by Kali Hart
“One more day, Duke. You just have to make it through one more day.”
I prop open a can of paint and carry it to the bathroom of our latest flip project. I wasn’t scheduled to finish this until the day after tomorrow, but right now I need a distraction. I’m starting to fall hard for Sadie Michaels.
“Where’s Flint and Levi?” I ask of our other two brothers. We’re all known to be workaholics. We’ve worked through the night on several occasions not just to meet a deadline. But because we don’t like to leave projects unfinished.
“Went to grab pizza and beer.”
After all my supplies are stationed in the bathroom, I expect Easton to let me be. But he hovers in the doorway anyway. “Need something?” I ask, hoping my tone will end this.
“You like her.” No question in his tone at all. He sees right through me.
“Maybe.”
“Fuck, man. What a shitty situation.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Don’t fuck her tomorrow, Duke. I mean it.”
I don’t know how the hell I’m going to pull that off. My balls ache from their lack of action today. The only way I’ll keep my cock out of Sadie is if she isn’t there. “No promises,” I say honestly, risking Easton’s big-brother wrath.
“If you like her, then wait.”
“Wait?”
“Wait until you’re done with the project Ben hired you for. Then ask his permission to take his daughter out.”
Remembering how sternly Ben told me to keep my hands off his daughter before I ever met her, I highly doubt he would consent to me dating her even after the work is done. I have to be ten to twelve years older than Sadie. I got the distinct impression that he would not be okay with such an arrangement. “I don’t know, man.”
“Sneaking around behind his back will hurt all of us,” Easton says before he stomps off. Seconds later, I hear all of my brothers talking over one another in the living room. My stomach rumbles from hunger, but pizza won’t fill this void inside me.
I wish I knew what to do about Sadie.
5
SADIE
I think I’m falling for Duke Ryan.
The thought plagues me late into the night and into the next morning. The final morning we get to spend together.
I want to ask for more.
But I know it’s pointless. After today, Duke will move onto other projects. I hate to think of him working for other clients. Am I the only one to throw myself at him like I did? Jealousy bubbles in my chest at the thought of him with another woman.
Dammit, I’ve got it bad.
“Sadie?” Duke’s voice calls out from down the hall.
“In here.”
It’s daring, to wait for him in my bed like this. Completely naked. But Dad headed to the airport an hour ago. This morning, I’m giving myself to Duke Ryan. Offering up my body and hoping that he’ll realize I want to give him my soul as well.
Either way, if today is all we get, I want it to end on a high note.
Footsteps echo down the hall seconds before Duke appears in my doorway. Never has a man looked so incredibly hot in a pair of coveralls. “Don’t you think we should do some actual work before dessert?”
I toss the sheet aside, revealing myself to him. “We have all day to paint.”
“Sadie, your dad—”
“Is about to board a flight for Chicago. He won’t be back until tonight.” My voice starts to quiver with fear of rejection. This is the first time I’ve been completely naked in front of him. He wouldn’t be the first man to not like what he sees. But this is me, take it or leave it.
“I think this needs to stop,” he says, effectively cracking a small piece of my heart with his words. “There’s more at stake than you realize.”
Stupid tears prick my eyes from my utter embarrassment. What was I thinking? Lying naked in my bed, like I was some prize on display. We had some fun the past couple of days, but it was never guaranteed to continue.
“Hey,” Duke’s voice transitions from firm to compassionate in a heartbeat as he moves to the side of the bed. “Sadie, please don’t take any of this the wrong way. You’re an incredibly beautiful woman. I want you so bad it aches.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“It’s complicated.”
I follow his eyes as they dart to my hardened nipples pressed up against the sheet. I sit up, letting the silk fabric slide until they’re exposed. If he won’t explain the complication, I’m not going to make turning me down easy.
Slowly I pull the sheet back, exposing myself once more to him. “I want you inside me, Duke. I need you inside me.”
“Sadie—”
“Please. One last time?”
I see the fight in his eyes break at my soft plea. He stands from the bed and slips off his clothes. His hard cock stands at attention, promising me that he meant everything he said earlier. “We can’t do this again,” Duke says to me as he crawls beneath the sheet and lines himself up with my body. “Not until the work is done.”
I want to ask what he means, but his cock presses into my entrance and slides inside my ready channel. I’ve been constantly wet since the morning I met him. He takes his time with each stroke, kissing me tenderly on the lips, the neck, the collarbone.
The word I love you nearly fall from my lips more than once.
What is happening to me? I can’t be in love with him. I barely know him. After today, I might never see him again.
“Sadie, what’s wrong?” he asks, stilling himself inside me. Fuck me, his cock feels like home.
“Nothing.” I rock my hips against his, begging him to keep going.
“Talk to me.” His voice is so gentle I can’t find the strength to keep up the lie. I’m risking it all by uttering a single word, but I can’t seem to stop myself.
“I’m falling for you, Duke.”
He quickens his strokes, wrapping my legs around his waist. “I’m falling for you, too, Sadie. I might even be in love with you.”
Our slow, tender pace grows hungry and desperate. I give myself over to the fantasy of a future with this man. One where we might get married and have a family. One where we fuck every day and every night because we can’t keep our hands off each other.
