[h2]Esme[/h2]
 Esme smiled behind the kiss at Duke's reaction to her touch. It was a breath of fresh air, not having to try so hard. She was his, and he was hers. For once, she felt safe enough with Duke to give all of herself to him, not holding anything back. And she hoped that he did, too, or would at least get to that point with her. Yes, there was still that fear deep down he would bolt at some point, but she hoped that if she could show him how much she loved him, he wouldn't feel the need to bolt. Having him bolt now would absolutely crush Esme’s heart. After getting another chance with him, she wasn’t sure she could handle him bolting without her if it came to that. Esme was head over heels in love with the man in her arms, and she wasn’t afraid to admit it. Did it scare her how much she loved him? Yes, it did, but she was tired of being afraid to love again. And she was tired of going through life alone, fearing that everything she loved would disappear from her life forever. She needed Duke just as much as she thought he needed her. 

Esme melted into Duke’s arms, and her heartbeat quickened as he pulled her closer. After she kissed him, he traced her jaw with his thumb. Like Duke, the memory of the first time he held her face like this flashed through her mind as clearly as if it happened yesterday. He had downed several glasses of whiskey to get the courage to tell and show her why she should love him, and she turned him down because she was in love with Dean at the time. She felt stupid for not paying closer attention to the sighs that had been so clear before Duke made his move. Esme also never told Dean about it, either. She knew that would cause more trouble than they needed. When Duke took over the pace of the kiss, Esme grinned behind it, taking his cue and deepening her kiss, lettering her love for him flow through the kiss. She knew he was still worried about hurting her, but she would let him know if he ended up hurting her, and she knew he knew that as well. So, when he took a careful step between her legs and guided her back, she brought a hand up to the back of his head. 

Esme’s fingers tangled in Duke’s hair when his hands found her thighs, and his lips left hers to trail hungry kisses down her jaw and the side of her neck. She softly moaned as he lifted her gently, setting her on the countertop, and stepped between her legs. Duke’s sweet whisper against her neck made her smile. “Yes, I do know that.” she whispered back with a hum and a shiver from his little kisses. “And I love you.” She opened her eyes as she felt him smile against her neck and tightened his grip on her neck. When he pulled and smiled down at her, she smiled back. “Forever and after, I’m yours.” she whispered before he kissed her again. Esme closed her eyes and matched his kiss as her hands found the waistband of his jeans, lingering there a moment as she gently ran her fingers along his skin before shoving his jeans off his hips. She then wrapped her legs around Duke’s waist and pulled him closer while one hand found his hair again and the other found his cheek. Esme broke the kiss after a moment. Starting with his chin, she trailed sweet kisses up his jawline to his ear, giving it a loving nibble and then kissing it ever so gently. Opening her eyes, she pulled away from his ear, placed kisses on each of his eyes and the tip of his nose, and finally returned to his lips, kissing him deeply and passionately as her thumb stroked his cheek lovingly.