by K. S. Smith
As I made my way down the stairs, I held onto the handrail, glancing around at the scenery of the tiny Barbados airport where we’d just arrived. Duke’s arms wrapped around me from behind, and he kissed my neck. “Vacation. Just what we all needed.”
We made our way down the rest of the stairs, the sound of Tripp’s voice echoing behind us. “Lifestyles of the rich and famous, Hamilton-style. Thank you, Daddy, for the private jet.”
Megan slapped his arm. “Can you act like a civilized human being? The locals are going to think we’ve brought a buffoon to the island with us.”
Tripp began dancing around in his board shorts and tank top, flailing his arms and singing island music to embarrass her even further.
Megan’s cheeks flushed red as a tomato, and she rushed over to me, interlocked our arms, and shoved Duke from my side. “Please go kill him. The world would be a better place.”
Duke let out a loud laugh. “What’s wrong? He’s just excited about vacation.” He walked over to Tripp and began dancing just like him.
I couldn’t help but laugh hysterically as Megan hid her face in my shoulder. “Didn’t the ad say we were getting big, bad, tough guys?”
I shook my head and pulled her toward the town car that was awaiting us, still laughing at the two of them making fools of themselves.
The house was magnificent, hidden by a jungle-filled front yard, only to be completely open in the back to a pristine, white, sandy beach met by crystal-clear, blue ocean water. I couldn’t help but rush through the open layout and make my way onto the white sand, Megan hot on my heels. I discarded my dress and sandals on the patio, dashed down to the water, and dove in headfirst.
When I came up for air, Megan was prancing around in her bikini on the shoreline. “It’s too cold. How did you just jump in like that?” She hollered louder the farther I swam out.
“Oh, quit being a baby!” I shouted, trying to keep her attention on me as I saw Duke and Tripp rushing up behind her. I knew what Tripp was about to do.
I stared at Duke, smiling as he ran toward me in nothing but his board shorts. He bypassed Megan, dove into the water, and swam out to me just as Tripp scooped her up into his arms and ran into the waves as fast as he could. Megan screamed at the top of her lungs.
Duke popped out of the water right next to me, and I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him hard before turning my attention back to Megan and Tripp. He had her over his shoulder and was slapping her ass as she kicked and screamed, trying to get him to put her down, laughing the entire time.
“I’m glad we did this,” Duke said. He kissed my neck and pulled me back to the shallow end where he could hold me without having to tread water.
Once he was able to stand, I slid my legs around his waist. “Me too. It was much needed. I know summer break isn’t far away, but it’s nice to just get away for a few days.”
We both turned toward Tripp and Megan, watching as he chased her around the sand, trying to catch her and put her back in the water.
“When is he going to pop the question? It’s obvious he’s head-over-heels in love with that girl.” I questioned, looking back to Duke, who all of the sudden had a funny look on his face.
My stomach fluttered. “Oh my gosh, he’s going to ask her, isn’t he?” I asked in a high-pitched whisper. “Does he have the ring already? Is he going to do it this weekend?” I grabbed Duke’s face and kissed his forehead. “She is going to freak out. The diamond is princess-cut, right? That’s her favorite. Did he ask her dad? What about her brother? Oh my gosh, we are going to get to plan a wedding! This is so exciting!”
Duke shook his head, “Good Lord, you women are crazy about weddings. I never said he was going to propose to her. I have no idea when he’s going to ask her.”
I bounced up and down in his arms, grinning from ear to ear. “Is that why you just said you don’t know when he’s going to ask her? I get it. I can keep a secret. She’ll never know it’s coming, I promise.”
Duke shook his head. “You’re insane.”
I leaned in and kissed his lips, tasting the salt water on his mouth. “Insanely in love with my man.”
Megan and I spent the next few hours lying out on the beach, working on our tans while the guys went into town to buy groceries for the next few nights.
“So, you and Tripp are doing really well. Do you think he is going to pop the question soon?”
