War Wounded (The War Trilogy #2.5) (9 page)

~ Chapter Nine ~

~ Arianna ~

Duke lets me into his apartment. It’s a cute little place, sparsely decorated. The kitchen is tiny and open to the decent sized living room. A hallway branches off from the living room, which I’m assuming leads to the bedroom and bathroom.

“I just moved in not too long ago, so you’ll have to excuse the barrenness of the place,” Duke murmurs as he follows me through the door.

“It’s fine.” I assure him. “You’ve got a couch and a TV, that’s really all we need to watch a movie.”

Duke nods in agreement.

“Do you want a drink? I have beer, soda, iced tea, and bottled water,” he asks.

“A water, please,” I reply.

While Duke goes into the kitchen to grab drinks, I wander into the living room. I sit down on the really nice, new looking, brown leather couch. The TV is mounted on the wall directly across from the couch and is gigantic. It takes up almost the entire wall. Only a man.

Duke sits down next to me and hands me the bottle of water while he hangs onto the beer in his other hand. I thank him and crack it open, taking a sip as he turns on the TV. He opens the drawer of the coffee table and pulls out a menu from the stack.

“This place has really good food,” he says and hands me the menu.

After we decide that we both want pizza, Duke calls in the order.

“You know everything is going to be okay, right? Your shop can be rebuilt,” he murmurs softly, slipping his arm around my shoulders.

I sigh and lean into him, placing my head on his shoulder. “Yeah, I know. I just can’t believe it’s gone. All my hard work. It took me six months to get that place the way I wanted it.”

He kisses the top of my head. “And it might take you another six months, or more, to get it back to the way it was, but you’ll do it, and it’ll be just as great as it was.”

I lift my head from his shoulder and look up at him. My heart does a flip-flop in my chest. “Do you have any idea how sweet you are?”

Duke rolls his eyes at me, but I can see the blush creep up his cheeks.

“Thank you,” I whisper and give him a kiss on the cheek.

He then steals a kiss on the lips.

“I’m going to Baltimore tomorrow for Christmas to spend a few days with my family. Come with me?” he asks quietly while nudging his nose against mine.

I jerk my head back so that I can see him more clearly. “Seriously? You want me to meet your family and spend a few days with them? I mean, we’re not even dating.”

Duke blows out a breath and runs his hand over his hair. “Listen, I’m not good with this shit, but I really like you, a lot. And I want to spend Christmas with you. I want to stay here, but my mother would kick my ass if I don’t show up for the holiday. So I figure, why not just bring you with me? If you want to go, that is.”

“How would you introduce me? Hey, mom, this is Arianna, the girl I banged a week ago?” I snort.

Duke barks out a laugh. “No, of course not. I’d introduce you as my girlfriend…” He stops, his eyes barely meeting mine, vulnerability rolling off him in waves. “…That is, if that’s what you want. I can’t promise you anything long term right now, though.”

It’s so odd, this side of Duke. He’s such a strong man in every other aspect of his life, but when it comes to women, he’s completely broken. And stupid me is falling head over heels in love with him. The man who never wants to get married again. The man who can’t promise me even a long-term relationship.

I touch his jaw, which makes his eyes lift to meet mine. “Can you at least promise that you won’t sleep with anyone else?”

His gaze softens and he reaches up to thread his fingers into my hair. “Yes, I can promise you that,” he replies without hesitation.

His lips meet mine just as there is a knock on the door. He growls and pulls away. He opens the door, and it’s the pizza we ordered. Duke pays the kid then brings the pizza in, kicking the door shut behind him. He sets the box on the coffee table and opens it up. The delicious aroma of cheese, sauce, and pepperoni fills the air.

“Dig in, don’t be shy,” he says as he grabs a slice and takes a huge bite.

He doesn’t even bother with a plate or napkin or anything. Such a guy. I shake my head and grab a slice, too.

“So, you never gave me an answer. Baltimore? Yes or no?” Duke asks around a mouthful of pizza.

I give him a grossed out look that has him giving me a sheepish smile and a shrug.

