by Anna Blakely
Derek studied Charlie’s face, wishing he could tell what she was thinking. He’d had the team over before to cookout and swim, but this was different. This was the first time Derek found himself giving a damn what someone else thought of his humble abode.
Charlie was also the first woman not connected to the team to step foot inside his home.
As a rule, Derek never brought a woman he was seeing to his house. At first, it was just a precaution. After what happened to Jake and Trevor’s women, the odds of danger following him or any other member of the team home seemed too great.
Then, there was the other thing. Derek couldn’t really put a name to it, but he could never bring himself to invite any of the women he’d been with home. Made things too personal, he supposed. Which was odd given that he had no problems getting personal with them anywhere else.
Wonder what Charlie would think about all the women you’ve been with.
A shot of guilt hit as he looked at the woman sitting beside him. He shouldn’t feel bad. It wasn’t like he and Charlie had ever dated or anything. Hell, she was married to someone else, for fuck’s sake.
Still, when he thought of all the women he’d slept with, Derek felt ashamed.
Somewhere deep down, he understood it was a symptom of something deeper. Something that settled inside him eleven years ago when the girl he thought he was falling in love with ran off and married another man.
Shaking it off, he got out of the car and pulled her bag from the back seat.
“It’s not much, but it’s mine.”
“It’s cute.”
His lips curved. “That’s exactly what I was goin’ for when I bought it.”
He was rewarded with another half-smile as she walked around the front of the car, but Derek found himself craving the way her eyes used to light up with laughter.
I’ll get you to laugh again, sweetheart.
After unlocking the door and disarming his state-of-the-art alarm system, he flipped the light switch on the wall next to him.
Charlie stood still, taking everything in.
Derek cleared his throat. “Like I said, it’s not much.”
“I like it. It’s very...comfortable.”
Before he could stop himself, Derek heard himself saying, “Well, I’m sure your place in New York is a hell of a lot nicer.”
As if a shade had suddenly been drawn, Charlie’s expression became void of all emotion.
“That place was a glorified prison.”
Way to go, asshole. “Shit, Charlie, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
She shook her head. “It’s fine. I don’t want you feeling as though you have to walk on eggshells around me.”
“I don’t.”
A ghost of a smile hit her lips. “You still don’t lie very well.”
Derek snorted. “Yeah, I know. Never have been good at hiding my feelings. The guys are always givin’ me shit about it.”
The doorbell rang, making Charlie jump.
“Easy, darlin’.” Derek went to the door and checked the peephole. “It’s just Jake and Liv.” He disarmed the alarm system again and let his friends in. “Hey, guys. Thanks for comin’.”
“Of course.” Olivia rose to her tiptoes and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
Jake gave him a solemn nod. He remained silent, but the look in his eyes was grim.
The two stepped inside, and after some quick introductions, Olivia took Charlie back to his bedroom to complete her exam.
Forty-five minutes later, Derek was standing at the end of his hallway with his back against the wall, staring intently at the closed door.
A storm of epic proportions brewed inside him as guilt and rage collided. The waiting only made it worse.
“They’ve been in there for nearly an hour,” he grumbled.
“Liv knows what she’s doing, D,” Jake assured him. “She’ll take good care of her.”
His boss’s words did very little to ease Derek’s misery. “I should’ve taken her to the hospital.”
Jake shook his head. “You said she didn’t want to go.”
Derek pinned Jake down with a glare. “My guess is she didn’t want to get the shit beat out of her, either.”
His buddy didn’t spout off useless platitudes or pull rank. Jake simply looked back at him with understanding eyes.
Shit. “Sorry, man,” Derek apologized. “I’m walkin’ a thin fuckin’ rope right now, and I feel like it’s about to unravel.”
His friend shrugged. “You’re pissed. I get it.”
“Nah.” Derek shook his head. “I’m not pissed. If I found a scratch on my car, I’d be pissed. This?” He released a humorless breath. “There’s not a word to describe what I’m feelin’ right now.”
Sighing, Jake reached up and squeezed Derek’s shoulder. “I get that, too.”
Jake and his wife had been through hell and back. If anyone understood what he was feeling right now, it was this man.
He looked back at his friend. “Thanks for coming when I called.”
“Told you before, you don’t have to thank me for that.”
Derek rubbed a hand down his weary face. “Yeah. I know.”
His bedroom door opened, and Olivia stepped out. Derek pushed himself off the wall and went to her.
“She okay?”
Olivia nodded. “She will be. She’s resting. The poor thing practically crashed the second I was done checking her over and treating the cut near her eye.”
Unable to stay away any longer, Derek put his hand to Olivia’s arm and kissed the top of her head. “Thanks for comin’, sweetness.” To Jake, he said, “Call you tomorrow.”
He made it to his bedroom door when Olivia’s hushed voice called for him.
“Derek, wait.”
He turned back. “Yeah?”
“Physically, she’s going to be fine, but the other...” Olivia shook her head. A set of big, brown eyes stared back at him with an understanding he wished she didn’t have. “It’s going to take some time. Just be patient with her, okay?”
