was giving her and that she wasn’t scared. Of course the lights were on, so she wasn’t seeing anyone but Duke, wasn’t smelling anyone but Duke.
“Why’d you tense up and stop touching me, Lennox?”
Fuck!
This time, he tugged on her hair harder, making her head come off his chest so that she had no choice but look up at him. “You’re going to answer my questions whether you want to or not, Dancer.”
Gah, when he called her by the nickname nobody else did, her heart turned over. Sure, she loved it when he called her beautiful in that sexy deep tone that sent a shiver of desire through her. However, Dancer was a name he called only her. Beautiful could be a name he called any nameless faceless woman.
“Come on. I need to take my boots off.” He smoothed his hands down her back, hefting her up in his arms so she had no choice but to wrap her legs around his waist.
“What are you doing?” she asked, locking her legs around him.
He shrugged, moving through the open space, ignoring her question.
Lennox looked around, trying to see where he was heading. The man-cave was luxurious with a television that looked more like something you’d see at a movie theater. “How big is that damn thing?” she noticed the seating looked comfortable with a sectional taking up the space in front of the theatre screening. A kitchenette was off to the side, she assumed for times he didn’t want to go upstairs.
“Big enough,” he said.
She had locked her hands behind his neck when he lifted her up. Now she leaned back a little so she could look him in the eye. “You’d say that.”
His grin was sexy as fuck when he smiled. “When I’m talking about anything except my cock, it’s true. My dick on the other hand as you know is a little more than big enough.”
And just like that, her body heated up, remembering the one time she’d been close enough to that monster he had. Big enough would never be how she described his ten inch beast. Nope, he was definitely way bigger than that.
She didn’t say anything while he released her with one hand to open a door behind her. Lennox wasn’t sure what his game was, nor was she sure what she planned to do or say. For that matter, she didn’t know how she was going to react if the lights went out. Freaking the fuck out was her new norm. Insomnia was her new friend. How was Duke going to handle Lennox in full out crazy bitch mode. Yeah, maybe she should just lay it all out to him, so he could tell her to kick rocks and she could get the hell out of there sooner rather than later. The thought made her heart pang worse than when she’d boarded the plane to New York three years ago, after he’d told her she was too young and needed to grow up.
Lights came on as soon as they entered a room, something she hadn’t realized until they walked into what was clearly his master bedroom. She turned her head around trying to see the space they entered, gasping at the gorgeous space. “Holy shit,” she gasped.
She’d expected...heck, she didn’t know what she’d thought his room would look like. Something like Fifty Shades red room maybe. However, Duke’s bedroom was done in a light and airy way that made her think of sunshine. Clean white linen draped the large whitewashed canopy bed. Accents of dusty blue and yellow were everywhere in the pillows and seating area. Even the electric fireplace with its stones in shades of light grey made the room look large and inviting. “This is gorgeous.”
Duke placed her on a huge shag rug that spanned most of the room. The grey was gorgeous with a bunch of other colors blending in it. She was sure some designer had spent days searching for just the right one. The thought that some woman had been the one to choose all these pieces, maybe even fucking Duke on all of them made her want to rip it all out, which was ridiculous.
“Thanks, I picked it out online. Internet is a wonderful place, kitten.” He kept his hands on her hips.
She couldn’t hide her relief at his explanation. “You did all this?” She waved her right hand toward the safest thing, which was the fireplace.
He still hadn’t released her, lifting her again with ease and moving her to the side of the bed.
“Duke, this is getting ridiculous.” No matter how much she protested, she loved having his hands on her in any capacity.
Her body went higher, until she was up and on the bed. The height perfect for a man as tall as Duke. “Not ridiculous, expedient. This way, you’re where I want you when I want you. Stay there,” he said, pointing at her with one big finger. Lennox had the urge to lean forward and bite the digit, only self-preservation kept her mouth closed.
He shrugged out of his cut. The leather so much a part of him she couldn’t remember a time he hadn’t worn it...except once, but that was a memory best forgotten. Nope, closing that down and locking it behind a steel door in her mind.
Like everything he did, Duke placed the jacket on a hook that he’d clearly had installed for that purpose, his hand smoothing down the back before he came back to stand in front of her. “What am I gonna do with you, Dancer?”
While he’d walked away, it had seemed so natural to lean back on her hands and watch him. She stared up at h
im and wondered why she hadn’t hopped up and run for the door. Of course, he’d locked the damn Fort Knox thing at the top, but she could have at least made the effort instead of reclining back on his bed, watching him like a lovesick fool.
“I have a couple suggestions,” she said grinning.
Duke sighed. “Yeah, so do I. First order of business is a shower. For the both of us.”
Lennox was sure her eyes were bugging out of their sockets at his words. Surely he didn’t mean them showering together. Nah, she was being literal while he just...her brain stopped working as he lifted his arms, doing that thing only guys could do and be sexy when they did it.
He grabbed his T-shirt from behind his head, making her mouth water as the action had his forearms bulging. He balled the white fabric up, tossing it into the hamper in the corner without missing. While she watched, he moved to the chair next to the bed, his eyes on her the entire time as he undid one boot, slipping it off before doing the same with the other. Duke placed them next to the chair, like that was their place, tugged his socks off balling them together, and like the shirt he tossed them into the hamper. Next, his hands went to his belt, eyes still on hers.
Lennox licked her lips, wondering if she’d lost the ability to speak. Through the denim, she could make out the outline of his erection. Duke was hard.
“You like what you see, Dancer?”
Her eyes flew to his, startled to find he looked angry. “I’m sorry. I can go out.” She waved toward the doorway.
Duke moved up to the bed, his legs bumping hers. “The fuck you will. I asked you a question.”
Her brain felt fried. “What?”
His hand went to the front of his jeans, the belt was undone, with only the top button open he ran his hand up and down the front of the denim. “I asked if you liked what you saw.”