Saving Serena (Hawk Security #1)

Chapter 25

CHAPTER 25

Serena

Anticipation buzzed in my blood as I got ready for bed. I’d known from the minute he’d made a fool of George, that Duke was a completely different breed of man than any I’d dated before.

My brothers were right. I’d generally stuck to boys Dad approved of, with boys being the operative term.

Duke was no boy. He was all man. One with the guts to stand up to my father. One I wasn’t actually sure I could handle. But I’d be damned if I didn’t try. Every minute since Duke had declared I was his, I’d looked forward to tonight when we’d be away from watchful eyes.

Would I be able to put up with his bossiness, his argumentativeness? He’d say it was me being difficult, and half the time, he might be right. But that’s because I knew what was good for me, and it was time I got a say in my life.

Sure, he had an issue with my dad for some reason, but at this moment, I wasn’t on Team Dad either. And this afternoon, Duke had protected me from my father’s overbearing instincts. Any man who would stand up to my father was either brainless or fearless, and Duke was nobody’s fool.

Would tonight be as good as it had been at the beginning of the week? Would it be better? Was I ruining it by putting too much emphasis on this?

He’d expertly given me pleasure. I’d never in my life come so fast. What if I wasn’t any good at returning it? Shit, what if he thought I was a mediocre lover, or even worse, a bad lay?

Double shit. I’d wasted the entire week. I could have been researching how to give good head—no, excellent head—or how to pull his balls. I’d read that guys liked that, or was it tickling his balls?

Was I dressed right? Should I change into a nightshirt? No shirt?

Pulling my top off, I quickly ditched my bra. That had turned him on Tuesday. Going through my closet, I looked for something loose-fitting to replicate the way I’d been dressed that day. A blue button-down was the closest thing I found.

After clicking on the closet light, I turned off the overhead room lights for the right mood.

I heard footsteps, and like Pavlov’s dog, heat coiled low in my belly, eager for Duke’s arrival. Looking down, I decided to undo another two buttons. As I walked to the door, the shirt opened over one breast, and I readjusted. One could never show too much cleavage when expecting one’s lover, right? But hiding the nipple to tease him was best.

As soon as he knocked, I pulled the door open.

“What do you think about…” It wasn’t Duke.

I pulled my shirt closed as Constance walked in.

“Oh.” She raised a brow as I buttoned it back up. A smirk grew on her face. “Duke’s still on the phone.”

“What do I think about what?” I asked when I was no longer in danger of the shirt opening too far.

“About tomorrow. Will Grace and Terry be able to get along for a day?”

I nodded. “I hope so. Do you think she’ll mess up his concentration?”

“Duke doesn’t think so.” Looking at me a moment, she motioned to the bed. “Can we sit?”

I nodded and sat.

She joined me. “You don’t need to be nervous.” Seems she’d noticed my leg tremors. “I’ve been doing personal protection a long time, and the guys are positively first-rate.”

“I just want to have a nice time, you know, a fun day…”

“With Duke?” she filled in.

I nodded.

“What happened at your family barbecue? It seems like things changed pretty abruptly.”

I explained it in the simplest way I knew. “My ex showed up, probably invited by Dad.”

“Aaaaaaaawkward.” She drew out the word and shook her head. “Who does that to their daughter?”

“Super awkward, but it highlighted how different Duke is from any of the boys”—I used the word intentionally—“I’ve dated before. Then Duke goes and tells my father he’s claiming me.”

“Claiming you?”

“Duke told him straight out that I was his. In my wildest dreams, I’d never imagined a guy saying that to my father. He claimed me as his girlfriend—out loud, without a care in the world for what Dad thought about it. Like in a novel.” I shook my head. “He stood up to my father and flat out told him how it was going to be.”

“Knowing your father’s reputation, I bet that doesn’t happen often.”

I laughed. “Try never.” My leg had stilled.

She laughed. “You’re not kidding?”

“Honest to God, he did.”

