Chapter 16
“So this is Cypress Corners.”
Derek smiled at his mother. “It is.”
When she’d called him Monday morning with her itinerary, he’d been surprised. Still, he’d taken Wednesday afternoon off to pick her up from Orlando International Airport. After the strangeness that had been Bree’s parents’ party, it was only fitting that he would bring his own family drama to Cypress Corners.
From the second he’d picked his mother up she’d been talking nonstop. She seemed more like Abby than his mother right now, and it was a very welcome change.
He turned the Lexus into the entrance, down the long drive bracketed by white ranch fencing and tall leafy trees that led them towards the center of town.
“This doesn’t look anything like I imagined.”
“And just what did you imagine?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Something like the Florida Keys. Or maybe Miami. Not this small town look. It reminds me of the little places we would visit up in New England. Even the trees, Derek. I don’t see any palm trees.”
“I think they call this Old Florida, Mom.”
“How old is this place?”
“Not even twenty years old, believe it or not. They’re going to build a gazebo in the center over there.” He pointed toward the right of the Cypress Institute. “I’m sure it won’t look brand new, either.”
“You like it here, don’t you?”
Derek glanced over at her. “I do.”
“Abby said you seemed different.”
“Yes, I know. She called me Cypress Derek.”
His mother laughed. “I wanted her to come with me but she’s intent on working out her notice.”
“A month, though?” Derek scoffed. “Her boss doesn’t deserve that.”
“Still, she’s a lot like you. Dedicated.”
He made some sort of noncommittal sound. Dedication was pretty much all he’d had when he’d broken away from his father. When he’d decided not to even clerk in Eddie’s firm. If someone gave him a chance, he paid them back tenfold. His relationship with Bill Chapman was like that. One of mutual respect and a whole lot of dedication on Derek’s side of the equation.
“Now, what is this about the girl you’re seeing?”
He kept his expression even. “Who?”
She clicked her tongue. “Abby told me you were seeing someone.”
Derek searched his brain for any recollection of talking about Bree to Abby. Maybe he’d mentioned a dinner date or something.
“I am, but it’s not serious.”
“Yet.”
“Yet?”
“You’re a serious man, Derek. Sometimes I think you’re too serious.”
Did Bree think that, too? Yes, he’d had her back at the party on Sunday but after he’d had her back at his house he’d put all of that out of his mind. Had she?
“I want to meet her.”
He blew out a breath. “All right. But please don’t push.”
“I don’t push.”
“If you say so.”
She waved a hand. “I push Abby, Derek. Never you. I’ve never had to.”
He took what she said as a compliment, even if she meant it as a reprimand. He’d had to be a self-starter. He wouldn’t have gotten any encouragement from Eddie if he’d asked for it.
They were quiet at last as he drove towards his new house. He took in her appearance again. Her clothes were lighter, somehow. Not just in color. She wore a pair of tan cropped pants and a buttoned shirt in light orange. Her hair, dark and thick like all of them had, was shiny and cut to brush her jawline. Her eyes were bright, too. Sharp, so he should be careful when he introduced her to Bree. It wouldn’t do for either woman to get any ideas of just where this relationship thing was going.
“Is that your house?” his mother asked. “It needs to be painted.”
He chuckled. “Yes and yes.”
He steered around to the driveway set at the back of the house and pulled into the garage. Turning off the engine, he faced her. “I’m glad you’re here, Mom.”
She hugged him fiercely. “I’m so glad you’re finding a place, Derek.”
He pulled back, searching her face. “For you?”
She shook her head. “No. For you.”
His throat tightened but he pushed past any emotions by getting out and grabbing her suitcases from the trunk.
“We can go out to dinner tonight, if you like. I think you’ll like the Clubhouse.”
She wrinkled her nose. “That big place I saw at the top of the town square? No. What about a little place, Derek? That bakery, maybe? The coffee shop?”
He opened the door for her and followed her through the mudroom and into the kitchen. “The bakery is closed by now and the coffee shop doesn’t really have anything for dinner.” He set her suitcases down. “How about the Town Tavern?”
“That sounds fun! Darts and beer?”
He stared at her. “Who are you?”
She shrugged. “It’s a tavern. It sounds like it would have darts and beer.”
“I guess it does.”
“You haven’t eaten there?”
“I have. Often, actually.”
“With your not-serious someone?”
“Mom, please.”
She walked through the house, looking at his new furniture and the way the place was arranged. “Your house is lovely. Who helped you with the decorating?”
“How do you know I had help?”
She arched a brow, an expression he knew he’d gotten from her. “I’ve seen your apartments in Boston, remember. All of them. Very little warmth there.”
“I had help,” was all he’d say.
She started up the stairs. “Just show me my room, son.”
“I thought you might want to be down here.”
“I’m not feeble, Derek.”
“I know.” From just the little time they’d spent together this afternoon he suspected she was a lot stronger than he’d thought. “But there’s a guest suite.”
“Oh, okay. When your sister gets down here, she can take that.”
“There are guest rooms upstairs, too.”
“You bought a family home.”
He shrugged. “It made good financial sense.”
