"Least I could do after all you've done for me and my friends."
"I mean, it’s not like I'm not getting anything out of it," he said, his voice low and rough and intimate. "Not that that's why I'm doing it. Just saying. It's not purely out of the goodness of my heart. Just mostly."
"I the appreciate the honesty, Duncan. Now hang up and go be a manager. We’ll talk later."
He hung up and I headed back to my hostel room to pack, and tried not to think about all the delicious ways I could repay Duncan for helping us with Raquel's and Hamish's wedding.
Chapter Seven
Duncan
I really needed to start setting my alarm. I've always been able to reliably wake up in time to open the Kitty without one, but since I've met Rune, even if I’m not up late with her, I can't fall asleep on time because I’m thinking about her.
Fantasizing about her.
Those fucking amazing tits. Her big blue eyes wide and fraught as she comes all over my mouth. Her lips sliding down my cock…
Fuck.
I tried like hell to put her out of my mind as I opened the Kitty, wiping down bottles, putting down chairs and stools, counting the till drawer, checking inventory, preparing the deposit from the previous day's take, going over the schedule for the week, rotating the stock in the beer fridges…yet even while doing all of this, my mind kept returning to Rune, her lush, gorgeous body, her wit and sarcasm, the way she sounded when she came.
I got the Kitty opened and ready for business, handled the first few customers, and then stepped into the office to make the promised phone call.
It rang three times before she answered. "Dunc! My favorite nephew!"
I laughed. "Hey, Aunt Low. I bet you say that to all the boys."
She faked an outraged gasp. "Why I never!" Her tone returned to normal. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this call, favorite nephew?"
"I wish it was purely because I love talking to you so much, but I do have a favor to ask you."
"Hit me with it, bub."
"So, I have this friend. It's a whole big story, but—"
"Whoa, let me stop you there," she said. "If you're gonna ask me for something, you have to give me the whole scoop or I say no."
I peeked out of the office to make sure I didn't have any waiting customers. "Okay, fine. So, her name is Rune."
"And she's definitely just a friend," Aunt Low said, her voice sarcastic.
"I, um. No. I like her. I don't think it's gonna be anything, but I do really like her. And she has these friends who were planning on getting married at the Old Toby Inn. They had their whole wedding party coming and everything. Tickets bought, rooms paid for, everything."
"Didn't the Old Toby just catch on fire?" she asked. "I saw a headline about that on one of my news feeds."
"It did. Like, pretty much to the ground, less than three days before the wedding. No one was hurt, thank god, but the place is just gone, and with it their entire wedding plan.”
"Oh god. That's awful, Duncan. I’m so sorry to hear it. But I confess I don’t really know what I could do to help."
"Well, Delia offered them the back room up in Anchorage for the wedding and reception, and the hotel nearby has rooms for everyone."
"But?"
"The bride and groom, Raquel and Hamish, have been out camping or hiking or whatever out in the bush. I have flights to Anchorage set up for everyone tomorrow, but Raquel and Hamish don't have anywhere to stay tonight, and Uncle Brock is taking us up pretty early tomorrow."
"And you're hoping Raquel and Hamish can use the yacht," she guessed.
"I know it's a big ask, Aunt Low. Especially because these aren't even my friends. I haven't even met them yet. So I totally get it if you don’t feel comfortable with it. I just promised Rune I'd at least see what I could do, since there aren't any rooms available in Ketchikan."
