Free Duke by Tressie Lockwood Page B

isn’t settling down. A place to take my lovers is a good idea.
    “Kiyah?” he called over the line.
    “All right, fine. When do you want to go?”
    He made the arrangements with her and ended the call.

    T he short walkway outside the house led to a wide wooden gate, which Duke couldn’t see past unless he opened it. The wood showed a lot of wear, and so did the upper level balcony to the left, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t fix. The charm of the house shined through the need for a paint job.
    Inside the house, he paused on the second floor landing. He’d told the agent to wait downstairs while he and Takiyah looked around the second floor. While she moved ahead of him, he watched her ass and grinned. Which house he bought didn’t matter all that much, but he found it amusing to take in Takiyah’s facial expressions and her reactions to everything she saw.
    She turned those big brown eyes to him as she ran a hand over the railing. “I love the way this looks over to the first floor. The house is narrow and small, but the way it’s designed is like a mini-mansion. It’s the best one we’ve seen today.”
    He nodded. “Sure.”
    She narrowed her eyes at him. “You don’t remember any of the other houses, do you?”
    “I do.”
    “No, you don’t, and it doesn’t seem like you care about buying a house.” She faced him and slapped her hands on her hips. “Are you even serious or just trying to impress me?”
    “Do you like this one?” He gazed around the upper landing. She rolled her eyes at him and marched along the hall to the master bedroom. Duke followed at more sedate pace. When he entered the room where she had disappeared, he imagined a king size bed against the wall to his right and Takiyah under him, writhing with delight. His cock hardened at the thought. He’d definitely not gotten her out of his system yet.
    Takiyah stood across the room, facing away from him. Beyond her was a walk-in closet. On the opposite side was the bathroom. He spotted a shower, a sink, and a toilet—good enough for him.
    “This closet puts mine to shame. It makes me jealous.”
    “So that’s a yes?”
    She frowned over her shoulder at him. “I’m not the one who has to live here, Duke. Do you like it?”
    He shrugged.
    “Ugh, you’re infuriating. Yes, I love it. We can look around some more, but if I was in the market, I’d grab this one. Did you see that little Italian place on the corner? I can’t believe a cute little restaurant like that is just steps away. I’m in love with this place. The neighborhood is so nice. It gives the impression of being upper middle class, but the price is decent.”
    “Sounds like the one.”
    “Can you cough up a little more enthusiasm? Never mind. What am I thinking? You’re not serious.”
    He spun on his heel and moved to the railing in the hall. “Sally.” His voice echoed in the empty space. The real estate agent came into view, her heels clacking over the hardwood floors. “Duke, honey, what do you think? If you want to see something else, you just let me know.”
    “I’ve decided. Draw up the paperwork. I’ll take it.”
    She beamed. “Well, there are a few other offers on the table, but…”
    He leaned on the railing and gave her what the movies called a smoldering look. In his mind, it was comical, but it had never failed to make women swoon. Sally, even at fifty-something, was no exception. She raised a hand to her chest and grew breathless. He suppressed his amusement and waited.
    “I’ll do what I can, Duke. Don’t you worry, honey. This house is yours no matter what. Now, let’s go to my office and sign some papers.”
    All the way back to the realtor’s office, Duke was aware Takiyah still doubted him. He wasn’t worried about it. In the past, he’d pulled off crazier stunts to get a woman in his bed. Buying a house wasn’t so bad. Okay, maybe it was a bit extreme when a word or two of seduction could get Takiyah to spread her legs for