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“I’ll keep this under wraps until you’re ready to announce it, but in private we gotta get something straight.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m not going anywhere, and I’m not letting you run from this. We’ve already crossed the line from friendship to something more, and I’m never going back. It’s too late for that. You hear me?”
“I hear you.”
“Say it,” he said.
“We’re together.”
“Try again.”
“You’re my boyfriend,” I said softly.
“Nope. Not good enough.”
I rolled my eyes. “You love me and I love you, and one day I’ll be your Old Lady and I’ll get your name branded onto my body so everyone in the whole world knows that I belong to Wylder ‘Duke’ Cavanaugh.”
“If we weren’t at a fancy restaurant, I’d find another use for that sassy mouth right now.”
“I just told you I loved you and you’re talking about blow jobs? And besides, being in a fancy restaurant didn’t stop you from putting your hand up my skirt.”
Duke reached for his coffee but then said sternly, “Promise me that you don’t have unresolved feelings for Savage, and that it’s not the reason you don’t want to tell him.”
“You’re joking, right? Tell me you’re not actually thinking that.”
“It’s crossed my mind a time or two…”
It was my turn to place my hand on his thigh. “I’m sorry, Duke. I didn’t know that was even a thought in your head. No, I’ve never wanted Savage. Not back then, and not now. He still doesn’t know, does he?”
“About the summer you and I lost our virginities to each other? No. He has no idea. And if I’m wrong and he does, then he’s a damned good liar.”
I closed my eyes briefly and smiled. “That was a good summer.” I opened my eyes to find Duke scrutinizing me.
“Yeah, it was a good summer,” he agreed, something intense moving between us.
“Tell you what,” I said, reaching for my purse. “You slow our relationship down a touch on your end, and I’ll speed it up on mine. We’ll meet somewhere in the middle. Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
I riffled through my purse and found my wallet. I slapped down a credit card onto the top of the check presenter without even looking at the bill.
“It’s just a receipt. I already paid,” Duke said, reaching to the presenter and handing me back my credit card. “I gave the server my card on my way to the bathroom.”
“This was supposed to be my treat,” I said. “I can afford to take you to dinner, Duke.”
“I know you can.”
“Then why did you do it?”
“Because I wanted to. I’m done arguing, Willa. Let me take care of you.”
“Okay, Duke.” I cradled his cheek and brushed my thumb across his stubble. “I’ll let you take care of me.”
Chapter20
We walkedacross the parking lot of the restaurant toward Duke’s bike which was parked right next to my car.
