Page 20 of Prelude of Love

“How long have you been married?”

“Fifteen years.”

I blinked in surprise. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you don’t look old enough to have been married that long.”

His rumbling chuckle made my dick ache to be touched. “We got married young.”

“And you’re still together? Wow.” It impressed me, considering my parents had split because they had married and had a kid way too young. “Talk about rare.”

A cute redhead brought out my burger. Normally, he would have had me on full alert flirt mode if I wasn’t hungry for the sexy wall of muscles on the other side of the bar. “Here’s your taco burger. Enjoy.”

I figured it couldn’t hurt to make Duke a tad jealous. “Thanks, cutie. Are you my dessert?” I added a wink for good measure.

His laughter was light and carefree. “As tempting as that sounds, I enjoy my job too much to say yes to that dream come true.”

“Pity. I bet we could have some real fun together.”

His cheeks flushed as I gave him a thorough once-over. “Enjoy your meal.” With that, he slipped away to tend to his tables in another section of the bar.

“Who was that?” I asked Duke.

“Red, who is off-limits.” The possessive growl in Duke’s voice sent a delightful shiver down my spine. “That boy has seen enough heartbreak as it is.”

I couldn’t stop myself from grinning. “It’s adorable how protective you are of him.”

“I take care of my people,” Duke said with endearing gruffness.

“Then please feel free to take care of me, too.” I flashed him my most charming smile, causing him to laugh.

The burger in front of me was a masterpiece. It was so big I wasn’t sure how I’d manage to fit it in my mouth, which was saying something when I was well-acquainted with oversized challenges. The meat was topped with generous helpings of pepper jack cheese, avocado slices, jalapeños, pico de gallo, and a ranch salsa aioli that oozed over the beef patty like it knew it was the main event. “If this tastes even half as good as it looks, I’m in for the best burger of my life.”

Duke’s intense gaze locked on me as I took my first bite. I didn’t hold back my moan at how fuckingdelicious it was. Since I was shameless, I put on a show of licking the gushing aioli off my fingers. “Holy shit, I’ve had sex that wasn’t this good.Wow. No wonder my family always raves about your food.”

The praise seemed to please him, which was impressive since he didn’t strike me as someone who was easily swayed.

I tried the steak fries next, which were the perfect balance of crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, which was my personal holy grail. The seasoning made them even more phenomenal, especially when dipped in the homemade ranch. “I don’t think I’ve ever had fries this good. I’m going to have to behave while I’m here, or the costume designer will have a meltdown about my weight. But honestly, it’d totally be worth it for such delicious food.”

Wiping my fingers on my napkin, I gave Duke my most seductive smile. “Since I’m your customer, shouldn’t you be making pleasant conversation with me while I eat?”

“That would require you to actually eat instead of putting on a show.” Duke’s dry response only encouraged me.

“But I love putting on shows. It’s kind of my thing.” I took another bite of my burger, letting some of the sauce drip down my lip before wiping it off with my thumb and licking it away to give his dick all the right ideas. “Though usually I’m the one watching people drool over me.”

“Keep dreaming, pretty boy.” Duke crossed his arms, his biceps bulging impressively. “I don’t drool over anyone except my husband.”

“Give me time. I can guarantee you and your husband will find me irresistible soon enough.” I popped a fry in my mouth with a wink. “Besides, Mom has shown me pictures of your husband from social media. He’s exactly my type—a cute blond who looks like he’d be fun to corrupt.”

Duke snorted in amusement. “Don’t let his angelic face fool you. If anyone is doing the corrupting, it’s him. Early’s anything but innocent.”

“Good thing I love a challenge.” I lowered my voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “So, tell me, what does it take to impress you two?”

Duke’s stern expression didn’t waver, but his eyes darkened like a storm brewing on the horizon. “More than a pretty face and some amateur flirting.”

“Amateur?” I feigned offense. “I’ll have you know I’m a professional flirt.”

“Which is why it won’t work on me.” Duke’s presence commanded me to pay rapt attention to him. “I’ve dealt with enough cocky boys who think they’re God’s gift to gay men. You’ll need to bring more to the table than that.”

A shiver ran through me at his sexy bedroom voice. “What if I told you I’mverygood at following orders when properly motivated?”

---