“What the hell did you say to get him so rattled?”
“I told him not to fucking look at my sister,” Duncan says in something of a growl. “I didn’t need to say anything more. But that’s not what I really meant.”
“Then what did you really mean?”
“My girl,” he says, pride in his voice.
“Shush!” I hiss, looking up the bar. Thankfully nobody is near us, and the old bartender is milling about at the other side.
“I like your dress tonight,” Duncan says, looking me up and down. His tongue darts out to wet his lips.
“It feels a little snug,” I say, my hand coming across my waist unconsciously. “I think I’ve put on a bit of weight recently.”
“Don’t even think about getting self-conscious, Dee.” It’s spoken to me like an order. “You look fucking amazing tonight. Hell, in old sweats and that soy-sauce stained hoodie, you bring me up with just a look, let alone this beautiful dress.”
“Oh, wow, thanks,” I say sarcastically, reaching out to flick his chin, and not a moment’s too soon snatching my hand back.
That was close.
He brings his face closer to mine, and his full, soft lips are an invitation I have to force myself to ignore.
I want to kiss him, want to feel him, want to smell him.
But not here. Not now.
It’s our secret. If it ever got out…
“I want to kiss you,” he whispers, his eyes on my lips. “I want to feel you.”
“Stop,” I say. It’s too big of a risk. This is reckless, but Duncan always was like a skydiver that assembles his parachute on the way down.
“I want to smell you.”
“Duncan…”
“Taste you.”
“Shut up!”
“Don’t you?”
I don’t answer for a moment. “Not here.”
“You’re lying,” he says, grinning. “I can always tell when you lie. You definitely want to here.”
“I’m not lying,” I say, making a face at him. “And I wouldn’t want to do it here.”
“You and I both know we’re not talking about here here.”
“If not here here, then where here?”
But he just looks at me, those supremely kissable lips pried to the side, those azure eyes on mine.
“Seriously, Dad’s got a big stick up his ass today. Meeting the other bosses always makes him nervous.”
He ignores my warning, and says in a low voice, “I’ve been thinking about you all day.” His eyes travel up and down my body, linger on my every curve in hungry adulation. They settle on the skin of my neck, and his breathing quickens, and his pupils widen.
Despite my earlier protestation, I indulge him: “What kind of thoughts, exactly?”
“Oh, don’t worry, nothing pure.”
I shake my head and laugh.
“I haven’t seen you in twelve hours. I counted.”
“You can count that high?”
That pulls a deep and quiet chuckle from him.
“Why so long today, Dee?”
I sigh. “Classes ran late. And actually it’s pretty normal for people to not see each other for twelve hours.”
“Even couples?”
“Even couples.”
“Even secret couples?”
I roll my eyes. “Especially secret couples.”
“But not you and me,” he says.
“No,” I say after a pause. He’s right. “Not you and me. But when I don’t see you, it can be for months at a time. Or in one case, two years, though I guess that doesn’t really count.”
“But you left me with something in Thailand.”
“What’s that?”
“A reason to work my ass off.”
“Why’s that?”
“Did I ever tell you this before?”
“No.”
He hesitates for a moment, licks his lips. “Because I knew it’d be the only way to see you again.”
“So I made you a better fighter, huh?” I ask through a smile.
He pauses.
“What?”
“No, Dee. You made me a better person.”
Now I pause.
“Come on,” he says, getting up.
“I haven’t finished my drink yet.”
“Finish it, then.”
“Hold on,” I say, freely indignant. Nobody, not even Duncan, is going to rush me. “I’ll drink at my own pace, and where exactly are we going?”
“The fuck out of here.”
“We can’t just leave. Dad will go crazy.”
“Fuck your dad.”
Normally, I would agree. I had enough of Dad’s shit a long time ago, but tonight of all nights is not the night to test him.
“Fuck him,” Duncan says, and that defiant smile and gorgeous, commanding eyes are an inch away from winning me over.