by Kylie Walker
They sat at a little bistro table Derek had there, and he opened a bottle of wine. After pouring them both a glass, he picked his up and said, “To new friends.”
Chloe toasted with him and took a sip of her wine. She was quiet, and he just let her be, knowing how much she had on her mind. The sun was beginning to set, and as he agonized in his own heart over the pain and confusion in her eyes, he wondered if the beauty of the landscape only intensified it. Chloe probably felt that there was nothing beautiful right now about her crazy, mixed-up world. He knew that she’d been hurt and badly from the scars he had seen and felt. He knew that she didn’t seem to have anyone in her life other than a small handful of friends that she made at a place she despised.
She should be a teacher, sharing her knowledge with children and reaping the joys that – that would bring to them. Instead, she was stuck in a job she hated with people that as far as Derek was concerned, had no right to even be in her solar system. The defiant sky continued to adorn itself with the brilliant colors of orange and red, and he watched her face as she glared at the swirls of color. Her eyes were pink from crying and only made darker by the reflection of the sky.
“This is good,” she said after picking through it several times and finally taking a bite.
“Thanks,” he said, “It’s my secret sauce that makes it.”
With a smile, she said, “What’s so secret about it?”
“No one but me knows the recipe. I keep it in a locked box and have security guarding it around the clock.”
She laughed, and he loved the sound of it. “It’s not really that good,” she said.
He grabbed his heart with his right hand and said, “Oh my God, that was a direct hit.”
She laughed again. “I was kidding; it’s fantastic.”
“It is,” he said, “but maybe you don’t get that because you’re not tasting it right.”
“I’m not tasting it right?” she said.
“Yes, there’s a certain way to eat certain delicacies…” She cocked an eyebrow, and he said, “In some countries, my stir-fry is considered a delicacy.”
“Oh I’m sure,” she said with a grin.
“As I was saying, there is a certain way to eat it that intensifies both the flavors and the experience.”
“And how is that?” she asked.
“May I show you?”
“Okay.” Derek got out of his chair and took her by her hand. He pulled her to her feet and then reached down and picked up a spoon off the table. He slathered it with peanut sauce and then swiped it across his lips.
Chloe rolled her eyes and said, “What a lame way to get a kiss.”
“I’m completely serious here. It tastes ten times better this way. Don’t you want to try it?” He realized he was holding his breath, worried he was going to frighten her away again when suddenly she was on her tip toes, and he felt her warm tongue run slowly across his bottom lip. She pulled it back in, smacked a few times, and he said, “So what do you think?”
“I can’t be sure,” she said. Then she lifted up again, and this time she ran her tongue across his top lip and again across his bottom. He could feel himself getting aroused and he was sorely tempted to open his mouth and join her tongue. He didn’t though; he stood still, waiting to see what she would do.
When she finished cleaning off his lips, she said, “It’s definitely got more flavor that way. Stick out your tongue.”
“My tongue?”
“Yes, stick it out.”
He did as she asked and she picked up the spoon and ran it over his tongue. Then without further preamble, she wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled his mouth down to hers. She let her tongue slip into his mouth as their lips met and she tasted him like he was a sweet piece of dark chocolate. He wrapped her up in his arms and held her tight while they kissed. She felt so good in his arms, and he resolved then and there that he was going to do whatever it took to keep her there.
Taking a step back, she looked up at his towering frame and then her eyes fell to his chest. Chloe started unbuttoning his shirt. The material was thin, but one could tell it was expensive. On the fourth button she could feel her hands start to tremble, not from fear, but uncertainty. Her eyes roamed his tanned torso as she unhooked the last button and pushed his shirt apart. She looked up at Derek, watching the intensity that pooled in his beautiful blue eyes. Pure desire was the only thing she saw. She watched as he slipped his shirt off, hovering above her and her entire body started to tremble.
Chloe couldn't fight the urge not to touch his skin, so she did. Her delicate fingers ran down his chest to his wash board abs as he dipped his head down to hers and kissed her again.
“Let's go downstairs.” He whispered.
Reaching the bedroom his fingers lightly traced her arm, and she could feel the heat from his touch. Chloe's hands ran the firm muscles of his abdomen, and when she looked up at him, he was staring at her with such intensity that it made her weak in the knees.
There was absolutely no thought of resistance as Derek removed her clothes and then his own. His lips crashed into hers, and their tongues dueled like it was their last night together. Chloe moaned into his mouth and ran her fingernails down his back pulling him in closer. She could feel the hardness of his cock press into her thigh, and she could feel herself become instantly wet.
Derek's large hands roamed her body and then gently dipped down to her pussy. His fingers grazed over her wet folds. She was so wet for him. Clinging on to his biceps for support, she leaned her head into his chest as she felt his fingers dip inside her. Slowly gliding in and out of her pussy, she let out a soft moan as he went deeper and faster, caressing her inner walls. His lips trailed down her neck, and then he slowly eased her onto the bed.
