[h3] Duke [/h3]

Duke didn’t know if he would ever get enough of the smile on Esme’s face, shining from behind the mask she wore. It was a bit intoxicating, considering how rocky their friendship had been, and how horrible he tended to be at expressing his emotions. If he wasn’t careful, he was afraid he would get too wrapped up in her for the night, and end up having to run off the next morning. He would fight the urge, but the fact that it was already running through his brain almost wiped the smile off his face. He flexed his brow, trying to push the flighty thought out of his mind when Esme spoke up again, a smile still resting on her lips.

He couldn’t help the bright smile that spread across his face and that pushed all other emotions away as she teased him about the accusation of her stealing the jewelry. But then something on her face changed, and Duke relaxed his smile and tilted his head as she explained further. He couldn’t help but follow her eyes as she looked to her left, straight to the guys that he had offered to break in half. Duke could feel a little bit of that nasty tension building in his chest at the way the men were looking at her, as if they still had some sort of chance with her, or at the least, the right to harass her.

“Well…” Duke started, as he turned to meet her eyes again, but the ‘bribe’ part of her explanation made him snarl his nose in disgust, but he could see Esme’s face loosening into what he could only assume was a very proud smile. The thought of her playing men, stealing their hearts and still ending up in his arms caused him to chuckle with a wide smile, his blue eyes twinkling behind his mask. He shrugged, “A bandit of hearts, then.”

The hair on Duke’s neck stood, and goosebumps erupted over the sides of his neck and down both his arms, luckily hidden by his jacket, as Esme stood on her toes and she whispered in his ear. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting a soft breath leave his lips with a slight shudder. Of course she knew the right words to say to keep him on his toes, and to weasel into his heart. The thought of being a bad enough influence on Esme to make her willing to rob a bunch of rich folks with him just made his heart swim, and in that moment, he was pretty sure he was in love with her.

“I will definitely…take you up on that offer. Both. Both offers. I can help you unpack all that. I’m pretty sure I can find you a cute little bag to stash it in lyin’ around somewhere.” Duke muttered, his cheeks flushed but a sneaky smile covering his lips as he scanned over Esme’s head, watching the bar for any loose purses or bags. Duke didn’t even notice that Esme was seeing anyone other than him until her hand slipped from his and she turned to face the men she had been attempting to avoid. He opened his mouth to tell the guys to beat feet, but Esme took control of the situation as Duke simply glared at them. Esme’s hand wrapping around his arm grounded him, and Duke stood still, tilting his head in confusion at how easily she seemed to push the two men away from her, as if something in her eyes had scared them.

He said nothing, simply following Esme’s lead as she drug him away from the area and into a quieter space near a corner. Her hand slipped back into his, and she placed his other against her back, causing him to pull her a bit closer to his chest, before scanning over her face. Apparently, she had read the question he was about to ask, on his face, because she confirmed that she was alright and Duke sighed, “We’ll get out of here in a bit. Maybe get some air? Whatever you want.”

He spoke in a voice close to a whisper as Esme’s forehead rested against his shoulder, bringing his hand up from her back to tangle through her hair on the back of her neck. He massaged his fingers against her neck, doing anything he could to just help her relax and to try and bring back that light air around her again. She was having so much fun, for a moment…

When Esme lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him, he frowned and shook his head, “I’m havin’ the time of my life, sweet pea. Dealin’ with some creeps the way you should deal with them ain’t sourin’ the mood. If you let me buy you a drink, somethin’ nice and fruity, I’ll call it even since I can already tell by the look on your face that I can’t convince you you’re not ruinin’ my night. Call it even with something…peachy? Chocolatey? Maybe one of them…what did Bobby call it? A Cosmo?”

Duke chuckled, a wide smile crossing his lips as he did the best he could to try and lighten her mood back to where it was, and to help her forget the handsy assholes. At this rate, Duke didn’t know if he could let her go when Dean came back. She just seemed so light with Duke, like she could relax and just be care free. It seemed like matching his energy could be good for her.

“What do you say? Drag me over to that fancy bar and order an overpriced disgusting juice drink on a tab we’ll never pay? Bandit stuff.” He asked, bringing his hand from her neck to gently pinch the tip of her nose as he bit his lip, that mischief back in his eyes.