Page 95 of Serenity
Oh, just to know you are the truth.”
It was settled. Depressing the gas pedal of the AMG GT, I eased out of the parking garage, making the twelve-minute drive to Gray Hotel.
A montage of billboards, bright lights, and business signage peppered Love Blvd. Breezing past Sin, I recalled the insults on Thanksgiving from my brother toward Duke. We still weren’t speaking. An entire relationship had been fractured in defense of Duke.
All of this can’t be for nothing.
Making a left on Desire, I crept away from the hustle and bustle of Love Blvd. Frantic, my nails tapped against the phone’s screen. A second call was placed to Duke as I neared Gray Hotel. Again, he didn’t answer. Pulling up to the valet under the hotel’s elaborate porte-cochère, I exited and grabbed my ticket.
Was he out of the country? Was he with someone else? Maybe he’s sleeping. Or maybe he’s just ignoring me.
Untamed, my thoughts danced across thousands of synapses. The nervousness I felt nearly made me about-face to return in the direction I’d come. Standing center in the hotel’s lobby, those thoughts of doubt came to a screeching halt upon noticing her.
Myaquanna Juliette Stepford.
Clinging on the arm of some handsome man, she didn’t notice me as the pair eased by and out of the hotel’s door. This bitch was blissfully booed up, and I was miserably alone and away from Duke. Senseless, I berated myself. Without delay, my feet swiftly led me down the hall and up the hotel’s antiquated elevator to the penthouse floor.
While armed with the keycard Duke had given me for entry, I halted at the door, offering to knock instead. Never had I been a presumptuous bitch, and I damn sure didn’t want to walk in on him with someone else. Trepidation anchored me in place, and fear snaked its way up my limbs. Seconds passed before I heard footsteps approaching. The pressure of weight pushed against the door as he utilized the peephole. Finally, he opened up.
Dressed in nothing but boxers, he stretched and yawned. His bare chest, a surfboard. His ripped arms, a paddle. The morning wood sported between his legs reminded me of what I’d missed for an entire week. Even on soft, he was capable of touching his thigh. Dragging my eyes away from his groin, I managed a single syllable.
“Hey.”
Rubbing his lids, he cleared them of sleep.
“What’s up?”
“Can I come in?” Motioning to the bowels of the penthouse, my eyes whisked to the interior.
“Come on.”
Stretching the door wider, he allowed me entry. The undeniable contact of his eyes skimmed across my body as I eased past.
Detouring to the kitchen, Duke filled a glass with tap water while I shed my coat and hung it near the front door. After having his fill, he set the glass aside and finally spoke more than two words. “What’s up with you?”
“I’m here. How are you, Duke? What have you been up to these last few days?”
“I just got back from spending a few days in the gulf.”
“Oil rigs?” Inching closer to the quartz counters, I braced my weight. Duke’s eyes surveyed the length of my body, from the furry ushanka hat to the matching wooly mammoth boots.
“Yeah, oil. It’s been a long week.”
“I didn’t mean to disturb your sleep. I was hoping we could talk.”
“Okay.”
As he stalked toward the living room, I followed behind. Stretched across the sofa, he relaxed his head against a pillow and closed his eyes. The lull of the overhead ceiling fan aided in calming my nerves as I gathered my thoughts.
“You aren’t going back to sleep on me, are you?”
“I’m tired, Bee, but I’m still awake. Go ahead. Talk.”
Evasive, my words were. Words I’d rehearsed and studied prior to my arrival. Maybe it was his seductive physique, the velvety tone of his voice, or the commanding way he said “talk,” but my head was a mess. Only one set of words didn’t come with confusion. No chaos. No delusions. Just truth.
“I love you, Duke.”
“I love you, too, Serenity.” Almost instinctively but not robotically, he returned the confession.