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“Nothing I can think of right now. Just be careful.” He stopped and pressed a kiss to my forehead. I sighed. I think forehead kisses were my new favorite thing.
“I’m going to go grab my bag and head out.” I went to my room and got my things together before I decided to stay behind with him all day.
“Have a good day, Liam. I’ll see you tonight.” I waved at him as I passed the kitchen on the way out.
“Dulcinée.” Liam’s voice was deeper than I’d ever heard it. I froze in place. Had I made him mad? I swallowed and forced myself to face him.
“Yes?” I couldn’t hide the quiver in my voice and winced.
He met me in the hallway. He must have noticed my reaction because his eyes softened as he wrapped his hand around the back of my neck. “Hey,” he whispered. “You okay?”
I took a deep breath and nodded. He wasn’t mad at me. Duke and Liam were nothing like Jeff. I needed to remember that. When his lips landed on mine, the tension fell away.
Liam hummed against my lips before reluctantly stepping back. “Have fun. Be safe.”
“I will.” He walked me to the door. “I didn’t ask you what you were going to do today.”
“Taking Zeus out for a ride. He needs a good workout now that he’s been cleared by Caleb.” He gave me another quick kiss.
“Then I guess I should be telling you to be safe too.” I snuggled in his embrace, enjoying the flutters in my body at being near him.
“Go before I cancel all our plans for the day and take you to bed,” he growled in my ear then swatted my ass as he sent me out the door.
I giggled but didn’t stop. Glancing over my shoulder, I could see Liam and Jax standing in the doorway, watching me leave. My heart soared. After yesterday, I wasn’t certain how everything would play out, but it looked like I was worried about nothing.
“Come on, girl. Let’s go, let’s go,” Grace called from the ranch’s SUV. “Took you long enough.”
I piled in the backseat along with Alex and Jessie. As we headed to town, the girls chatted about wedding details, and my mind wandered to last night. They’d both been very thorough in making sure I was well satisfied. My face heated as I remembered just how satisfied I’d been.
I couldn’t believe the drastic differences in them. Duke withhis body, hot as sin. It should be illegal to look that good. The scars and tattoos made him look even more delicious. His grumpiness was only a mask for everyone else. He showed me his true self, and it was intense. He made me feel desired and safe—things I’d never felt before I met him.
And Liam with his lean, muscular frame that looked sculpted from stone. The splatter of hair across his chest and the trail that lead from his navel to his impressive member… I had to wonder if Liam would let me explore his body more tonight, or if he had other plans. When we were together, he had a dominance that gave me the courage to explore things I’d never done before. He was caring and gentle, and he had this need to always be near me.
The more I thought about Duke and Liam, the more I realized how much I liked them, and how much I missed them when they weren’t around. My heart thudded in my chest. I was falling for them. How could I fall after a few days? What could this possibly mean and how could I be sure my heart wouldn’t be shattered when I eventually left?
LIAM
Iwalked into the second barn to look for Duke. When I messaged him to find out information, he let me know he needed to grab supplies before heading to the broken fence. He was very short in his messages, and it had me worried, considering what I’d overheard from his conversation this morning.
A group was gathered near the supply room. Their words were low and hard to hear over the sounds of the nickers and snorts from the remaining horses. I didn’t try to hide my steps as I approached them. I picked up a few words likecut,vandalism, andsabotageas I got closer.
“Let’s not tell the girls yet. It could have been some teenagers looking for fun,” Declan said once I’d joined the group. Declan and Thomas, the ranch owners, were huddled with Duke, Matt, one of the stable hands, and Gavin.
“I agree,” Duke said. Since he’d woken this morning, the usual serious Duke was firmly in place.
“Have you checked the cameras to see if they caught anything?” Thomas asked Duke.
“They’re being downloaded as we speak, and I’ll watch them tonight.” He sighed. With Duke’s training, I could already guess he had a list of other things he wanted to do in his head.
Duke was clearly going to be very busy over the next few days between handling this and his shifts. My stomach twisted. I’d already seen the positive changes in Duke since Abbey came into our lives. What if he reverted to how closed off he was before or convinced himself not to pursue her? Knowing Duke, he’d tell himself he couldn’t be with Abbey for a variety of reasons.
And what about Abbey? Clearly, the man in her last relationship didn’t take care of her needs. What if she thought Duke didn’t want her because he had to give his attention to the vandalism? He and I were both in this. I had to make sure we nurtured what we’d started. I knew Abbey was the one for us.
I hadn’t spoken with him since we’d had our first taste of her. I’d spent the last eight years trying to get Duke to loosen up and come back to life after his deployment and academy training. Last night, I saw a side of him I’d never seen before—one I wanted to see more of. He didn’t close himself off like he usually did, and he doted on Abbey like she was already his. Plus, he didn’t have a nightmare last night. And Abbey was the one to get him to that contentment.
As much as I was worried about him not being able to find time for her right now, I was sure he’d find little ways to show her he was there for her. At least I hoped so.
“I heard about what happened. What do you need me to do?” I looked around at each of the men in the circle. “The girls left for town to go shopping.”