She snorted again. “All right, then. I’ll leave it alone.” She grabbed one of her suitcases and pulled up the long handle. “Make reservations at this tavern of yours, Derek.” She rolled her bag down the hallway behind her. “And call your not-serious friend. I want to meet her.”
Derek knew it was silly to argue with his mother on this. He put the rest of her bags in her guest suite and returned to the great room. He could hear her humming, and was very happy she liked the room. Drawing out his phone he texted Bree.
Dinner tonight? Heads up, my mother’s here.
Yeah? Okay, I owe you.
Grinning, he answered her.
7 at the tavern. Come prepared.
You can’t scare me. Not after Sunday. C U later.
He set his phone on the counter and opened the fridge.
“Tell me you’re not serious,” his mother said.
He swung the refrigerator door closed and found his mother standing there. “What?”
“I saw your face, Derek.”
His lips thinned. “She’ll join us for dinner, Mom. That’s all I’ll say.”
She beamed, clasping her hands. “That’s all I need to hear.”
***
Bree walked into the tavern, facing Joy at the hostess stand. “Yes, I’m meeting someone.”
Joy grinned. “Let me guess.”
Bree shook her head. “Derek is meeting me here with his mother.”
Joy gaped at her. “Seriously?”
“Why would anyone make that up?”
“I thought you might be playing with me.”
“Are they here?”
“No, but he made a reservation for three.”
“Then why are you
playing with me?”
“Payback.”
Bree rolled her eyes. “I’ll be at the bar.”
Joy nodded. “You’ll need it.”
“You know, not everyone’s mother is like yours.”
“Thank God for that. Speaking of which, how did your big family party go on Sunday?”
“You knew about that?”
“Oliver was in here for lunch.”
“That guy likes his gossip.”
“So it went all right?”
“It did, actually.” No small thanks went to Derek for that. “And now I don’t have to go back there until Thanksgiving.”
“I wish I could say that. It looks like I’ll be stuck at the inn for the foreseeable future.”
“Sorry, girl. But hey, you have unlimited access to those cinnamon rolls.”
“Somehow I think that cinnamon rolls in the lobby aren’t quite the same as cinnamon rolls on a room service cart.” Joy winked. “Am I right?”
Bree flushed but managed to shrug. “I’ll be at the bar,” she said again.
“Can I get a glass of water?” she asked the bartender. The guy nodded and she sat on a stool.
As she sipped, she tried to put Joy’s words out of her mind. Still, that first weekend she’d spent with Derek in his room at the inn would be very hard to forget. Hot, sexy Derek was a lot to take after all. The sweet, strong Derek she’d been with before, during and after her parents’ party was even more compelling. Now she was meeting his mother?
Turning away from the bar, she watched for Derek and his mother. She easily spotted the woman when she walked up to Joy. She had Derek’s dark hair and she was taller than Bree’s mother. Joy pointed in Bree’s direction and then she spied eyes just like Derek’s in a pretty, heart-shaped face.
“Hello, dear. You must be Derek’s friend.”
Bree smiled at her. “Bree James, ma’am.”
“Ma’am? Please call me Susan.”
“Susan.” She shook his mother’s hand. “It’s very nice to meet you.”
“And you. I hear you helped Derek with his house?”
“I handled the sale, yes.”
“Oh? That I didn’t know. I meant with the decorating.”
Bree nearly bit her tongue. “I did.”
Derek joined them, placing a hand on his mother’s shoulder. “Don’t give Bree the third degree.”
“Don’t give me your lawyer speak, son.”
Bree laughed and his mother grinned. “He can be a little, oh what’s the word? Serious?”
Derek seemed to pick up something from his mother’s statement, but it was lost on her.
“He can be,” Bree said.
Derek’s mother slanted him a look and Bree decided she liked this woman. She was spunky.
Joy came over to them. “Your table is ready.”
They followed her, settling at a table near the fireplace.
“I don’t see a dartboard,” Susan said.
“A dartboard?”
“It looks like a pub, Bree. Shouldn’t there be a dartboard?”
“It sounds like Derek needs to take you to the End Zone in St. Cloud. They have pool and games and several dartboards.”
“Sounds like my kind of place,” his mother said with a smile.
“Since when?” Derek asked, an expression of dismay on his face.
“You’ve been gone for almost two months, son. I’ve changed.”
A smile tugged at his mouth. “I see that. It looks good.”
Bree caught the undercurrent of affection and the unasked question about his father. If his mother was moving past what had to be a horrific marriage, Bree could only give her props.
Their meal was peppered with light conversation, but all through dinner Derek’s mother was clearly sizing her up. Bree didn’t begrudge her. Hadn’t Derek dealt with that and more at her parents’ party?
Afterwards, they stood out on the concrete steps in front of the tavern. They made their way towards a sculpted metal bench shaped to resemble a dragonfly.
“This is pretty,” his mother said. “I noticed there are a lot of artistic pieces around the square.”
“There are,” Bree said. “Local artists just love this place.”
“And you do, too,” Susan said.
“I do.”
“How long have you lived here?”
“It was a year this past April.”
