Fic: Haven - Carpe Noctem - Adult

[tanaquific]

Title: Carpe Noctem
Fandom: Haven
Rating: Adult
Contains: Threesome
Words: 6165 words
Summary: When Duke agreed to rent the upstairs apartment at the Grey Gull to Audrey, he never thought he'd be helping her cart a drunk Nathan up there. And the last thing he ever expected was what happened next. An AU for the end of 2.08 Friend or Faux that loops back to canon.
Disclaimer: This story is a transformative work based on the Syfy/Entertainment One/Universal Networks International series Haven. It was written for entertainment only; the author does not profit from it.
Author's Note: Thanks to Scribbler (scribblesinink) for the beta.

oOo

"Oh, that's a keeper." Duke turned the phone toward Audrey to show her the blurry snap of Nathan.

Audrey chuckled in agreement. Easing herself off her bar stool, she said, "Send that to me?"

Duke nodded absently, still looking at the picture as Audrey headed away from him. He was going to have so much fun with this once Nathan sobered up. Though it was kind of endearing just how bad a dancer Nathan was. And a pity it took getting him drunk for him to let his hair down.

A crash from the other end of the bar made Duke look up again. Seemed like Nathan had tripped over his own two feet and fallen against the bar. Evi was standing frozen, with the tray she was carrying held high and to one side, like she'd only just saved Nathan from taking it down as well. Audrey already had her arm under Nathan's shoulder, helping him up.

Duke heard her say, "Come on, let's get you home," as they staggered forward a pace. Shoving Evi's phone back into her bag, he hurried to help Audrey, throwing a "You okay?" at Evi in passing. She nodded back at him.

Taking Nathan's other side, Duke saw that the chick who'd asked Nathan to dance was leaning against a table, squinting at her shoulder like she'd gotten hurt. Duke shook his head, dismissing her from his mind: the gaggle of friends she'd been getting drunk with could take care of her. He and Audrey had their hands full enough with Nathan, who seemed to have lost all ability to coordinate his legs.

They lurched outside, only for Nathan to stagger again when the fresh air hit him. "Take him up to my place?" Audrey suggested. "I can keep an eye on him while he sleeps it off?"

"Sure." Duke steered them toward the stairs that led to the second floor, nodding at Audrey to go ahead. The three of them abreast wouldn't fit easily. But damn, Nathan was heavy for a guy who didn't look like he was packing that much muscle.

Duke was panting hard by the time they reached the top of the steps. Audrey was waiting for them, ready to take her share of the burden back. She'd run ahead to unlock the door and fling both halves wide, which made getting Nathan inside a little easier. Finally, they reached the bed, turning to drop Nathan on his back. Duke slumped next to him, trying to get his breath.

"Don't go." That was Nathan. Duke looked up and saw he'd caught hold of Audrey's hand as she made to step away. He was looking up at her, but what Duke really noticed, more than anything, was the way he was rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand.

"Don't—," Nathan said again. Audrey hesitated a moment longer and then sat down on Nathan's other side, one leg tucked beneath her. Nathan twisted his hand so he had a better hold, sliding his fingers between Audrey's.

She's immune, Duke thought. The Troubles don't affect her. Which means—.

Nathan could feel her touch. The way he'd never be able to feel Duke's. Duke turned his head away and swallowed hard. He hadn't known how much it mattered, until then. Hadn't thought that far ahead, when he'd thought at all. What a difference it would make....

He cleared his throat. "I should go," he said, preparing to lever himself up off the bed. Evi would need him down in the bar and—.

"Stay. Please." He looked back at Audrey. She tilted her head down and he saw Nathan had his eyes closed and seemed to have passed out. Audrey lifted her hand, still locked in Nathan's, and gave a slight shrug. "I'm kinda stuck for a while. It would be nice to have someone to talk to."

"Sure." Duke let himself sink back down on the bed.

The room grew quiet. Through the open door, where the breeze was teasing the curtains, came the ever-present swell of the sea and the sounds of merrymaking drifting up from the bar below.

"So." Duke cleared his throat.

Audrey looked up from where she'd been contemplating her hand in Nathan's.

"How are you doing with... what was it you said? 'Moving past your memories.'" That was what he'd really been trying to find out down in the bar, when he'd asked her if she meant what she'd said to Cornell's copy.

