Page 50 of Riding the Line (Willow Ridge #2)

Cherry

I marvel at the freshly inked outline of a horse now permanently on the inside of my wrist, unable to contain my smile.

‘Here you go.’ Duke comes up behind me, reaching for my wrist gently so he can wrap up the tattoo, ensuring it keeps clean and heals well, even if it is only small.

I’m sure the tattoo artist is supposed to do this, but since Duke seems to know the artist well from the countless tattoos peppering his own body, I imagine he doesn’t mind letting Duke do so instead.

As he tends to my tattoo, I let myself lean back into his chest, basking in the harmony of being with him again.

‘All done.’ Duke punctuates his care with a kiss to my parting. ‘Time to go.’

I’m still trying to adjust to these new public displays of affection over the last few days.

Knowing we don’t have to hide anymore – even if we are out of Willow Ridge today, so it’s less likely people we know will be around.

We’re still keeping things unaffectionate at work and around friends until we work out the best time to tell Wyatt, but when it’s just the two of us, out and about, we let the odd touch slip out.

I bite down on my lip as I turn to Duke, watching him grab our helmets off the side of the counter where we left them – they fit perfectly into the dark, metal décor of the tattoo studio.

We thank the studio as we leave, and when we reach Duke’s bike, he plops my helmet on my head, flipping up the visor to flash a grin at me.

‘Has anyone ever told you how hot you look in a helmet?’ he asks, winding his arm around my waist to pull me into him again. God, Duke Bennett is a needy man when he’s letting himself show his feelings. But I love it. I love him .

‘Treat me right, and maybe I’ll keep it on tonight,’ I joke, filtering my hand under his T-shirt to relish in the feel of his muscles. And to teasingly skim my nails across his skin.

Duke groans. ‘Bane of my life, Baby Hensley. I mean it.’ He pulls away as I giggle, and adjusts his own helmet, climbing onto the motorcycle so I can jump on after him.

Luckily, after a few rides this week, I’m finally getting used to the way I need to move and lean with him on the bike.

We take a longer route home, driving down deserted backroads with shadowy mountains for backdrops, and nothing but the roar of Duke’s bike echoing through the emerald trees.

By the time we’re closer to Willow Ridge, the sun is almost set, dipping behind the mountains, amber rays streaming down them like rivers of gold.

Duke brings us to a stop in the same place we watched the stars two months ago, their light breaking through the darkening cornflower sky above.

We climb off the bike where Duke stops beside the trees, remove our helmets, then walk to the other edge of the road to admire the view ahead. To behold the small, simple town below that brought us together.

‘You know, the stars are actually my second favourite thing about Willow Ridge,’ I admit, leaning my head against Duke’s shoulder.

‘Oh yeah?’ he asks, running his hand up my arm and squeezing me closer.

I turn to him, staying in his embrace as his arm slides around me, and tilt my face up to catch his dark gaze. ‘You’re number one.’

‘Likewise.’ Duke doesn’t hesitate to drop his mouth to mine, capturing my lips in a tender kiss. The fullness of his mouth against mine still sets off fireworks, sparkles fluttering in my stomach until they descend into a burning desire.

Duke’s fingers trail down my arms until they find my hips, digging into the soft flesh to drag me closer to him.

I can feel the impatience in his touch, the growing need in the heavier strokes of his tongue as it dances with mine.

Then, Duke rips his lips away to kiss my neck.

The hot press of his lips against where my pulse flutters sends an urgent shot of need straight to my core.

One that won’t be easily quelled. My fingers clutch at his back, a greedy whimper leaving my lips when his hardness grows against my stomach, too far away from where I need him. Where I’m aching with desire.

‘I want you,’ I breathe out, fingers digging into his muscles.

‘Soon,’ Duke whispers against my neck between kisses, drawing his lips back up to mine to take them again.

‘Now,’ I counter, and catch his bottom lip between my teeth. Tightening his grip on my waist, Duke groans, capturing my mouth again with a crash of lips and teeth. He takes and takes, tongue colliding with mine and exploring every inch of my mouth.

My fingers drop to his belt, hooking around the buckle to try to loosen it—

‘Baby.’ Duke pulls away and grabs my hands.

I catch his eyes, pupils so blown out they could blend into the emerging night sky.

‘Slow down. There ain’t anywhere to do anything here.

Let me get you home and I’ll give you whatever you want.

’ He gestures to the vastness around us, the empty, silent dirt road, with nothing but us and his black motorcycle filling the quiet space.

