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)
The night progresses, and Derrick gives me a quick tour of his house, showing me the downstairs and the upstairs. Everything is modern, sleek, and comfortable. All the furnishings are expensive, and everything is so well organized. The place is immaculate. It's almost sterile.
"Do you live here alone?" I ask.
"What do you think, Alina?" He raises a brow, his eyes dark and flashing.
"I'm just asking," I mutter, and his hand lands on my waist.
"Yes, angel. I live here alone. This is my house."
"It's just so big."
Derrick chuckles and looks around. "I suppose it is a bit much for one person," he admits. "But, I like it."
We return to the kitchen for dinner, where Derrick proceeds to cook for me. Steak and asparagus, simple but decadent. He tells me multiple times to sit down and relax, but I can't help myself. I want to be near him, included in what he's doing. So after the third time, I get restless enough to get up, and he lets me chop the ingredients for the appetizer salad.
Working in the kitchen with him is oddly, wonderfully intimate. I can hear him behind me, and when he walks across the space, he traces a hand over my waist or leans in to press his lips to the side of my neck. It's enough to have me throbbing between my legs, but I know what this is. It's a seduction, and it's working.
When the food is finished, we move into the dining room, the table laden with candles and a decadent spread. Derrick pulls out my chair and sits down, pouring more wine and watching me with those dark eyes.
"How's the steak?"
"Delicious." I take a bite. It melts in my mouth, the meat soft and juicy. "Where did you learn to cook like this?"
"Ah, that's a secret for another day." His mouth quirks up in a smile. "Now, when we're finished here, I have one more room to show you. The master bedroom."
"Oh," I say, taking a gulp of my wine. "And, um, what will we be doing there?"
"I'll be giving you your reward."
"My reward?"
"You were very good today," he says, and a shudder runs through me. "You followed instructions; you didn't ask too many questions."
"I was trying."
Derrick grins, his eyes flashing. "That you were. And for that, I have a treat in mind for you. Do you want to know what it is?"
My cheeks flame at his words and his smile. He's teasing me, and it's making my head spin. "Yes."
He takes another bite of his steak, savoring it, before he gives me a predatory smirk. "Well you'll just have to wait, won't you?"
I groan, and Derrick laughs. It's a genuine laugh, and the sound is warm but rough, as if he doesn't laugh often. I want to hear it more. Every day, even.
We finish the meal, and without even cleaning up, Derrick comes to me and offers me his hand. I take it, and he walks me through the house once more, up the stairs and to the single room we didn't explore earlier—his bedroom.
It's as crisp and new as the rest of the house, and a huge bed with black sheets dominates the center of it. I can see a connected bathroom, and some personal touches that should draw my attention—a book with a bookmark in the middle, a record player with a stack of vinyls—but my entire brain is occupied by the sight of that bed.
And the knowledge that I'm about to be in it. I know this as confidently as I know my name. This is what the entire night has been leading to.
Walking with a deadly grace, Derrick lets go of my hand and moves to the foot of the bed. "Come here, angel," he says, and gestures to it. My mouth goes dry at the sight of him, his long, muscled legs, the way he's looking at me as if I'm the best thing he's seen all day. "On your knees."
I can't help it. My body obeys his command, and I stand, moving towards him.
Settling on the bed, I expect Derrick to climb in with me. Instead, he moves forward, close enough that I have to part my legs to accommodate him. I'm in front of him, and his dark eyes are liquid as he stares down at me. He's not even a little bit nervous, and the fact that he's so calm, so utterly in control makes me crazy.
"On your knees, Alina."
I obey, rising up so our heights are more even, my knees sinking into the soft mattress. Warmth crawls through me when his thumb traces over my parted lips.
"That's perfect, Alina," he says, and a bolt of lust hits me. His praise does something to me, and I swallow, leaning forward.
"Like this?"
"Yes. Just like that. Now, are you going to be a good girl and do exactly what I tell you to?"