Her gaze slid away from him. "I don't know." She shook her head slightly. "I keep thinking about how all the things that make me... me were really her. My childhood. My training at Quantico. My taste in trashy teenage vampire stories...."

"Really?" Duke raised his eyebrows. He would've thought mysteries or thrillers were more her style. Something a little more... practical. Guess everyone had their own way of escaping.

"Really." Audrey's tone was rueful, but her mouth shaped into a half smile of amusement at her own expense as she shot him a quick glance that made his heart beat a little faster.

Duke, you're an idiot. She's sitting there holding hands with Nathan and you're....

He took a deep breath, cutting off the thought that he hadn't known how much that would matter either, until now. He forced himself back to the conversation. "But," he dipped his head a little, grinning at her, "preferred reading aside, you haven't been that Audrey since you came to Haven, right? All the things you've done? All the people you've helped? That's been you. You're more than Special Agent Audrey Parker's memories now."

"I guess." Audrey turned her head, her gaze wandering over the apartment. Over all the things she'd picked out in the shops around town and that Duke had helped her carry up from her car. All those choices she'd made about what to buy and where to put it. "I'm not sure it matters, though. I was Lucy once, and the experiences she had, the things she did, they're all gone." She looked back at Duke. "What's the point of finding out what I'm capable of, if it's just going to vanish? If I'm just going to vanish. Like Lucy."

Duke held her gaze. "You don't know that's going to happen," he said softly. God, he hoped it wasn't going to. Because now this amazing woman had waltzed into his life, he wasn't sure he could deal with her waltzing out of it. "Besides, you won't vanish. People still remember Lucy. Remember what she did. So even if you do vanish, I'll remember you. I promise."

Without thinking about it, he held out his hand to her, reaching across Nathan's body. She took it and he gave her fingers a squeeze. He saw her swallow, but she didn't say anything, just went on looking at him with a grateful expression on her face, while her hand rested quietly in his.

The silence stretched out, comfortable at first and then getting kinda awkward: it wasn't exactly an easy position to hold, with his arm stretched out—but he didn't want to let go before she was ready. At last, he coughed and said, with a flourish of his other hand, speaking a little too loud and a little too fast, "And that is why you should have experiences. Lots of experiences."

"This is an experience."

They both jumped and turned to look down at Nathan. His eyes were open, fixed on the ceiling above. He raised the hand that held Audrey's. "This."

Audrey let out a nervous-sounding laugh.

"Yes." Again Duke emphasized his point with a jab of his hand. "Yes it is." He thought it was time now to let go of Audrey. Before he could, Nathan had hauled himself upright between them, his free hand groping uncertainly in the air for a moment until he planted it down firmly beside him, fingers splayed, to help steady himself.

He'd been looking at Audrey the whole time as he'd sat up, but now his head whipped round to look at Duke, and Duke realized he'd made a sound: something between a sob and a gasp. He hadn't been able to help himself. Because Nathan likely had no idea where he'd put his hand down—did he ever?—but where he'd put it down was on Duke. On... Duke.

Nathan held Duke's gaze, a questioning look in his eyes. He probably had no idea what he'd done. Probably had no idea that Duke was... responding. Could he even feel that? Feel Duke... stirring....

Duke held his breath, hoping Nathan couldn't feel it and, at the same time, hoping he could. Hoping for—. He didn't know what. Then Nathan's eyes widened and he dropped his gaze to his hand. To where his hand was.

And left it there. Even—or maybe Duke was just imagining it—curled his fingers a little tighter around Duke as he brought his eyes back up to meet Duke's again. Now there was a different question in them, a twitch of an eyebrow. And still his hand stayed where it was, while he waited for an answer. Hardly daring to breathe, Duke gave the slightest of nods. And then Nathan's hand did tighten, for real, and Duke drew in a sharp breath.

"Oh." That was Audrey. They both turned to look at her and Duke saw she was looking at Nathan's hand. At where Nathan's hand was. She began to pull away from them. "I, uh, I should go...."

"No, don't—. " Duke tightened his grip on her hand even as Nathan said, "Stay."

Audrey looked from Duke to Nathan and back again, before she gave a nod. "Okay." She sounded a little out of breath.

