They stood there, kissing for several minutes, which was a little awkward at first. Dunc had no experience and hadn’t expected it. He followed Amanda’s lead willingly as an unusual warmth flooded his body. Amanda pulled back, running a finger under Dunc’s chin as she did. The simple gesture made Dunc shiver. “Probably shouldn’t have done that.”
“I like what we shouldn’t have done.” Dunc grinned dumbly. “But, uh, we should avoid that until we fix the problem.” Now Dunc understood why couples liked to kiss so much. It was electrifying.
“Sure.” Then she did it again. They kissed for several more minutes.
“You’re so annoying.” This time Dunc took a step back and staggered to the couch, feeling way too excited and light-headed. He nervously grabbed a blanket and began making up the couch to sleep on. “Go away.”
“Goodnight, Dunc.” Amanda wobbled away, feeling that she should go to bed and get a good night’s sleep. If she wanted to pursue anything like this with Dunc, she needed to get Joseph out of her life. Preferably without him winding up dead in the process.
***
Joseph glared at his laptop. He didn’t like what he was seeing. The love of his life was kissing another man. A man who was nothing compared to him. Joseph made a low growling sound of frustration. Amanda was his. She would always belong to him. He needed the proper leverage to make her see that.
He could see Amanda’s entire house, inside and out. Amanda’s father might have fired him, but Joseph still had friends who worked for him. They had given him access to the cameras. He had been watching her since they were installed and formulating a plan.
Joseph needed to get to Amanda when she was alone. He was going to take her by force. She would be his after proper conditioning. Joseph had it all figured out. It would take time, but in the end, Amanda would belong to him.
Chapter 7
D unc’s mother noticed immediately that something was going on with her son. Something that had not been going on before that morning. Dunc was up early and had gone back to his house to retrieve fresh blueberries, real butter, and maple syrup. Then he began making a breakfast casserole using leftover French bread. He had a massive smile on his face and was humming to himself in the kitchen.
Dunc put the casserole in the oven and turned around to see his mother smiling at him. “Good morning, Dunc.”
“Good morning, Mom.” Dunc walked up to his mother and gave her a quick hug.
“Okay, spill it. Now.”
“What?” Dunc walked around the kitchen with an uncharacteristic bounce in his step. A goofy smile plastered across his face. “Would you like some orange juice or milk? I think I saw apple juice in here too.”
“What were you up to last night, Duncan? Your mother is just curious.” She grinned at him.
“Nothing.” Dunc’s cheeks flushed red, and he had to avoid looking at his mother as he brought out the container of orange juice. “I swear, nothing happened.”
“Don’t lie to your mother, Dunc.”
Dunc poured two glasses of orange juice and offered one to his mother. She took it, and he glanced around to make sure that Dew and Sallie weren’t anywhere nearby. Then he leaned down and whispered, “I’m not lying, Mom. She, she likes me.” He stammered. “She kissed me.”
“That sounds like something.” She grinned. Of course, her son was not going to make the first move. She knew all about his social anxieties. It would take a special girl to get to him and draw him out like this.
“I don’t want to talk about it with you.” Dunc nervously began drinking his orange juice. “Please do not bother Amanda. I know you, Mother, leave her alone.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it, Dear.” His mother clapped her hands, and Dunc groaned at the look on her face. She was going to do something. He just knew it.
***
Half an hour later, Amanda stumbled into the kitchen. She was still in a nightshirt, and her hair was wildly sticking up everywhere. She had smelled bacon and was on the hunt for it. Dunc was turning the strips in a frying pan. Amanda blinked at the sight of him. He had already showered, shaved, and changed into clean clothes. Dunc noticed she was there, and he smiled at her, and Amanda sighed, giving him a half-hearted smile in return. Her face turned red, and she wandered back up to her room to get ready for the day.
“Amanda is not a morning person.” Sallie giggled at the interaction. Dew and Dunc’s mother were sitting at the kitchen table and saw the whole thing.
“Thanks for making breakfast, Duncy!”
“Duncan.” Dunc corrected her. He took the breakfast casserole out and put it on the counter to cool.
***
Dunc’s mother loved what she saw as the morning went on. Her son was smiling more than she had ever seen him smile before. It lit up his entire face. Dunc and Amanda used every opportunity they could to be near each other. They were no longer trying to have space between them. If they walked by each other, their hands touched. They sat next to each other. Amanda repeatedly leaned against Dunc, and he would lean back against her. They were both smiling and kept awkwardly bumping into each other. Neither was used to someone else being in their personal space as often as they were.
By afternoon, Sallie and Dew had also noticed the change in them. They chose not to say anything. They giggled at each other every time Dunc or Amanda made an awkward movement with each other. It was happening a lot.
For their part, Dunc and Amanda were trying to avoid sneaking off together. They settled for being
