Falling Under

  Duke watched her as she listened to something Asa said. She put her hand on a hip and sent him a look and Asa’s shoulders slumped, but he nodded his head.

  Duke double-timed it to his office because his cock was so fucking hard he was sure it could be seen from space. God damn how he loved it when she gathered them all up like wayward ducklings and got them back on track.

  He sure hoped her kitchen light was on that night when he got home.

  Just ten minutes later she tapped on his door, poking her head in. “Asa says he’ll handle the stuff about the undercarriage costs.”

  “He wants this project but this car isn’t going to be easy. Or cheap. Oh, can you look at this and tell me what your handwriting says?” Duke pointed to a sticky note covered in impressively neat and legible handwriting.

  When she moved around the desk to look, he slid around her to lock the door. He knew her liking to be watched thing had its limits but he wanted her so fiercely he seemed to throb with it.

  When the lock clicked, she looked up.

  If she had looked even the tiniest bit distressed or not into it in any way, he’d have written it off as a tease and unlocked.

  Instead, she licked her lips but stayed where she was.

  By the time he reached her—just four steps—that throb seemed to be thunder.

  “You’re sure?” he asked quietly.

  It was only hot if they were both on board.

  Carmella swallowed and then nodded.

  He was on her in one more half step, sweeping her close so he could whisper in her ear. “We’ll have to be quick. A down payment on whatever we do later tonight. And quiet.”

  His office had windows facing part of the shop floor and her space. But there was a blind spot, one he would sometimes situate himself in so he could get stuff done without being seen by anyone passing by.

  That’s where he moved her, his body against hers until they hit the corner where he’d placed a comfortable chair.

  “So glad you’re wearing a dress today.” One-handed, he pushed the skirt up and then her panties down. He bit back a curse at how hot and slick she was when he parted her labia and played a finger through her pussy.

  She sucked in a breath.

  “Hands on the back of the chair,” he whispered. Even though they needed to be fast and quiet, that didn’t mean he needed to skimp on keeping her satisfied.

  Slowly he circled her clit with a fingertip for a few breaths until she relaxed a little. Then he sped his pace, his touch firmer. Her body superheated around him.

  Bent over her body, he spoke in her ear. “Hurry now, gorgeous. I need you to come before I fuck you.”

  Her strangled, whispered response tore at him, sent a pulse of pleasure through him that dragged him right to the doorstep of orgasm.

  The scent of her filled his senses, and as she rained honey on his palm when she came, he used a free hand to get his cock out. Just the brush of his skin against his dick sent a shiver through him.

  “Now that you’re nice and wet,” he muttered, rolling a condom on quickly, “we can move to the next step.” He thrust into her pussy and she exhaled loudly enough that he put a hand over her mouth. And her cunt got so hot around him he knew she liked that very much.

  “Ahh. I see.”

  He kept his strokes deep and hard. Not fast, but relentless. The entire thing was so ridiculously hot and a little taboo that he was already incredibly turned on.

  She squirmed against him, her breath against his palm. Jesus, she was going to kill him.

  But first he was going to come. Really fucking hard. It gathered in the soles of his feet and then seemed to rush up his body and out his cock in wave after wave of pleasure so intense the muscles on the backs of his legs jumped.

  He buried his face in her neck as he groaned as quietly as possible.

  Years he’d had that office and he’d never had sex in it. Not a single time. Clearly he’d been waiting for the perfect woman to have it with because holy shit he was never going to look at that chair without the memory of this moment ever again.

  “I’ll see you later,” she said once she’d gotten herself back in order and headed out to her office.

  Her smile, though, damn. She got off on that little interlude as much as he did. Carmella Rossi was perfect for him. She just needed to see that herself.

  CHAPTER

  Fourteen

  Carmella got up early on Saturday to run the pills and some food over to her mom’s.

  The house was quiet as she let herself in. Given the general state of the place, her mother hadn’t come home the night before.