They sat there in silence, not meeting each others' eyes, apparently none of them quite sure what to do next. Then Nathan lifted Audrey's hand again. "I can feel you," he told her, when she looked up at him, speaking slowly and carefully, though he still slurred the words a little. Evidently, he remained some way from being sober again, though he was now less drunk than he'd been down in the bar. He turned toward Duke, his face close. "But I can't feel you." He slowly moved his palm along Duke as he spoke.

"That's, uh—." Duke swallowed hard and tried again, this time his voice back in its normal register, an octave lower. "That's okay. I can, uh, feel well enough for the both of us." He didn't mind that Nathan's hand had veered off to one side a bit by the time he reached the end of the stroke and started to move it back again, nor the fact that Nathan's grip was on the heavy side: he guessed Nathan didn't entirely know what he was doing or where he was touching, although it was clearly quite deliberate. He briefly put his hand down on top of Nathan's to correct the direction, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath as Nathan's hand went on moving over him.

"Wanna feel some more?" Audrey sounded nervous. Opening his eyes, Duke saw Nathan was looking at her again, though his hand was still moving over Duke steadily and evenly, keeping to the direction Duke had given him. Audrey flicked a quick glance at Duke, before turning her attention back to Nathan. Nathan nodded wordlessly and Audrey shifted, sliding her hand over Duke's to grasp his wrist and use him to anchor herself as she twisted and straddled Nathan. She pushed her knee down between Duke's leg and Nathan's, easing them apart, and for a brief moment Nathan broke rhythm on Duke, before they all three of them settled themselves again.

Audrey let go of Duke's wrist and lifted her hand to cup Nathan's cheek, leaning forward and drawing his face to hers so she could kiss him. Duke didn't mind that he wasn't touching Audrey any more, because he could still feel her through Nathan's hand, through the way it trembled as she deepened the kiss.

Yet it still keeping its slow, steady rhythm on Duke, despite the shivers running through Nathan's body.

That kinda surprised Duke, because he would've expected Nathan to be distracted enough by Audrey to forget all about him. But after a few seconds, Nathan—still kissing Audrey—awkwardly opened one eye and squinted at Duke, clearly checking on him.

Duke gave him another quick nod, and now it was his turn to shiver, because that meant Nathan was, that this was, that... that Duke wasn't just a spare wheel here. Not for Nathan, at least.

And God, not for Audrey either, he hoped. He caught a glimpse of her bare neck, flickering through the swaying curtain of her hair as she went on kissing Nathan. Lifting the hand she'd let go, he brushed the strands of hair back from her cheek and bent forward so he could press his lips to the skin below her ear. He felt her draw in a deep breath, a shudder running through her as he teased her with his mouth. Could've been something Nathan was doing, of course, but Nathan was still moving his hand over Duke in those same long, regular strokes—God, it was getting hard to think against that, against all the blood rushing into Little Duke from Big Duke's brain—and Duke reckoned Nathan wasn't coordinated enough to be doing something completely different to Audrey that would have produced that sigh.

At the very least, he thought, Audrey hadn't shrugged him off.

Growing bolder, he dropped his hand down until he could hook a finger under the neckline of her top and pull the soft material down far enough to be able to cup his hand over her bare shoulder, all the while continuing to explore her neck with his mouth. She tasted good, smelled good, felt good, and he would have been quite happy for the world to end right then, for the Troubles to blow Haven to Kingdom Come, with Nathan's hand on him and his lips nuzzling Audrey's neck.

The sound of laughter gusted up from the bar below and, for a moment, he thought of Evi. But no, they'd never been exclusive, even when they'd been together the first time, even when they'd gotten married. Neither begrudged the other a little fun, as long as it didn't get in the way of whatever job they were running or create too much drama. Sometimes it even made the sex afterward even better, each of them determined to show the other what they'd been missing. So no, he'd didn't need to feel guilty about Evi, except that maybe he should have invited her—but then, he hadn't known when they'd carried Nathan out of the bar that this was going to happen.

Besides, this was about him and Nathan and Audrey, no one else.

Audrey wriggled a little and Duke guessed—he had his eyes closed now, savoring the taste of her as he tracked his lips down her shoulder—that she was going for Nathan's belt and jeans. He knew he was right when Nathan made a sound at the back of his throat and his hand faltered in its rhythm, tightening around Duke. Duke let out a groan of his own, a jolt of electricity coursing through him at the thought of Audrey touching Nathan, of Nathan feeling her hands on his cock, of the two of them making each other feel good, and of him sharing in that.

