"Okay, okay, we'll play again. I know I'm just going to kick your ass again."
Grace yawned and stretched herself out on the bed. Tash stopped play strangling Steven and said, "naw, you tired Gracey?"
"I'm okay, just been a long day"
Tash jumped up and grabbed Grace by the wrist, "come on, Duke's got a hammock, you can sleep in there while I crush this loser's ego". She pulled her out the door into the corridor and went to knock on Duke's door.
"No Tash, don't wake him up, I'm fine, I don't need to go to sleep now." Grace was always trying not to bother people.
Knocking on the door anyway, Tash admonished her, "He's probably not asleep yet, it's only two. It'll be fine. And don't worry, Duke won't bother you. He's a gentleman." Tash winked at her and Grace was full of embarrassment about how she'd thought about Tash's brother that morning.
Duke stood in the door frame, still wearing nothing but boxer briefs. He had obviously been sleeping-- his hair was sticking up and he was squinting in the light of the hallway. Tash said quickly, "Grace needs to go to sleep, can she have your hammock?"
It was at that point that Grace looked into his room and saw that he did in fact have a grey hammock hanging in the corner of his room, with his headphones hanging off it, and a dog-eared book tossed in it.
"Yeah, of course. Shut up, though, sis. I'm trying to sleep." He rubbed his eyes.
"Oh, sorry bro. I'll kill him quietly. Night Grace." She kissed her on the cheek and went back to her room.
Grace stood at the door looking at the hammock.
"Come on, then, I won't bite." Duke smiled the sweetly at Grace and shut the door behind her. He strode over to the hammock and climbed in, gesturing the unmade bed
"You sleep in there, Gracey. You don't look like a hammock person."
"Oh, are you sure?"
"Absolutely. Sweet dreams, princess."
Grace was relieved that he'd flicked off the lamp with those words, because she was blushing more than she had since that time she fell over on stage at the spelling bee. Blushing, because Duke had called her a cute little affectionate name. Also blushing because she was now alone in a room with the man whose cock she had tried to mentally undress this morning, and whose lithe, tall body was laid out almost naked in a hammock right in front of her, looking like greek marble in the moonlight. Also blushing because she was now climbing into a bed still warm and scented with his masculine sweat.
She tried to get comfortable, wriggling around under the sheet. She pulled her stockings off and discretely slipped them from under the cover onto the floor.
"Hey, Grace. Do you need something to sleep in? Here." He threw a black t-shirt at her.
"Thanks." She awkwardly undressed and put the T-shirt on under the covers. By the time she'd done that, Duke was asleep. She could see his slow deep breathing in the movement of his bare chest. She didn't know how he could sleep so uncovered, she was in his shirt and his blanket, but the cold night air was coming in from the slightly open window and making her shiver. Then she thought about the warmth of the bed when she first slipped in, and the thought of his hot, muscular body next to her cool softness started to warm her up. Next door, she could hear the muted giggling of Tash and Steven. It sounded more flirtatious, like Tash might want to break her own One Rule.
Grace tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She was cold, but also she felt heat inside her, desire for Duke. As she was turning again and trying to pull the blanket around her more tightly, she heard, "You okay Grace?"
friends brother
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