Second Ride Cowboy (Second Chance Series) (8 page)

“I want you, Duke!”

“Are you taking something, baby?” he asked against her cheek. “Protection?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

Removing his finger, he pressed the head of his cock against her lips and her tight muscles wrapped around him. He slid deeper as she swirled her pussy in a rhythmic motion, her fingers gripped his shoulders as he plunged into her. His balls tingled. Her body tensed and her breathing turned ragged. Her nails sank into his back and it drove him over the edge. One last jerky motion and he released.

They lay together, Duke listening to the fast beating of her heart. He didn’t want to move because he knew once he did the pleasant mating would end. He rolled to the side and the cool air swept across his moist cock. Silence became a dark cloud hovering over them.

Lila moved off of the bed, pulling on her panties followed by her shorts. Her hair was disheveled and her lips were swollen from his kisses. His cock jerked and pointed at the ceiling proudly. He was ready for round two, but the distance in her gaze told him it wasn’t happening. His tongue was frozen and his dick went flaccid. She wrapped her arms around her waist and dismay flooded him. “I know that look,” he said. He wished he was a man with a broad vocabulary because he wanted to say something, anything, to erase the signs of disappointment marring her beautiful features.

“And what is this look?”

“That was a record breaker. Hot to cold in seven seconds.” He grabbed his jeans and stood up to pull them on; thankful he didn’t fall flat on his face.

The area between her brows wrinkled. “I’ll make this easy. Ava is your daughter. Only you can choose what kind of a father you are. My mom always told me that God made three types of men. A man who steps up, a man who steps down, or a man who just simply isn’t. Which one are you, Duke?”

With a flip of her hair, she turned on heel and was gone.

Release and satisfaction didn’t feel as sweet as he thought it’d be.

CHAPTER EIGHT

LILA SHUT HERSELF in her bedroom and leaned against the closed door. She breathed in through her nose and exhaled through her mouth, hoping her blood pressure would ease.

Who did he think he was?
Duke could be the most egotistical jerk she’d ever come across, and turn around and sweep her off of her feet. She’d had sex with him. It was unavoidable. When two people are drawn together the force becomes too much. She couldn’t allow guilt to blur how good it’d felt. Her inner thighs still quivered.

This wasn’t only about her, though. It was about Ava too.

Lila bit back a sob. How could things be so out of hand? Life should be easier, predictable. Lila had to protect Ava. Duke clung to his wrath of self-pity, but she refused to allow her child to become a hostage in this. She had to pull herself out of the hold Duke had on her and look for her future as Ava’s mother.

Taking her cell from the nightstand, she tried calling Carly. No answer. She started to put her phone down but it vibrated.
A text message from Shaun Lucas.

She read it:

“Can I see you tonight? You disappeared.”

****

Duke heard the scream-like crying from down the hall. He’d tried burying his head under the pillow, but it hadn’t worked. Getting out of bed, he paced the floor. He wasn’t sure if it was his anxiety or guilt that had him bothered. The cries were like a razor cutting into his sanity.

He walked the floor until he could no longer stand it. Opening the door, he stuck his head out, glancing toward Ava’s room.

Lila had left about an hour ago with Lucas. Duke had watched from his bedroom window as she’d climbed into the passenger side of Lucas’s Porsche. Her smile had made Duke frown. She’d glanced up at his window as they pulled away. He’d been quick and darted back before she saw him, at least he’d hoped.

Margaret Dennis had showed up sometime before Lila had left. Apparently, the older woman babysat Ava, but lacked skill. Could she even console an upset baby?

Duke left the solitude of his room and strode toward the sound of the unhappy child. He stopped at the cracked door and peered in. Ava stood inside her crib. Her disheveled hair and rosy, tear-stained cheek appearance shot through him like a dull knife.

So this was Ava.

Caught up in the moment, he’d forgotten he wasn’t stable on his feet. He lost his balance and his shoulder struck the wooden frame. He stepped back, but he was too late. The child saw him and held him in the depths of her cornflower gaze. She stopped crying, but her bottom lip trembled as she sniffed loudly. His heart melted.

“Duke?” Margaret stood up from the rocker, blocking his view of the baby. “Lila said you’d probably be in your room for the rest of the night.”

“Something is wrong with the child.” Hearing a gurgling noise, Duke stepped past Margaret. The baby was sucking on her fist.

“She’ll be fine. She’s only teething.”

He doubted the crying could be blamed on teeth. Closer to the crib now, he stood within arm’s reach of the child. Ava still watched him, curiosity mingled with sadness in her expression. One thing he didn’t see, and it amazed him, she wasn’t afraid. On instinct, he lifted his hand and placed his palm against her forehead. “She feels warm.”

“A side effect of teething,” Margaret said.

“Don’t teething children need held?” he asked.

“Yes, sure.” Margaret moved past him, reached into the crib and lifted Ava into her arms. “I think you should try.” The woman pushed the baby into his arms. He resisted, but Margaret insisted. “Try.”

“I don’t think this is a good idea.” He couldn’t hide the trembling in his voice.

“You’re her father. What’s not good about it?”