“Me Tarzan, you Jane,” she murmured in a low voice. “Hold on. He can’t do that. You get a say in this.”

“You’re right. I get a choice. And I choose to be his girlfriend.”

Constance laid a hand on my shoulder. “I’m happy for you. Truly, I am. Duke is a stand-up guy. But…”

I waited for the catch.

“Winston tells me he doesn’t do relationships.”

“So?” I shrugged. We’d had sex once, so a relationship was a bit of a stretch.

“Just be careful what you expect.” Constance looked up as the door opened.

“Sorry,” Duke said. “I thought you were alone.”

Constance stood. “I’ll get out of your hair now.”

“What expectations do you need to be careful about?” Duke asked after the door closed again.

I dug a fingernail into my palm. “Oh, she warned me the lines will be long and not to expect very many rides tomorrow.”

“Probably true.” Duke advanced on me, and the predatory look in his eyes communicated very clearly that talking about Disneyland was not on his agenda.

“She wanted to talk about how to present Terry to the group tomorrow,” I added.

“I don’t care.” He took my hand in his and, with the other, urged my chin up.

When our gazes locked, I felt it—his heat, his desire, the connection we shared.

His hand tightened on mine. “I’ve been waiting for this all damned week.” Apparently in my bed was different than a quickie against the door at my parents’ house.

“Me too.” My voice came out as a squeak as I looked up at him. I felt the intensity in his voice all the way to my toes.

“I’ll ask you again, Snuggles. Are you absofuckinglutely sure about this? Because once I taste you, I just know, I’m not going to be able to stop. You and me, all night long.”

I froze. Taste me? I’d never been talked to like that. Hell, I’d only once had a boy’s mouth on me, and in spite of what I’d read in romance novels, it hadn’t been special. Duke’s words challenged my tattoo. Was I up to being bold enough?

He was a breath away. “So, are you?”

“Tell me, Studly, are you absofuckinglutely sure? Because once I taste you, I may not want to stop either.” How’s that for being bold, Mr. Badass SEAL?

His eyes widened. I’d surprised us both.

Taking bold further, I closed the distance. But when his lips took mine, there was no mistaking who was in charge, and it wasn’t me. Urgent hands pulled me to him. With his insistent erection pressed against me, I realized he’d come in the door as revved up as I’d gotten myself contemplating how this would go. I angled my head to accept him deeper.

His tongue was hot and wickedly insistent as it probed and tangled with mine. Duke Hawk wasn’t merely kissing me. His ministrations deserved another term, more possessive, more assertive, more dominant than a simple kiss.

Moaning into his mouth, I was putty in his hands as he drew out the ecstasy. This was no rush to score. Duke took his time, showing me a side of kissing that I hadn’t known existed.

He broke the kiss. “You taste even better than I remembered.”

I cast my eyes down. Had I misunderstood what he intended? “I thought…” I stammered.

A wicked smile curled his lips. “We’ll get to that too, baby.”

My pussy clenched with an image of his face between my legs. What would his stubble feel like between my thighs? Impatient to find out, I slid my hand down to cup him.

He groaned before he pulled my hand away. “Not yet.”

With a firm hand in my hair, he brought us face to face, my nose touching his. “You need to learn to not argue about every damned thing.”

I hooked an arm around his neck, hopped up, and wrapped my legs around him. “Do with me what you will, Studly, and I promise zero complaints.” As I ground against his erection, complaining was the last thing on my mind.

A strong hand lifted my ass, pulling me to him and adding to the pressure I craved. I leaned my head back as he kissed an electric trail from my ear, down my neck, to my collarbone. Giving up on his pants, I started on the buttons of his shirt. Hot skin with a smattering of hair over hard muscle greeted me. I flinched as one of his hands slid up my side and over the cut.

“Sorry.” He moved it away. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“It’s fine.” I pulled his hand up to my breast and purred my appreciation as he cupped my flesh and tweaked my sensitive nipple. “I love your chest,” I said, sliding my hand over the defined ridges.

