Page 9 of Prelude of Love (Harmony of Hearts #6)

Chapter Five

CHANCE

It felt like a victory to earn a bark of laughter from the hot bartender. With his huge muscles, devilishly handsome face, stormy gray eyes, and badass vibes, I wanted him to pin me down on the bar and fuck me for all the customers to see.

His gravelly voice went straight to my dick. “You’ll have to work harder if that’s your goal. Just being pretty isn’t enough to give you the privilege of being with me and my husband.”

My interest skyrocketed. “Perfect. I love being a couple’s third.”

One of his black eyebrows arched in surprise. It was ridiculously sexy. “Why?”

I told him the truth. “Because I enjoy being the center of attention and not needing to commit to anything serious. I get to have fun. They spice things up. It’s a win-win for everyone. ”

The corner of his mouth turned up in a smirk. “At least you’re honest about it.”

“Why would I want to commit to anyone when I’m only twenty-two?” I asked with a shrug. “I don’t see the point of tying myself down yet when there’s still so much fun to be had.”

“Shit, you’re practically a baby.” The man shook his head. “My husband and I are almost as old as your father.”

“If his boyfriend being younger than me doesn’t stop Dad, why should I let it bother me that you’re almost his age? Turnabout is fair play, as far as I’m concerned.”

The bartender snorted at my argument. “Isn’t that more like getting revenge?”

“Only if I hated Calixto. But honestly, he’s been amazing for my dad.

Sure, it’s weird he’s younger than me, but mentally and emotionally, he’s older than both Dad and me combined.

Plus, he’s cute as hell. If Dad hadn’t snapped him up, I would have tried to shoot my shot.

It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve both been interested in the same guy. ”

“Things really are different in LA.” He shook his head. “What would you like?”

“Let’s start with your name.”

He did a poor job of smothering his amusement. “Duke Morrow.”

The name rang a bell from my role prep for my movie. “You own this bar? ”

“I do.”

My eyes lit up at the prospect of spending more time around the sexy beast of a man. “Great. That’ll give me even more chances to tempt you.”

“I’m surprised you’re here so early. The movie shoot doesn’t start for another few days.”

“I came to scope out everything before the madness begins.”

“You’re also filming at my husband’s café.”

My night kept getting better and better. “Perfect. I’m sure we’ll be able to convince you to change your mind about letting me into your bed while I’m in town for the movie.”

“You seem awfully confident about that for someone who just met me.”

I let my gaze roam over his impressive physique. It was rare for me to want a bigger man to rail me into the mattress, but something told me Duke would make sure I had a damn good time while he fucked me into a sex coma. “What can I say? I’m a man who knows what he wants.”

“Let’s start with what you want for dinner.” He gestured at the menu I had forgotten about because of my interaction with Tobias.

I gave it a quick glance. “The taco burger with fries sounds amazing. I’ll take that medium, please.”

“Sure thing.” Duke took the menu back and entered the order into his system.

I sipped my horchata beer. The concept of it sounded a little weird to me since I didn’t associate a milky drink with beer, but the sweetness worked for me. “Good call on this, by the way.” I lifted my glass in a toast. “It’s unusual, but I like it.”

“I’m glad.” I suspected there was a gooey marshmallow layer under Duke’s gruffness. He asked, “Are you staying with family while you’re in town?”

“Dad wanted me to stay with him, but I don’t want to ruin his honeymoon period with Calixto.

” My dad wasn’t the best with boundaries, so I didn’t want to walk in on him fucking his hot boy toy, especially since I was still a little jealous about not being able to claim Calixto first. “I’ll stay with Mom until she starts asking too many personal questions, then I’ll probably go to my uncle’s place. ”

“You’re lucky Melody cares enough to get involved.”

“I could do without the judgy lectures, though.” I scrunched up my nose as I recalled some of them. “We don’t all want to fall in love. Some of us only want to get laid.”

“It’s natural for a mother to want her son to find love.”

“That’s a surprisingly sentimental take for a guy who looks like a mean club bouncer.” I smirked when he couldn’t hold back a chuckle. “I’m sure your mom was thrilled you settled down with a husband.”

“She would have been shocked if she had lived long enough to see it.” The haunted look in his beautiful gray eyes lingered for a moment before it was gone. “Let’s just say I wasn’t the marrying type before I met Early.”

I inwardly cringed at unintentionally stepping on an emotional land mine. “Yeah, that tracks. You look like a love-’em-and-leave-’em type.”

“It’s amazing what meeting the right person can do for you.”

“How long have you been married?”

“Fifteen years.”

I blinked in surprise. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you don’t look old enough to have been married that long.”

His rumbling chuckle made my dick ache to be touched. “We got married young.”

“And you’re still together? Wow.” It impressed me, considering my parents had split because they had married and had a kid way too young. “Talk about rare.”

A cute redhead brought out my burger. Normally, he would have had me on full alert flirt mode if I wasn’t hungry for the sexy wall of muscles on the other side of the bar. “Here’s your taco burger. Enjoy.”

I figured it couldn’t hurt to make Duke a tad jealous. “Thanks, cutie. Are you my dessert?” I added a wink for good measure .

His laughter was light and carefree. “As tempting as that sounds, I enjoy my job too much to say yes to that dream come true.”

“Pity. I bet we could have some real fun together.”

His cheeks flushed as I gave him a thorough once-over. “Enjoy your meal.” With that, he slipped away to tend to his tables in another section of the bar.

“Who was that?” I asked Duke.

“Red, who is off-limits.” The possessive growl in Duke’s voice sent a delightful shiver down my spine. “That boy has seen enough heartbreak as it is.”