Susan nodded. “There’s something here. I can feel it.”
Derek looked stunned but he covered it with that mask she hadn’t noticed in a couple of weeks. “What’s that?”
“In Cypress, dear.” She raised her brows in Bree’s direction. “I wonder what he thought I meant?”
Bree stifled a laugh. “There’s no telling, Susan.”
Derek growled a little at her but smiled. “And on that note, why don’t I get you home Mom?”
“You can drive me home, but you’d better go to Bree’s afterwards.”
Bree’s jaw dropped. “What?”
“To say a proper good night, dear,” his mother said. “It would be preferable if he were to drive you home but I don’t dare drive that fancy car of his back to his house.”
“Good night, Bree,” Derek said.
Would he show up later? Under his mother’s watchful eye, she doubted he would want to give the woman any encouragement in her meddling. She wanted to see Derek, though. They’d hardly spent a night apart since before this past weekend.
“Good night.”
She made her way across the street to her Mustang. As always, sitting in the car made her feel like her grandmother was giving her a hug. Seeing her portrait again, after such a long time, gave Bree the courage to continue on her path. Speaking of her career and living arrangements, at least. Whatever she had going on with Derek was a completely different matter.
Her house felt empty when she walked in, but she crossed to the hope chest. There was little inside of it, except for some pretty linens and a few faded newspapers. Bree’s father had the bulk of the woman’s belongings of the legal variety at least. Bree inherited money and the storage unit contents, and that suited her just fine.
She kicked off her shoes as she made her way upstairs to her bedroom. Dinner with Derek and his mother had been very nice, but she couldn’t help but wish he had his house to himself tonight. She had her house, of course.
Changing into her pajama pants and a long-sleeved T, she resigned herself to a lonely night. It wasn’t like she and Derek had any sort of understanding. They’d spent nearly every night together over the past few weeks. That was true. Still, they each had their own lives, didn’t they?
Back downstairs, she flicked on the TV. One of those shows where the guy gives a different girl a rose every night was on, so she idly watched and zoned out. When her doorbell rang, she jumped. Her heartbeat followed suit, and she knew who would be standing on her porch.
Her pulse tripping, she opened the door and found Derek there. His eyes were dark and questioning.
“Bree?”
She knew what he was asking. Smiling wide, she nodded.
Chapter 17
Derek felt the impact of Bree’s silent agreement, and it was like lightning struck. Stepping into her house, he wrapped his arms around her. He hadn’t realized how much he’d needed to hold her, to kiss her, until he’d seen her open her door. Cupping her face, he brought his mouth to hers and tasted her. She was soft and pliant in his hold, and he let his hands roam all over her. Her perfect ass. Her soft skin. Her silky hair.
She kissed him back, wrapping herself around him as he slid his hands up the back of her shirt. Her breath hitched and she shivered against him.
“Upstairs,” she breathed.
She didn’t have to ask him twice. He got her in her bed, naked, and stretched out for him almost before he could count to ten. He tasted her all over now, using his lips and his tongue to drive her crazy. She purred, a hungry needy sound, and he was so hard he was ready to bu
rst.
“I have to get inside you, baby.” He kissed her beautiful mouth again, letting her feel just how far gone he was. Her skin was hot against him. Wet. “Now.”
“Please,” she urged.
He grabbed a condom from her nightstand, he’d put the box there himself last week, and took care of it.
He rubbed his mouth against her throat, nipping gently. “This is going to be fast, Bree.”
“Fast or slow,” she panted. “Don’t care.”
He shifted and entered her, taking a heart-stopping second to revel in how right she fit him. How perfect. Her hands were tight on his arms as he started to move, her body bowed back as she took all of him. He wasn’t inexperienced. Not by a long shot. But he’d had Bree so many different ways over the past few weeks, he couldn’t remember what any other woman’s body felt like. Tasted like.
She was sobbing now, saying his name as she neared her release. His head was filled with her and, closing his eyes, he drove himself over the edge and took her with him.
After, he fell to his side next to her. “God, Bree.”
She sighed, turning to tuck herself up against his side the way he was really starting to like. “Nice to see you, Derek.”
He laughed low in his throat. “I didn’t mean to rush you, baby.”
“Mmm, I’m not complaining.” She nuzzled his neck, another thing he really liked. “I thought this wouldn’t happen tonight.”
“Me, too.” He ran his fingers through her hair, straightening the mess he’d made of it. “My mother practically threw me out of the house.”
She smiled up at him, her eyes sparkling. “I like your mother.”
He shifted a little, drawing her closer. “So we’ve met each other’s mothers.”
“Yeah.”
“What does that mean, exactly?”
She turned, stacking her hands beneath her chin as she furrowed her brow. “I’ve met plenty of guys’ parents, Derek. This doesn’t have to mean a thing.”
He wondered about that for a minute, thinking about that dick Kip and his ice-cold parents, and then shook his head. “I’ve never met a girl’s parents.”
“Truly? I mean, I know you said that you hadn’t been interrogated by a father before. But, never?”
“My relationships were never about more than what they were.”
Kissing Bree Page 14