by Ranae Rose
“Are you trying to encourage me?” Derek retorted as his cheek turned faintly red where he’d been hit, his voice hard with rage.
“Don’t,” she begged, eyeing the way his cocked arm was bulging with powerful muscle. However pissed she was at Peter, the last thing she wanted was to never see Derek again because he’d beaten him to death.
He released Peter with obvious reluctance, tossing him to the floor.
Peter, who’d obviously regained some scrap of his senses during the past moment, wasted no time in scrambling toward the door, still on his knees. He half-crawled, half-fell out onto the doorstep, and Kelly rushed to close and lock the door behind him.
Derek had his arms around her before she could even turn back around. “Are you OK?”
Shaken by the whole ordeal and seized by sudden relief at seeing Peter gone, she trembled in Derek’s arms. “I think so.”
He reached out to wipe a thumb across her lip. To her surprise, it came away bloody. Caught up in the excitement of Derek’s appearance and the ensuing violence, she’d forgotten all about her busted lip. She let Derek guide her to the kitchen, supporting her with a strong arm around her shoulders. Once there, she was silent as he tore a paper towel off of a roll, dampened it and used it to dab at her lip. “You sure you’re not seriously hurt?”
“I’m sure. What about you?”
He shook his head dismissively. “Fine.” It looked like his cheek might bruise a little.
She nodded, and then blurted out what she’d been trying to piece together since he’d appeared in her living room and ripped Peter off of her. “What are you doing here?”
“I saw you in the parking lot,” he replied.
Her stomach clenched, reknotting itself as she remembered the girl he’d driven away with. Where was she now?
“I wasn’t going to bother you again,” he continued, “but when I saw you there, I thought…” He trailed off, frowning as he continued to clean the blood from her lip.
“I wanted to tell you something,” she said. Her lip twinged painfully as she spoke, but she rushed ahead, desperate to banish the hurt from his eyes. “When you came to my apartment and saw me with that man, it wasn’t what you thought. That was my ex, Peter. He dropped by uninvited. He spilled wine all over himself, and I was stupid enough to offer to wash his shirt for him.”
Derek, who’d been glowering since she’d mentioned Peter, dropped the bloodied paper towel into the sink. “I realized tonight that it wasn’t what it looked like. But God, when I thought…” He curled his hands into fists and veins bulged across their backs. “All I could think about was someone else making love to you, and it was driving me crazy.”
She reached out and placed a hand on his arm, feeling his tense muscles quiver beneath her touch. “All I could think about was you.”
He wrapped her in a sudden embrace, pulling her tight against his chest.
“I meant to tell you that when I saw you tonight. I meant to tell you I couldn’t stand to be without you. But then I saw you with that girl.”
“Girl?”
She forced herself to meet his eyes, trying to hide the hurt in her own.
“You mean Cassandra?” he asked.
She shrugged. “The cute blond?”
“That’s Cassandra,” he replied. “She’s one of my employees.”
The knots in Kelly’s stomach didn’t ease much. Did it really matter if she was his employee or a fan club girl? The idea of Derek wrapping his arms around anyone else hurt.
“She’s also my niece.”
“Your niece? I thought she was one of those girls who’ve been hanging around the shop, asking for your autograph.”
“I was giving her a ride home from work, to my sister’s place.”
Kelly exhaled slowly. Derek’s explanation had breathed new life into her tense limbs and knotted stomach. Too relieved for words, she leaned in and pressed a kiss against his lips.
He responded with passion, heedless of the tiny trickle of blood the meeting of their mouths released. His tongue and breath brought welcome warmth. She clung to him, feeling as if she might melt right there against him.
A few minutes later they’d made it to the bedroom and fallen into a tangle of limbs on the bedspread. Exhausted, joyful and completely entwined with Derek, she wasn’t exactly sure how her clothes came off, but they did, along with his. When he reached over the edge of the bed, picked his jeans up from the floor and started fumbling in a pocket, she stopped him. “Not this time,” she said, laying a hand on his. “Not anymore.”
He froze, his gaze burning, locked with hers. “Are you sure?”
“Completely.”
He dropped his jeans and wrapped his arms around her. His cock throbbed against her belly, gloriously bare. Her pussy ached with desire for it as he kissed her. She was sure, absolutely sure. She had been from the moment she’d realized what a mistake she’d made by breaking up with him. The pills she took would prevent the only consequence she had to worry about. She trusted him, and she knew she didn’t want to be with anyone else.
“I can’t wait.” He took his cock in his hand and positioned the tip against her wet slit.
Every inch of her body tingled, and she wanted him so badly it hurt not to have him. “Me neither.”
He plunged in, his naked cock gliding smoothly into her body in one stroke. Sex with protection had been amazing. This was too good for words. She gasped, even though he was still. It felt so good, just to have him inside her. There was nothing between them now, only his smooth hardness and her own slick, tight flesh embracing it.