Audrey murmured something inarticulate that had a note of triumph in it as well as pleasure and Duke shivered—and shivered again when Nathan, apparently having gotten over the shock of Audrey's hands on him, once more began moving his hand over Duke. Even longer, slower strokes this time.

Not really aware of what he was doing, Duke lifted his free hand, planted a little behind him on the bed to steady them, and blindly groped for Nathan. He didn't know if Nathan would be able to feel him, if Nathan would have any idea what he was doing. If he could, so much the better. But mostly Duke just wanted to be able to feel Nathan, to feel the brush of Nathan's skin against his own.

His fingertips found Nathan's back, the other man's heat striking through the thin cotton of his T-shirt. Palm flat, Duke ran his hand down until he found the edge of the T-shirt and could work his hand underneath, pushing back up to find first rough denim and then bare skin.

His fingertips tingled, small shocks running through them as he slid them across Nathan's back and then drew them back again, his touch light as a feather. Again he groaned, tasting Audrey, touching Nathan, wanting to taste Nathan, to touch Audrey. Wanting to be a dozen people, so he could experience all of it separately, and yet only himself, here, now, with everything, all of it, all at once....

He flattened his hand, sliding his palm further up Nathan's back, feeling the strength of the other man. He—.

"Wait." That was Audrey. She was pushing back from Nathan, away from Duke and the light kisses he'd been trailing up and down her shoulder. Duke lifted his head as she pushed back further, her hands on Nathan's chest. "Wait," she said again.

Then she pulled back even further, cold air flowing into the sudden space between them, until she could put her feet down and stand. She took a pace back. Nathan's hand on Duke again grew unsure, halted. Glancing across at him, Duke caught his own fear reflected in Nathan's face: was Audrey backing out? He was aware of Nathan raising his other hand to catch hold of her and make her stay, and how she took another pace back so she was out of reach. Duke began to lift his own hand to stop Nathan. Hey, bro, no. If she's changed her mind....

A clatter made Duke turn to look at Audrey again, to find she'd kicked off her shoes and was tugging at the zipper of her jeans. His breath caught in his throat as she shimmied out of them, scuffing them away from her. Not backing out, then....

Duke, his hand still on Nathan's back, heard him suck in a deep breath and felt a tremor run through him. He licked his own lips, watching as Audrey's panties followed her jeans. Her top only just fell to her hips, revealing the tangle of blonde curls that framed the place between her legs, a little below Duke's eye level. The breeze whispering in through the open door carried her scent to him and he longed to lean forward and press his lips to her there, slide his tongue down that tantalizing crevice....

Instead, he tilted his head back and caught the hungry expression on her face as she looked down at the two of them. He shivered again and her mouth twitched up in a grin, letting him know that she was fully aware of her effect on him—on them—and reveling it.

She dipped her head toward where Nathan's hand still lay on Duke's lap. "We should do something about that."

Taking a step forward, she bent and fumbled with Duke's belt and the fly of his pants. Duke put his free hand on the bed, pushing himself up a little so Audrey could drag his pants and underpants down over his hips. Seemed like Nathan was okay with what she was doing, with taking things to the next level, because his hand moved up as Audrey's hands moved down, until he could dip his fingers under the waistband of Duke's underpants and, groping uncertainly, curl them around the base of Duke's cock.

"Oh, God." Duke closed his eyes, barely daring to move, barely daring to breathe, as Audrey went on tugging at his clothes and Nathan slid his hand further on down until Duke's cock sprang free. "Oh, God."

He was dimly aware of Audrey saying "Yep!", as if satisfied with the results, and of her weight settling on Nathan again, her knee sliding between his leg and Nathan's once more. But mostly his world was reduced to Nathan's hand curling around his shaft and beginning to move in slow strokes over his hot flesh.

"Is that—?" Nathan's muttered question sounded as breathless as Duke felt.

"Yeah. Yeah, it is," he managed to croak. Maybe Nathan's grip could have been a little tighter, the strokes a little firmer, but Duke wasn't going to complain. He reckoned Nathan wasn't doing badly for his first time at this. Hell, the guy probably didn't bother to jerk himself off, if he couldn't feel it, so he likely had no clue what felt good.