  “Too early to be alarmed,” Carmella muttered as she put the pills in their usual spot. The others had been taken, but there was no evidence of a problem so she took that for a win.

  The dog was also missing, which hopefully meant her mother had it with her, so at least Carmella didn’t need to deal with a snarly, enraged houseguest and Ginger pouting for a week.

  A check of the fridge when she dropped the food off showed nothing too abnormal. The usual cans of diet soda, some cheese. Virgie had eaten most of the stuff Carmella had left for her earlier in the week. No empties in the recycling.

  Refusing to worry about it, she left a note for her mother on the fridge and headed out, stopping by the pharmacy to grab some sunscreen on her way home. A day out riding meant she’d have a sunburn on her cheeks and nose if she wasn’t careful.

  When she pulled up at her house, Duke was already in his driveway with his motorcycle and several dudes around it and a few other bikes.

  PJ was there and she called out Carmella’s name, waving. Pleased, Carmella waved back. A few days ago she’d gone to drinks with PJ and her friends and Duke came to pick her up and then they’d gone to Dick’s and had burgers and milkshakes, just the two of them.

  It had been silly and wonderful.

  The night had ended with amazing sex in his front hallway because the bedroom seemed too far at the time.

  Never ever in her life had she given over to the sort of unrestrained sensuality that lived in her belly. Except with him. Duke made her feel wild and free, and because she didn’t know how not to be freaked out by that, she didn’t think about it and went for just feeling it instead.

  Before she could say anything, Duke looked up and froze Carmella in place when his gaze landed on her.

  Ever since their make-up on Monday, he’d been very intense and there was no denying they were seeing one another.

  At work he just sidled up to her when they spoke. At first he might try to keep it cool, but soon enough one corner of his mouth would turn up and he’d compliment her. Or proposition her. Both sometimes. He saved her a seat next to him in the break room, or would shove people out of the way to get to her. He maintained that easygoing thing, but he was being really clear that he liked her liked her.

  And that didn’t even take into account the fact that they’d had sex in his office that week too. Honestly, the man stole her wits. Heaven knew what he’d have her agreeing to next. But she probably would enjoy it, so there was that.

  He loped over, meeting her halfway.

  “Hey there.”

  “Mr. Bradshaw.”

  He pulled her into a hug, kissing her quick. “Errands go okay?”

  “Yep. I’m going to change and be right back, all right?”

  “We’ll be here. Still waiting on a few people so take your time. But hurry anyway because I like looking at you.”

  She rolled her eyes, blushing, and went into the house.

  Duke loved to take his bike out for long rides. This trip around the Olympic Peninsula was one he often hit with his friends during the summer and early fall.

  He’d never done it with a woman on the back of his bike. And he’d surely never done it with his woman on the back of his bike.

  Carmella was at home on a motorcycle, which was utterly clear by the way she rode. She didn’t hang on too hard, though she was close enough
that he felt the warmth of her against his back.

  Enough to make it feel like the best Saturday ride he’d ever taken.

  “Is it weird for you?” Duke asked Asa as they stood at an overlook, the scent of salt water and pine all mixed up to perfection.

  “You’re going to need to be more specific than that. I generally disapprove of most things so everything is weird for me.”

  Duke laughed. “Belonging to someone. Like a few months ago, even though I knew Carmella and was hot for her, I saw other women all the time. Looked. Touched as often as I wanted. And now?”

  “Now there are plenty of other women, but none of them matter to you like just one does. And you can try to tell yourself it’ll wane. Lessen with time if you just give yourself over to the company you are far more comfortable with.” Asa’s gaze shifted from Duke to PJ for a moment and then back to the churning, cold water in the distance.

  “Yes. Now I feel, I don’t know what to call it. Not chained, because that’s a negative. But bound? And more than that, none of those other women is Carmella.” Duke shrugged. “It’s not like I don’t see beauty all around me. It’s more like nothing else can compare to her. To what she makes me feel. And then I say to myself that I’ve only been with her a short period of time so how can I know such a thing?”

