You're to Blame(25)
The joyful smirk on Rachel’s face is contagious. She winks, and we belt out the first line of “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”, which is exactly what we’re doing.
As we shout out the last few lines, Duke steps through the main entrance. He shakes hands with the bouncers and nods his chin towards Lydia at the bar. Derks greets him with a bro-like hug. When they back up from each other, Derks nods to where I’m currently embarrassing myself. My cheeks heat, knowing Duke’s eyes are on me.
Duke saunters dangerously slow towards the stage, and I’m suddenly well aware of the way my body sways to the song. A dim light twinkles in his green eyes, and shining back at me is the same confusing relief.
The song fades from the speakers, and I lower the mic. The crowd parts, and the amusement staring at me carries me to the spot in front of him.
Damn, he’s gorgeous. His navy-blue t-shirt is tight in all the right places, while his jeans are loose enough to make me wonder what’s underneath. Heat builds on my face at the thought, and I glance away like I’ve been caught with my hand in the cookie jar.
A whole ten days have passed since I last saw him, not that I’m counting. Our last encounter shifted something deep inside me. I’d overheard him giving Jacob a play-by-play of ESPN’s top ten clips of the week. A moment of softness from Duke is like finding Bigfoot. Some have claimed to see it, but no one has any true proof. I’d walked into the hospital room, seen the cuts on his knuckles, and before I could ask what happened, he’d bolted.
His knuckles are healed. My hands itch to touch the faint bruise on his cheek. I pull back, but my curiosity of where it came from is still there.
School assignments, hospital visits, and my internship are my perfect storm. Duke’s my source of relief in all the chaos.
After he’d run from the hospital room, Duke had messaged me to apologize for not sticking around. Since then we’ve texted. They’re harmless, but consistent, and under the pretense Duke’s doing it for Jacob. I believed him until the other night when, around eleven o’clock, my phone pinged.
Duke: Just wanted to say goodnight and I hope you had a good day.
The words were simple and to the point, but it was the first time Duke reached out without using Jacob as an excuse. I skimmed over the words, reading them several times before responding. That night, a brick crumbled from Duke’s wall, and it only made me want to chip away at it more.
““Girls Just Want to Have Fun”, huh?” His grin grows with his amusement.
“Not my first choice, but apparently, “My Heart Will Go On” is less than entertaining,” I shout, glaring at Rachel as she passes us.
“You can thank me, Duke, for not putting you through hell.” She winks at him and bounces to the bar. She chats up Lydia, giggling at the singers who follow us.
Duke and I both motion our hands to the bar, creating an uncomfortable dance. The heat from his body burns into my back as I take the lead. A thrill shoots through me when I glance over my shoulder and catch Duke staring at my ass. His eyes raking over my body is exhilarating. It’s the kind of attention I shouldn’t acknowledge, but one I want to lap up like icing off a cupcake. His dark eyebrows arch with a playful mischief.
“Caught you red handed,” I joke, smacking him across his taut stomach.
“You did.” He grabs my hand and pulls me into his side. “I’m sorry I’ve been distant,” he whispers in my ear. His breath dances against my skin. An ache radiates through my body. Just an inch keeps his lips from touching me.
“So, I wasn’t imagining it, then.”
“No, I’ll admit what happened in the kitchen threw me off.” He releases a breath over my shoulder. “But I know it didn’t mean anything. Just messed with my head. I thought if we weren’t around each other, it would make it easier.”
“So, you’ve been texting because it’s hard to feel attracted to someone over a text.” I’ll keep lying to myself, too, and pretend I don’t feel the energy between the two of us. Don’t turn around, because if you do, all you’ll see is over six feet of seduction.
“You’ve been texting the wrong way if that’s what you believe.”
“So, that’s why you’ve been texting.” At my bluntness, his head jerks back around. I place my finger on the underside of his chin and push his mouth closed.
“You’re hard to be around. I keep finding myself wanting to know more, so I thought texting would dull that.” His words are alluring, and enough of a reason not to look away. My heart turns over as his fingers graze mine, perfectly hidden between our bodies.
Lydia and Rachel watch the way we are together. I wiggle my fingers, and he releases me.
“What are you having tonight?” Duke’s palm softly grips the back of my neck. His warmth blankets the left half of my body. My back rubs against his stomach, and I’m torn between my willingness to move closer and realizing I should move away. He has nowhere else to go, Charlotte. So, what if his dick is inches away from your ass. Ignore it. My hips have other plans and flex backwards, and he hisses. Or don’t.
“Whatever you’re having.” The large crowd forces Duke to step against me. His knee between mine causes a sweet tension in my belly.
“No, don’t do that.” His minty breath feathers my cheek. “What do you want?” His words resonate like sex strapped to a rocket. The fire burns beneath, and they’re waiting for me to push the detonator.