The door opened behind him and Noah stormed inside. He took a few steps then stopped. “Where is my sister?”
He sounded more concerned than angry, which may have saved him from the full-scale ass-kicking Derrick wanted to unleash. But they still had issues, and Derrick had promised Ellie he’d put those to bed, so he tried one more time. “We need to talk.”
“Her stuff is gone from her apartment.” Noah still frowned as he turned around in a circle in the middle of the room. “Her couch and her—”
“Noah, stop.” He seemed locked in some sort of shock. “I called you here.”
“But she’s—”
“Living with me.”
That got Noah’s attention. He stopped moving and stared at Derrick. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am.”
That familiar red flush of anger spread over Noah’s face. “Nothing is off-limits with you.”
The comment hit harder than Derrick expected. He felt the shot right to his gut. When it came to Ellie, he had crossed a bunch of lines, most Noah didn’t even know about, but Derrick couldn’t pretend he hadn’t backed her into a corner and used her love for her brother against her.
He had to deal with that. Take it apart and assess it because now that he did, it seemed like an Eldrick Jameson move. Something his father would do to ensure he got his way. Derrick didn’t like that comparison one bit.
“There aren’t any cameras or videos in here. You don’t need to pretend we had a confrontation at work. You can drop the bullshit.” Derrick had to accept his part in a lot of sins where the Gold family was concerned, but not that one.
“I didn’t steal anything.”
“Noah, come on.” Derrick didn’t know how the guy could stand there and lie. How he could actually frown, curl his shoulders in and look like the injured party.
Derrick had taken a chance on him. They met when a friend from high school, now a college professor, called Derrick about a kid he found sneaking around the computer labs at George Washington University. The kid—Noah—had created a student ID and had been using university resources to play games and check out the internal supposedly confidential workings of the school.
Noah hadn’t had the experience or the college requirements for the job he’d held at Derrick’s company. But like the professor, Derrick had seen something in Noah. A need to prove himself. The brilliance waiting to be tapped. He’d given him a chance and brought him on. Thought of him as a mentee of sorts...then he’d stolen from the company and tried to turn Derrick’s life upside down.
Noah shook his head. “You don’t get it.”
Something in his words and that tone got to Derrick. The sentence he was about to say died in his head. Now he wanted to know what was happening in Noah’s head. “Explain it to me.”
Noah went to the window and looked out. “I found out about you.”
Other than the agreement with Ellie and his father’s stipulations, Derrick didn’t have much to hide. There were things he wished people didn’t know, but he never had that luxury. “Noah, I hate to break this to you but my life is not exactly a big secret. I’ve had the press on me since I was in elementary school.”
Thanks to his family, starting with his politician grandfather, the family got in the news and stayed there. Derrick started dating and the cameras were there to capture his young bachelor days. When they broke up, the girl’s family sold a story about him to the tabloids.
The only time he ever got behind the wheel after drinking, the dumbest thing he’d ever done, the press had shown up then, too. He’d learned a harsh lesson that time, and many others.
His mistakes played out in public. His father excused them before the cameras and berated him behind the scenes. That’s how it worked in the Jameson household.
“Did you cheat then, too?” Noah asked as he turned around to face Derrick.
Derrick’s mind went blank. “What?”
“Abby.”
There was an Abby who worked for him. She had a history with the Jameson men, but not him. He searched his mind for another woman with that name. Any woman named anything close. “Abby who?”
“My sister is going to find out who you really are.” Noah nodded. All traces of uncertainty had disappeared. “She will. The people at the Insider will.”
“Have you been talking with them, Noah?” If he’d planted that story about Ellie and her former job, his blood relationship to her would not save him. Derrick would move in and set him straight.
Noah shrugged. “What if I have?”
It took every ounce of willpower Derrick possessed to tamp down on his anger. “Do not ruin your sister’s reputation.”
“Me?”
Derrick tried reason one more time. “You stole from me and I caught you. You’re trying to blow this up into something else and hurt Ellie, and I’m not sure why.”
“Did you lead Abby on, too? Make her promises and then dump her?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I know what it’s like to be one of your chosen few then get kicked aside.” Noah was yelling now, but there was an underlying thread, an edge that suggested he’d been hurt.
The words crashed through Derrick. “Is that what this is really about? Because that did not happen.”
“I’m leaving.” Noah headed for the door.
Everything was so unsettled, maybe even worse than before they’d talked. Derrick wasn’t sure what to say because nothing Noah mentioned made any sense to him. “You’ve got to stop, Noah. I don’t want to hurt you and I certainly don’t want Ellie hurt.”
“This is your fault.” Noah shook his head then slipped into the hallway, but not before taking one final shot. “You’ll see.”
* * *
It had been three days since they’d had sex. Every night they’d pretend to go into his bedroom together then she’d sneak out. Inevitably, about fifteen minutes later there would be a knock on the door. Derrick saying good-night. Derrick kissing her. Last night, Derrick tunneling his hands up her shirt and touching her, which she’d absolutely encouraged.