Duke brought his arms up and wrapped them around the child. He’d never held a baby before and the tiny figure against his chest felt awkward but nice. Her fists bobbed in the air and she whimpered. “I don’t think I’m doing this right,” he said.

“You’re holding a child, not balancing a set of dishes.” Margaret laughed.

Adjusting his arms, Duke found a more comfortable position for the baby. She seemed to like it better too because she cooed and laid her head against his shoulder. Feeling his knees weaken, Duke went to the rocking chair and sat. The baby didn’t fuss.

“I’ll be downstairs if you need anything.”

Duke barely heard Margaret because he embraced the moment of holding his child for the first time. He lowered his face to her silky hair and breathed in her scent. He didn’t know what a baby should smell like, but this one definitely smelled good. He caught a trace of powder and something else, perhaps shampoo.

One chubby leg fell against his thigh. He lowered his hand and touched her pale skin. She was soft, like her mother. “Do you miss your mommy?” he asked.

“Maa, Maa,” Ava moaned against his chest.

“It’s okay. Mommy will be home soon.” He understood the feeling of missing her.

He rocked while he held Ava close, not sure how much time had passed until he heard her even breathing. She’d fallen asleep. Pride erupted inside his chest. Now he understood what Chance had meant when he said there was no feeling close to the one of becoming a father.

After a while, he debated whether he should put her back into the crib, but he didn’t want to wake her. He guessed she didn’t like the mini jail with its bars.

Laying his head back, he closed his eyes. It couldn’t hurt anything to stay like this until he was certain she was okay. His thoughts roamed to Lila. What had happened between them earlier hadn’t been planned or expected. They’d had sex, but it was more than that. They shared a history.

Had she gone with Lucas to confess she’d slept with Duke?

One thing he was sure of, she hadn’t been sleeping with anyone while he was in a coma. He knew her well, and if she’d been involved with any man, she wouldn’t have made love with  

Duke.

Where did this land the two of them? He wasn’t sure if he should feel better or worse about their relationship? His heart was bursting at the seams and that made him vulnerable. And frightened. As tough as he was, he was scared of emotion.

Duke wasn’t sure what stirred him, but he opened his eyes just as Lila walked into Ava’s bedroom. She stopped in her tracks and was staring at him like he’d grown a set of horns.

“I didn’t believe Margaret when she’d said you were helping with Ava,” she said.

“It’s not that impossible to believe, is it? I’m not a monster.”

“She does look at peace. Her gums have been hurting,” Lila said with a smile.

“She needed her mom,” he said.

Lila’s eyes slanted. “Sorry. I’m taking Ava to bed.” He watched as she took Ava and placed her inside the crib. Once she was tucked in, Lila turned to him. He didn’t say anything.

“Goodnight,” she finally said.

Duke left the nursery and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. He wasn’t ready to call it a night—not yet. His mind was an endless tunnel of thoughts, sparked by holding his daughter the first time. He was busting at the seams with love. He took his glass and headed for the stairs, but he heard a knock on the door.
Who the hell would be visiting this late?

Opening the door, his muscles tightened at seeing Shaun Lucas standing on the porch. He was exactly as Duke remembered him—tall, athletic and belonged on a billboard selling underwear. “Forget something?” Duke asked, not caring if he sounded impatient.

Lucas shifted in his loafers as he said, “Sorry to bother you. I saw the lights on and I figured Lila was still awake.”

Several responses darted inside Duke’s mind, none were civil. Resentment sawed through him and he had to swallow back the words that would land him in hot water with Lila. His emotions didn’t stem from insecurity, or even fear. He didn’t hate Lucas. Hell, Duke didn’t even dislike the man. What he didn’t appreciate, if it was fact, Lucas believing Duke wouldn’t fight for his family.

“There’s something you need to know, Lucas,” Duke said as he stepped out onto the porch and closed the door behind him. He could have sworn he saw fright in the other man’s eyes, but the dim light could have played tricks with the shadows of Lucas’s face. “I may have been gone for eighteen months, but I’m home now. I’m bent, that’s for damned sure, but I’m not broken. I’ve never been a back down gentleman and I’ve never given up on anything I wanted. I have a daughter and I’m her father—”

“I think there’s been a misunderstanding—”

“Not on my part,” Duke said. “What man comes looking for a woman after midnight? If you thought you’d get lucky tonight then you’re not as smart as that Harvard PhD says you are.”

“Your chivalry is admirable, but I assure you sleeping with Lila wasn’t my intention.” Lucas lifted his hand and held out something for Duke. “I came back because I saw she’d forgotten her sweater.”

Duke stared at the clothing. “Her sweater?” He finally took it from Lucas.

The other man turned and started for the stairs, but he stopped and looked back at Duke. “You’re a fortunate man, Duke. I’m glad to see you’re realizing that.”

Duke stood on the porch long after Lucas pulled away in his shiny car. Duke brought the soft material of the sweater to his nose and inhaled deeply.
Lila’s scent
. He’d almost kicked ol’ Lucas’s ass over clothing. He was losing his mind…and jealous, which was never a good thing.

Damn! Duke needed to reel in his emotions.

He was finally gaining everything back…