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“Charlotte seems to be helping you out a lot these days.” I arched a brow at the spread on the table, knowing full well I’d only told him about half of these favorites.

“She might have tipped me off about the dahlias,” he admitted.

I raised another brow.

“And the pineapple.”

I laughed, rubbing his back before returning to the table to take a bite of the fruit. Sweet and tangy, it was fresher than I was expecting. Definitely worth the wild goose chase I’m sure he went on.

“Oh my god, that reminds me. I need to call Charlotte. She’s going to freak out that I’m staying.”

I reached for my phone, but Duke stopped me, taking my hand and pulling me to him.

“Actually, I had one more thing planned, just in case you decided to stay.”

His free hand dropped to my waist, sliding over my hip before cupping my ass as he drew my hips to his. I could already feel his erection growing, pressing into my belly. My knees grew weak, warmth spreading between my thighs.

“But there are so many other details we still have to figure out.”

“We have time for all that,” he whispered, bringing his lips to my ear, nibbling on my lobe before trailing his tongue down my neck, teasing my skin. His touch sent shivers down my spine, and I let him lead me to his bed.

After all, he was right.

For once, we had all the time in the world.

EPILOGUE

Valentina

“Need a little help there, darlin’?”Duke asked as he walked into our master bathroom and found me struggling to get my necklace clasped around my neck.

“That would be great, thanks, babe.” I handed him the delicate gold chain, which he easily maneuvered around my neck, fastening the little clasp with a small click of his tongue.

“Muy bonita,” he said, sliding his hands over my shoulders and down my hips, admiring the reflection of my form-fitting maroon dress in the mirror. He pulled my tumbling curls to one side and placed his lips softly on my neck, sending happy shivers down my spine.

I reached back and ran my fingers through his tousled hair, letting my nails dig a little into his scalp, and he responded by nipping my delicate skin, not so hard that it hurt, but just enough to cause a tingle between my legs.

“If you keep that up, we’re going to be late to your party,” I purred, arching my back and pushing my behind against hisgroin. He groaned into my neck, taking a deep breath in as his hands roamed freely over my body.

“You tempt me.” His voice was muffled as he spoke into my skin, giving me one last kiss before pulling away. Already my body missed his touch, but I was right. You’d think that a full year and a half together would have tamped out some of the fire between us, but if anything, it had only made it burn brighter and way more intense. Both of our sex drives were through the roof, and we were starting to get a reputation for being late to things, something we were secretly proud of. But still, tonight was different. The event we were attending was too important to be late to.

I checked myself in the mirror, adjusting the neckline of my dress and rearranging my hair around my shoulders before following Duke to the car. He opened the passenger side door for me, giving my rear a little pat as I climbed in. It was the kind of small thing that I used to roll my eyes at, but after a year and a half together, it was sweet that he still took the time for gestures like that—with a little bit of Duke playfulness thrown in there too.

“Nervous?” I asked, reaching across the center console and taking his hand in mine. He rubbed his thumb over my knuckles, turning to give me a sideways dimpled smile.

“With you by my side? Never.”

He brought my fingers to his lips, pressing them against my knuckles. I smiled, a warm, contented feeling washing over me, followed quickly by regret that we had somewhere to be and couldn’t pull over somewhere for a quickie.Good Lord, I’m horniernowthan I was in high school.

We pulled up into the parking lot of the distillery, which was slowly filling up with cars. Vintage string lights had been hung up all throughout the back patio of the tasting room, casting a warm, inviting glow over the space. Inside, the tables were all setwith gold silverware and place settings, with huge centerpieces full of wildflowers in the middle.

“Charlotte really outdid herself this time,” I murmured as we walked through the door. Duke nodded, taking it all in, a small, appreciative smile spreading across his face.

“City slicker knows how to throw a party, that’s for sure.”

“You know Charlotte and I are both from cities, right?”

“LA and New York are pretty different cities, darlin’.”