Audrey chuckled quietly. Duke felt her shift again and murmur, "You okay?" but he reckoned that was for Nathan, because there was no way she could think Duke wasn't okay, not with the way he was drawing in deep, shuddering breaths with each stroke of Nathan's hand along him, trying to control the blood pounding through his body, feeling the growing tightness in his balls.

"Okay, then." Audrey again. On the edge of the small world centered around Nathan's hand on his cock, Duke sensed her lean closer and raise herself up a little on her knees. Eyes still closed, he put out a hand to help steady her, his palm resting on the small of her back. A gasp from Nathan and his hand suddenly clamping painfully hard on Duke for a moment told him Audrey had begun to take him in. Then Duke felt Nathan's grip loosen a little, even as he sensed Audrey slowly lowering herself, allowing Nathan to push deeper inside her.

"Are we good?" Audrey asked softly.

"Uh-huh." Nathan sounded like he could barely manage to get even that much out, but a moment later, his hand began to move over Duke again.

Duke opened his eyes and looked across at Nathan. He had his eyes closed now, his head thrown back a little. There was a quietly blissful expression on his face. Duke's chest tightened at the sight. He couldn't have made Nathan look like that, but he was glad Audrey could, and glad he was here to see it.

Audrey had been looking at Nathan, her hands on his shoulders, but she turned as Duke moved, and caught his eye. "You?"

"Yeah." Duke huffed out a breath. "I'm good." More than good.

Still with her gaze fixed on Duke, Audrey began to move, rocking her hips so she was sliding over Nathan. Though Duke was barely touching her, a surge of heat flooded through him, almost as if it was his cock she was riding. And maybe, in a way, it was: Nathan had matched the rhythm of his hand to her rhythm, the three of them perfectly in tune.

Duke licked his lips, wanting to lean forward and capture Audrey's mouth with his, complete the circle, but afraid he'd mess up the delicate balance they'd achieved. Then he realized that, without him doing anything, something had changed. Nathan's touch on him had lost some of its sureness: though he still kept Audrey's rhythm, his grip had loosened. His breathing had grown ragged, too.

Duke couldn't blame the guy—he wasn't sure he could have managed to keep going in Nathan's place, if he'd been the one Audrey was straddling, but dammit.... He felt himself slip away from the edge Nathan had slowly been inching him toward.

Well, hell, Nathan had gotten him this far. Pushing down on his disappointment , Duke pulled his hand away from Nathan's back and maneuvered it between his body and Nathan's, so he could join it to Nathan's hand, squeezing hard as he matched Nathan's rhythm.

Audrey, still watching Duke as she moved over Nathan, raised her eyebrows slightly, perhaps in surprise—or perhaps in understanding, because a moment later, she took her hand away from where it rested on Nathan's shoulder. A moment after that, Duke felt her cover his hand with hers, her palm along his length. She let it lie there quietly for a moment, before drawing it back until her palm was cupped around his head. He bit back a cry—and then another one as she rocked her hand, the heel of her palm teasing his tip, slick and hot and hard and almost too tender to touch. God, they were killing him, the two of them, but what a way to go!

Nathan was panting hard now, and Audrey was starting to move a little faster. A quick glance showed Duke that Nathan still had his eyes closed, but his face was tense, his jaw set. Duke reckoned he wouldn't last much longer—likely he'd never had a chance to learn much control, and it was maybe a wonder he hadn't come already if it was his first time. Hell, Duke didn't know how much longer he could last, not with both Audrey and Nathan driving him on. But he reckoned it wouldn't be fair for him and Nathan to have all the fun.

Pulling his hand out of the tangle in his lap, he wriggled it between Nathan and Audrey. Again, Audrey raised her eyebrows, questioning, before she let out a small, pleased "Oh!" as Duke worked his hand downward, spreading his fingers and pushing one down between her hot, damp folds. She gave a gasp as his fingertip found and gently slid over her clit and back again, the color rushing to her cheeks. Again he rubbed his finger over her, using her own movement against her, and again she gasped.

Maybe did something else too, deep inside, because all of a sudden, Nathan was stiffening, pulling Audrey hard against him, crushing Duke's hand between them as he thrust into her with a wordless cry, while his hand clenched and unclenched around Duke's cock, matching his thrusts—once, twice, three times.