I worry my lip as my gaze snags on the bike’s leather seat. ‘What about your bike?’

Duke’s brow furrows. ‘What about my—’ He stops himself, eyes darkening as he angles his head at me.

A smirk slowly plays out on his lips. The silence of the valley around us begins to close in, a shiver of anticipation whispering down my spine when Duke’s hands reach my face.

One cups my jaw, a thumb running tenderly over my bottom lip, as the other hand weaves through my hair, fingers tightening.

Gravel laces his voice as he asks, ‘Do you want me to fuck you on my bike, Cherry?’

He angles my head up to him more. A gasp rushes from my lips. ‘Do you need me that badly that you want me to bend you over my bike and fuck you out in the open, where anyone could drive by and see? Would you like that?’

Oh fuck . Just the thought makes my thighs tremble.

‘Yes.’ I nod, letting my teeth sink into my lip. My chest heaves with a shuddering breath. ‘So badly.’

The words have barely left my lips before Duke is walking us back across the road, his hands never leaving my quaking body, nor do his wild eyes.

We bump against the end of his bike, and he twists me in his grasp, calloused hands scraping against the gap between my top and jeans, the sensation making my body beg to feel more of his skin.

Duke lines me up with the motorcycle, pressing his solid frame into my back, letting me feel every hard inch of how much he wants this too.

Deft hands make quick work of the button and zipper of my jeans, before he carefully slides them over my ass, hooking his fingers under my thong to take it with him.

He’s on a mission – any hint of the man who wanted to take things slow vanished.

The summer evening breeze caresses my bare lower half, the nerves of being so on show starting to flutter in my stomach. But the whole time we’ve been here, no one’s driven past. We’re covered by the shadows of the trees and mountains, as well as the darkening night.

Duke sweeps my hair over one shoulder and trails hard kisses against my neck, then whispers against the shell of my ear, ‘Hold on tight, baby.’

My hips hinge forward automatically, and my hands grab at the side of the seat. Every inch of me is shaking with need.

Once I’m fully bent over, everything bared to Duke, I hear him hiss.

‘Fuck, Cherry. Look at you.’ He swipes a finger through my wetness, making my hips buck when he gives my clit a light circle.

After a few more featherlight touches, he slowly slides a finger into me, my body screaming finally at the sensation of him filling me.

With slow, lazy strokes of his finger, Duke rasps, ‘So wet for me. Are you ready to take me, baby?’

‘Yes,’ I breathe out, pushing my hips back against him so his finger thrusts deeper.

‘Greedy,’ he chuckles wickedly, and gives my ass a slap, before pulling his finger out. The sound of his belt and zipper has my body tensing with anticipation. But then he curses and groans, ‘Fuck. A condom, Cherry. I thought I had one in my wallet.’

I look over my shoulder at him. ‘We don’t need one. I’ve been tested and I’m on birth control.’

‘I’ve been tested too,’ Duke confirms, swallowing.

‘I want you to fuck me bare,’ I whimper. His eyes flash and nostrils flare in response. ‘Don’t hold back. Give me everything you have, Duke Bennett.’

And with that, Duke filters his fingers through my hair, slowly wrapping it around his hand until he has a tight grip on me. He angles my head back, then leans over my body to give my earlobe a nip and whisper, ‘Anything for you, Baby Hensley.’

My body jolts at the feel of his hard cock suddenly nudging my entrance.

It’s barely even touching me, but I can already feel myself having to stretch.

A whimper escapes my lips as he begins to push, stars sparking in my vision, in my core – the pleasure already overwhelming me so much that my breath catches in my throat.

‘You’re gonna have to be a good girl for me, Cherry, and breathe,’ Duke talks me through it as he slowly begins to move, sheathing himself deeper and deeper, pleasure rippling through me with each gentle thrust. I try to focus on my breathing as my body struggles to accommodate his size, screaming at both the stretch and the deliciousness of it.

‘That’s it, baby. That’s my girl.’ Duke runs a hand down my back, then trails his fingers around my stomach until he finally reaches my clit. With each of his thrusts he circles my clit, pressing down to add even more pressure, speeding up the movement as he drives into me quicker. Harder. Deeper .

‘Fuck, Duke,’ I moan, not even caring that it echoes down the valley.

His only response is to fuck me harder, his thrusts becoming even more punishing, so much so that my legs turn to Jell-O, giving out and letting the bike take all my weight.