Page 15

Dice

I wasn’t going to ask her if she really meant it.

I didn’t need to.

I could feel that she did. Hell, I felt it in my chest, in my gut, in the way her voice trembled when she whispered, Kiss me . There’d always been something between us—something magnetic and electric—and after sixteen years, it hadn’t faded. If anything, it had grown stronger. Wiser. Hotter.

So I moved in, and she matched me, like we were syncing up without a single word.

Our lips met, and damn if it didn’t feel like I was finally home.

Her mouth was soft and warm, a little unsure at first—but only because we were both still hovering at the edge of disbelief. I tilted my head and slid my fingers into her hair, feeling the silky strands curl around my fingers. Her breath caught as I gently tipped her head back, deepening the kiss. She leaned into me, arms winding tight around my shoulders, held on like I was the only thing tethering her to the earth.

And maybe I was.

She tasted like memory and maybe everything I hadn’t let myself want in far too long.

We kissed like time hadn’t passed. Like we hadn’t wasted sixteen damn years. It started soft, sweet, then slowly ignited into something else—something hot and heady and dangerous in the best kind of way.

We didn’t stop until the need for oxygen forced us apart.

Even then, we stayed close, our foreheads pressed together, and our breath tangled together.

“Damn,” I whispered. My voice was rough and wrecked.

Lainey didn’t say anything. Her eyes sparkled, lips swollen, cheeks flushed, and then she jumped.

Literally jumped onto me.

I had to catch her. My hands gripped the backs of her thighs as she wrapped her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck. Her mouth crashed against mine again, no hesitation this time. All fire. All need.

I stumbled back a step, hitting the edge of the counter with a grunt, and then caught up. Kissed her like I needed her more than air.

Because in that moment, I did .

She whimpered against my lips, and I groaned in return. It was wild how fast she could undo me. We moved together like we hadn’t missed a day—like our bodies remembered what our heads were still catching up to.

I turned with her still wrapped around me and set her on the kitchen island. Her arms stayed around me, and her legs tangled with mine to keep me close. I didn’t need the encouragement.

I was already there.

Her hands were in my hair, and her mouth pulled mine open to deepen the kiss again and again. My hands roamed over her thighs, her waist, and her back. I couldn’t keep still. Couldn’t stop touching her.

“Lainey,” I muttered against her mouth.

“Duane,” she breathed.

We kissed like we were afraid the moment would end.

She pushed my vest off my shoulders, and I helped to shrug it the rest of the way before tossing it on the counter beside us. Her hands found the hem of my shirt and tugged it up with urgency.

I broke the kiss just long enough to yank the thing over my head.

She leaned back just slightly, and her eyes raked over me.

“Holy cow ,” she said. Her voice was a breathy gasp.

A slow grin tugged at the corner of my mouth. “You like?”

Her fingers reached out and trailed across the skull that wrapped around my side, then down the snake coiled under my ribs. “These are amazing,” she whispered. “All I’ve got is a dragonfly on my ankle.”

I reached for her arm and let my fingers glide down her skin. She shivered as her lips parted, and her breath caught.

“I saw it, babe. I like it,” I said, my voice low. “You’d look good with more… but you’re already perfect like this.”

She didn’t respond, just kept trailing her fingers over my tattoos and exploring my skin like it was something she’d been waiting a decade to touch again.

And I let her.

Hell, I craved it.

Her hands went lower, brushing over the waistband of my jeans. My breath hitched when she reached the button. With one confident flick, it popped open. Then her fingers slid to the zipper.

That’s when I put my hand on hers.

“Gotta stop for a second, babe,” I said softly and kissed her lips before pulling back just enough to look her in the eyes. “You sure you want this?”

Her answer came without hesitation. “More,” she whispered.

One word. That was all it took.

One word, and I was gone .

She was in charge now, and I was more than happy to be along for the ride.

That one word set me on fire.

I kissed her harder.

Deeper.

Her shirt and bra disappeared as our hands explored each other.

My hands slid up her back and then down her sides. Her legs wrapped around me again and pulled me flush against her. She arched into me, and her body said yes in ways that words couldn’t.

I lifted her off the counter just long enough to pull the last of what she was wearing from her body. She helped me out of my jeans and everything else until nothing was between us but heat and history.

I picked her up and sat her back on the island and stepped between her legs.

Skin against skin.

Breath against breath.

She was warm, soft, and open beneath my hands. Every sigh from her lips and every shiver of her skin wrecked me.

We kissed like we didn’t know where we ended and the other began. Like if we stopped, everything might fall apart again.

“Lainey,” I whispered, kissing just below her ear.

“Duane,” she breathed as her eyes were heavy and her voice trembled.

Her hands slid up my back, pulling me closer. I held her hips, kept her steady, kept us steady. The way she looked at me—like she still saw me underneath everything—I didn’t know how to carry that. So I kissed her again instead.

