Page 54 of Echoes in the Storm
A little girl steps in between us, which is quite the feat given our proximity. “Can I be a puppy?”
“You can be whatever you want, sweetheart,” Duke tells her as he vacates the seat. “I’ll hang around with your mum until you’re done,” he says, backing away.
“Sure. Don’t let her chew your ear off, though.”
He chuckles, fading into the darkened car park. “Nah, that’s your job.”
I end up painting Spiderman, not once, but five times. Still, the smiles on the kids’ faces when they check themselves out in the hand mirror I have on standby make it totally worth it. The crowd thins out relatively fast, and by eight the car park is empty save for those of us left behind to clean up. Small bonuses that come with volunteering at a children’s event—early finish times.
“If you want to head off, I can finish up here,” Jacinda offers as I rinse out the paint pots under the outdoor tap.
“Are you sure?”
She grins, jerking her chin to indicate over my shoulder. “Babe, if any man can put up with your mother for that long, he deserves to take you home early.”
I look behind me and find Duke watching us as, sure enough, my mother chews his ear off.
“Who is the guy, anyway? He’s cute.”
A pang of irritation spikes in my chest at the way she blatantly eye-fucks him. “I’ll catch up with you later in the week, huh?” I shove the pots into her grasp. “You can tell me how much you managed to raise tonight.”
“Sure thing.” She wriggles on the spot. “Here he comes, Cam. Like I said—cute.”
I restrain from flipping her the bird as she walks away. I’ve never felt this possessive over a man, not even Jared, and to be frank, it scares me. He’s been here all of four days …
“Ready to go home?”
… and I’m ready to rake my nails over the guy to lay claim. “Sure. Let me grab my bag.”
Duke lifts his hand to show the tote slung in his grasp. “Already got it.”
“I better say goodnight to Mum.”
“She’s gone already.”
Well, that was quick …“I guess I’m all done here then,” I announce with a quick flap of my arms.
And yet, I don’t move.
I knew Duke was hot the minute I first laid eyes on him. I knew he’d be a handful when I invited him to stay. Hell, I knew he’d get under my skin when he first criticised where I keep my coffee. But damn, I never expected to be blindsided with feelings for him like I have been.
I can’t move, can’t make that first step toward home because I know what’ll happen when we get there.
He’ll offer to make me a hot drink before bed. I’ll have a shower where I’ll think about him to the point that I’ll consider the logistics of sneaking my vibrator into the bathroom with me next time. He’ll strip down to only his sweatpants while he waits on me to go to bed, and the whole time I’ll be wondering how long I should wait before making another move so that I don’t come off as desperate, hoping he’ll spare me the torture by doing it first.
I think a fire walk would be less stressful right now.
“You kind of need to show me where you parked,” he coaxes.
“Right.” Get in the car and get him home where it’s lit up like a damn Christmas tree. The man doesn’t like the dark. He’s bound to get uncomfortable if we’re still standing here when Jacinda turns the fairy lights off.
Duke reaches out, taking my hand. “It’s supposed to be me who’s freaking out, remember?”
“Are you?” I put one foot after the other and somehow manage to remember how to walk.
“Not too bad.” He squeezes my hand as we head out of the kindergarten car park. “Heart rate’s elevated, my subconscious is chatty, but I’m managing to keep a lid on it so far.”
“I’m so proud of you for coming tonight.”