I must’ve blacked out or something, since the next thing I heard was banging. Knocking.
Duke was no longer in between my legs. My panties were back in their previous position, my robe covered my body. That happened without my help. Duke was quick and efficient, even so far as to readjust things in his pants so the erection was not bulging out as it had been previously.
As if we’d choreographed it, Harriet appeared in the doorway at the exact moment we became decent…ish. I figured the flush on my face and my general expression would give me away, especially to Harriet’s eagle eyes.
She looked between us and grinned wide. “Oh good, I’m interrupting something.”
Duke loved his grandmother.
A lot.
She was one of his all-time favorite people. But this morning, he had to fight off the urge to remove her body from the cabin. He finally got to taste Anastasia, to hear what she sounded like when she came.
And fuck, was it good.
Not to mention the fact she was a natural redhead.
He considered himself relatively robust in the bedroom, but it had been a fucking battle not to come in his pants like a goddamn thirteen-year-old. He’d managed only knowing he was about to plunge into her.
Then his grandmother.
His well-meaning grandmother, to be sure, but the ultimate cockblock.
He’d taken the day to try and lock himself down, to stop himself from tearing Anastasia away from both his grandmother and mother, throw her over his shoulder like a caveman, and fuck her senseless. He had a pretty good idea she’d fuck him senseless too.
With a somewhat clearer head, he’d realized that senseless fucking would send the complete wrong message. It was too cheap for her. As much as raw, carnal fucking had its place—and it would have a very good place with Anastasia—Duke didn’t want it for their first time.
Especially with Anastasia still recovering from a fucking rattlesnake bike. David Hollows had checked in on her, as promised, and she was recovering quickly without any of the more severe side effects. Still, Duke watched her closely. The worst-case scenario hung over his head, taunting him with how easily he could have lost her. Before he’d even fucking had her.
She was his.
It was a Neanderthal thing to even think and no way was he stupid enough to say it out loud to the feisty, independent woman who was still pretending she didn’t feel for him the way he did for her.
Her shields had all fallen away this morning—with her submission. The fucking memory made his cock twitch.
He had to stop thinking about it before he drove himself crazy. So instead, he focused on something else that was driving him crazy. Not just crazy, it was something that sent murder coursing through his veins.
That was better to focus on at this juncture, especially since Anastasia was out with his father and brother, the only two other men he’d consider her safe with.
“You good?” Keltan said, on alert.
Duke knew why, he was meant to keep contact at a minimum, as a precaution. They had excellent safeguards against anyone tapping into their shit, but they weren’t stupid enough to risk it.
Duke felt comfortable risking it for this. “Anastasia had foster parents,” he said by response. “Didn’t treat her good. Want you to get in contact with whoever you need to, make sure they can never take in a child or collect a paycheck for doin’ so again. If they’ve got any kids with them right now, get them out.”
A small pause on the other end of the phone. A small pause filled with fury. Keltan had kids. He had fuckin’ morals. He had certain ideas about what to do with people who treated kids and women badly. As did Duke. “Got it,” he replied easily.
“Appreciate it.”
“Do I owe Rosie a thousand bucks?” Keltan asked, tone less tinged with fury.
“Come again?” Duke asked, watching Anastasia walk from the stables with his father. Her hair was piled into a ponytail, most of it jostled loose from her ride. She laughed at something her father said. The sound carried with the wind and it was fucking sweet.
Because it was real. Watching Anastasia here was like watching that fucking ponytail. It was ordered, perfected at the start, controlled. But slowly, this life, his family, maybe even him, had together jostled it loose. Jostled her. So she fell out of that fucking act. That image. Watching her become herself was something to marvel at.
“We’ve had a pool going,” Keltan said in his ear. “It’s about half and half. Between who thinks you’re gonna come back with her, drop her off, and never work again. Or come back with her as yours. Rosie, interestingly is more romantic about it all. As is Heath, also interestingly. Luke disagrees, maybe ’cause of the cop in him or maybe ’cause he just likes disagreeing with his wife. I would’ve pegged George as a realist, but he’s with the romantics on this one. Not that I’m not romantic. Every man worth his salt is, and if you repeat that, I’ll beat the shit out of you.” Keltan paused. “But I also know that people are sometimes exactly as they seem. Am I wrong?”