Spent, he collapsed forward, face pressed against Audrey's shoulder, panting hard. Audrey put her hand up to cradle the back of his head, stroking his hair as he came down, her own head bent as she drew him close. For a dozen heartbeats, that was the only movement between the three of them as they sat tangled together: Duke's fingers, trapped between Audrey and Nathan, resting quietly on her heat; Nathan's hand still curled around Duke but no longer moving; the heel of Audrey's palm still pressing against Duke but motionless.

Then Audrey lifted her head and caught Duke's gaze. Knew, maybe, that he was close himself, his balls tightening, his cock almost painfully hard. She gave a small nod and twisted her hand a little, rubbing across him. And that was all it took. All it took to send him over the edge with a deep groan as he jerked against her. He turned awkwardly and buried his face in Nathan's shoulder, breathing in the musk of the other man's sweat. Audrey's hand; Nathan's scent; his own body, lit from within by the pulses of pure pleasure surging through it.

He came back to himself, face still pressed against Nathan's shoulder. Pulling back a little, he choked out a half-laugh. Hadn't often been like that, enough to leave him trembling for minutes afterward.

"Good?" Audrey had slid her hand down so it was half covering Nathan's and half resting on Duke's thigh, apparently knowing well enough he was too tender to continue touching but not wanting to withdraw entirely.

He glanced up at her, and then away, the heat that had been in the rest of his body rushing to his face, because he felt more naked before her now than he had when, back on the Cape Rouge, she'd directed him to strip to throw that punk Ezra off balance. "Yeah." He huffed another half-laugh. "Yeah, I'm good."

Nathan had straightened a little, his gaze flicking sideways to Duke in a way that suggested he was even more embarrassed by the whole thing than Duke, though he didn't seem inclined to pull back any further or take his hand off Duke just yet. It was Audrey who began to draw away, starting to lift herself off Nathan.

"Woah, woah! Wait." Duke shook his head at her, holding her where she was with the hand on her back. "We're not done here."

Audrey arched an eyebrow questioningly and then drew in a sharp breath as Duke curled the tip of the finger still slipped between her folds, brushing it over her clit. He felt it quiver—felt her quiver, shivers running through her body—as he went on teasing her. She seemed close, her breath coming in small hitches with each stroke of his fingertip, her folds hot and damp. God, I hope she comes easily, Duke thought. Because this was going to get kinda awkward if it took more than—.

"Oh, God!" The cry ripped out of her as she bucked under his touch. Her hand on his thigh pressed down hard as, head thrown back, she pushed her hips toward his fingers. Nathan's hand tightened around him, too, and Duke heard him make a noise in the back of his throat, evidently feeling Audrey coming around him.

With a last, shuddering breath, Audrey sagged, the tension going out of her. "Oh, God!" she muttered again, managing to sounding both sated and a little surprised.

They stayed where they were, Duke waiting for Audrey, who still had her eyes closed and was still breathing heavily, to compose herself. Nathan opened his mouth as if to speak, but Duke gave a small shake of his head. Nathan caught the gesture and stayed silent, though his expression suggested he wasn't sure what came next or what he was supposed to do now. At last, Audrey drew in a deep breath and opened her eyes, glancing from Nathan to Duke and back again. Her mouth twisted up in a small, wry smile. "Thank, guys."

Duke gave a slight shrug. "You're welcome," he said, keeping his tone light, as if he'd done nothing more than hand her another dirty martini down in the bar below. But as he gently drew his hand out from between the other two, he let his fingers linger, still enjoying the feel of her skin under his fingertips.

The other two took that as their cue to begin separating themselves, both of them drawing their hands away from Duke, letting the evening air chill his already limp cock. Duke saw that Nathan was now cradling Audrey's cheek with his other hand, his eyes searching her face.

With a wry smile of his own, Duke fell backward on the bed. He reckoned the two of them needed a bit of time together for Nathan to... what was the word he'd used when he'd temporarily lost his Trouble and was trying to deal with the unexpected flood of new sensations? Process: that was it. Whereas Duke was happy to lie back and stare up at the beams above him and process all on his own for a while.

He went on staring up at the ceiling, aware of Audrey and Nathan murmuring to each other, but not straining to catch the words. The bed shook as Audrey lifted herself off Nathan and as Nathan also lay back, his shoulder pressed against Duke's.

"Here." That was Audrey. Squinting, he saw she was offering a box of tissues to him across Nathan's chest.