  Mick, who’d been standing on Duke’s other side, sighed with so much emotion, both Asa and Duke started, turning to face their friend.

  “Something you want to share?” Asa asked.

  “Love is fucking love. That’s it. You can know something immediately. Sometimes it takes years to know it. Do you love her?” Mick asked.

  “Yes.”

  “You didn’t even hesitate,” Mick said. “You answered without a second thought. So, I’m going to say this, you love her and that’s what you know. There can be myriad ways to go from this point. But you can’t unlove her. No matter how she feels. Eventually, if she never reciprocates, your love can wane. Or so I’m told.”

  “Dude, you’re blowing my fucking mind with all this wisdom and you’re telling us some shit you have held close for however long. Jesus, I need a beer for this day,” Duke said, shoving a hand through his hair.

  “To answer your previous question, Duke,” Asa interrupted. “It’s not weird to belong to someone. It’s awesome. It’s the best thing I’ve ever felt and I’ve felt a lot of great shit. It’s one of the few non-weird things in the world, in my opinion. Now you, Mick. Who is he? This guy you love and can’t stop loving?”

  “It’s a she,” Mick replied.

  Mick was openly bisexual and had been since he was a teenager, so Duke wasn’t surprised that a woman was a possibility. But Duke had only ever seen his friend with men for longer than a night or some flirtation.

  “And a he. Probably. It’s so complicated I don’t even know where to start. But I know right now isn’t the time. I just … accept what you feel, Duke. Don’t run from it because it seems so big and scary you can’t make heads or tails of it sometimes,” Mick said to Duke. “Don’t you look at Asa and PJ and want that too?”

  Duke nodded. He wasn’t sure when he’d gone from looking at relationships as something other people did recreationally, to something pretty freaking amazing when it was a real connection like the one their friend had with PJ.

  “Look, I’m not going to evangelize on the wonder of being in love with a person who knows you to the bone and loves you anyway. Or of being with someone who works the way you do, wants to build something with you. Huh.” Asa stopped speaking and then tipped his chin at Duke. “I guess I just did. The right person is everything.”

  PJ called out that they were hungry and wanted lunch so the talk needed to end. But when Duke turned around, he saw Carmella, her hair dancing in the wind now that she’d removed the scarf she’d worn under her helmet.

  She was his right person. Whether he was her right person or not, he couldn’t control. Which freaked him out a little. That’s what he had to figure through.

  Carmella smiled at him as he approached. “I need to carry PJ with me everywhere I go. The woman gets shit done.”

  Mick bounded up and handed Carmella something. A bright red crab fridge magnet.

  She looked it over, delighted.

  “I got it for you at that last gas stop. To commemorate today.” Mick winked at her and she blushed.

  Duke watched her, greedy for her joy at such a small thing.

  “Thank you.”

  “Do you collect them?” Mick teased.

  “Crabs? Or magnets?”

  “I know someone who collects thimbles from different places she goes. Some people do mugs. Like that,” Mick explained.

  “Oh! I hadn’t thought of that. How fun.” She tucked the magnet into one of the saddlebags on Duke’s bike. He’d chosen the Harley, which had a more comfortable seat for her. It gave him an excuse to have two bikes, which worked out. He’d take the BMW when he went on solo rides.

  Suddenly he realized he had a lot of wonderful shit in his future with this woman. As she got close, Duke hugged her and her initial surprise melted away as she returned the embrace.

  “Let’s get you fed.” He handed her the helmet after she put the scarf over her hair once more. When she slid her sunglasses into place, the beauty of her was a punch. “You sure are pretty.”

  “You’re really nice to have around.”

  He swallowed back that fear and chose the happiness instead.