With a nod, Derek went to his bedroom. Knowing his friends would see themselves out, he pushed his hand against the solid wood door and stepped inside.
Lying in the middle of his bed was the most beautiful, fragile-looking woman he’d ever seen. Even with the butterfly bandage near her left eye and the small bruise forming on her chin, she still managed to take his breath away. Why didn’t you ever tell her that?
If he had, she never would’ve been hurt. Not like this, anyway. If he’d just grown a pair and came clean about his feelings all those years ago, she may never have gone out with that fuckhead, Porter.
Charlie stirred in her sleep. The little space between her eyes bunched together as though she were in distress and Derek couldn’t not go to her.
The mattress dipped as he knelt over her sleeping form. Doing his best not to wake her, he used his fingertips to move some hair from her forehead.
“Shh,” he crooned. “You’re okay, sweetheart. I’m here.”
As if his touch were magic, the lines on Charlie’s forehead smoothed, and her breathing became steady again. He leaned down and pressed his lips to her cheek.
“Rest easy, darlin’. You’re safe, now.”
Waiting until he was certain she was sleeping peacefully, Derek eventually left the room.
Too wired for bed, he went straight for his office and called his brother. Eric picked up on the third ring.
“Hey, bro. What’s up? You need me to get you out of a bad date again? What do you want this time...text, phone call, or sirens?”
“We need to talk.”
Picking up on Derek’s serious tone, Eric shut down the jokes immediately.
“Hang on. Let me get someplace more private.”
Derek waited while his brother found an unoccupied room at the precinct.
“Okay,” Eric shut a door. “I’m alone now, so talk. You in trouble?”
“Not me.”
“Charlie.”
“Charlie...” It was clear his brother had no idea who he was referring to.
“Stone. Well, Porter, now.”
“Wait, our Charlie? What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
Eric listened while Derek ran him through the events. He started with Porter’s bizarre behavior at the restaurant and ended with tonight, when Derek had driven a dazed and beaten Charlie to his home.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” his brother seethed. “Where is the bastard? I’ll send someone to pick him up right now.”
“You can’t.”
There was silence and then, “Damn. She’s refusing to press charges?”
“Got it in one.”
“Fuck.”
“Exactly.”
Neither brother thought any less of Charlie for not wanting to go to the police. Both men had seen enough to understand why many victims of domestic violence didn’t report their abuse. They were fucking terrified.
“Where is she, now?” Eric softened his tone.
“Asleep.”
A moment of silence passed before his brother asked, “You want me to come over?”
“Thanks, but I don’t want to wake her. I just figured you’d want to know what was going on.”
“Where’s her husband now?”
Derek’s gut churned at the word husband. That bastard didn’t deserve the title.
“Don’t know. I saw him takin’ off from the hotel as I was pullin’ up.”
“I’m assuming you’re going to look into him?”
“As soon as I hang up with you.”
Eric sighed. “All right. Give Charlie a hug for me. Let me know if you find anything on Porter.”
“Roger that. Be careful, brother.”
“You, too.”
Derek ended the call. Over the next few hours, he looked up anything and everything he could find on Caleb Porter. Family, financials, employment history, the works.
On paper, the guy was a fucking prince. Not even so much as a parking ticket. Working for the top law firm in New York City no doubt aided in keeping Porter’s nose clean.
He thought of the woman in the other room. No, Porter’s nose was far from fucking clean. The dickwad simply knew how to cover his tracks.
After a few more hours, when his eyes began to cross, Derek decided to call it a night and hit the hay. He considered going in and lying down next to Charlie but decided against it.
He had no idea what state she’d wake up in, and he sure as hell didn’t want her thinking he’d tried taking advantage of her. He’d just as soon cut off his own nut sack before ever stooping so low.
Thankfully, the bed in the spare room already had sheets and a blanket on it, so all he had to do was strip down to his boxers and climb in.
Emotionally spent, it didn’t take long before Derek found himself in his own deep sleep. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long.
About an hour later, he woke to a soft, whimpering sound. When he realized where it was coming from, Derek threw off his covers and rushed from the room. His chest tightened when he saw her.
Charlie’s legs were kicking beneath the covers as she attempted to fight against an invisible monster. Derek’s heart damn near broke at the moans and whispers of denial she made.
Fuck this.
Unwilling to let her remain in whatever hell she was trapped in, Derek made his way to her side of the bed and knelt down beside her.
“Shh,” he crooned as he reached up, running his hand over the top of her head.
Charlie’s breathing picked up. “No,” she mumbled softly.
“Charlie,” he whispered back.
“Please don’t,” she begged, pushing his hand away in the process.
Derek spoke a little louder. “Come on, Charlie. Time to wake up.” He gave her a gentle nudge.
Her entire body jolted and Charlie screamed. Her wild eyes flew open as she attempted to scramble away from him.
Derek raised his hands, palms up, to show her he meant no harm. “Easy, darlin’. It’s just me.”
She froze. “Derek?” Clearly confused, Charlie looked around the room, then back to him.