Megan sat up quickly in her lounge chair. “I’m not sure. I mean, I feel like I’m ready, but you know how guys are. It could take Tripp forever to figure out if I’m the one. What about you and Duke? Do you think it’ll be soon?”
I sat up so I was eye-level with her and crisscrossed my legs. “I’m not sure. I think with everything that went down, it may be too soon. It’s only been a month since we’ve been back together. I mean, I know I’m ready. If he asked me today, I’d say yes, but like you said, you never know with men. I almost wish the rule was that women asked the men. That way we wouldn’t have to wait so long.”
Megan hopped off her chair and reached for a giant coconut that was on the ground next to the group of palm trees and then got down on one knee in front of me. “I can see it now. ‘Oh, Duke, please do me the honor of being my beautiful bride.’”
I laughed at my best friend but played right into her dramatization, standing on top of my chair, folding my arms over my chest, and stomping my foot, trying to talk in a deep voice. “’That ring is entirely too small, and the least you could have done was allow me to get a proper manicure before you proposed. I’m just appalled.’”
Megan dropped the coconut and pulled me inside as we both continued laughing at the other’s acting skills. Megan opened the refrigerator and pulled out two beers then cracked them both open and handed one to me. “Well, at least we have each other if all else fails!”
We clinked our bottles together and yelled, “Cheers!”
The sound of music made its way into the house, and the slamming of two car doors indicated that the guys were back from the grocery store. The front door swung open, and they were both carrying loads of groceries, way too much for our four-night trip.
“What is all of this?” I asked curiously.
Duke set his bags down on the countertop. “Food. There’s more in the trunk. We couldn’t resist. There was just so much to choose from.”
Megan and I started emptying the bags as Duke and Tripp made three more trips to the car. Once everything was unloaded and out of the bags, I stood there in shock, trying to figure out how in the world the four of us were going to eat all of this food.
I lifted up one of the bags. “You literally have enough food here to feed a small army.”
Tripp wrinkled his nose at my statement. “We only feed marines.”
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever! Now you two go enjoy yourselves while Megan and I figure out where we are going to put all of this.”
Duke walked passed me and slapped my bikini-clad ass before he leaned into my ear. “Love you, beautiful.”
My lips curled up into a smile, and I tilted my head so he had plenty of room to shower my neck with kisses. “Love you more.”
I handed him two beers, and he and Tripp went on their merry way outside toward the water.
“What are we going to do with all of this food?” Megan asked, picking up an entire fish and holding it in the air, pretending it could talk. “Help me. I need to be released back into the ocean.”
My hands wrapped around the fish and took it from her hands. I put it back into the thick white paper she’d pulled it out from. “How do you even cook this stuff? Duke knows I don’t cook well, so I hope he and Tripp are up to playing chef for the next few days.”
Megan and I spent the next hour making room for all of the groceries before I wiped my hands with a dishtowel and leaned back against the counter. “I’m beat. I think I’m going to go take a shower so I’ll be freshened up for dinner.”
Megan agreed. “I’ll let the boys know.�
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I looked out to the patio, and Duke and Tripp were relaxing with beers in their hands as the ocean waves crashed behind them in paradise. It was nice to see them outside of work, with no worries to distract them. I headed into my room and closed the door behind me. I undressed and climbed into the ornate master shower that was decorated to compliment the beautiful surroundings of the ocean.
Refreshed from the shower, I allowed the steam to billow from the bathroom before I started in on my hair and makeup. I stepped into the closet and scanned the things I’d brought. Spotting my favorite chevron romper, I dropped my towel to the floor and pulled it up over my naked body. I checked myself out in the mirror to ensure everything looked okay. “Perfect!” I said aloud before scooping the towel off the floor and making my way back into the bathroom for hair and makeup.
As I stood at the mirror putting the final touches on my face, I could see Megan bouncing into the bathroom. She sat down on the granite countertop of the his-and-her sink. “I left my foundation at home by accident. Do you have anything in my color?”
