Duke (20 page)

Gen didn’t have the nerve to ask him to get tested before they went without condoms, and thought maybe she’d just stay off the pill so he’d have to keep using them.

He opened his mouth to speak but she didn’t want to continue this conversation, so she interrupted with, “Brain told you I set up appointments for us to view a couple of properties tomorrow?”

He looked at her a few seconds, and apparently decided to let her get away with changing the subject. “Yeah, anything I need to know ahead of time?”

“
I found the perfect spot, but Brain says it’s too close to The Billiard Club. I have permission to show it tomorrow, just in case, but we have several places farther away to look at as well.”

“
Doesn’t matter how perfect it is. If he says it’s too close, it is.”

“
Why can’t you be close?”

“
Because Abbott and Isaac asked us not to be, and we have enough respect for them to…” He leaned forward, rubbed his forehead as he looked at the table. “Give me forty-eight hours to make some arrangements to explain it to you, and I will.”

Gen stood, carried her plate to the sink, and said, “I don’t know what’s happening between us, I don’t know how we’re going to figure all of this out, but I’d miss you if you weren’t in my life.”

“
I’d miss you, too. I have a lot of answers, but I don’t have them all. However, I’m confident we’ll figure it out.”

“
Okay, then. I’d like to take a quick shower — alone — and then I’d like to cuddle with you. I’ve decided I feel safe in your arms, it’s only when you’re standing across the room glaring at me I get scared, so I need more time just being in your arms.”

The next thing she knew, his arms were wrapped around her and he was holding her. “With that in mind, the next time I scare you, can you ask me to hold you?”

“
No promises, but I’ll try.”

Gen put her hair in a bun on top of her head and took a fast shower, keeping her hair dry. She dried off and donned yoga pants and a tee, and forced herself not to wear a bra. It was a thicker tee, and navy, but… still. She felt almost naked in front of him without a bra.

She grabbed her tablet and went to the sofa, where Duke was already sitting.

His arm went around her, he tucked her into his side, and her heart slowed, her body calmed. No place safer on the planet than in Duke’s arms.

She swiped her tablet on and went to her picture albums. “I’m not sure you understand Cam, and that’s okay, but he’s pretty cool and you should know he isn’t just a gay bottom.” She went to the pictures she’d collected of him in performances, and went straight to the time he’d spent in Atlanta in a production of Giselle.

Duke took the tablet from her and spread his fingers to zoom in on the image. Cam was standing on his toes, looking up, a ballerina in his hands balanced over his head. You could see every muscle in his body, and you could see the grace in his movements even in a still picture.

“
He’s magic on stage, and there’s nothing feminine about the way he dances. It’s all masculine beauty and grace.”

“
I didn’t like the way you were dancing with him in the club.”

“
Yeah, you made that pretty clear, but Cam’s safe to dance with because I know nothing will come of it. I can turn loose with him in a way I can’t with anyone else.”

Duke swiped through her pictures, slowing to look at some, speeding past others. “What’s the story with him and Sam?”

“
The night Cassie met Frisco was also the night Sam met Cameron. It was Sam’s bachelorette party, and Ethan had told Sam she could flirt and dirty dance, and be felt up over the top of her clothes, but couldn’t, ummmm, have any happy endings.”

“
Orgasm, Beautiful. Or ‘get off’. We need to work on your vocabulary.”

She rolled her eyes. “I know those words, just don’t always feel comfortable saying them.”

Duke chuckled. “I find it hard to believe Ethan would give the okay for that, but I take this to mean Sam played around with Cam?”

“
They danced a lot, and I think Sam helped Frisco torment Cameron on the dance floor. Sam ended up kissing a transsexual during the drag show, and now they’re great friends. You’ll probably end up meeting her at some point.”

This time, Duke gave a full laugh, and finally stopped to say, “Beautiful, you have some very interesting friends.”

They looked at pictures and talked for an hour, until Duke kissed her senseless and carried her to bed.

* * * *

Duke took his time working her up with his hands, and just as she was about to come, he backed off and paid attention to her breasts a little while. When he was sure she’d cooled off, he mounted her from above, groaning in bliss as his cock slid into her tight, warm heat.