It was desperate. Emotional. Every grind of our bodies, every press of skin, built toward something that felt way bigger than lust. This wasn’t just need. It was longing . A decade and a half of it, all pouring out right here on a kitchen island in a quiet house in Mt. Pleasant.

She moaned my name again, and I buried my face in her neck, losing myself in the way she held me, the way she opened up to me like I belonged there.

And I did.

Because being with her felt like coming home.

Lainey gasped my name as I sank into her, slow and deep, like my body had been waiting sixteen years to feel this again. And maybe it had.

She was warm and wet and perfect—like her body had been made for mine.

I paused once I was fully inside her. Just held still and felt her . Her legs tightened around my waist, her hands gripped my back, and her breath ghosted hot across my neck.

This wasn’t the first time. We’d fumbled our way through high school, learning each other in the back seat of my old truck, under the bleachers, in my bedroom while the house was quiet. But this? Now?

Now we knew what we were doing. Now it wasn’t just about urgency—it was about savoring every damn second.

“Move,” she gasped and rocked her hips into mine.

I didn’t need to be told twice.

I pulled out slowly, then pushed back in with purpose. Her nails dug into my shoulders, and her head fell back with a moan that nearly undid me.

“God damn, Lainey,” I groaned and kissed the base of her throat, tasting the salt on her skin. “You feel so damn good.”

Her hands roamed over my back, my chest, and down to my hips as I moved inside her and built a rhythm that made her moan every time our bodies met. She kissed me hard. Her tongue tangled with mine. Desperate and sweet all at once.

Every thrust, every slide of skin on skin, felt like coming home.

She had always been the one. Even when I tried to convince myself otherwise. Even when I ran, I knew it now with painful clarity—Lainey was always it .

“Duane,” she moaned and clung to me tighter. “I’m gonna come.”

“Then come for me, babe,” I whispered into her ear. “I’ve got you.”

“Faster,” she begged.

I slammed into her, over and over. Every thrust brought us closer. Every gasp from her lips drove me wild. Her body arched, and then she shattered. Loud, breathless, and called out my name like a prayer.

That was all it took.

The second she came apart in my arms, my own release crashed through me. I held her tight, buried deep, and panted her name against her lips. I felt her tremble as I pressed kisses to her shoulder, jaw, and mouth.

She melted into me as her arms loosened around my neck, and her forehead rested against mine. We stayed like that—entwined, shaking, and catching our breath.

“So much for watching tow truck drivers tonight,” she laughed weakly into my neck.

I grinned. “This was a hundred times better than watching jackknifed semis,” I murmured. I pressed a slow kiss to her skin. “You good?”

She nodded and pulled back just enough to look at me. Her face was flushed, her hair wild, and she was wearing the biggest, goofiest smile I’d ever seen on her.

“I haven’t been that good since high school, Duane.”

That made my chest ache in the best way.

I kissed her one more time, slow and lingering, then eased out of her gently. She winced just a little, and I cupped her cheek.

“Let me clean you up, babe.”

I grabbed a dish towel from a drawer and wet it with warm water, then came back and knelt between her legs. My touch was careful and tender. She watched me with eyes soft.

Once I was done, I scooped her into my arms like she weighed nothing and carried her down the hall to her bedroom.

She clung to me. Sleepy and content. I laid her down on the bed and tucked the blanket over her.

When I didn’t immediately crawl in beside her, she blinked up at me. “Where are you going?”

I laughed under my breath and kissed her forehead. “Gotta shut down the house, babe. I’ll be right back.”

I made it to the bedroom door before I turned back. “Lottie’s not coming home tonight, is she?”

Lainey grinned and shook her head. “If she were , we sure wouldn’t have just christened my kitchen island. She’s not going to be home until six tomorrow.”

I wiggled my eyebrows. “In that case, we’ve got a few other things we can christen before she gets home.”

“Oh boy,” she laughed and pulled the blanket higher up her chest with a teasing look.

I left the bedroom and made quick work of cleaning up. I turned off the TV, tossed the empty pizza box in the trash, and made sure the front door was locked.

I flipped off the living room light and padded back through the hall to the bedroom.

When I stepped into the bedroom, she was waiting. Sleepy-eyed but awake as she watched me with that same soft smile.

I climbed into bed beside her and pulled her into my arms. She curled into me and laid her head on my shoulder with her hand on my chest like it belonged there.

“We have so much to talk about,” she said softly.

I ran my fingers through her hair. “I left you alone too long, didn’t I?”

There was more we needed to say, but none of that needed to be said right now.

She sighed. “There’s sixteen years between us, Duane.”

“That’s in the past, Lainey.” I kissed the top of her head. “We’ve got sixteen years behind us. Right now, it’s just you and me.”

She hummed and tucked herself closer to me. “I’m thinking about tomorrow’s worries, huh?”

