Chapter 296 - Fostering Together (5)

Author's note: this is from Serina's point of view

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Duke exited the bathroom with only a towel dangerously low on his waist.

He paused, giving me a full view of his flawless torso all the way down to his Apolo's belt.

I swallowed a mouthful of air while staring at him unblinkingly and I chanted silently for that towel to come undone.

"I forgot to get a clean set of clothes before shower."

Liar.

Even from that distance, I could smell the pine trees and the ocean, and I pressed my legs together at the familiar feeling the arousal brings.

I nearly got a nosebleed while watching Duke parade all those muscles and his messy damp hair made him extra-handsome. He was in no rush to pick which t-shirt to wear.

He is such a tease.

Duke's expression was innocent, but I'm quite confident that he knew how he affects me, and he was doing it on purpose.

I grabbed nightwear and went to shower before he came to bed, and I lost control completely.

My thoughts were hotter than the water because I knew that a delicious specimen was waiting for me in the bed.

Well, at least I didn't think about the issue with Luca and Ash fighting over Zoe.

"You are not sleeping?", I asked when I got out of the bathroom.

Duke kept the phone on the side and his smile made me skip a beat.

"How can I sleep without you by my side?"

I shook my head helplessly and laid on the bed next to Duke. "I was by your side last night and you didn't sleep."

He hummed ambiguously. 

Duke didn't sleep last night, so tonight he will definitely fall asleep, and I don't feel tired so I can enjoy the night of soaking in his appearance.

"How did your talk with Lazarus go?", Duke asked while pulling me into his embrace.

I took a deep breath, his scent of pine trees and the ocean filled my lungs and relaxed me, while his touch made me tense. I squirmed a bit while struggling between moving away from him and my desire to jab my hands inside his sweatpants. Here we go. The torture begins.

I reminded myself that Duke asked me a question. I didn't want him to think of me as incompetent, but I couldn't lie either. "We spoke about the incident, and Laz gave me a few insights, but I still don't know how to handle it."

Duke pushed a strand of my hair away from my face and asked, "In the ideal scenario, how would you like to handle this?"

Ideal scenario? Does such a thing exist? "You know that Luca and Ash fought because of Zoe, right?"

Duke hummed in response.

Of course, he knew. He was always observant, and that made the rest of my explanation easier. "It doesn't seem that this will go away on its own and punishing them probably won't achieve anything. Zoe wants to be with Ash, and Ash wants to be with Zoe, while Luca doesn't approve."

"Do you know why Luca doesn't approve?", Duke asked.

I looked into Duke's endlessly blue eyes, and I could see that he really wants to help me.

"Ash is Zoe's only one, while Ash is not committed to monogamy."

Duke's eyes flashed in understanding. "I assume that Zoe doesn't know that and that's why Luca reacted the way he did."

I confirmed. "Zoe is crazy about Ash. It would break her heart."

A small frown on Duke's face told me that he doesn't approve. "So, you think that the current deadlock is better than Zoe knowing the truth?"

It took me a moment to understand that Duke thinks Zoe should know about Ash's behavior. He was not wrong. One of the solutions would be to tell Zoe everything and that will hopefully open her eyes. But… "Do I have the right to meddle? If I tell her about Ash, she will be brokenhearted and probably break up with him."

Duke cocked his eyebrow at me, confirming that what I said didn't sound right. Considering that Ash is not keeping his skirt-chasing a secret, Fynn and the guys definitely know about it and it's only a matter of time before Zoe finds out.

"Even if I don't tell her, she will find out eventually. The longer this drags, the more hurt will Zoe be when she finds out." I let out a long exhale. "This is such a mess."

"There is another way to go about this.", Duke said.

"Which one?"

"Talk to Ash. Tell him that if he wants to stay with Zoe, he needs to come out clean. He is at the age when he thinks about girls and having fun without considering the consequences until it's too late. If they break up cleanly, they might continue as friends, but if their relationship progresses and she finds out that he cheated, she will not forgive him."

Why didn't I think of that?

I was so focused on punishing Luca and Ash that I forgot to deal with the root of the problem. Instead of me telling Zoe about Ash's behavior, I should give Ash a chance to tell Zoe what's going on. After all, they are friends first and I'm sure that Ash wouldn't want to hurt her on purpose.

If Ash speaks honestly with Zoe, she will not hate him as someone who is womanizing behind her back. Sure, she might be hurt but she will still appreciate his honesty and that will also smoothen the relationship between Ash and Luca.

I looked at Duke with admiration. "How come you know so many things?"

"Should I take this as, you like my suggestion?"

"I love it.", I said honestly. "I will talk to Ash tomorrow morning and see how things go. But, what about Luca?"

"What about him?"

"He was the one fighting and I still don't know how to punish him."

"I don't think that he did anything wrong. Maybe his approach was excessive, but just saying, 'get your hands off my sister', probably wouldn't calm the anger raging inside him. Boys are energetic. Give them some physical punishment like running or carrying heavy stuff. You own a big company, put them to work for a week in the storehouse as free labor."

I giggled when I remembered that Lazarus mentioned running because exercise will burn their energy to fight. "Lazarus said the same thing."

Duke grimaced and his displeasure, because I brought up Lazarus, was obvious.

I hoped that sharing my thoughts will pacify him. "I believe that the two of you have a lot in common and if you bury the war axe, you could be good friends."

Duke made a face like he smelled something bad. "The problem is that we have too much in common. As long as he keeps looking at you that way, I can consider him only as a threat."

"Not as a rival?", I teased.

He smirked. "Are you saying that he has a chance with you?"

I wanted to mess with him because his confidence irked me, but I couldn't lie. "No. No one other than you has a chance with me."

Any tension on Duke's face vanished and he looked at me with eyes full of love. He cupped my cheek and kissed me on the lips.

"Good girl…", he murmured and then he kissed me again.

Somehow, I had a feeling that the kiss was a reward for good behavior, but before I could process that information, my brain dissolved into a mush of pink and fluffy heart-shaped clouds with images of Duke on them.

I loved and hated that he has this effect on me. With one smile and a gentle gaze, Duke can render me absolutely defenseless while a kiss and a touch make my arousal swell like a marshmallow in the microwave.

What's wrong with me?

Duke inched away and I was about to protest because I really-really wanted more of his lips on me, but then I saw that his eyes were still closed as he was relishing the kiss and the small creases between his eyebrows told me that he was struggling against his urges.

He was holding back because of me.

My heart swelled. Can he be any sweeter?

I decided to be a good girl and sleep. I placed my head on his chest and snuggled closer to him. 

"Good night, my dear…", he breathed.

"Good night, Mateo..."

His hold on me tightened for a moment and then I drifted off to sleep.

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