“You were having a bad dream,” he explained.
She blinked a few times, running a hand through her tangled hair. “I-I’m sorry I woke you.”
“Nothin’ to be sorry for.” He lowered his hands, resting his forearms on the edge of the mattress.
Her chest was still rising and falling rapidly with each heaving breath. Derek did his damnedest not to focus on the way her firm breasts were pressing against the silk cami she was wearing.
As if she could somehow sense his struggle, Charlie pulled the sheet closer to her body. Embarrassed, she bowed her head, becoming suddenly fascinated by an invisible piece of lint.
“You want to tell me what it was about?”
She shook her head, her blonde hair covering her face. “Pretty sure you can guess.”
Yeah. He could. “What can I do?”
Charlie looked up at him, then. Her eyes were full of trepidation. “Would you...” She licked her lips nervously and looked away again. “Never mind. It’s silly.”
“Tell me what you want, darlin’.”
She looked back at him again. “I-I was just going to ask if you’d mind...staying in here for a while. Maybe just until I fall asleep?”
His heart broke a little more. “Of course, I will.”
“You don’t have to,” she offered, though her eyes pleaded with him to stay.
Derek stood. With a knee on the mattress, he knelt down before slowly wrapping a hand around the back of her neck. Pressing his lips to her forehead, he let them linger there for only a second before lowering his gaze back to hers.
“I’m here for as long as you need.”
Not waiting for a response, he pushed off the mattress and made his way to the recliner in the corner of the room. Once he was comfortable, he smiled and said, “Get some rest.”
Leaning his head back, Derek closed his eyes to put her more at ease. The rustling of sheets filled the quiet room, and he knew she was getting herself settled back in.
Several minutes of silence passed, and he was on the verge of dozing off when he heard her sweet, timid voice again.
“Derek?”
He opened his eyes and turned his head in her direction. “Yeah?”
On her side, facing away from him she offered a soft, “Thank you.”
He swallowed hard, hating the fear still trembling through her voice. “You’re welcome.”
From her delicate shoulder, down the curve of her waist, and back up along her subtle hip, he let his eyes run the length of her soft silhouette.
What he wouldn’t give to climb into that bed with her. To hold her close and make her see he would stand between her and any danger that may follow.
Instead, he stayed where he was, watching over her through the darkness of his bedroom. Only when her breathing became more even and he knew she’d finally found peace did Derek close his eyes again.
****
Chapter 6
Charlotte woke with a start. Not from a horrible dream, like before. In fact, she’d been having a good dream for a change. One involving her and the sweet man currently sleeping in the chair not far from where she lay.
Unfortunately, some sort of knocking sound had woken her before they could get to the really good parts. There it is again.
More awake, now, Charlotte realized someone was pounding on the door. She looked over at Derek, who hadn’t budged. He looked uncomfortable as hell but was out cold.
Maybe I should answer the door for him.
It was bad enough she’d woken him last night. Hard telling how long it took him to go back to sleep after dealing with her embarrassing nightmare.
When whoever was knocking began to yell, Charlotte immediately recognized the voice.
Oh, God. It’s Caleb.
Her heart flew i
nto her throat, and she swung her head to Derek. He still hadn’t moved.
Fearing Derek’s neighbors would hear—or worse, Derek would wake up and do something he could never take back—Charlotte jumped from the bed and rushed to the door.
“I know my wife’s in there, West. Now, open the damn door!”
Nausea churned in her stomach as she began to disengage the locks. Her hand shook, but she had to at least try to get him to quiet down before someone called the cops.
All Derek had tried to do was help her. He didn’t deserve her problems to start interfering with his life.
With one final, trembling breath, Charlotte opened the door and faced her husband. Rage brewed behind cool eyes as his lips curled into a sickening sneer.
“I knew you’d be here.”
“H-how’d you find me?”
“You think I wouldn’t be able to find out where your boyfriend lives? You’re so fucking stupid.”
Charlie looked behind her and stepped out onto the porch so they wouldn’t wake Derek. Keeping the door cracked behind her, she whispered loudly, “He’s not my boyfriend and keep your voice down. He has neighbors.”
“You’re shacking up with another man, and you think I give a shit about his neighbors?”
“I didn’t shack up with him.” She kept her voice hushed. “He just brought me here to keep me safe.”
Caleb chuckled in that arrogant way of his but thankfully dropped his volume to a more normal level. “Right. That’s why you’re standing there, dressed like a whore with just-been-fucked hair.”
Her blood began to boil as she glared back at him. “I’ve worn this to bed with you a hundred times before. My hair’s messy because I just woke up.”
“Right. Next to him.”
“We slept in separate beds.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
She shrugged. “It’s the truth.”
With a dismissive roll of his eyes, he said, “Get dressed. You’re coming with me.”
It was now or never. When she’d tried to leave Caleb before, she’d been on her own. But, Charlotte wasn’t alone, this time.
Straightening her shoulders, she looked Caleb in the eye and said, “No.”
His brows shot up. “I don’t think I heard correctly. I said, put some clothes on and get your ass out here.”