The bed rocks with our bodies. I feel the pleasure build in every cell of my body. I call out his name as my world explodes into millions of stars overheard. “I love you,” I practically scream as my entire body convulses in the most intense orgasm I’ve ever experienced.
Duke kisses my forehead before he drops down beside me on the bed. “I love you too, Sadie. I just wish I knew what to do about it.” He draws me into his arms where we stay for several minutes. I never want to move from this spot. My heart is full, yet I feel the same turmoil as Duke. I don’t know how we’ll ever convince my dad to accept us together.
“Do you think we can find a way?” I ask Duke as a tiny yawn escapes.
He pulls me tighter against him. “I don’t know, Sadie. But I sure hope so. I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”
As reluctant as I am to get out of bed, I know we need to get the paint applied this morning. We still have all the trim work to fix before the day is over. The last thing I want to do is give my dad ammunition if the job isn’t done when Duke promised. “We should get painting—”
“What the hell is this?” My dad’s voice booms through the hallways as he appears in the open doorway.
I yank the sheet to cover me up to my chin. “Dad, what are you doing here? You were supposed to be in Chicago.”
“Flight got cancelled.” His face is beat red. Redder than the living room walls used to be. “That’s not the fucking point. Why are you two in bed together?” His narrowed glare focuses on Duke. “I gave you one ground rule. One.”
Though I expect Duke to slip out of the bed and get dressed, he stays put and holds me tighter. “I’m sorry to go behind your back, Ben. But I love your daughter.”
“L
ove?” Dad throws his hands up in the air, looking more pissed off than I’ve ever seen him.
“I love him too,” I say, though my voice is weaker and wobblier than Duke’s.
“You two have lost your damn minds.” Dad shakes his head, unable to look at either one of us in the bed. “Duke, you’re fired. I’m pulling all my current contracts with your brothers, so you better warn them. Get your clothes on and get lost.”
“Dad, that’s not fair—”
“You, young lady, need to find a new place to live. I’ll expect the keys on my desk tomorrow morning.”
The bedroom door slams shut as my dad stomps down the hall. It feels like my entire world is crumbling around me. “Duke, I’m so sorry—”
He shimmies out of my arms and dresses, refusing to meet my pleading eyes. “I have to go.”
6
DUKE
“What the hell did I tell you, Duke?” Easton barks at me, drawing the attention of both Flint and Levi as well.
“I know, I know.” I don’t know what else to say. Because I did know better. I did my damnedest to avoid giving in. Yet I did it anyway. If it had only cost me the single side job, I wouldn’t care. But losing the contracts we have with Ben Michaels could seriously hurt our company.
“You couldn’t keep your dick in your pants for one day?” Levi joins in.
I don’t tell them that she was waiting for me naked in her bed. Somehow, I don’t think that’ll win me any points. This mistake affects us all. “I’ll find us more clients,” I say. “I’ll start looking today.”
“I hope she was worth it,” Easton growls as I stomp off.
I spin around, ready to spout out my feelings for Sadie. But I stop before I paint myself the fool in their eyes. I’ve already screwed the pooch on this one. I don’t need to add to my rap sheet by making some flowery confession of love. I don’t think a single one of them would understand how I feel.
“What about that bathroom?” Levi yells down the hall.
“Finished it last night,” I yell back before I slam the front door. I don’t know where the hell I’m going to rally up more potential clients, but a nice long drive might help calm me down enough to figure it out.
But before I can take two steps toward my truck, I see Sadie standing there in the driveway. I don’t have a clue how she found me.
“Hey,” she says, looking sad and sheepish.
If I had an ounce of common sense left, I’d keep my distance. But I’m not mad at her. I’m mad at myself. Mad that I couldn’t contain my desire for her for one more damned day. Sneaking around behind her dad’s back was never going to work long-term. And if I’d waited one more fucking day, it might’ve bought us some time to figure out another way.
“What are you doing here, Sadie?” I keep my words as gentle as possible, hoping none of my brothers have seen her yet. The last thing I need right now is the peanut gallery appearing outside to throw in their two cents.
“I’m sorry, Duke. I had no idea my dad would cancel his contracts. If I’d known that, I never would’ve tried to seduce you. I swear it.” Tears drop down her cheeks in rapid succession. It takes all my restraint not to gather her in my arms. To ease her pain. “I just wanted to find you… to tell you I’m going to do everything in my power to fix this.”
“Sadie—”
She takes a step back toward her car. My heart starts to shatter as I realize she didn’t come here to stay. “I meant what I said, Duke. I do love you. I’ll prove it.”
Before I can say a single word, she gets in her car and drives away.
I stand outside for what feels like hours without moving before I hear the front door open. Easton steps outside. “Is that it then?” he says to me. “You’re just going to let her go?”
“What—”
“Window was open,” Levi says with a wave from inside the kitchen window. “We heard it all, man. I think you need to go after that one.”
“To fix the mess with Ben—”
“You’re pretty dense sometimes,” Flint chimes in, appearing in the living room window. “This is about the girl.”
