[h2]Esme[/h2]
As Esme waited for Duke’s answer, she went from staring at the wall to closing her eyes. She also noticed how he seemed to notice she felt a change in him by the way he held her tighter and drew circles on her back. She also noticed how he tried to keep his emotions from changing. So to make sure to not get sucked in again, she concentrated on his hair in her fingers, his breathing, and his heartbeat. Being this close to him, and having her mind at ease, it wasn’t hard to be aware of any emotional changes, whether she was trying to or not. Also, the link she had created between him and her had never been broken, which would somewhat explain how he found her and Cason while being tortured by the demons. 

The link, no matter the distance, would alert and draw him to her if she was in danger. But that was something she never told him about. Which made her wonder if he felt something when she was kidnapped and tortured by demons the first time. The thought made her sigh to herself, making her remember she had the same unspoken link with Dean. She would need to break it now that he was with Mika but for her to do so, she would have to be close to him and that made it hard because of Mika. The two hadn’t gotten off to the best start and she knew her being here wasn’t going over well with Mika. 

Esme would have jumped out of her skin from Duke clearing his throat if it hadn’t been for him tightening his hold on her. She opened her eyes and smiled as he spoke, even giving a laugh as he said he couldn’t think of a reason to rush. Honestly, neither could she. Before she could reply, he had placed a finger under her chin, lifted it, and kissed her. She closed her eyes and smiled behind the kiss before returning it, all the thoughts from before drifted from her mind, and were replaced by thoughts of being in his arms and of his kiss. When he broke the kiss just long enough to murmur one more thing against her lips she smiled and returned the kiss. 

Now it was her turn to break the kiss for a moment to say something of her own. “Sounds like a plan to me.” she breathed against his lips. She placed a gentle kiss on his nose before kissing his lips and tangling her fingers in his hair, then deepened the kiss. She could stay there with him all day if she really thought about it, but in the far corner of her mind, she knew they would eventually have to leave the bed and go get her car before it was found and towed off. Having her car towed off wasn’t something she was looking forward to, but right now, that wasn’t even on her mind. She was swept up in the moment.