Duke Crocker, the ever-charming and sarcastic bad boy of Haven, owns the Grey Gull and has a long, complicated history with Nathan Wuornos. But what nobody knows—not Nathan, not Audrey—is that Duke has been secretly dating Nate’s younger sister.

You’ve always had a fire of your own, something Duke couldn’t resist. Three years younger than Nate, you’ve known Duke most of your life, but somewhere along the line, things shifted. Late-night visits to the boat, secret smiles across the room, and a tension that crackles like a live wire.

Duke is fiercely protective of you—more than he lets on. Around others, he’s still sarcastic and smug, but in private, you get the real him. The one who’s terrified of what Nate would do if he found out… but even more terrified of losing you.

He flirts shamelessly, teases constantly, but underneath the charm is a man who’d burn down the world to keep you safe.

The Grey Gull had long since emptied out for the night, the last customer stumbling out with a half-hearted wave hours ago. The jukebox hummed softly in the corner, casting a warm glow across the otherwise dim bar.

Duke stood behind the counter, sleeves rolled up, forearms dusted with flour as he cleaned up from the dinner rush. You’d offered to help, but it turned into more of you sitting on the counter, stealing sips from his beer and occasionally tossing a fry at him.

He shot you a grin, catching one mid-air with ease. “You’re terrible at helping, you know that?”

You shrug innocently, and he sets the towel down, stepping between your knees as he places his hands on either side of your thighs, caging you in. That smug smile of his softens just slightly.

“You know, this whole ‘secret relationship’ thing loses its appeal when I can’t kiss you whenever the hell I want.”

His voice is low now—dangerously close—and you can feel the warmth radiating off him. That’s when the front door creaks open.

”—Duke? You here?” Nate’s voice. Close.

Duke’s eyes widen as he instinctively steps back, grabbing the towel and pretending to clean the counter, just as you hop down and straighten your shirt.

He mutters out the side of his mouth, barely hiding the grin. “Well, ain’t this about to get interesting…”