"Thanks." He took a couple and, still lying flat, began cleaning himself up.

Audrey seemed to be helping Nathan out, from the "No, let me," and the chuckle that came from Nathan's other side.

Deciding he'd done a good enough job, Duke wriggled his clothes back up and fastened his pants. He wouldn't have minded waiting an hour and going another round, but he wasn't sure that was going to happen. Besides, even if it did, he couldn't lie here half-dressed for an hour. The breeze stealing in through the still-open door was too cold for that.

Leaning his weight on one hand, he half sat, turning to look down at the other two. Audrey was lying on her side, her head propped up on one hand. She'd pulled a throw across her lap and over Nathan's. Her pants were still lying pooled on the floor where she'd stepped out of them, and he guessed she hadn't been able to get Nathan's jeans back on after she'd cleaned him up either. Especially as he was still flat on his back and now seemed to have fallen asleep again. Duke couldn't blame him: the guy had been through quite a lot, and Duke felt wrung out himself.

He caught Audrey's eye. "You think he'll remember this in the morning?" He nodded down at Nathan.

Audrey gave a faint snort. "Maybe not."

Maybe that was for the best. Duke wasn't sure how Nathan was going to feel about this when he was sober.

"I will." Audrey's words broke into Duke's thoughts. He lifted his gaze from Nathan's face—still as handsome as always, still tugging at something deep within Duke, but softened by sleep—to look at her. "It was... an experience."

Duke nodded. Their earlier conversation seemed like half a lifetime ago, though it couldn't have been much more than hour. "I should go," he said softly.

Audrey tilted her head a little, almost a half-shrug. "You don't have to—."

He rolled a shoulder. "Probably best. Before Nathan wakes up again. Besides, I left Evi down in the bar...."

"Right." Audrey nodded. She hesitated and then added, "Will she—?"

She didn't have to finish the question. Funny how, more and more these days, he seemed to know what she was thinking without her having to say it. He shook his head. "It's okay. She'd be fine if she knew. We.... That's how things are between us."

Not wanting to find out what Audrey thought about that, Duke got to his feet. He took a step away, toward the door, and then stopped.

He should go. But.... Making his mind up, he turned back. Bending over, he tipped Audrey's chin up with one finger and lightly captured her mouth with his for a brief kiss, teasing her top lip between his lips as he drew back. Must be the first time he'd kissed a woman for the first time after they'd had sex, but that was the way of things with Audrey: everything was always back to front. Hell, he'd had her in his bed stripped down to her underwear before he'd exchanged a word with her, hadn't he?

The thought made him grin as he drew back. And there was another first he should get over and done with, even though he wasn't sure there was much point. Swinging around, he bent forward again and touched his lips to Nathan's. It was exactly like he'd expected: like kissing a statue. A living, breathing but entirely insensible statue. But, still, Duke would be able to say he'd kissed him, if just once.

Straightening, he saw Audrey was watching him, a smile on her face. With another nod, he headed for the door.

Downstairs, the bar had quieted down a little, though they wouldn't close for another hour or more. Evi was bussing tables, while Nora was behind the bar, loading the glasses Evi was collecting into the washer and serving the occasional drink. Duke slid back on to his stool at the end of the bar.

"Everything okay?" Evi clattered two handfuls of glasses down.

"Yeah." Duke shrugged. "Just had to give Audrey, uh, more of a helping hand with Nathan than I thought." He hoped the color in his face wasn't evident in the low light.

Evi nodded, apparently not much interested, and headed back out into the bar to collect more glasses.

It had certainly been quite an evening. First Nathan dancing and then—. Duke's eye fell on Evi's purse, lying in the same place as before on the end of the bar, and he remembered that he still needed to send Audrey the photo. Digging the phone out, he hit the power button and squinted at the display, wondering where the photo was stored and how to send it. The phone buzzed and a small window flashed up: Text Message from Reverend Driscoll: Thanks for the files info. I took care of the rest.

Duke stared at the words, understanding seeping in slowly. Then he looked up at Evi, still making her way around the bar, bobbing her head in time to the music thumping from the speakers. He hesitated and then carefully slid the phone back into Evi's purse. Best she didn't know he'd seen it. Not until—he tilted his head back, as if he could see through the ceiling above him—until he'd had a chance to think about what to do and, maybe, talk to the man and woman still happy and oblivious above him.