As she got close he backed off, slowed, and denied her release yet again. She made noises of protest, but didn’t say anything. The fourth time he backed off, she reached down to play with her clit and he lifted her hands, threaded his fingers through hers, and held them near her head as he continued to fuck her slow enough she couldn’t get off.

Her eyes begged him, and he knew it was time to remind her why he was doing this. She’d figured it out, he could tell by the glare, but he needed to be sure she understood.

“
I won’t give you another orgasm until I’ve come — either on you or in you — three times. There are consequences for denying me, Beautiful. This is it.”

* * * *

Gen was horrified he could read her so easily. He knew exactly when she was seconds from coming, and stopped
every
freakin’ time.

She needed to come so bad, she ached for it — the pulse in her clit an insistent drumbeat, her desire a palpable thing.

As her release grew closer, this time she clamped her mouth shut, closed her eyes, and tried to keep her body from betraying her. She neared the apex, was just ready to explode through and finally find release when Duke pulled out, stripped the condom off, masturbated himself for a handful of seconds, and came all over her stomach and breasts.

She should’ve been humiliated, pissed, but he leaned forward and kissed her, held her, once more not caring he got his ejaculate all over himself. She grinned to herself, thinking if he heard her call it ejaculate he’d be amused with her.

“
That’s one, Beautiful. Two more and you get to come.”

“
I can get myself off, Duke. Been doing it for years.”

“
Not tonight, and not in the morning. You’ll have the day at work free tomorrow, but I’m willing to bet whatever small release you manage to find will only make you hornier.”

Gen wasn’t sure he was right, but was afraid he might be.

He went to the bathroom, brought back a warm washcloth, and wiped her down as if she were a precious treasure.

This man was so rough around the edges, could be so crude at times, and yet so gentle, so caring.

He rolled to his side, pulled her back to his front, and said, “Sleep now, Beautiful.”

She closed her eyes, wiggled her hips against him. “I can’t. Duke. No way.”

His chuckle vibrated against her back. “Breathe in, breathe out. Feel the air coming in, going out. Change your focus, Gen.”

She didn’t
want
to change her focus. She knew he could get hard again, they could get the second time out of the way tonight, then maybe she’d get an orgasm after he got off tomorrow morning. No way could she focus at work tomorrow if he was right, and her vibrator induced orgasm made her even hornier.

She reached back with her hand, found him soft, but didn’t have a clue how to go about getting him hard.

“
Let’s discuss strategy,” he said, his voice a gentle caress. “You know it takes me a lot longer to get off the second time, which means you’ll have to endure a helluva lot more torment than you just experienced. Then, tomorrow morning, it’ll go quick, but there won’t be time for a second go-round because you have a ten o’clock meeting, which means you’ll have to wait until tomorrow night for your orgasm.”

She sighed and he continued. “Or, I can have my second orgasm tomorrow morning, which as we’ve already ascertained will be fast. Tomorrow night we’ll have time for multiple go-rounds, which means you’ll have to survive the first time without release, but then I’ll give you all the orgasms you can handle during our second time.” He stroked her hip. “Your choice, Beautiful. I’m not opposed to going again; I kind of enjoyed tormenting you earlier.”

Duke apparently didn’t like to be driven around. He’d picked her up at her office in one of the club’s Expeditions, and she sat in the front passenger seat while Brain and Bash sat in the middle row of seats, Tiny and Dozer in the back.

They looked at all of the spots she’d thought might be a possibility, but weren’t happy enough with any of them to seriously consider them as possibilities.

When they made it back to her office she discovered Bash had another car there, and everyone left except Duke and Brain. “Okay, Beautiful. I promised you some answers, and I’ve arranged to be able to give you some. You got a problem with me driving your car? We’re headed to The Billiard Club.”

She blew out a breath and walked to her own passenger side. He was a good driver and she wasn’t up to arguing with him about who was going to drive.

They went in a side door, down a hallway, and into a well-appointed office. Isaac sat behind the desk and he came around it and hugged Gen.