Climbing on to the bed, his hand kneaded the soft flesh of Chloe's breast. His thumb and forefinger tweaked her nipple before his mouth claimed it in one mouth full. His lips and tongue rolled and sucked driving her crazy with desire. She arched her back pushing her breast further into his mouth when she felt his fingers slip inside once again and caress her inner walls. Chloe writhed beneath him, and her breaths were coming in pants. She moaned helplessly as his fingers sped up their pace delving between her wet folds. Feeling the first wave hit her she bucked against his touch when suddenly his lips were licking her pussy as he finger fucked her harder. He lapped at her clit and sucked her wet pussy lips as her body exploded into a million pieces. Her hands fisted the comforter underneath her as she screamed out in pure ecstasy, as her orgasm rolling through her body.
“You’re so beautiful.” His deep husky voice said as he looked up at her.
Breathing heavily, Chloe smiled and grabbed his shoulders, trying to pull him up to her. “I need you now Derek.” She whispered.
She watched Derek climb on top of her and grabbed his cock in his hand. He slowly swiped his thick mushroom tip up and down her folds a few times and then lightly pushed in the tip. Pulling back out and then slipping the tip in just an inch. Seconds later Chloe could feel his thick cock make its way in completely filling her. She moaned as he slid in and out stretching her to accommodate his size. The sensation was almost too much to bare as she wrapped her legs around him, wanting him in deeper.
“You feel so fucking good Chloe,” Derek whispered dipping down planting kisses on her collar bone.
She moaned out load, uncontrollably as he pushed in and out of her faster. Her nails ran the length of his back in a plea for more. Chloe started to buck wildly against his powerful thrusts as another orgasm ripped through her body, making her tremble and see spots.
“On my God.” She screamed out as the wave hit her again and his last hard thrust rammed her hard, and he exploded with her. They both collapsed, exhausted and panting for air.
“Jesus Christ. That was amazing.” Derek said staring into her brown rimmed blue eyes. He rolled onto his side and took a deep breath.
“Yes, it was Mr. Stark.”
CHAP
TER ELEVEN
Chloe woke up early; she could tell that the sun was just beginning to find its way into the portside window of the yacht. She was facing away from Derek, so she couldn’t see him, but she could feel the strength of his arms wrapped around her and the rise and fall of his chest against her back. She lay still, enjoying it and also wondering if she’d maybe lost her mind just a little bit. Part of her wanted to believe that the man who made love to her last night and was holding her this morning was fully aware that the woman he had in his arms was Chloe and not Sarah.
She knew that even if all the other risks of this relationship were put aside, that one alone would be monumental. When Derek spoke about Sarah, she could still see the pain and the love in his eyes. He not only loved her when she was alive, he still loved her. He still clung to his memories of her, and for two years he’d lived his life in a sort of limbo without her. Then along comes Chloe. Her twin…if not in birth then definitely her doppelganger. They were identical, or at least they would be if Chloe took out the contacts and stopped dying her hair brown. What if this was all some twisted fantasy in his head? What if she let her guard down and began to develop feelings for him only to find out that what he wants is a clone of his sweet, deceased wife?
Chloe thought about those photos she had looked at. Sarah looked like she was full of life. In every photo, she was doing something fun, and she looked happy. There were pictures of her skiing, something that Chloe had never done; pictures of her in high school on the cheerleading team and singing in the school choir. There were photos of her and her parents at places like Disneyworld and Six Flags, riding roller coasters and hugging cartoon characters. There were pictures of her dancing and laughing and playing…and then there were the ones that had been really hard for Chloe to look at the pictures of her life with Derek. She was looking at everything that she was denied throughout her life and it hurt like hell.
She had come to the page where their engagement announcement had been cut carefully from the newspaper and slipped into a plastic sleeve. The date showed that it was only four years ago, but there was a more innocent, younger look on Derek’s face then. Likely it was because he hadn’t been through the horrible, tragic loss of the woman he adored yet. That would have to take its toll. There was a picture on the next page of the two of them standing underneath a tree. They were holding hands, and she was looking up at him and him down at her. The look they were sharing was so intense that it almost jumped right up off the page. Was Chloe insane to believe that she could ever even come close to competing with that?
She felt Derek stir next to her and still self-conscious during the daylight of the scars that covered her back; she rolled so that she was facing him. His eyes were still closed, but he smiled. “Good morning, beautiful,” he said.
Chloe felt that flutter in her stomach and the catch in her throat. She knew that if this was a bad idea, she had already let it go way too far. But she was face to face with him, and his gorgeous lips were a mere fraction of an inch away. She’d have to be made of stone to resist. She kissed him softly, and when she pulled back, the arm around her waist tightened and pulled her in deeper instead. They kissed passionately then, and she thought that he had to have the sweetest morning breath that she’d ever tasted on her own lips. When he finally let her up for air, she said, “Good morning.” He tried to lean in and kiss her again, and she pulled back and said, “I should probably head home.”
“Why?”
“Why?”
He opened his eyes and looked at her. God, she was beautiful. “Yes, why should you head home? If you stay, I will make you breakfast.”
“I thought you could only do stir-fry.”
“I did say that, didn’t I? The truth is, stir-fry is all I can do for dinner, but I’m a master pancake maker.”