I couldn’t stop myself from grinning. “It’s adorable how protective you are of him.”

“I take care of my people,” Duke said with endearing gruffness.

“Then please feel free to take care of me, too.” I flashed him my most charming smile, causing him to laugh.

The burger in front of me was a masterpiece.

It was so big I wasn’t sure how I’d manage to fit it in my mouth, which was saying something when I was well-acquainted with oversized challenges.

The meat was topped with generous helpings of pepper jack cheese, avocado slices, jalapenos, pico de gallo, and a ranch salsa aioli that oozed over the beef patty like it knew it was the main event.

“If this tastes even half as good as it looks, I’m in for the best burger of my life. ”

Duke’s intense gaze locked on me as I took my first bite.

I didn’t hold back my moan at how fucking delicious it was.

Since I was shameless, I put on a show of licking the gushing aioli off my fingers.

“Holy shit, I’ve had sex that wasn’t this good.

Wow . No wonder my family always raves about your food. ”

The praise seemed to please him, which was impressive since he didn’t strike me as someone who was easily swayed.

I tried the steak fries next, which were the perfect balance of crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, which was my personal holy grail.

The seasoning made them even more phenomenal, especially when dipped in the homemade ranch.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had fries this good.

I’m going to have to behave while I’m here, or the costume designer will have a meltdown about my weight.

But honestly, it’d totally be worth it for such delicious food. ”

Wiping my fingers on my napkin, I gave Duke my most seductive smile. “Since I’m your customer, shouldn’t you be making pleasant conversation with me while I eat?”

“That would require you to actually eat instead of putting on a show.” Duke’s dry response only encouraged me.

“But I love putting on shows. It’s kind of my thing.” I took another bite of my burger, letting some of the sauce drip down my lip before wiping it off with my thumb and licking it away to give his dick all the right ideas. “Though usually I’m the one watching people drool over me. ”

“Keep dreaming, pretty boy.” Duke crossed his arms, his biceps bulging impressively. “I don’t drool over anyone except my husband.”

“Give me time. I can guarantee you and your husband will find me irresistible soon enough.” I popped a fry in my mouth with a wink. “Besides, Mom has shown me pictures of your husband from social media. He’s exactly my type—a cute blond who looks like he’d be fun to corrupt.”

Duke snorted in amusement. “Don’t let his angelic face fool you. If anyone is doing the corrupting, it’s him. Early’s anything but innocent.”

“Good thing I love a challenge.” I lowered my voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “So, tell me, what does it take to impress you two?”

Duke’s stern expression didn’t waver, but his eyes darkened like a storm brewing on the horizon. “More than a pretty face and some amateur flirting.”

“Amateur?” I feigned offense. “I’ll have you know I’m a professional flirt.”

“Which is why it won’t work on me.” Duke’s presence commanded me to pay rapt attention to him. “I’ve dealt with enough cocky boys who think they’re God’s gift to gay men. You’ll need to bring more to the table than that.”

A shiver ran through me at his sexy bedroom voice. “What if I told you I’m very good at following orders when properly motivated? ”

“I’d say prove it by shutting up and eating your dinner before it gets cold.”

I laughed, delighted by his quick comeback. “If you insist.”

The corner of Duke’s mouth twitched, but he fought to maintain his stern facade. I made a show of taking a huge bite, letting out an exaggerated moan of pleasure that sounded more appropriate for when we were alone and his dick was up my ass.

“Brat,” Duke muttered, shaking his head with an amused glint in his eye.

I swallowed before responding. “You have no idea. But something tells me you like that about me.”

“What I like is watching people work for what they want and prove they’re worthy instead of expecting it to be handed to them on a silver platter. That shit may fly in LA, but I play by different rules.”

“Oh?” I raised an eyebrow. “And what would I need to do to prove myself worthy?”

Duke’s expression turned predatory. “If you can figure that out, maybe you’ll have a chance at getting what you want.”

The challenge in his voice thrilled me. “This will be so much fun.”

“You’re here to film a movie, not hook up with the first man you meet in Sunnyside,” Duke reminded me with a stern look.

“I’m talented enough to do both.” I licked the sauce off my thumb, maintaining eye contact. “I’m excellent at multitasking. Want me to demonstrate on my knees behind the bar?”

Duke’s commanding presence made me squirm in my seat as I fought off an erection. “The only thing you need to demonstrate is your ability to focus on your actual job.”

I fluttered my eyelashes at him to make him chuckle. “But think how much more focused I’d be if I had the proper motivation.”

“You don’t want to find out what happens when you displease me.” Duke’s voice dropped an octave, pure dominance radiating off him.

My cock throbbed at the promise of punishment in his tone. I was used to being the one in control who made others beg. But something about Duke made me want to submit, to see what he’d do if I pushed all the right buttons.

“Maybe that’s what I want,” I teased, flashing him my most provocative smile. “The question is, are you man enough to put me in my place?”

“Keep running that pretty little mouth of yours, and you’ll be begging for mercy before I’m done with you.” Duke’s threat made my cock perk up with interest. “Now, finish your damn dinner. You need to keep your energy up for the film.”

I’d never been so turned on by someone telling me what to do. “Yes, Your Grace.”

“Unless you’re auditioning to be the royal court jester, knock it off with the royalty shit,” Duke warned, though he was smirking in amusement as he said it. “My husband might find it charming, but I know trouble when I see it.”

He may have expected me to be trouble, but I’d enjoy showing him I was chaos incarnate with a personal vendetta against his peace of mind.