The sound of their ragged breathing filled the room as they rode out the dizzying wave of desire.
When his spasms had subsided, Nic eased from Tira’s mouth and watched as she slumped back against Duke, her eyes closing as a tired smile lifted her lips.
Duke wrapped his arms around her and fell back against the cushions.
A good idea, Nic decided. Taking two short steps, he twisted around to sit on the couch as well, letting his head drop back.
Nic knew he’d never been as happy as he was at this moment.
If anything was worth fighting fate for, this was it.
Tira didn’t want to hear her cell phone ringing but she knew she couldn’t ignore it.
She wanted to. Oh, Blessed Goddess, how she wanted to.
Lying on the bed with Nic curled around her as she curled around Duke was like a dream come true.
The almost inaudible ping of her cell signaling a call from her home phone threatened to cut her heart out.
Part of the reason she didn’t want to answer it was fear. What if something had happened to her mom?
While she’d been here?
Fate really wouldn’t be that cruel, would it?
As her phone continued to ring, she knew it could be.
“Where is it, babe? I’ll get it.”
She heard resignation in Duke’s voice and, behind her, felt Nic stiffen.
It was only just after six in the evening.
Dawn was still almost twelve hours away.
“It’s in my bag in the bathroom,” she said, noting that it had stopped ringing. “My mom…”
“I know.” Duke slid out of bed. “I’ll get it.”
As he went into the bathroom, Nic’s arms gathered her close. “Maybe your mom just wants to check in.”
She nodded, hoping against hope that that’s all it would be. Even if the pit in her stomach was convinced it was something else.
In less than a minute Duke returned, her cell in his hand. It began to ring again as she took in the masculine beauty of his body. Ripped with muscle and stunning to behold, she wanted to run her hands all over him, kiss her way up the hard plane of his stomach until she reached that mouth. Duke was a man who knew how to kiss, was a master of it. And who enjoyed it.
Nic’s hands smoothed up and down her back, refusing to allow her body to tense. How could she when he made her feel boneless?
Duke stopped by the side of the bed and held out the phone. With a deep breath, she sat, trying not to shiver or sigh or in any way let the fear break through the cage she had it trapped in at the moment.
She pressed the button then touched the screen to redial the last number.
The phone barely rang when someone answered.
“Tira, is that you?”
Her heart stuttered in her chest. “Yes, Lais, it’s me. Is everything okay with Mom?”
“Your mother’s fine, Tira. That’s not why I’m calling.”
Confusion began to set in at Lais’ reluctant tone. Lais was never one to hold back on anything. If she had an opinion—and she always did—she told you.
“Then what’s going on?”
Lais sighed heavily into the phone. “Tira… A man showed up at the door today. He set off none of our alarms. It’s almost like he disabled them then marched right up to your house and knocked on the door.”
“What? Lais, I don’t understand. What—”
“He claims to be your father, Tira. And he wants to talk to you.”
Chapter Ten
Duke drove, Tira rode shotgun and Nic sat in the back.
Duke figured out of the three of them, he was the only one who’d keep his mind on the slick road.
And he did. For the most part.
Still, Tira’s father… Or some guy claiming to be Tira’s father had walked through the boschetta’s formidable wards without so much as a blip on their radar, strolled up to Tira’s front door and knocked on it like he was the FedEx guy.
The guy had to wield some serious power.
Who the fuck was he? Was he really Tira’s father?
If he was, what the hell was he doing here? And if he wasn’t, that just opened up a whole other can of worms.
Tira stared out the window, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. He could smell her anxiety, wanted to comfort her but didn’t know what the hell to say.
Nic sat behind her, one hand on her shoulder, the other on the back of Duke’s seat. He swore he felt Nic’s concern like a wave of heat through the seat itself.
It didn’t take them long to reach the boschetta village but the atmosphere in the car made his skin tighten by the time he pulled to a stop in front of Margie’s house. Lais had called Margie, and Dan, Margie’s mate, had taken the guy back to their house down the street.
Apparently, the guy hadn’t put up a fight, had done nothing antagonistic or aggressive.
But he seemed to know Su was having health issues. And that he had a daughter.
Duke wanted to check the guy out himself before he allowed Tira anywhere near him. He knew Nic wanted the same though Nic was probably smart enough not to say it in those exact words.
And Tira would tell them both that she could take care of herself and to stop acting like cavemen.
Duke didn’t care. She wasn’t getting near the man until they knew what he wanted.
And he had to want something. Where the hell had he been for the past twenty-six years and why had he turned up now?
“Tira—”
“Don’t say it.” She didn’t bother to look at him, just stared at Margie’s house. “Just don’t. I’m going in there to talk to him and you do not get a say in the matter.”
“Ti—”
She cut him off with the classic talk-to-the-hand, which he was inclined to ignore.
“But—”
She opened the door and jumped out, slamming it behind her before marching toward Margie’s house. Nic practically knocked him over as they both tried to shove their way out of the Jeep at the same time.
Duke actually stumbled over his own feet in haste to follow her and only Nic’s quick grab for his collar kept him upright. Nic muttered something under his breath that sounded like an insult but Duke didn’t bother to call him on it. He was too focused on getting to Tira.
Gods damn, she must’ve run for the fucking door. She already had it open and nearly slammed it in their faces before Nic got his hand on it to keep it open.
They both reached for her as they crowded inside, each of them pulling her back as they stepped around and in front of her.
Duke caught Dan’s carefully blank expression a second before he noticed the man slowly making his way to his feet on the other side of the room.
Duke’s breath froze in his chest.
Holy shit.
“Whoa.” Nic’s whisper was barely audible, but his “Fuck” was loud and clear.
Duke stole a quick look at Tira, her wide eyes glancing into his before she too looked at the man who only had eyes for her.
Duke wanted to pick her up and stuff her back in the Jeep and get her and Nic the hell out of here.
Because even a blind man couldn’t fail to see the resemblance.
The guy had Tira’s golden blonde hair though his was cut short and shot with silver. Tira’s blue eyes were an exact match to his, right down to the shape and size.
If the guy wasn’t her father… Hell, there was no other explanation.
He wore a dark suit, a striped tie and a pristine white shirt, expensive as hell if Duke had to take a guess. Shit, the guy’s shoes looked as if he’d had them custom made and just picked them out of the box this morning.