Page 7 of Duke of Ruin

“Oregon or Maine?” Eli’s lips curl into a soft smile, and my anger thaws just slightly.

“Oregon” is my fast reply. I need to put as much imaginary distance between his family and mine as possible.

“Wow,” Eli answers with a lift of his eyebrows. “How’d you end up all the way over here?”

Shit. I hadn’t thought about that. “Ah, a young man’s angst is probably the best answer. Most of the colleges I applied to were on the East Coast.” The lie rolls easily off my tongue.

Eli laughs and rolls his eyes. “If it had been my choice I would’ve ended up on the opposite coast, too.” He claps my back, and I relax a little. “But all the Carbones for the last umpteen generations went to Valmont, so…here I am.” A weight seems to settle on his shoulders, and my ire thaws a little more.

“Well, I suppose I wouldn’t have met you, then,” I say, trying to shift the conversation back to the present. His eyes meet mine and I feel a wave of genuine affection coming from him. My heart actually aches for him. His family may be evil, but it’s not like he was given a choice who his family is.

“What do you say we go see if we can buy some art?” he says as he stands up from the bench.

“I’m game,” I say with a smile.

We spend the next couple of hours perusing the tables of local artists, and I have to admit I enjoy it a lot more than I thought I would. Eli converses with the artists and talks about their processes and inspirations. He’s very knowledgeable, but that shouldn’t be surprising with his privileged upbringing. He points out a few more members of his family, who I carefully tuck into the back of my mind.

Later we have dinner at one of the Italian restaurants in the district, and it’s amazing. Of course Eli insists on paying for me, which is annoying given the conversation we had earlier. Maybe I’m just being sensitive, but it’s infuriating to feel like Eli’s pet project. It’s fine though; I might as well let him burn some of his wealth on little old me. At least, that’s the excuse I give myself.

Somehow we end up back at my apartment. I’m grateful that I’m so methodical in what I do with the evidence I gather that it’s all locked away. My tiny studio shouldn’t exactly come as a surprise to Eli given what he just learned about my financial background. I grind my teeth at the thought. Still, I do a quick sweep of the place as we enter to make sure there’s nothing lying around that could give me away.

I turn back to Eli as he closes the door, my chest tightening in anticipation for his assessment of my living situation. This is probably only going to solidify his desire to becharitable. Eli looks around the room, taking in the brick walls and limited space, and when he turns back to me his eyes are full of something I don’t recognize.

“I like this place,” he says, almost as though it surprises him as much as it does me. “It feels safe.”

I blink a few times in response. I haven’t the slightest idea what he means by that. I open my mouth to reply, but nothing comes out.

“I’m sorry,” Eli says as he takes my hand.

“Sorry for what?” I finally manage to say.

“I know it probably comes across as pompous, but I really like this place. Maybe it’s the company that’s biasing my opinion, but I feel more comfortable here than any of the places I usually stay.” His eyes search mine. For what, I don’t know.

“I don’t understand, I guess,” I respond, averting my gaze.

“I wish I could explain it better without sounding like an ass, so just take my word for it—I like this place,” he says, pulling me closer. I fight the urge to pull back. Eli has managed to demonstrate his complete obliviousness to anything outside of his tax bracket so many times today. It’s infuriating, but I have to keep my composure.

I focus on his eyes, how the sharp green contrasts with his olive skin. His loose curls dip just below his brow. I reach up and slide one of his locks away from his eyes, and they fill with an emotion I don’t recognize. In spite of his arrogance, in spite of his naïveté, he’s beautiful. His strong jaw ticks in response to my touch, and it sets my blood pumping. Conflicting emotions thrash in my mind as his eyes flicker to my lips when I wet them.

He takes my jaw in his hand and traces his fingers along my cheek, which has become rough with stubble. He drags his fingers along my jaw, wraps them around the back of my neck, and pulls me closer. Unlike the rough, fevered kisses we’ve shared before, he moves slowly, gently, as he presses his warm lips to mine. I close my eyes and relax into the kiss, parting my lips slightly as he probes with his tongue. The walls holding my emotions at bay crumble, and unleash myself fully. I take his face in my hands and kiss him harder, reveling in the way his breath catches. I dig my fingers into his scalp and thrust my tongue through his lips. It isn’t possible for him to be involved in his family’s business without knowing how they hurt people.

A sharp moan escapes his throat as I pull his hair harder and tilt his head back, pushing him into the lone chair in the corner. I stand over him, crushing my lips into his to the point of bruising. He seems to think throwing some money around will pay for all the pain his family has caused. I climb on top of him in the chair, straddling him. My cock strains against my pants as I roll my hips against his abdomen. Eli releases another guttural groan into my mouth, and I pull back and look at him. His sharp green eyes tighten at my expression. When he thrusts his hips forward, the bulge in his own pants rubs against my ass. My dick starts throbbing even harder.

“You’re so fucking sexy,” I whisper against his ear before pulling his earlobe into my mouth and scraping my teeth against it. His breath shudders, and my heart starts pounding faster.

“So are you,” he growls, and reaches under my shirt to pull it over my head. He runs his hands over my chest and pinches my nipples, and I roll my head back and close my eyes. He traces his fingers down my abs and unbuttons my pants. I rise up on my knees, the tip of my dick peeking out from the waistband of my boxers as it lines up with his chin. His eyes don’t leave mine until I grab his hair and tilt his face toward my cock. He lets out a dark chuckle and flicks his tongue against the head of my dick, which is already glistening with precum. I suck in a sharp breath and grip his hair tighter. He wraps his lips around just the head and swirls his tongue around my opening, and I roll my head back and close my eyes.

My pants, my boxers, the chair, suddenly everything is too constricting. I abruptly stand up and grab him by his shirt. I yank him to his feet and pull the shirt over his head in the same movement. He tugs my pants down my thighs, and my cock springs free as I unbuckle his belt and unbutton his jeans. I push his pants down his thighs and grab his cock, hard as steel for me. I shove him toward the bed, and we both step out of our pants before tumbling onto my small mattress.

I reach into my nightstand and pull out a bottle of lube. He quirks an eyebrow at me as I open the cap and pour some between us, coating my hands and his ass. I take his leg and hoist it over my shoulder, but when I look down I see a pained expression on his face. Annoyance surges through me, but I hesitate.

“This is a…um…I’ve never done this before,” Eli says, and my whirlwind of emotions comes crashing to a halt.

“Do you want me to stop?” I ask as I grind my hips against him. His dick is still rock-hard beneath me.

“Fuck no,” he breathes, and I take that as consent. I push a finger inside his ass, and he groans.

“Relax,” I whisper, pushing another finger inside him. His eyes are squeezed shut, but his dick is throbbing. I take the lube and coat my cock with it, stroking a few times against him. His breath becomes hurried, and I realize I’m more turned on than I’ve ever been. I align the head of my dick against his opening and remove my fingers. Slowly I push inside as he gasps for air.

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