Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 66511 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66511 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Tension melted off Ducky. He relaxed against the railing, his face going through a range of emotion before settling on something close to resolve.
“Same.” The simple declaration made Chad smile even knowing he’d have to hear more from Ducky later, his heart required it.
Chad sealed their love with a press of the lips. Then another and another. Ducky’s palms cradled Chad’s face, keeping him close as they kissed again, this time longer, lingering, and filled with the passion that seemed to accompany every single kiss they shared.
“You made it easier,” Ducky murmured when Chad broke away to take a breath. “Thank you.”
“The pleasure is mine. I finally got what I wanted,” Chad said. “We’re in this together now.”
Ducky took him into a hug. The only outside world interference that could have penetrated this moment was the loud, shrill ringtone Chad had assigned his sister, Chloe. A binging buzz that grated over every one of his nerves just the way her voice did. Ducky looked away, toward the villa, trying to place what made such an annoying clatter.
“Ignore it. It’s Chloe.” The ring ended only to begin again.
“What’s that awful noise?” Both he and Ducky jerked their heads around to see Felicia and Ava trudging through the sand, close to the villa.
He’d meant to cancel their gathering tonight. Ducky stood to his full height but seemed as reluctant to end their embrace as Chad.
When the ringtone ended only to begin again for the third time, Chad finally let go of Ducky, turning toward the villa. “Goddammit. I’ll be right back.”
“Hey,” Felicia said. Ava mimicked her friend in a much more sedate voice. Ducky didn’t turn away from watching Chad’s retreating body until he disappeared through the doorway and could no longer be seen. The haze of their confessed love drowned away everything else around him. His eyes searched the open door, hoping Chad would reappear as the lifesaver he clung to.
Chad loved him. Tingles raced head to toe over his body as his chin hit his chest. He reveled in all the special feels, his body giving a full-length shiver even under the warmth of the day. Nothing had ever felt so right in his life. A true balance settled over him. Something new and complete, satisfying and cherished.
In the back of his mind, the dark place created by years of being told he wasn’t good enough by his father and oldest brother made him question everything. With all the self-lecturing he’d done for the length of this trip, feeling inadequate in every way to Chad, he couldn’t let it go until right this very minute. He wondered if Dallas had these same feelings when he settled down and accepted Greer as his partner?
What a fucking turn-on to be wanted as you were.
“He’s mad at us,” Felicia said loud enough to infiltrate Ducky’s focus. “It’s not fair, Ducky. I didn’t know you were into guys.”
“It makes sense though.” The way Ava said the words caused Ducky to look over at her. Her hands, one holding a cell phone, lifted in a surrender as if she had offended him. “Everyone kept hitting on you and you never bit. That’s all I’m saying, I promise. We’re all sad you’re gay.”
“Yeah. We didn’t know.” Felicia stepped closer to the railing next to Ducky. “Apparently no one knew. You’re good at hiding. You should’ve put us out of our misery.”
Ava playfully slapped at his arm, coming to stand on his other side. “Why didn’t you tell us Chad’s dad owns Wilder. I feel like that was something we needed to know.”
“I’m not in the gamer world but how didn’t I remember Chad as the guy who dragged you hard after that award show?” Felicia added.
Ducky’s eyes narrowed. His entire focus tuned into Ava’s words. His head swiveled in her direction. He was having a hard time thinking beyond Chad but couldn’t remember anything said to tip Chad’s hand. “How do you know that?”
Shit. His question was barely out when dread filled the deepest recesses of his mind. That said a lot, Chad had embedded himself in all of Ducky’s thoughts.
“My video’s been viewed and shared two hundred forty thousand times on Secret. It’s gone everywhere,” Felicia answered cryptically with a sheepish grin.
Fuck! It all made sense.
Chad came through the back door, his troubled stare riveted on Ducky though he held his phone raised in his hand. Chloe’s voice spoke about a mile a minute on a video call. He’d heard both Chad’s sisters talking in the background many times over the years. Chloe had never sounded so frantic before. “Mom and Dad have both been trying to get a hold of you. The video’s the number one post on Secret since it posted last night. Everybody knows who Ducky is because of the ad campaign. It took about an hour for the users to figure out that Ducky was kissing you. That drew Wilder into the mix too. It exploded from there.”