“We can find new clients if we have to,” Easton agrees, shocking me the most. “Go get your girl before it’s too late.”
SADIE
As I watch the movers load up the last of my furniture, I hit the ignore call button on my phone, sending Kate to voicemail for the second time in the past half hour. I’m not ready to tell her what a mess I made of things.
It’s a miracle I was able to find same-day movers. Thank you, Craigslist. Too bad I don’t have a clue where I’m going.
“You really want us to take this all to a storage unit?” The head movers asks again, confirming the address I sent him in my online request.
“Yep. I’ll call you guys up again when I find a place.” Until then, I’ll be using my new home down payment fund to stay at a hotel.
I catch a glimpse of my dad’s car pulling into his driveway. With a deep breath, I prepare to face him. This time with my clothes on. We haven’t spoken since earlier this morning after he stormed out.
I expect him to wait for me at the house, but before I take a step, he starts walking toward me.
“Sadie, what’s all this?”
I take a deep breath. “Well, you told me to move out by tomorrow morning.”
The compassion in his eyes wars with his need to be the stern father setting an example. I guess I should’ve known it would come to this if I was living at home again. Even in the guest house. He’ll always see me as some kid who needs rules and protection. “I seduced Duke,” I blurt out.
“We don’t need to talk about this—”
“Yes, we do.” I fold my arms across my chest and face him head-on. “I didn’t know you would cancel all their contracts. You should be mad at me, not Duke. Not his brothers, either. I’m moving out, just like you wanted. Please do one sensible thing and reinstate all the contracts you pulled from them.”
“Now just a minute—”
“Dad, like it or not, I’m an adult now. I’m grown up enough to make my own decisions. To fall in love with who I want.”
“Love?” he repeats, his tone softer now that before.
“Yes. I love Duke. He’s an amazing man, which I suspect you already know or you never would’ve hired him to paint the guest house.” I don’t mention how things started out with Duke. I never expected it to blossom into what it did. But now that it has, I’m not so easily walking away from it. Even if my dad won’t approve.
Dad shoves his hands into his pockets, his silence his admission of defeat.
“Why did you hire someone to paint if you weren’t going to make me pay for it?” I press. “I’ve always fixed my own mistakes. I was prepared to repaint the place myself.” Without the wine.
“Because I had something better for you. A gift.” He digs in his pocket and pulls out a key. “I bought a special house. One that the Ryan Brothers finished fixing up a week ago. I was waiting to surprise you on your birthday next week.” He hands the key to me. “But it’s yours, Sadie.”
I’m certain I’m dreaming in this moment. Because my dad refused to buy me a used junker car when I got my license. No way he bought me an actual house. “You can’t be serious?”
He shrugs. “I am.”
I hand the key back. “No.”
“No?”
“I won’t accept this unless you reinstate all the contracts you had with the Ryan Brothers.”
“Done.”
Well, that was easier than I expected. I decide to press my luck. “And you don’t get to decide who I date.” Though I kind of wish he’d saved me from the disaster before Duke. Then again, that mistake is the reason I met him to begin with. “I’m in love with Duke, and I need you to be okay with that. If he’ll still have me, I want to be with him.”
“Yes, I will accept that.” The voice isn’t my dad’s. But Duke’s. I don’t know where he came from or how he ninja-moved his way across the y
ard without being spotted. But my heart has taken flight at the sight of him. “I’m sorry, Sadie. I never meant to hurt you. No contract is worth sacrificing true love. My brothers agree.”
“They do?” Both my dad and I say in unison.
“They sent me after you. Convinced me not to make the biggest mistake of my life by letting you slip away.” With a few purposeful strides, Duke stands in front of me, capping my shoulders with his strong hands. “I love you, Sadie Michaels. Meeting you is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You’re funny, smart, hard-working. My life without you is meaningless.”
“I love you, too, Duke. So much.”
We both turn are heads toward my dad, waiting for his blessing.
“I’ll reinstate all the contracts,” Dad says.
“And?” I push.
“And I’m okay with you two—whatever you’re doing. Just don’t break her heart,” he says to Duke. “Or that’ll be another matter entirely.”
“Yes, sir.”
Duke turns his attention back to me, those intense eyes promising a future together. Promising love. Promising that tonight will be a lot of fun. “You going to kiss me already or what?”
Duke sweeps me into his arms and gives me a kiss that curls my toes in happiness.
Epilogue
DUKE
I watch with lustful admiration as my wife of two years bends over and dips the paint roller into the pan. Though Sadie keeps plenty busy with raising our son and working part time for her dad’s company, she still finds time to help on every Ryan Brothers house flip. Tonight, she’s promised to help me paint a bedroom.
“You’re lucky we’re not alone,” I growl at her.
She looks over her shoulder, blushing in that fucking adorable way that drives me crazy. “Lucky or unlucky?”
“Both, I suppose.” I strut into the room, unable to keep my hands off those sexy hips of hers. I pull her back against me. A promise of things to come when little Josh is fast asleep. I hear his sweet laughter echoing down the hall. His uncles can’t get enough of him. “Maybe we have a few minutes—”