But when he showed an interest in more, she pulled back. She had to until she could get her thoughts in order. Being there, the domesticity, it all felt real. The first time together had been all consuming. She wanted to act like she could handle a no-strings fake relationship and walk away, but she wasn’t sure.
She waited for those before-bed visits. Yearned for them with a fierceness that scared her. Last night she sat on her bed, staring at the doorknob, willing it to turn. It took him a full eighteen minutes to show up. She’d spent every one of those extra seconds counting down, trying to drown out the doubts welling inside her and making her jumpy.
That sort of unsettled sensation couldn’t be normal. It had her reassessing, even as she knew she’d give in. Because she wanted to give in. She wanted more from him, for them...and that was the problem.
Now, they were out in public. All dressed up, with him in a tux that looked like he’d been born to wear. The black coat with his nearly black hair...she’d actually made a small pfffing sound when he’d come out of the bedroom. No one should look that good. Ever.
When Derrick mentioned a charity gala a few days ago, she’d told him she planned to be sick that day. Gala sounded like an opportunity for more cameras and she was about done with that part of their arrangement. He responded by threatening to drag her to it in her gym shorts, which left her no choice but to borrow a fancy dress from Vanessa. Thank goodness for those money-raising gallery events Vanessa hosted all the time.
The gown was beautiful in a princess sort of way. It had a fitted sleeveless top covered with beads and a long, flowing, light blue skirt in a fabric soft enough to beat out those expensive sheets Derrick had at the house. Vanessa was taller, so Ellie had on three-inch heels she was pretty sure would snap
her ankle in two if she stepped the wrong way.
Vanessa also wore a smaller bra size, so the top of the dress, while stunning and sparkly, was also slowly strangling Ellie. She put her hand on her stomach and tried to figure out how to permanently suck it in. “I think I’m going to pop.”
Derrick looked over at her. His gaze slipped to her hand, which had moved to her chest. “I have no idea what to say to that.”
“The bodice on this is a bit tight.” It was choking her. But why be dramatic about it? “It has to be to hold everything in, but wow.”
His gaze shifted to the tops of her breasts, which were spilling out more than they probably should be. “Well, we wouldn’t want anything sliding out.”
“It’s Vanessa’s fault. My boobs are bigger.” She touched them as if she needed to emphasize the point.
“Okay, yeah. I’m purposely not going to talk about your best friend’s body.”
Ellie couldn’t help but smile at that. He looked on the defensive and a little haunted by the idea. “Good call.”
“I’m not a total dumb-ass.” He took a sip of his champagne as he glanced at the dance floor.
A few couples moved around, looking stiff and out of place. Between this event and the one where she’d met Derrick, Ellie had come up with a theory. Many DC business people didn’t exactly thrive in social situations.
Derrick looked perfectly suited to the room. Just as he looked great behind his desk and adorable in the morning in his lounge pants as he sipped his coffee in the kitchen. She’d never met anyone who “fit” into any situation like he did before.
“You are such a guy.” The comment slipped out before she could think it through.
Derrick being Derrick, he did not let it slide by him. “I’m going to regret this but...what?”
“You look like that.” She waved a hand over him, up and down as she took in every perfect inch. “You probably get up looking like that.”
He followed her gaze. “I don’t generally wear the tux to bed.”
“Well, you should. You look ridiculously hot.” When his eyebrow lifted and his attention switched from half scanning the room to full force on her, she snorted. “Oh, please. Don’t look surprised. You own a mirror. I’m sure there will be a thousand photos of us all over the internet tomorrow and you can see for yourself.”
She hoped her too-tight dress photographed okay. It would suck to stand next to him, looking all Hottest Ticket in Town, and her coming off as someone who snuck her way into the photo.
He put his mostly full glass on the tray held by a passing server. “If that’s what it takes to get you in my bedroom, I will wear the tux all the time at home. Honestly, the going-to-bed-alone thing sucks.”
She thought so, too. She also knew it was over. With him looking at her like that and her willpower gone, it was inevitable.
“Shh. There are ears everywhere.” No one stared at them after his comment. Well, no one other than the ones already staring. Derrick did attract attention. “And cameras.”
“Don’t blame me this time. The charity hired them.”
His hand brushed against hers. She didn’t realize what was happening until his warm fingers slid through hers. Hand holding. It was so innocent and sweet...she almost jumped him right there.
“What about the photographer who followed me home from the coffee place today?” The guy had stepped right in front of her. One second sooner and she would have thrown her coffee at him on instinct. “I had barely brushed my hair.”
He lifted their joined hands and kissed the back of hers. “You look beautiful.”
She was pretty sure she saw a camera bulb flash but she tried to ignore it. “I didn’t then.”
“I bet you did.”