He groaned as he flexed his hips, plunging deeper, and she joined him. Slower and slower, stroke after stroke, they were both breathing hard despite the pace. “Incredible,” he breathed. “You feel incredible.”
She unfisted her hands from among the sheets and gripped his shoulders instead. Their eyes met and locked. She took a moment to steady her breathing before she replied. “So do you.”
She started to come as soon as the next stroke began. Hoping he’d forgive her for any marks, she dug her nails into his muscle as her body clamped down tighter than she’d known it could on his cock. He gasped, moaned and picked up the pace as he came with her. After a few quick, hard strokes that made her arch her back, thrusting herself against him, her pussy was wetter than ever. It was a good feeling, surprisingly satisfying.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed. He was amazing. How could she have ever let him go?
Chapter 8
When Derek woke up Kelly was still asleep, completely naked and curled into a ball at his side. They were in her bed and his memories of how they’d gotten there and what they’d done the night before were a blur of heat and kisses and slow fucking. They’d fallen asleep at some point, though he couldn’t remember exactly when. He placed a hand on her hip and her eyes fluttered open.
“Morning,” he breathed into her ear.
She squirmed and giggled as his jaw brushed her neck and his stubble tickled her. “Mmmm,” he moaned, gripping her hip. Her motion had sent her ass right into his lap, and it pressed snugly against his crotch, soliciting an instant reaction. Memories from the night before flew back to him, suddenly more vivid. It’d been the best sex of his life, definitely. And the thought of doing it again… He stared down at her ass, so round and perfect. He couldn’t resist flexing his hips a little against it. He moaned when she arched her back in response, trapping his cock tight between their bodies.
Now they’d crossed the line of no return. He reached around to cup one of her breasts and his cock ached as he squeezed, causing her nipple to press against his palm and her cleavage swell over the top of his hand, just a little too much for him to hold all at once. His whole body tingled with longing, and his erection throbbed against the round swell of her ass, urging him to enter her. They were both naked – he could be inside her in a moment. But there was a pleasure in waiting that made him hold back.
He
pressed a kiss against the back of her neck and massaged her breast, running a thumb over the nipple. It tightened to a hard little bud in response to his touch. He could just see the edge of the areola peeking out from beneath his thumb, a delicious shade of pink that made his mouth water, reminding him of the strawberry glaze he whipped up every morning at the shop. Memories of licking it from her body drove him to grip her shoulders and turn her to face him. Her nipples brushed his chest, and as he bent his head to kiss them his balls tightened. An anticipatory shiver raced down his spine as a tight bud brushed his lips, and he closed his mouth around it. She tasted sweet, even without the sugary glaze he’d smeared over her most sensitive areas before. She arched her back again and her flesh pressed against his face, warm and soft. Inside his mouth, he drew the tip of his tongue across her nipple, causing her to gasp. He could listen to that sound all day. Reaching below, he dipped his fingers between her thighs, eager to hear it again.
She shifted her hips against his hand and the hard nub of her clit pressed against his fingertips. He began to massage it, pleasantly surprised to find her skin slick. She must’ve woken up ready like he had. He rubbed harder and she began to breathe hard against the top of his bowed head. Her nipple was still in his mouth, and he worked his tongue against its hardness as he slipped a finger inside her, curving it in search of the spot that would make her cry out. She did, and he stroked it hard, continuing to rub her clit with his thumb as he did so. She writhed, anchored to him by mouth and hand. Her breasts heaved against his face and her hips bore down on his hand as she came. He groaned, caught up in the ecstasy of feeling and hearing her lose herself to him.
When he couldn’t feel her pussy contracting around his finger anymore he stopped, withdrawing and raising his head from her breasts. His cock throbbed and ached with the need to be inside her, but something else pulled at his inflamed consciousness, a desire that was somehow more intense. No one had ever made him feel quite this way before – it went beyond horniness. Way beyond. He’d realized it when she’d broken up with him, and the urge to tell her now was irresistible. “Kelly,” he said, “I love you.”
Her gorgeous hazel eyes widened, but her mouth curved into a smile. The way her body softened against his told him her answer before she spoke it. “I love you too.”
Her reply lifted his heart and caught him totally in its grip, and he felt drawn to her body like a piece of iron to a magnet. His desire for her was as intense and solid as a hand wrapped around his cock, and for a second he thought he would come right there and then. Every second he spent outside of her felt like an eternity. Thank God he didn’t have to pause to put on a condom. He rolled on top of her and settled between her open legs, unable to resist any longer.
Sliding into her was ecstasy. She was as tight as always and wetter than ever, a mind-blowing combination. The desire to take her sent energy surging through his hips, and he used that strength to press himself hard and deep inside as his arms trembled – not beneath his weight, but because the sheer pleasure of sharing her body was almost too much for him. Still, he was desperate for more of her. He found her mouth with his, kissing her hard.
