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“Ah, then my plan is working,” he said lightly. “Take your keys but leave everything else. You won’t need it.”
I turned off the coffee maker and then locked up the house. Duke was already straddling his bike when I came down the walkway. He held out a helmet to me which I immediately put on.
“You’re really not going to tell me where we’re going or how you have my phone—which I totally thought I lost, by the way.”
“Patience, darlin’. Patience. Hop on.”
I climbed on the back of his motorcycle and immediately scooted as close as I could to him, wrapping my arms around his massive body. He cranked the engine, dropped the bike into gear and then torqued the throttle and we sped off.
Nestled close to him, with the warm air on my cheeks, I sighed and breathed in the moment. He drove through town, winding through the streets with expert precision. On the back of his bike, I felt free. My breaths were deeper, and any burdens I carried from the outside world lifted off my shoulders and my mind cleared.
I understood why Duke and Savage spent so much time on their bikes. It was a way for them to work out whatever troubled them.
We rode out of city limits and for a moment, I wondered if he was taking us to Brooklyn and Slash’s. But he turned in the opposite direction of their house and we continued on our way.
It was another ten minutes or so before Duke pulled up to a house and parked. He turned off the engine and held the bike upright while I climbed off. I removed the helmet and set it on the seat behind him as he kicked out the stand and eased the bike to rest on its perch.
“Where are we?” I asked in confusion.
He swung his leg over the bike and stood. He grasped my hand, linking his fingers through mine, and we headed up the sidewalk to the wrap around front porch of the house.
The steps squeaked, which made me smile.
Duke didn’t knock on the front door—he twisted the knob and pushed it open, gesturing for me to enter first.
I shot him a frown of confusion, and then went inside.
I came to a stop not two steps into the foyer. Candles in tall, clear glass votives rested on the stairs, lined the hallway, and even the room off the hallway which looked to be the living room. The fireplace mantle had candles, too.
But that wasn’t what was shocking.
It was the three leaf clovers that covered the entire floor of the house.
“What is this?” I asked, crouching down to pick a clover up and examine it.
“You didn’t really think I’d let you get away with proposing to me, did you?”
My jaw dropped open. “You know? How do you know?”
“Savage,” he said. “He took your phone to prevent you from making any sort of arrangements.”
“Duke, I…you can’t…I have to be the one to—”
He placed a finger against my lips, silencing me. “Let me show you the house.”
I nodded.
He dropped his finger and then took my hand. “Upstairs first.”
My hand tracked the wooden banister as I followed him up the stairs. “It was built in 1915, but it’s been completely renovated. All the charm and original build quality is preserved, but it’s fully up to date with modern plumbing, wiring, and AC.”
I saw at once what he meant. It still had all the beauty and craftsmanship of an old home, but it had been modernized, made even more apparent by the giant bathroom connected to the biggest bedroom.
There were three other bedrooms upstairs, along with another full bathroom.
Duke took me back downstairs. I peeked into the living room with the fireplace mantle. “Does the fireplace work?” I asked.
“Yep.”
