Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
Gingerly, I touch my tingling lips. "Ready for what?"
He just smiles and leads me out of the cafe. "Where is your car, angel?"
"Still parked behind the theater."
"Good." He squeezes my hand. "I'll drive you."
We get into his car, and the silence between us is heavy. He drives with one hand, the other still holding mine. We don't speak, but his touch is gentle and reassuring, and the ride goes by quickly.
“I have to ask, Alina. Where did you come from?”
His deep voice rumbling in the dark of the car catches me off guard. “I, um, I’m new in town.”
He flexes his hands on the steering wheel. “You move here alone?”
“Yes and no.” I don’t even know why I’m telling him all of this, but the words keep coming. “I don’t have any family left back in Indiana where I lived before, so I came to stay with my dad.”
I see the dark stranger stiffen in his seat. “Your dad lives with you?”
Don’t say anything! the more logical part of me screams, but still I keep talking. “Yes, but he’s … Well, he’s not in town. I barely know him, really. He left when I was five.”
He makes an unhappy sound in his throat, almost like disgust. “What a prick.”
“Hey! It’s not that….” I try to argue but find that I don’t have anything to say in my father’s defense. Just because I don’t know the exact details of why he left doesn’t mean I didn’t need him terribly throughout my childhood.
When we reach the theater, his car idles for a moment, and he lifts my hand, kissing the back. The gesture is tender, and despite the danger and the mystery, I feel a rush of warmth.
"My name is Derrick," he tells me finally. "That's your reward for being such a good girl."
"Derrick," I whisper.
"Say it again."
"Derrick."
He closes his eyes, and his grip tightens. "Fuck. When you say my name like that … Get out of here, Alina. We'll see each other soon."
I feel like I'm in a daze as I step out of the sleek sports car, getting into my own vehicle and turning out onto the road. Derrick doesn't pull out behind me like I expect him to, but a few miles from home, I see headlights in the rearview mirror and I know in my gut it's him.
4
DERRICK
Her taste is on my tongue, and I know I've made a mistake.
I've kissed her. Claimed her. Taken what I've convinced myself is mine. Now there's no turning back. There's no way I can walk away from her, not when she's so close. I'm obsessed, and now that I know how good it feels to have her in my arms, there's no way I'm going to be able to let her go.
After waiting for a few moments, I follow her out of the city, making sure that she arrives home safely. Then, just like last night, I sit in the darkened car in front of her house, staring at the shadows.
I knew from the moment that I saw her that she was going to be special, but I didn't expect this. Didn't expect to be unable to breathe when I inhaled the scent of her hair. Didn't expect the way my body reacted, every instinct I had screaming to protect her. And I definitely didn't expect the feeling of her lips under mine.
Fucking heaven.
The thought of taking her, of owning her, of filling her with my seed is maddening.
It's driving me crazy, and I know I shouldn't have been so reckless. I shouldn't have touched her. But I did, and now, I'm hungry for more. Now that I've had a taste of her, I'm fucking starving.
I gave her my first name but nothing else. My reputation precedes me, and the last thing I need is her Googling my name. I don't want her to want me for my wealth. I want her to want me. Derrick. Her protector. Her lover.
I've been out here for hours now. The house is quiet, the lights are off, and the windows are dark. She's probably sleeping, and despite the knowledge that I've crossed a line, a part of me is pleased. I've taken care of her. Calmed her. Made her feel safe.
Still, I can't bring myself to leave. I should get some sleep, but it's like I'm glued to the spot. Just knowing she's so close is both comforting and frustrating. God, kissing her had almost been the death of me. I've never been harder in my life. Even thinking back on it now has me reaching down and adjusting my painfully stiff cock in my jeans.
With a frustrated sigh, I finally start the car to pull out of her driveway before I push the envelope even more and break into that fucking house to find her. My mind races with all the possibilities of the future. Of her being mine. I'm a patient man, but there is only so much patience a man can have when faced with a woman like Alina.