Valentina
Zipping my suitcase closed, I stood it upright and rolled it by the door. I wasn’t planning on taking it to Duke’s, but I wanted to be ready to leave as soon as possible, just in case our meeting went south. I had a plane ticket to LA on hold for later that day, and I’d spent the whole morning steeling myself for bad news. Like if Duke was the kind of man to have a ten-year-old son he didn’t know about. Like I was the kind of idiot who fell for that kind of man.
I checked my reflection one last time before walking out the door. Black leggings, a soft, cotton V-neck that skimmed my body just right, and my favorite pair of Nike running shoes. I’d made the decision to wear my comfy plane clothes to Duke’s as further preparation for the worst. The last thing I wanted was to wind up on a plane wearing a cute-ass outfit I’d just been royally rejected in.
The walk to Duke’s felt longer than usual, and as I got closer, I started to feel lightheaded. My stomach was churning with nerves, a tingly feeling spreading to my toes. Why am I so nervous?
I climbed the porch steps slowly, taking deep breaths in and out. One look at the railing sent me right back to that night with Duke. His hands in my hair, his lips on my skin. I shook my head, running my hand on the back of my neck. One more deep breath, then I knocked on the door.
Within seconds, Duke swung it open, and that deep breath I’d just taken blew out of me all at once. He stood there smiling at me, a white T-shirt straining over his muscled chest, those stupid, adorable dimples sending a shock straight to my core. Damn him for being so irresistible. Damn him for making it so much harder to let him go.
“Glad to see you remembered to put clothes on this time,” I said as he ushered me in.
“That can change if you want,” he replied, his eyes wandering to the tight fabric perfectly hugging my ass.
I narrowed my eyes, and he immediately backed off.
“Right. Too soon for jokes.”
As I walked into the kitchen, my mouth dropped open. Every inch of counter space was covered in bouquets of pink dahlias—my favorite—and the table was scattered with my favorite foods and drinks. A huge bottle of top shelf tequila stood tall in the middle, surrounded by freshly-cut pineapple, carnitas tacos with cilantro and onions, a plate of homemade cinnamon rolls, and a basket filled with my favorite snacks and candies. On the edge of the counter was a to-go cup from Starbucks, and based on the markings on the side, I knew it was my order: a non-fat latte with a dash of cinnamon.
“Duke, I…what is all this?”
He smiled, stepping around me, shrugging and stuffing his hands in his pockets.
“Guess I just wanted to give you a few more reasons to stay.”
“But—”
“I might have bribed Charlotte into telling me a few of your favorite things.” He grinned.
“Duke …”
“Hold on. Just listen. I know Shady Grove is a far cry from the city. We don’t have a wide variety of restaurants or bars, we’ve got one tiny café that’s closed on Sundays, and we’re so far in the middle of nowhere that some fruits and vegetables that are commonplace everywhere else seem exotic and rare. But I looked into it, and the nearest Starbucks is only an hour away. And a couple towns over, there’s a Mexican place that claims to be authentic. As for the rest of this stuff, I had to do some digging—”
I cut him off with a kiss on the lips, throwing my arms around his neck.
“But what about Amber?”
“Payton isn’t mine. She cleared it all up last night.”
I kissed him again, this time running my fingers through his hair. He wrapped me in his arms, my body sinking into his broad chest. When we parted, I looked around again, shaking my head at all the things he’d gotten me.
“Dios mio, cabron, when did you get all this?”
His proud, dimpled smile made my heart melt.
“Let’s just say it was an early morning. Turns out, I’m no good at coring pineapple. That’s attempt number two.”
“You bought two pineapples?”
“I had a feeling I’d need a spare.”
I smiled and shook my head again, bringing the lukewarm latte to my lips. The familiar scent wafted up through my nostrils, a scent that used to bring me comfort and calm on hectic mornings, and on occasion, in the middle of a crazy day. But when the liquid hit my tongue, something about it tasted different. The barista did fine. The order was spot-on.
It was me. I was different. I didn’t need the comfort and calm as much as I used to. The country had done that instead. I didn’t need the liquid form.
“Everything you ever dreamed of?” Duke asked, amusement on his face.
“Nothing tastes quite as much like corporate America.”
He chuckled, a serious look quickly falling over his face.
“Now, I want to be clear, darlin’, all this is meant to show you that life here in Shady Grove doesn’t have to be all that different from the city. I’m not trying to bribe you into staying. My winning smile and matchless charm already do that for me.”
I rolled my eyes, making a face like I was going to be sick. But he was right. I didn’t have to stay. Even if he didn’t have a ten-year-old son, there was no guarantee that what Duke and I had would last. We barely knew each other, only had sex one time. What if it was all just a fluke? What if the moment I decided to stay, the magic disappeared, and we quickly started to resent each other for the time and energy we were both wasting on a relationship that was never meant to go past a summer fling?
I looked up into his eyes, those two green gems that had the power to make my blood boil with frustration one second and with lust the next, and I knew that none of that was true. From the moment we met, our dynamic came naturally, the playful energy between us a symptom of the cellular-level connection we had. It was too real, too magic. That was why we insisted on teasing and fighting. Because the idea that soulmates might be real, that love at first sight might exist?
That was scarier than hating each other’s guts.
“My firm did just roll out the option of working remotely,” I said, slipping my arm around his waist.
Duke beamed down at me, relief and joy radiating from his face.
“And we do have an extra house on the property for you. Before you move in with me, of course.”
“What makes you think we wouldn’t move into my place? Your place is cute, but just wait ’til you see what I can do with a Home Goods catalog.”
“Charlotte let me in on a few of your big-city secrets, darlin’.”
“Charlotte seems to be helping you out a lot these days.” I arched a brow at the spread on the table, knowing full well I’d only told him about half of these favorites.
“She might have tipped me off about the dahlias,” he admitted.
I raised another brow.
“And the pineapple.”
I laughed, rubbing his back before returning to the table to take a bite of the fruit. Sweet and tangy, it was fresher than I was expecting. Definitely worth the wild goose chase I’m sure he went on.
“Oh my god, that reminds me. I need to call Charlotte. She’s going to freak out that I’m staying.”
I reached for my phone, but Duke stopped me, taking my hand and pulling me to him.
“Actually, I had one more thing planned, just in case you decided to stay.”
His free hand dropped to my waist, sliding over my hip before cupping my ass as he drew my hips to his. I could already feel his erection growing, pressing into my belly. My knees grew weak, warmth spreading between my thighs.
“But there are so many other details we still have to figure out.”
“We have time for all that,” he whispered, bringing his lips to my ear, nibbling on my lobe before trailing his tongue down my neck, teasing my skin. His touch sent shivers down my spine, and I let him lead me to his bed.
After all, he was right.
For once, we had all the time in the world.