Page 27 of Duke's Daring Bookworm
My gut tightened at the thought of Lily, curled up in her bed, naked. I gripped her panties in my pocket to ground me.
I was too sober to deal with any of this.
“Fine.” I waved her way and turned to the window asJenkins pulled into a well-lit diner in a busy part of town. I was glad someone thought about her safety. I wasn’t doing a good job of it.
Not-Lily, I still didn’t know her name, stumbled from the car without even waiting for Jenkins to open the door. Once she entered the diner, we drove away.
“Sir,” he said when we had pulled onto the main road again. I hated when he called me that, but no amount of reminding him changed his ways. “If I may, you seem unwell.”
“I’m drunk,” I said bluntly.
“Yes, sir.” He didn’t continue, though his tone didn’t exactly sound done.
“Spit it out,” I said. I couldn’t deal with a judgmental Jenkins or the way he called me ‘sir,’ like he hadn’t practically raised me and was the whole reason I wasn’t even more fucked up.
He had served himself, and spoke often about his time in it and how that shaped him. The last thing I wanted was to end up like my father, but Jenkins had stepped up and filled that role, and I didn’t mind ending up like him.
My frustration melted under the memory, and I tried to listen to what he had to say.
“I’ve seen you drunk plenty of times. I’ve seen you with plenty of women, as well. You’re usually more in control, more interested, and frankly, more respectful of the women you bring home.” I closed my eyes against his chastisement. He was right.
“Bad night,” I said.
I couldn’t face disappointment from him right now about the situation I found myself in. You’d think I would have grown out of the desire to impress him by now, but it was still there, under the surface, driving me even if I didn’talways realize it.
He didn’t respond to my curt answer, and I turned to watch the scenery fly by as we drove. On a night like tonight, I usually would have gone to my apartment in the city, but Jenkins bypassed it and drove me out to my grandfather’s estate. Soon to be my estate, I supposed.
The post drunk melancholy had fully set in and all I wanted now was a glass of water and a comfortable bed.
My thoughts drifted to Lily again as we drove. What the hell was I supposed to do about her? She was vexing and amazing. She tasted better than anyone I’d ever been with before. Her cries of passion were like the finest music.
I hardened just from the memory of her. Something that no amount of caresses from the woman at the bar achieved. Not even reminding myself that she was my best friend slowed my libido.
Shit.
What the hell was I supposed to do now?
I reached for the water that Jenkins kept stocked in the compartment that separated the seats. I found a packet of electrolytes tucked in next to the water and felt relief for the first time all night.
“Jenkins, you’re an angel,” I praised as I poured the electrolytes into the bottle of water and guzzled it.
Thirty is entirely too old for me to continue the party life. I didn’t know how my dad did it. I wasn’t going to end up like him, too wasted to know his ass from his face, and all too happy to blow through every penny he had.
My short nails dug into my palms from my clenched fist. He didn’t control me and my choices. His choices were his own. I repeated the mantra until my hand relaxed and I could down the rest of the water.
I needed to set this right, do the right thing. Whatever that was.
Chapter Ten
Duke plagued my dreams last night.
“Touch yourself,” he said, but touched me before I ever could. I woke to slippery thighs and tight nipples, arousal and the cool air sending shivers down my spine.
Frustration plagued me, though. It was… amazing, last night, but I hadn’t exactly hoped to wake up alone. In my dreams, no matter how often I reached for Duke, he was always just a hair away, close enough to touch me, but always just out of my reach.
I didn’t expect this thing with Duke to be so intense. Sure, he had a reputation, and I’d heard enough about it, but with nothing to compare it to, the stories always seemed… overblown, unbelievable. I pushed my frustration aside and pulled the covers over my head, letting out a small scream while I kicked my legs, excitement driving me to move.
I’d had the best orgasm of my life last night, and dwelling on waking alone wasn’t going to get me down.