Chloe laughed, “You seem to be a “master” at a lot of things.”
“This is true,” he said. “When I take an interest in something, I generally don’t give up on it until I’ve mastered it. I’m determined like that.”
“So, I’ve had the stir-fry, and I guess I could stay for the pancakes. What else have you mastered?”
He laid his hand on his chest again and gave her a wounded look. “Are you out of arrows yet because one more direct hit like that and I’m not sure I can survive?”
Laughing again, she leaned in and kissed him softly. “I thought we were only talking about cooking. Of course, you’re a master of things here in the bedroom as well.”
“Whew! I was worried. You want to see a little more of my mastery?”
“Maybe later,” she said with a grin. “I’m a little hungry.”
“That will teach you not to waste my fabulous dinner from now on,” he told her. “But, we can’t have you hungry, so I’ll wash up and go get the pancakes started.” He kissed her again before he got out of bed. She watched him go, willing her heart to slow down before it exploded.
When he came out of the bathroom, she said, “Would it be okay if I showered?”
“Sure, do you need any help?”
She would love his help, but she thought again about him having a perfectly lighted, unobscured view of her entire body and once again decided that she wasn’t ready for that…yet.
She patted her stomach and said, “Maybe next time. I’m awfully hungry.”
He grinned at her and said, “Alright, but I’m spoon feeding you next time, so you wake up full and satiated.”
“I woke up satiated,” she said.
“I guess that’s something. I’m going to make pancakes.”
“Thank you. I’m going to take a shower.”
“Towels are in the cabinet, and everything else you need should be in there. None of it smells as good as you do, so I apologize that you’ll have to smell like me the rest of the day.”
She smiled and said, “I’m looking forward to it.”
**
Chloe tried to leave again after breakfast, but when Derek asked her what she had to do at home, she realized she had nothing. She didn’t have work at least for a while, and hopefully, Lexi was getting to spend time with the Incredible Hunk.
“Don’t you have to go to work?” she asked him.
“I need to meet an owner at one of his properties today. It will be quick, and you can go with me….”
“Oh, I don’t know. I don’t want to get in the way of your job…”
“Trust me; you wouldn’t be in the way one bit. I’m looking at this house to see if it’s something I might be interested in selling for him. All I have to do is a quick tour of it. You can give me a female perspective on it.”
“I don’t know anything about houses,” she said.
“You know what you like, right? A second opinion is always good.” She finally agreed, glad that the sundress she’d worn over the day before was conservative and something appropriate for an impromptu business meeting. She listened as Derek called his driver first. She heard him tell the driver that they would need a ride to the airport. When he hung up, she said, “Airport? Where is this house?”
“It’s in Maine,” he said.
“You spend a lot of time in Maine. That’s where we went the first time we went out.”
He laughed, “I have several clients that do business here in Rhode Island but choose to live in Maine. I like it there. It has that small town friendly feel to it.”
“I liked it there too when we went. Are we going to the same place?”
“No, this place is even more casual. Walk-up dining and you eat outside. But the lobster is phenomenal, and sometimes it’s just fun to do something that doesn’t require a suit and tie and reservations.”
“Yet we’re taking the luxury helicopter,” she said with a grin.
“True, but that’s only because it’s about business. Next time we can drive if you prefer.”
Next time. He was already planning another date, and she hadn’t said yes to this one yet. She had gotten, so she almost prided herself on her
ability to keep everyone at an arm’s distance. Something about Derek muddled her brain and attacked her sensibilities. She kept warning herself to be careful, to not let her guard down. Then she would look into those beautiful blue eyes, and she would see nothing there that she shouldn’t trust. She might be wrong. She had definitely been wrong before, and she had almost paid the ultimate price.
“Right there and back after this meeting and lunch?” she asked.
“Right there and back,” he said.
“Okay,” she said. She wanted to trust him so badly.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The driver took them back to the same small, private airport they had gone to before. They boarded the helicopter and buckled their seatbelts. It wasn’t quite as nerve wracking this time since she had done this before, but when Derek reached for her hand, she let him take it.
“You doing okay?” Derek asked her.
“I’m good,” she said, looking out the window.
“We’re going to do lunch first if you don’t mind,” Derek said, looking at his phone. “My client is running late.”
“Sure, lunch is good,” she said.
“So tell me something that I don’t know about you, Chloe.” She was glad she was still looking out the window. What he didn’t know about her could fill the pages of a novel. With a neutral expression, she turned back towards him and said, “Like what?”
“I don’t know. What was the last book you read?”
“Pole dancing for dummies,” she said.
He laughed, “Come on, tell me something real. What kind of books do you like? What kind of movies do you hate? What kind of music do you have on your I-Pod?”
“Okay, let’s see. I like to read books with history in them. Not just dry, boring history, but when they weave it into a novel, I like that. I don’t like the sappy romance stuff, Heathcliff and all that tortured romantic hero stuff never really did it for me.”
“Okay, good. See, you revealed something and the sky didn’t fall in on us. Let’s try another one. What kind of movies do you hate?”