Semua Bab The Duchess's Game of Seduction: Bab 81 - Bab 87

Valerie stared at him, completely dumbfounded. She hadn't expected that question at all - not after the perfect morning they'd shared, not after the way he'd held her through the night.The question hung in the air, and she didn't think she was ready to provide an answer.Rick was waiting patiently, studying her face with an unnerving intensity that always made her feel like he could see straight through her soul.But instead of replying, she reached for another pancake, forcing a smile she didn't feel."I don't have to answer that question," she said lightly. Because she couldn't. She couldn't very well confess to the fact that she enjoyed the way he touched her more than anyone ever had. That she'd never felt that way with other men - like her skin was on fire, like every nerve ending was alive and singing. That his hands were electric, that his mouth could make her forget her own name.She couldn't tell him that from the very first day they'd crossed paths, he had ruined her for an

"Karen!" Valerie called out, trying to stop her best friend from making more rude comments. What the fuck was wrong with her. But Karen wasn't finished. She crossed her arms, staring Rick down with extreme hostility. "I asked you a question, Rick. What are you doing here?"Rick's jaw tightened, his green eyes flashing with irritation. When he spoke, his voice was dangerously calm. "I'm not here to see you, Lady. I'm here to see Valerie." He took a step close. "Do you have a problem with that?"Karen's mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. For the first time since Rick had arrived, she seemed to realize she'd overstepped."I..." she started, then stopped, her confidence crumbling under Rick's steady gaze.Without another word, she grabbed her bag from the sofa and stormed toward the elevator. But she couldn't resist one final parting shot."You're making a mistake, Val," she called over her shoulder, her voice shaking with emotion. "A big one."The elevator doors closed, lea

"Get dressed!" Dante said, clapping Rick on the back.Rick's eyes narrowed as he steadied himself. "Dressed for what?""We're going out, dude," Nathan chimed in, throwing himself on the couch."Out for what?" Rick asked again.They all looked at him first, before Adrian cleared his throat."Look, Rick," Adrian began, "You've been distant lately. You haven't been showing up to our hangouts, you barely respond to our texts, and frankly, we're just worried about you.""Worried?" Rick crossed his arms. "But I'm fine.""No, you're not," Dante interrupted, running a hand through his dark hair. "And I think... I think I'm the reason you haven't been coming around."The silence that followed was heavy and uncomfortable. Rick could feel Valerie's presence in the bedroom behind him, and every second these men stayed in his apartment was another second of risk."Dante..." Rick started, but his friend held up a hand."No, let me finish," Dante said, "What happened on the island... the way I lashe

Valerie glared at him, her chest heaving with frustration. Did he have to be so cruel about it? So dismissive?"You don't have to sound so rude about something I already know, Rick," she snapped.He stared at her for a long moment, then sighed heavily, running a hand through his dark hair. "What do you want, Valerie? You said you were here to say something?"The cold facade was back in full force, and Valerie hated it with every fiber of her being. He was speaking to her like he had on that first night - regarding her like something that wasn't worth his time, like she was nothing more than an inconvenience. She didn't like this side of him at all.But what did she expect? She had started this. They were having something good, something beautiful, but Valerie - the ever-complicated Valerie - had decided to destroy it because she was scared. Scared of what they were becoming, scared of how vulnerable he made her feel.She cleared her throat, steeling herself for what she had to say. "