I pushed my huge bag of makeup across the counter and gave her full access to everything that was inside. “Use whatever you need. Just don’t take my strawberry lip balm. I have that just for Duke. He likes the way it tastes.”
The face she made was priceless, and I couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m kidding. Like I said, use whatever you need. I’ve got everything. MAC cosmetic department doesn’t have anything on me.” Winking, I reached for my coral lipstick and matching gloss.
“Do you smell that?” Megan asked.
I inhaled deeply, and the aroma filled my nose; instantly my stomach began to groan in hunger. “That smells delicious. Who in the world cooked?”
We rushed out of the room all dolled up from head to toe and ran directly into Duke and Tripp, who were both standing on the patio as the glowing sun set behind them, obviously proud of the spread that was before us.
“Dinner is served,” Tripp said smugly, while Duke pulled my chair out for me and motioned for me to be seated at the table.
I sauntered over to him, gripped his ass in my hand, and placed a kiss on his lips. “Have I told you lately how amazing you are?”
He kissed me back harder. “Not today.”
As they prepared our plates, Megan asked the question that they probably both knew we were thinking. “Where on earth did you learn to cook like this? I mean, we know you can grill, but this is just to die for. It’s like you were both contestants on Hell’s Kitchen and actually won the grand prize.”
Tripp leaned in, kissed the top of her head, and then turned to Duke. “Should we tell them?” he asked, obviously trying not to laugh.
Duke lifted his beer to his lips and shrugged his shoulders. “I’m sticking to the story that I helped prepare all of this.”
Tripp’s head flew back, and his laugh echoed for miles. “While we were in town at the market, we met the owner of the store. We told her that we were here with the loves of our lives and wanted to ensure that they ate well during our trip. Her initial reaction was to laugh in our faces, knowing full-well that we probably didn’t know our way around a kitchen. So she offered to help us with everything we’d need for a delicious meal each night we were here and then promised to come over and cook for us. We were going to introduce her to you both, but the timing was perfect, and she arrived just after you two went to take showers. We knew once you began to get ready, we’d have at least two hours on our hands, so when she packed up and left, I thought it’d be fun to pretend that Duke and I had been slaving away in the kitchen all afternoon.”
We all burst out in laughter. Only these two could find someone to come over each night and cook for us. I poured a glass of wine, filled Megan’s glass, then lifted my glass to toast. “To a delicious meal prepared by a lovely lady who we’ll hopefully get to meet. May this trip be one we never forget.”
Our glasses met their beer bottles, and we all toasted to our first night in paradise.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
The next day was spent almost exactly like the first. Megan and I worked on our tans while the guys chased each other on Jet Skis all afternoon. That night Duke and Tripp took the two of us into town for a taste of local cuisine.
After a delicious dinner, the four of us were back at the house relaxing on the patio as we continued to consume exorbitant amounts of alcohol.
Megan leaned over to me and did her best to whisper into my ear. “What do you think about an evening swim?” she practically shouted.
I nodded my head up and down as a grin appeared on my face. “Oh yes.” I jumped out of the chair, knocking my beer bottle over in the process, and stumbled to my feet. Duke picked up my overturned beverage.
Not even thinking, I gripped the hem of my tank top and ripped it over my head then darted to the drawstring of my lounge shorts and began untying it. I heard a low growl from behind me as I slipped my shorts to the floor, exposing my thong.
Duke’s voice was deep when he spoke. “Brianna, you either put your clothes back on or go change into a bathing suit. Now.”
I spun on my heels as Megan laughed behind me. “Oh please, this is fine. It shows just as much as my bathing suit does.”
The look he was giving me told me I was about to be in serious trouble, so I spun and darted off toward the water.
My feet were pushing as hard as possible, giving my calves a total workout as I pressed through the soft beach sand. They finally met the cool dampness of the shoreline, and, before Duke could catch me, I dove in, using my arms and legs to take me as far from shore as I could get.