I nodded. “Yup. Right now, just rest, babe. Because tonight’s not over.”

Chapter Sixteen

Lainey

“Hurry,” I gasped and braced my hands against the tile wall of the shower.

Duane’s body pressed into mine from behind with his grip firm on my hips, and every movement of his cock inside me hit deep and perfectly. The steam swirled around us as the water cascaded down hot and slick between our bodies. Every inch of me was alive and vibrated with tension from every thrust from Duane.

“I’m gonna come, babe,” he growled into my ear, his voice thick with need.

His words tipped me over the edge.

My legs trembled, and my mouth fell open as the climax tore through me like a wave breaking against rocks. I gasped his name— Duane —like it was the only thing keeping me standing. My whole body clenched around him as pleasure rolled through me, hot and all-consuming.

He followed right after and buried himself deep with a groan that reverberated through my spine. His grip on me tightened as his movements slowed as he spilled into me. Our bodies were locked together in a haze of heat and satisfaction.

We stayed there without breathing heavily and let the water wash over us as we came down from it together.

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me upright against his chest. His mouth pressed lazy kisses to the back of my neck.

“How does it just get better every time?” I wondered out loud, my voice still breathless, and my eyes closed as I leaned into him.

“Because it’s you and me,” Duane murmured against my skin.

I couldn’t argue with that. Whatever this was between us, it had always been more. Even back in high school, when we were too young and dumb to know what to do with it.

We stayed wrapped up in each other for a few more moments. Soft touches replaced the urgency from before. Eventually, Duane reached for the soap and turned me toward him. We took turns washing each other. Slowly, fingers traced over familiar curves and new lines like we had all the time in the world. Every glance, every touch carried that same quiet intimacy.

The water turned cooler before we were finally ready to get out.

Duane shut off the water, and we stepped out together. We dried each other off lazily. The world outside the bathroom felt far away.

But eventually, reality caught up.

“It’s almost five,” I said as I dug through my dresser for something to wear.

“I know, babe. I’m heading out as soon as I find my jeans,” he muttered and glanced around like they’d grown legs.

I laughed. “Um, I think those are still in the kitchen.”

He grinned and raked a hand through his damp hair. “Right.”

Duane and I had spent the entire day wrapped up in each other. Discovering each other again. Relearning. Rediscovering. Loving. We’d only broken for quick snacks and the occasional nap.

But now it was time for him to go.

I wanted him to meet Lottie, but not like this—not without easing her into it. She didn’t even know of Duane. I couldn’t just drop her on him out of thin air. Not yet.

I tugged on a black T-shirt and a pair of soft cotton shorts and padded into the kitchen.

He was there, standing in the early evening light that streamed through the window, pulling on his jeans.

And damn if he didn’t look good.

His body was all muscle and tattoos, a couple of scars and sex appeal. After spending the last twenty-four hours exploring every inch of it, I still wasn’t ready to stop looking.

“You’re drooling, babe,” he said with a crooked smirk.

I rolled my eyes and leaned against the kitchen island. “Just enjoying the show.”

Even if I wished he was taking his clothes off instead of putting them on, there was something about watching him dress—like I was seeing behind the curtain. Not just the biker, not just the man I’d known in high school—but Duane.

My Duane.

He moved to the couch and sat to pull on his boots. His cut lay across the armrest. When he shrugged it on, something in my chest tightened. There was just something about a man in a leather vest— that vest, his vest—that felt like a line being drawn.

It reminded me this wasn’t just any man.

He was part of something bigger. A life I didn’t quite know but was starting to get a glimpse of.

Still, I didn’t hesitate when I crossed the room and moved straight into his arms.

He wrapped them around me without hesitation and held me like he didn’t want to let go.

“Call me tonight?” he asked, his voice low and soft against my hair.

“Yes,” I said without pause. “After Lottie’s asleep.”

His lips found mine, slow and deep. I melted into him like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Things had changed between us.

We’d skipped right over the awkward phase and crashed headfirst into something real. Something intense. There were still conversations to be had, questions to answer, but I wasn’t worried. Not really.

Because it felt right .

We’d figure it out—whatever it was.

“Later, babe,” he whispered before kissing me one last time.

I followed him to the door and leaned against the frame as he stepped out into the warm evening air.

He looked back at me once before straddling his bike.

The engine roared to life and vibrated through the concrete. Through the soles of my feet and up into my chest, I felt it.

I imagined what it would be like to be on the back of that bike, with my arms wrapped around him, wind in my hair, and his body warm and solid against mine.

He gave me a small smile and lifted two fingers in a parting wave.

And then he was gone.

The rumble of his bike faded down the street, but the echo of him lingered long after.

I pushed off the doorway and shut the door behind me.

Now it was back to reality.

Lottie would be home soon, and then I needed to start planting seeds of Duane around. I didn’t know how I was going to do it, but I knew I needed to.

Duane wasn’t going anywhere.