They stood in a room full of people and he made her feel like the only other person in the room. He had that gift. For a man who commanded his way through life, issuing orders, he didn’t seem to get that just being there, looking like that, was enough to get people’s attention.
A sudden case of nerves shot through her. She was out of her comfort zone and out with him, a man she’d started to dream about. People watched. Others whispered. Tomorrow every movement would be analyzed and dissected online.
It overwhelmed her, stole her breath. She rushed to find a non-Derrick thing to talk about. “My father would have loved this.”
“He enjoyed parties?”
They still held hands and when she didn’t answer right away, Derrick gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. That only confused her more. “Do you really not know?”
His smile lit up his face. “This cryptic thing you do is oddly endearing but it does confuse the hell out of me sometimes.”
She refused to be sucked in by that sexy look. Talking about a harsh reality suddenly seemed easier than dealing with her growing and confusing feelings for Derrick. “My dad. He was that guy. The one who always had this big plan to make money. He met a man with a great idea here. He had a lead on something big there.”
“Did anything ever pan out?” Derrick asked.
“No.” She tried to remember a clear success and couldn’t come up with one. “My entire childhood is filled with memories of him spending the last dollar on this dream or using the money for the electric bill to invest in some weird scheme.”
She knew that sounded harsh. Maybe it was too much, but all she had was her perspective and the reality of moving around and never feeling secure.
“What about your mom?”
“She enabled it. I mean, she tried to talk to him. So much time was spent on dad’s needs that I think maybe Noah’s issues got overlooked.” The pieces came together in her head. She’d tried for so long to keep it all separate but it did connect. Because of how her parents lived their lives, Ellie got stuck in a parental role that made her more sarcastic and less trusting. “I would hear her...”
Maybe that was enough of that. Ellie tried to concentrate on the music and the laughter floating through the room. To escape reality for a second.
“What?” he asked.
Derrick’s gentle tone coaxed her on. “Crying.”
“Ellie, I’m sorry.” He slid his arm around her and pulled her closer.
“He always thought there was something better out there, you know. That if he could put the deals together the right way, he’d hit it big.” No one could deliver the line like her dad. He had believed, or he’d sounded like he did. “He never understood that we didn’t care about that. They died going to one last big event.”
For a few seconds Derrick didn’t say anything. He kept that reassuring hand on her lower back and they swayed to the music. People moved around them. A few stopped to say hello but didn’t linger. They must have projected the couple-in-love vibe because most people just seemed to smile at them.
“It’s possible he thought it was his job. You know, to make the family financially secure.” Derrick made the comment without looking at her. He focused on a table of businessmen instead.
She saw Joe Cantor in the group. That explained Derrick’s sudden interest. Since she didn’t want another scene, she responded when she might otherwise have let it slip past her. “But he did the opposite.”
Derrick glanced at her then. “That, I get.”
“The rich boy understands being poor?” She tried to keep her voice light. Tried and failed. She regretted lashing out as soon as she did it. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to take that shot.”
“It’s okay.” He nodded toward the couples milling near them. “Dance?”
“Derrick.” She reached for his hand and managed to snag it.
“We should dance, Ellie.” With that, he pulled her into his arms and maneuvered them to the edge of the dance floor. After a few minutes the stiffness in his shoulders eased and the distance between them closed. Her body rested against his. The scent of his shampoo f
illed her senses.
She forgot about their conversation and the people watching them. The public ruse fell away until it was just the two of them—a man and a woman swaying on the dance floor. Holding each other, wrapped around each other.
She looked up and stared at his chin, those lips. “Derrick...”
“Keep that up and we’re going to need to leave early.” His voice sounded rough and lower than usual.
Feminine power surged through her. “Good.”
* * *
The dance did it. He’d respected her boundaries and would keep doing so, but the dance brought her walls crashing down. He felt it as soon as it happened. Saw it in her eyes as she looked up at him.
He made a mental note to dance with her more often.
But that would come later. After all that touching he couldn’t get them home fast enough. After the meal and the silent auction, both of which felt as if they lasted five lifetimes, he suggested they go. They’d said their goodbyes and scrambled for the door. He didn’t think anyone noticed. The diced-up feeling came from inside him. He tried to hide it. They had that damn agreement to uphold, after all.
He stepped into the kitchen and dropped his tux jacket over the couch. His plan was to linger for a second, enough not to be rude, then head upstairs.
He got as far as the couch before Ellie started talking. “Have you forgiven me?”
He glanced over his shoulder, not really focusing on her during his quick look. Call it self-preservation. “What are you talking about?”
“I was a jerk tonight.”
He hadn’t expected that. Debating whether he should let it drop, he turned around to face her. “That’s quite an admission.”
“Derrick, I’m serious.”
She stood there in a dress that showed off her curves and lit her face. It had taken all of his strength to resist her tonight. When she’d first come downstairs in that, he’d wanted to skip the public event that would help shore up their arrangement and drag her right up to bed. The temptation still punched at him.
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