When I finally came up to gasp for the air my lungs needed after I’d swam as far out as possible, I flung myself around and stared at Duke, who was standing on the shoreline, his lips pressed together and fists clenched at his sides. “Too nice of a night to be a sourpuss on the shore. Why don’t you get your sexy ass in the water with me?” I shouted to him.
He stood there, arms now crossed over his chest — as if that would make me listen to him — and I could see he wasn’t thrilled with my actions. “I’ll get in when you change.”
My brow lifted, and I couldn’t help but smirk as another harebrained idea popped into my mind. “Fine, I’ll change.”
As I kept myself afloat treading water, I reached behind me and unhooked my bra, slipping it off, and then shimmied out of my panties. I held them both up in the air and threw them in the direction of Duke. “All changed. Happy now?”
His face contorted, and he quickly glanced over his shoulders. My assumption was that he was looking to see where Tripp and Megan were. When he saw that they were both splashing around in the pool, not paying a bit of attention to the two of us, his legs began to rush into the water.
As his body flew through the water toward me, I couldn’t help but belly laugh; my tough man couldn’t bear the thought of anyone but him seeing my naked body.
When he finally reached me, his arm slung around my waist, and he began swimming closer to shore, not saying a single word — yet everything he wanted to say was clearly written across his face. When his feet could touch, he shook the water droplets off his eyelashes and stared at me hard. “Clothes on, now,” he ordered, and I couldn’t help but laugh again.
“Oh, calm down. Tripp can’t see a thing from here, and Megan has seen me naked more than you have.” I watched him with a smile on my face as his jaw clenched. “Besides, don’t you like having my body wrapped around yours, sans clothing?”
I hooked my legs tightly around his waist, pressing myself up against his sculpted abs and then linked my arms behind his neck.
His eyes were squinted as he glared at me, but I could tell by his growing erection that I was slowly persuading him to let me stay naked.
I leaned in and took his bottom lip between my teeth, tasting the salt water on my tongue. “Mmmm,” I moaned before releasing his lip. “I don’t care about Megan and Tripp. Hell, I don’t care about anybody. I want y
ou, Duke, right here, right now. I want you to fuck me. Fuck me good.”
My arms unlocked, and I slipped one between us and grabbed his hardness. I watched his head tip back slightly. His lips parted, and a low growl escaped from his throat. All of that told me he was about to give me exactly what I wanted — no, needed.
His body began moving through the water, taking us closer to shore. When he finally stopped moving, he laid me down, my bare backside meeting the coolness of the soft sand. His fingers made handy work of his shorts, and seconds later, he was slipping his firm erection between my legs, filling my body with everything I desired.
Duke’s eyes held my gaze as he slowly pumped in and out of me, the moonlight glistening behind us as his hips met mine, thrust for thrust.
My fingers clawed at his back as I took his full length, and I couldn't help the sound that escaped me. Moans were ripping through me as he gave me exactly what I craved most, and before I knew it, our bodies were reaching their peak together.
My release finally exploded as Duke came just as fast and hard as I had. My body fell flat against the sand, and he rolled over and collapsed next to me, the waves crashing against us as we lay there, our breathing labored.
“Do you think this will ever get old?” I whispered, utterly spent as my hands slid across the wet sand and met Duke’s fingertips.
“Not a chance.”
My lips curled up, and in that moment, I knew he was right. Being with Duke Thrasher would never, ever get old.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Duke, Megan, Tripp, and I had made the very best of our last day on the island, and it was finally time to rest before we were up and on the plane the next morning. The four of us were all lounging on the patio, talking about the trip, when Duke slipped his fingers between mine and lifted my hand to his lips.
“Want to take a walk?” he asked as one of his eyebrows lifted.
I couldn’t help but grin with my response. “I’d love to.”
Duke tugged on my hand, and I stood and followed him toward the beach and away from Tripp and Megan, who couldn’t have cared less if we’d stayed around during their current make-out session.