“
Did Duke tell you why you’re here?”

“
Something about giving me some answers, but I’m not sure why we had to come here.”

Isaac eyed Duke and said, “That’s it? No hints about what the answers are?”

Duke’s voice was deeper than normal, not quite hostile, but not far from it. “No. You’re here because she trusts you and likes you, Abbott’s here as witness. Neither of you are here as consultant.”

Isaac nodded. “Fair enough. Abbott stayed here last night, he’s headed up from the basement now.” He sat on his sofa as he said, “Fair warning, this time of the afternoon? He’s likely to be pissy.”

The door opened and Abbott walked in, perfectly put together in his usual suit and tie. He sat in Isaac’s chair, behind his desk, and nodded at Duke without saying a word.

“
You trust me never to hurt you? No matter what?” Duke asked Gen.

She looked at him a few seconds and said, “Intellectually, yes. But in practice? I told you, it’s a work in progress.”

He nodded. “Isaac’s here because I know you trust him. You know what it does to me to see you look at me with fear, so I’m hoping with him at your back, you’ll be able to see me for who I am, not what I am.”

She let him draw her into his arms, and then stepped back when he did. “Go sit with Isaac, Beautiful.”

Isaac pulled her into his lap when she went to sit beside him, saying, “It’ll be okay, Genevieve.”

Duke sat and took his boots and socks off, then stood to take his shirt off, casually draping it over the side of the sofa.

When he started unbuckling his belt, Gen asked, “Ummm, Duke? What are you doing?”

“
It’ll all make sense in a minute, Gen,” he said as he unbuttoned and unzipped his pants.

Moments later he stood before them in all of his naked glory, and didn’t seem the least bit shy or self-conscious.

He took a breath. Blew it out. Closed his eyes. Took another breath, and pushed it out a little slower than the one before.

His back arched, his arms reached for the floor, his body jerked, and he went to all fours.

Gen saw hair forming, realized it was fur. Duke’s face morphed,
changed
, and Gen shrank back into Isaac.

“
It’s okay, Gen. He wants you to see who he is.”

“
This can’t be happening.”

Brain sat beside her. “It’s happening, Duchess. Duke is a werewolf. I am, too.”

A very large wolf sat in front of her, bigger than the German Shepherd that used to live next door. Closer to Great Dane size, though more the shape of the shepherd.

Gen thought she was being way too calm about this, but the wolf was just sitting there, as if he were waiting for her to do something. He’d turned into a wolf, now the ball was in her court.

“
I don’t have anything up my sleeve anywhere near as cool as turning into a wolf, Duke. I’m not sure what you’re waiting for me to do.”

Duke looked at Brain and Gen would’ve sworn he rolled his eyes. Brain laughed and said, “He was waiting to be sure you weren’t going to freak.”

Gen slid off Isaac’s lap and sat on the floor, and Duke came to her, going to the ground as he reached her, his chin on her lap. She touched over his eye, tentatively, but his eyes stayed on her face. She realized he was still watching for her to freak.

“
I’m not freaking, Duke. I mean, I reserve the right to have a minor freak out later, but I’m oddly calm now.” She ran her fingers through his fur and he closed his eyes, obviously enjoying her touch. “I won’t freak because I’m afraid of you, but because you’re an effing werewolf and my entire picture of reality just shifted.”

She looked up to Brain. “This is why he recovered so fast when I throat punched him? Why he didn’t stay down when I kicked his knee?”

Brain nodded and she said, “Good to know. I’d have hit the next guy harder, and might have done more damage than I wanted.”

She looked back to Duke. “Okay, so I’m sure once you can talk to me, this’ll explain a lot of things I don’t understand, and I get why you wanted Isaac here, and I have to say it was a good call, but I’m wondering why Abbott needed to be here?”

“
I’m a witness, and as Isaac pointed out earlier, a somewhat grumpy one, so just ignore me.”

Looking down at Duke with her eyebrows up, she asked, “Even I know Abbott doesn’t like being awake during the day. You couldn’t do this later in the evening?”