“Well, tomorrow night, Christmas Eve, was supposed to be my wedding day. I think instead of being stared at by my family with pity in their eyes, I will go with you to Baltimore.”   

Duke smiles. “Great.”

~ Duke ~

Arianna is now my girlfriend? How the hell did that happen? And I actually asked her…sorta. Am I really doing this again? Am I setting myself up to be hurt, or is it possible that she’s really the one? Because I can see myself with her for…forever. Possibly even have kids with her. But I thought that with both Mallory and Aimee, too, so I’m not sure if I trust my own judgment.

If I’m being honest with myself, I’m already in love with her. I love everything about her. I love her fire and passion, her laugh and her smile, and her independence. She really is everything I’ve always wanted in a woman. Mallory was not independent at all; she was needy and clingy. And Aimee didn’t have much of a sense of humor; she took everything I said so seriously.

After Arianna and I eat, we decide on a movie to watch. As we settle in to watch the movie, she snuggles up against me. It’s been four long ass days since we slept together and having her so close with her scent invading my nose is reminding my cock of how much he wants her.

She’s tucked nicely under my arm with her hand resting low on my stomach. I can’t even concentrate on the movie because I’m imagining her hand inching lower and dipping under the waistband of my jeans. My cock twitches at the thought.

Half way through the movie, I’m freaking squirming in my seat. I’m so hard and in need of relief.

“I can’t take it anymore,” I grunt as I maneuver us on the couch so that I can cover her body with mine.

She looks up at me in shock. “What can’t you take?” she asks in confusion.

Instead of answering her, I crush my mouth to hers. She moans and wraps her arms around my neck. I grind myself against her where I’m nestled between her legs. She gasps against my lips, and I take the opportunity to kiss her deeper. Our tongues tangle together as we taste each other. I can’t get enough of her.

The kiss turns frenzied as we both search for skin. Clothes are torn off in record time. I kiss my way down to her neck as she moans and arches her sexy body against mine.

“Arianna, we need to go to my bedroom, I don’t have any condoms out here,” I whisper against the silky skin of her neck.

“Okay,” she breathes.

I pull her up with me as I stand. I carry her, with her legs wrapped around my waist, to my bedroom down the hall. I climb onto the bed, loving the sight of her sprawled out underneath me again. She pulls me in for an explosive kiss as her hand finds my cock, where it’s trapped between us. She slowly caresses me, drawing out the pleasure that is gradually building. I moan into her mouth and rock my hips.

“Arianna,” I pant, pulling back from her luscious lips.

“Hmmm?” she replies with a smug smile on her pretty face.

I still her hand that’s stroking my dick. “Do you want sex? Cause if you keep this up, it won’t be happening,” I tell her.

She laughs low and sultry. “Okay, I’ll stop. But you need to get a condom because I want you inside of me right now.”

I groan and reach over to my nightstand where my condom stash is in the drawer. After grabbing one, I move back over Arianna. I give her a couple of lingering kisses on the lips before pushing up to my knees so I can roll the condom on.

“Do you think I can be on top?” Arianna asks before I can do anything.

I have to fight my eyes from rolling back in my head. “Baby, you can absolutely be on top,” I rasp.

I trade places with her, lying down on the bed on my back. She takes the condom from me, assuming so she can put it on me. But instead, she sets it down next to my thigh. My eyebrows draw down as I frown at her. She shoves my legs apart and settles on her knees between them. My stomach flutters in anticipation. I can’t tell you the last time I had a good blowjob. Arianna dips down and drags her tongue up the underside of my cock, from root to tip. I gape down at her, unable to tear my gaze away from what she’s about to do.

Wrapping her hand around the base, she lifts my dick off my stomach and flicks her tongue over the tip a couple of times before swallowing me down to the base. I choke out a cry of pleasure. I was so not expecting her to do that.

“Holy…fuck!” I cry out as she pulls back, only to do it again.

After about the fifth time she does it, I have to stop her; otherwise, I’m going to come right down her throat, and I don’t want this little session to be over. Even now, I don’t know how long the sex is going to last because I’m so amped up that I may come as soon as I get inside of her.