  “I eat a lot more now that I hang out with you guys. I’m not sure I can keep this up without gaining fifty pounds,” Carmella said lazily from her place on the blanket.

  They’d picked up a ridiculous amount of freshly steamed crab and mussels, along with every side imaginable, and had set up on a nearby stretch of beach to eat their feast.

  By that point, she lay sprawled in the sunshine, full and happy.

  “Asa can drink two milkshakes a day and still be hard and flat. Not exceptionally fair, but then again, look at him,” PJ said. “My theory is all the adrenaline keeps them fit.”

  “So racing and fisticuffs is slimming?”

  Duke laughed from his place next to her. “It’s the new diet revolution.”

  “This explains so much.” Carmella kept her eyes closed, but she smiled, knowing he watched her features.

  Clifton used to watch her too. But in a calculated way. She hadn’t seen that for months, and when she finally did, she’d been married to him and didn’t want to just walk away without bothering to try.

  Carmella knew Duke was different from her ex on just about every level, but the way Duke treated her was the biggest difference. He made her feel listened to. Which she supposed was why she’d been so hurt about the argument over the pills. He hadn’t listened then. But he’d taken responsibility and apologized for it.

  He was really close to perfect.

  Another area she didn’t want to get near at that point. Not yet. So she shoved it away and let herself have the day with her friends. She didn’t have a lot of these in her life.

  At least not until Duke had burst into her life the way he had. Which was funny for such a slow-talking dude who rarely seemed to get mad. But he was bigger than life and she got caught up in his gravity every time.

  Being with Duke was playing with fire and she did it anyway. Which was probably why it always felt so good.

  “I guess I’m failing to understand, but the idea of getting punched for fun seems to miss the entire point of recreation to start with,” Carmella said.

  “Probably a lucky thing for your potential opponent. In my experience with you, I imagine you’d get in there and tear shit up. It’s always the little ones.” Duke dropped down to kiss her.

  “What? You don’t tear shit up when you fight?”

  “Do you want to see it for yourself?” Duke asked quietly.

  Did she? Did she want to watch Duke beat someone up or get beaten up? Was this any different from the losers she tried to get away from?

&nb
sp; “Maybe.”

  Carmella didn’t want to think about it. About how if it wasn’t different from those guys, then why did it make her excited? The idea of watching all the nice guy Duke worn away to the badass underneath zinged through her.

  And what did that make her then? Like Virgie? Like she was with Clifton at first? It felt different, but was she lying to herself the way her mother did to enable her addiction to shitty men with no job and a predilection for prison?

  All through this panicked internal monologue, Duke watched her like he knew exactly what she was thinking. And he let her process without pushing. Not speaking to make his case or sweet-talk her off the subject.

  “Let’s get back on the road, folks,” Mick called out from where he stood with some of the other guys from the shop.

  Her friends.

  Duke stood, giving her a hand up, and when she stood, he kissed her temple. “Ready to ride? This next stretch is a longer one, so if you need to stop, let me know, okay?”

  Beyond words for a moment, she just nodded with a smile.

  CHAPTER

  Fifteen

  Come to the track tonight,” PJ said as she came into Twisted Steel the following Wednesday.

  “Uh …”

  PJ just stared at her. “Did something bad happen when you went before? Did someone say or do something? If so, you need to tell me. I can get it to the guys if you don’t want to tell them yourself.”

  Carmella looked out to the shop floor and back toward Asa and Duke’s offices to be sure no one was near enough to overhear. “Normally I’d just say nothing was wrong and shoo you away. But you don’t shoo away.”

  PJ snickered. “I’ll have you know I’m persistent. It’s a winner’s quality.”

  “It’s something. That’s for sure.” But Carmella pointed to the coffeemaker. “Want some?”

  Five minutes later with coffee and a snack, Carmella knew she’d stalled all she could. “This is totally petty. I know it. But the women there. All the time.”

  “Petty? Hell no. I understand it as it’s the same for me too,” PJ said.