Chapter Nineteen
EARLY
I wokeup to the soft sounds of steady breathing. Turning my head, I found Chance sprawled out next to me, one arm flung dramatically over his face like a tragic hero mid-soliloquy. His sandy-blond hair stuck up in a thousand directions, a crown of chaos that suited him. It was almost unfair how good he looked even after last night’s marathon of debauchery.
“Rise and shine, Princess,” I said.
He groaned as he shifted. “Five more minutes,” he mumbled, his voice raspy from sleep and all the moans Duke and I had wrung out of him the previous night.
I chuckled, leaning down to press a soft kiss to his chest. “You can have all the minutes you want later. Right now, I have plans for you.”
His lips curled into a sleepy smile, and he slid his arm down to open his eyes. “Plans, huh?” Thesensuous rumble of his voice stirred my arousal. “Do they involve more of what happened last night?”
“That depends.” My hand slipped lower to ghost over his tempting happy trail. “Are you up for it?”
He arched into my touch with a needy little whimper that went straight to my cock. “I think I can manage.” I was about to show him how much he could manage when his expression turned puzzled. “Where’s Duke? Did he sneak off already?”
“Nope. He’s in the shower, probably brooding about whether or not he broke you.”
“Broke me? Please,” Chance scoffed. He stretched his arms above his head, showing off the toned lines of his body before wincing. “Okay, maybe I’m a little sore.”
I laughed and rolled over to drape myself across him like a human blanket. “That’s what happens when you spend half the night screaming our names.”
“Hell yeah I did.”
I swatted his chest playfully as the bathroom door opened and Duke stepped out, towel slung low on his hips and damp hair curling at the edges. My husband looked every bit the rugged sex god he always did, though there was an unmistakable softness in his gaze as it landed on Chance.
“How’re you feeling, Chance?” Duke asked, his tone casual but scanning the younger man to assess for damage.
“Like I had the best sex of my life.”
Duke huffed out a laugh as he sat on the edge of the bed, leaning over to ruffle my hair before resting a hand on Chance’s shoulder. “Was I too hard on you?”
I watched Chance’s face soften as he registered the genuine concern behind Duke’s gruff exterior. It was adorable how my big, bad bouncer of a husband could turn into such a softie when taking care of people he cared about.
“I’m fine,” Chance assured him. “Honestly, it was amazing.”
Duke nodded but didn’t seem convinced yet, which only made me grin wider. It was rare to see him this doting outside of our usual dynamic. Chance had clearly left more of an impression than my husband would ever admit aloud.
“You’re being sweet,” I teased Duke as I rolled onto my back beside Chance. “Although it’s funny how you’re back to calling him Chance. I guess switching to Princess is only for when things get spicy.”
Duke didn’t say anything right away, but that only made it more fun for me.
“I like it. Princess, I mean.” Chance’s cheeks turned pink as he glanced away again. “It makes me feel like yours.”
The confession hung in the air like a beautifully wrapped gift none of us knew how to open yet.
Duke stayed silent, wrestling with how to respond. “It’s not about feminizing you or anything like that. Neither is Duchess.”
I cut in before either man could overthink. “It’s his inner caveman staking his claim on people he cares about.”
An unspoken question was written all over Chance’s face:You care for me?
True to form, Duke dodged the emotional minefield by standing abruptly, as if we hadn’t been teetering on some monumental revelation seconds ago. “Breakfast?” After a long beat, he added, “Princess?”
A slow smile bloomed on Chance’s face that made him look even younger. “I’d love that.”
Decision made, we got dressed before heading downstairs to eat.