I lie there panting as she reaches for the condom. I slap my hand over hers. “You gotta give me a minute.”

She chuckles, her brown eyes sparkling. Her dark hair is a bit wild and all over the place from me running my hands through it. She looks absolutely breathtaking and I am so in love with her. Fuck!

~ Arianna ~

The way Duke is looking at me right now has my heart jumping up into my throat. That emotion in his eyes looks a lot like love. I must be seeing things. There is no way that he would fall in love with me. Not after all that he’s been through and how determined he is not to be put in that situation again. Then there is another part of me that is hoping so badly that what I’m seeing is real because I’m so in love with him.

When Duke’s ready, he takes the condom from my hand and tears open the package. While he’s rolling it on, I let my eyes wander over his gorgeous face and body. I run my fingers over his rock hard pecs then let them drift down every ripple of his abs. After he’s all set with the condom, his hands skim up my sides until he cups my breasts, squeezing gently before his thumbs rub circles around my nipples.

Desire roars through me. I climb on top of him and use my hand to angle his cock so I can sink down onto him with ease. I watch his face as I go. His hazel eyes are blazing, his jaw is clenched tight, and his nostrils are flaring with the force of his breath. I take a second to enjoy the feeling of him filling me so completely. Then I start to move, rocking my hips, taking him as deep as I can.

I cover his hands, which are still on my breasts, with mine. He moans low. I slowly slide one of his hands up my chest and neck to my mouth where I take his thumb into my mouth and suck and nibble on it. Duke bites out a vicious curse, his eyes never leaving mine. 

I make his thumb nice and wet then guide his hand down to use it on my clit. Duke grunts and quickly takes over. His other hand moves down to grip my hip tightly. I place my hands on his chest as I continue to ride him. I moan as his thumb moves in quick circles, sending little jolts of electricity through my body.

The pressure starts to build and I know I’m not going to last much longer. He feels so fucking good, though, and I don’t want it to end.

“Come on, baby, come for me,” Duke rasps.

I toss my head back and moan as the tingling starts in my toes. His thumb speeds up and it’s all over. My orgasm rips through me and I scream as my body convulses around him. I distantly hear him cry out, too. The next thing I know, he’s pulling me down on top of him and tucking his face into my neck. Using his hands on my hips to hold me still, he pumps up into me a couple more times before shoving himself in deep and staying there. I can feel him pulsing inside of me, so I know he’s coming.

“Fuck,” he pants as his body goes lax.

“Yeah,” I agree.

Duke lazily strokes my hair and back. His heavy breaths tickle my neck and shoulder, but I’m too exhausted to move.

“You are stunning when you come. You know that, right?” he murmurs.

I snort. “No, I don’t know that.”

“Well, now you do.”

I huff out a laugh and roll off of him. We both grunt at the loss of contact, but we can’t stay like that forever. Duke takes care of the condom then comes back, lying down next to me. He lies on his side facing me, and props his head up on his hand.

“Stay with me tonight? I’ll take you to Jade’s in the morning so you can pack, and then we’ll head to Baltimore,” he says softly.

I nod and angle my face toward him and pucker my lips. He smiles and it’s so sweet and loving, I can’t believe that it’s directed at me. He leans down and kisses me languidly. I can only pray that he doesn’t break my heart. I really don’t think that I can handle it, not after everything I’ve been through with Kyle and my shop. I need Duke. I need his strength and comfort.

I know it’s crazy to fall in love with someone so soon after calling off my wedding to another man. It’s only been three weeks since I called him about Kyle, and I’ve only actually spent time with him maybe five days total. But I can’t help the way I feel, especially after today. I feel totally different about Duke than how I felt about Kyle. I think Jade was right when she said that I loved the idea of Kyle and what he offered me. But with Duke, it’s entirely different. It’s him that I love, not the idea of him. He’s not even close to offering me the life that I’ve always dreamed of, yet I want to be with him anyway. That right there says something to me.