He squeezed my breast. “Likewise. You have way too many clothes on,” he whispered against my neck, kissing my pulse point.

“I agree,” I answered as he walked us over to the bed and leaned over to drop me down. With a laugh, I stayed wrapped around him, and we tumbled onto the mattress.

He did his best to protect me from his weight, and the furious process of removing each other’s clothes became a frantic race between kisses.

I lost when he got me naked by yanking my panties free, and I hadn’t gotten his pants off yet.

He held my hands against the mattress at my shoulders and began kissing a trail down my body. He stopped to worship one breast—licking, sucking, and blowing air on my taut nipple—before moving on to the other.

I struggled, but only a little, as he continued down, detouring at my belly button. He skipped my pussy and lavished kisses on both my inner thighs.

I laughed. “Do you need help navigating?” His stubble grazed my inner thigh again.

“I think I know the way.” A second later, his tongue split my folds on its way to my clit. Then, a finger entered me.

Groans of pleasure were all I could muster when a second finger joined the first. His tongue circled and flicked my little bud before he sucked on it. Amplified by anticipation, the simple pleasure drove me wild. Bucking my hips into him, I speared my fingers into his hair and pulled him against my heat. This was what I needed.

He looked up. Our gazes locked for a second before he sucked again, and my eyes rolled back as I fisted the sheets. My God, I’d never again doubt those authors who wrote how good this could feel. He took me right to the edge in record time.

“Come for me, baby.” He crooked those fingers inside me and found that spot I thought was a myth made up to sell more copies of Cosmo .

I blew right past the edge and over into bliss as a red-hot orgasm crashed over me—muscle spasms, curled toes, stars behind my eyelids, all of it.

“That’s it, baby. Ride the wave.” He fingered and worked his magic tongue on me all through my release until I was left in a boneless heap.

I needed to work up the strength to satisfy him as well after the attention he’d just lavished on me. I took a deep breath. “Your turn, Studly. I need you inside me.”

He lifted himself off and worked his jeans and boxer briefs down.

I took in the magnificence of his monster cock, thick and long.

“I’ll be gentle,” he said.

Once again, I chose the bold route. “I don’t want gentle. I want studly.”

He produced a condom and ripped the packet open.

I scooted to the edge of the bed and held out my hand. This would be a chance to get my hands on him. “What do you call him?”

Duke shrugged and handed me the condom. “Nothing.”

“Nothing won’t do.” I rolled the condom down his length. “I’ll have to think of something.” I reached the root and gave him a tug. “Maybe Dino Dick.”

He surged into my hand. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

“Rex, short for T-Rex.” I gave his length several strokes.

“Baby, if you keep stroking me, I’ll embarrass myself before I even get inside you.” He pulled my hand away. “On your hands and knees.”

I wanted to be on top, to be in control, but I turned around and obliged.

He positioned himself at my entrance and eased in just a little. “I love that you’re so wet, baby.”

Since he hadn’t been listening to me, I pushed back against him hard. The stretching sensation as I took his girth surprised me, but I held back the yelp.

“You feel so good, baby.” He began to move, not hard, not fast, but slow and gentle with a hand on my breast, teasing my nipple.

I focused on the pleasure and sense of fullness that was better than any I’d experienced before. I tried to up the tempo, but his hand on my hips resisted.

“Take me, Cobra. I don’t need gentle.” He’d claimed me verbally, and I wanted the same physically. I shoved back against him.

With my urging, he gave in to his desires. Soon, the sound of flesh slapping against flesh filled the space. “God, baby, I’m close.” Then his hand moved to my clit. “Come with me, baby.”

Seconds later, I came apart for the second time, with a mind-blowing climax that set a new standard for what sex could be like. Three strong thrusts later, my orgasm pulled his from him. He tensed, and I felt the throb of his cock inside me. Yes, my man had claimed me as his.

After he took care of the condom, we snuggled. This big, powerful man gently wrapped himself around me, and I couldn’t have felt more at ease, more safe.