“We have a lot to celebrate,” Hank said, pulling her off him and tucking her against his side. He stared at her lovingly and said, “We’re getting married.”
The announcement took less than a second to make. And it didn’t take much longer than that for Duke to lose his cool.
Chapter Seventeen
Duke sat on the bed and processed. This was precisely why she hadn’t accepted the proposal. “I never said one way or the other,” she assured Duke, gently pulling away from Hank at the same time.
The look on his face was priceless. Still, she couldn’t quite make out the expression. Was he happy his brother had taken the leap of faith, or sad because he wasn’t there to witness the occasion? Was he elated since Hank wanted her for keeps, or discouraged because he felt he would somehow be left out?
This was by far the most important night of her life. One of the loves of her life had just made the evening unforgettable and special, while the other one threw a wrench in the bed and screwed everything up. Only, Julie understood why. She loved them equally, and how they felt about this situation mattered. Regardless of what they decided as a unit, she wanted everyone comfortable in the end.
“I swear you’re the best cock block in the world,” Hank grumbled.
“As much as I hate to admit it, he’s right,” Julie said, pushing away from the bed. They could’ve discussed this at another time. Hank could’ve mentioned his intentions an hour or two later. In fact, if he wanted to crook that finger, he should’ve curved the digit back at himself.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Hank asked.
“Downstairs. I haven’t had a glass of wine in a long time. I think I’ll let the two of you work this out.”
“Like hell,” Duke said, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her to his lap. “So you want to get married?”
“I didn’t say one way or the other.”
His face was blood red. If anger had a name, Duke earned the title. He glared at Hank. “You proposed.”
“Are you asking, or trying to come to terms with the fact we’re old enough to finally make a commitment?”
“What difference does it make? Did you or did you not ask her to marry you?” he asked, pushing her aside and standing again.
“Yes.”
“Did you or did you not accept?” he asked, directing the question to Julie.
“I didn’t give him an answer.”
“Well?” Duke asked, placing his hands on his hips which created quite an image. His fury grabbed the best of him, and his cock shriveled up until he was flaccid. He stood inches from her, his hands at his hips, his legs splayed, and his cock dangling between his legs. If he’d been hard, he might have looked a tad bit more intimidating.
Might, hell.
“Well, I wanted to see what you thought about it,” she explained. “I’d never give one of you an answer without consulting the other. You know that.”
Duke looked immediately relieved, and Hank appeared okay with her explanation as well. “So what did you think?”
“About the proposal?”
“You’re dancing, Julie,” Duke said.
“Hell, we all are!” Hank exclaimed, motioning for her. “Come back to bed.”
“Make me,” she challenged him, immediately admiring the beautiful spark of recognition. He knew what she wanted from them. And he would give her everything she needed without wasting one minute of precious time.
“You want me to tie you up?” Ha
nk asked suddenly, a dark and mysterious edge in his tone.
“No, Sir,” she replied, playing along. For the moment, the conversation was tabled for later.
“Do you want a spanking for bad behavior?” Duke asked, grabbing her by the hips and pushing her to the bed. She landed on the mattress facedown and Hank gave her a loving caress, as if his hand softened the blow, not that she needed to be coddled and pampered then.