Haven: A Matter of Taste
Pairing: Audrey/Duke
Prompt: From one of my friends who prompted me with: "What if Audrey hadn't turned Duke down when he offered to cook her dinner?" An alternate take on the Audrey/Duke "dinner date" scenes in the Ball and Chain episode from Season 1.
"Yeah, we'll see."
When she says this, Duke notices how she flirts with her eyes and a smile creases her lips. She's agreed to meet him for dinner. Workaholic Officer Agent Audrey Parker had agreed to let him cook her dinner. He resolves not to screw it all up (something inside him knows that he won't because it's Audrey, for God's sake, but then he remembers a time when he undercooked salmon and burnt hamburgers to a charcoal covered crisp).
He resolves not to make those mistakes again as he watches her walk away. He's glad she's shown up to his Grand Re-Opening party at the Grey Gull. A part of him just wishes she would stick around longer. Maybe have another drink. But he knows that's not her style.
So color him surprised when she shows up in a black dress at his restaurant the following Friday.
"Am I too late?" she asks from the doorway.
Duke looks up, stunned into speechlessness for a moment. "Officer Agent Parker, well, now this is a surprise. Nathan didn't make you stay and work the graveyard shift?"
"I'm here, aren't I?"
He motions for her to come inside. "The shrimp's almost done cooking. But I thought we'd start with a strawberry walnut salad topped with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing and…" He goes to the bar and pulls out a bottle of wine from behind the counter. "You like merlot, right?"
Audrey just smiles.
"I hope you've saved room for dessert," Duke says after they've finished the salad and shrimp courses. Audrey is drinking her second glass of wine and Duke is on his third.
"There's dessert?"
"Blueberry graham cheesecake crumble drizzled in chocolate sauce. Some call it a Duke Crocker specialty." He winks at her and Audrey feels heat rush to her cheeks as they turn a slight shade of pink.
He cleans up their plates, setting the dishes in the back (he'll wash them later, he reasons) and returns to their table with a generous looking slice of cheesecake on a plate and only one fork.
"One fork?" she questions.
He grins, setting the plate down in front of her. "Thought we'd share."
Before she has a chance to respond, he's lifting the fork to her mouth. "Come on. Just try it."
She does, letting all of the sweet flavors melt in her mouth before swallowing.
"Duke… Wow… I… How did you even make this?"
"Grandma Crocker's secret recipe," Duke answers, then furrows his brow. "Though I guess it's not much of a secret anymore."
She smiles again and takes the fork from him this time, savoring another bite.
She doesn't know how she ends up on the Cape Rouge a short time later. Everything after the cheesecake is a bit of a blur and she'd rather just blame it on the fact that Duke had convinced her to have a third glass of wine.
But somehow, she's now on his boat and in his bedroom. There's no room for conversation anymore. No time. Just feelings. Thoughts.
Them.
When she's kissing him, she notices how his body smells like saltwater and his breath reeks of alcohol. She takes in his scent, all of him, and even detects a bit of musky cologne. She briefly wonders if he's worn cologne before because up until now, she hasn't really noticed.
His hands fumble with the zipper on the back of her dress before he gently guides her down as her back hits the mattress. Her hands fumble with the buttons on his shirt before she is able to undo all of them and slide the shirt off of him, letting it fall to the floor. His fingers tangle in her blonde hair while her fingers find the hemline of his jeans.
Later, when clothes are no longer an issue and they are beneath the covers of Duke's bed, Audrey arches her hips into him, moaning softly into the creases of his neck.
He pulls back a few minutes later, gazing deep into her unfocused eyes.
"Audrey… Audrey…"
Her eyes focus on him now.
"This stays between us. For now, okay?"
She nods silently, all-knowing, and his lips meet hers once more.
The following morning, when the early morning sun streamed through the windows of Duke's boat, he opens his eyes. A smile creases his lips as he looks down and sees Audrey still fast asleep on his chest, her blonde hair tickling his skin.
He lets her sleep for a bit longer. Without waking her, he gently presses a kiss into her hair and smoothes the blonde tresses with his fingertips.
If there is one thing that Duke Crocker knows, it is that it's only a matter of time. A matter of time before Nathan finds out about them. A matter of time before Audrey discovers more about her past, who she is, who she was and where she comes from. A matter of time before the two of them are no longer just Audrey Parker and Duke Crocker.
But for now, he reasons, as his arms are wrapped protectively around this beautiful woman who came to Haven not long ago, he thinks it should be a matter of taste.
Fin
Author's Note: First time writing Audrey/Duke. I only recently realized I ship Audrey/Duke, but I also ship Audrey/Nathan and Audrey/Chris, too, so I guess I'd be happy with a lot of romantic possibilities! Inspiration for this came from a friend who wants me to write another Haven fic as well. It also came from watching romance-centric clips of Eric Balfour on YouTube from various movies and TV shows. Plus, there's not a lot of Audrey/Duke fic, so why not? Hope you enjoyed reading it!