She moaned as she responded, instantly sliding her tongue into his mouth. The sound almost made him come. An electrifying shiver raced down his spine when she reached down and cupped his ass, urging him further in with her hands and her body as she gripped him tight inside, and he knew he was done. He gave himself over to the inevitable, thrusting with as much force as he could muster and letting her milk him for all he was worth.
****
Kelly nearly tripped over the morning paper when she and Derek exited her apartment, both still flushed with the excitement of lovemaking. Derek had left Jason in charge of opening the donut house that morning and was eager to relieve him of the responsibility. She’d decided to come with him to the shop and enjoy his company along with breakfast. She stooped to pick up the paper and prepared to toss it inside without further ado. The headline caught her eye first, causing her to gasp as a weight promptly settled itself into the pit of her stomach.
“What?” Derek was leaning over her shoulder, peering down in search of the cause of interest.
“Local Business Owner Flashes Town,” she read, her lips numb.
“What!” It was more an exclamation now than a question, and he snatched the paper from her hand. “Ugh…” he groaned after taking several minutes to read the article.
Kelly took it back and poured over the text. “This is absolutely ridiculous,” she said. “They made you out to be some sort of creep!”
Nearly as shocking as the article’s insinuations was the photo that took up a good deal of the front page – the picture Kelly had taken of Derek with her phone. Black bars had been placed over his ass for modesty, but it was otherwise unchanged. “They can’t just print this!” she cried. “It’s my photo, and this is downright slanderous!”
Derek silently shot the paper a dirty look.
“We have to go to the newspaper office,” Kelly said. “I won’t let them get away with this.”
Derek placed a hand on her arm just as she turned on her heel, preparing to stomp determinedly across the parking lot to his truck. “We’ve got to check on the shop first. Those protesters are probably having a heyday with this, and I left Jason and Barbara to fend for themselves.”
“Alright,” she agreed reluctantly. Her blood was boiling, and she was eager to give the Blue Mills Times’ staff a piece of her mind. “Let’s go.”
****
Protesters still crowded the sidewalk in front of the Blue Mills Donut House, though there seemed to be less of them than there had been the day before. “Huh,” Derek said as he peered suspiciously around the corner of the building, “I thought there’d be more of them, if anything.”
“What they lack in numbers they make up for in noise,” Kelly replied, wrinkling her nose at the sign-wavers.
“True,” he admitted. “Let’s use the backdoor.”
Derek pulled out his key and they slipped quietly into the bakery to find Barbara pulling a fresh batch of donuts from the fryer that had broken weeks ago. “The repairman stopped by with the replacement part this morning,” she explained, seeing Derek’s look of surprise.
He smiled at her. At least there was one thing to be grateful for. “Jason’s up front then?”
She nodded, donning a grim expression. “And I don’t envy him.”
“Any particular reason?” Derek asked, casting a glance toward the front of the store, where the protesters could be seen picketing outside.
“When it’s not one of those college girls begging for your autograph it’s a reporter from the Times whining for an interview,” she said. “A news station even came and filmed the protesters and the shop. Most of them are convinced you’ve been hiding out in the kitchen all along. Three of the girls and one journalist have already tried to sneak back here, and Jason had to chuck a jelly-filled at the journalist’s head to keep him out.”
Derek had a sudden vision of a jelly-filled donut exploding all over Steven Walters’ ridiculous trench coat, painting it raspberry-colored. Though he had trouble summoning pity for Walters, he felt a stab of guilt for leaving Jason to deal with this while he himself lay in Kelly’s bed, unaware of the ordeal.
“Rough morning?” Derek asked, finding Jason at the cash register.
A little of the tension seemed to drain out of Jason’s shoulders when he saw Derek. “You could say that. I threw a donut at someone for the first time today.”
Derek nodded. “Barbara told me.”
“I assume you’ve seen the paper?” Jason asked.
“Yeah,” Derek replied, furrowing his brow at the memory.
Jason motioned toward one of the cabinets that lined the counter beneath the register. “If you hadn’t, I was going to say I’ve got at least a dozen copies in there. People have been bringing them in all day. Several women left theirs behind hoping you’d sign them.”
&nbs
p; Derek resisted the urge to pound his fist on the counter and sighed instead. How many times did he have to say he wasn’t giving autographs?
“I hate to do this to you, Jason,” Derek said, “but do you think you could handle things here a little longer? Kelly and I have got some business with the Blue Mills Times.”
****
As it turned out, the protesters hadn’t dwindled in number, but divided. Kelly and Derek discovered the second half of them in the parking lot in front of the Blue Mills Times’ office, waving signs and chanting. At the sight of Derek they burst into frenzy, shaking fists and emitting general shouts of indignation. Kelly tightened her grip on Derek’s arm and urged him toward the door, eager to escape the hostile crowd.
What were they doing here anyway? Weren’t they pleased with the article the Times had published, probably due to their provocation?