He smirked at her. “Don’t bet on it, babe. You’re nothing to me anymore. Nothing!”
She flinched as he shouted the last word and slammed the door.
“No! No! No! Derek!”
The sound of her heart beating within her body filled her. The tears, the fast breathing, her entire body seemed as though it was working on overdrive. She was sobbing uncontrollably hard. Gut-wrenching screams came from somewhere deep inside her. Breathing was becoming harder, and she felt like she was running out of air.
She crawled to the edge of the bed. Something was wrong. Her breaths were so rapid, yet she couldn’t breathe. Dropping a leg to the floor, she attempted to stand. Her body gave out as she tried to balance herself, and she fell to the floor.
Air.
She needed more air. Naked and drenched in her sweat and tears, she tried to crawl toward her window. Exhaustion was overtaking her. Nothing she did would help. Gasping for breath, she couldn’t even open her mouth enough to scream.
She’d only made it a few more steps toward the window when her entire body went lax.
Chapter 13
Derek slammed the door as hard as he could. He had to do something. He had been filled with so much rage at that moment, he was sure he was going to put his fist through a wall.
Stalking down the hall away from her room, he heard her screams for him. He could hear her tears. Walking faster to get away from the sounds, he quickly entered his room and shut that door just as hard.
“Fuck!” he screamed to the empty room.
He needed a shower. He could still feel her, smell her scent on his body. He needed to be rid of her.
In the bathroom, he turned on the shower as hot as it would go. Stripping, he turned in the mirror while ripping off his clothes.
On the side of his neck was a smudge of her pink lipstick. Her lips had lingered there as he was driving himself inside of her.
He hated this. He hated this anger that was consuming him. He hated the way he’d spoken to her.
“Aaaggghhhh,” he screamed and shut off the water.
Getting dressed just as quickly as he’d undressed, he was heading for her room before he had even fastened his jeans. The short minute walk to the Red Room seemed like it took forever. Suddenly, he couldn’t get to her fast enough. How could he have said those things to her? To Sandi?
He swung open the door and scanned the room for her, but didn’t see her. Assuming she was in the bathroom, he didn’t knock but entered. She wasn’t in there either.
“Sandi?” He walked into the bedroom confused. He’d just left her mere minutes ago. She was hysterical and naked. Where could she have gone in such a short time?
Her negligee was still lying on the floor next to the bed, and he had this eerie feeling that she was in there with him.
My God! Was she hiding from him? He thought back to how he’d grabbed her shoulders and shouted at her. The way she’d flinched as he came toward her and shook his finger in her face.
“Fuck!”
He sat down in the chair by the fireplace. Resting his elbows on his knees, he put his head in his hands and took a few deep breaths. In the corner of his eye, he could see the book she was reading before she’d fallen asleep.
What the hell was wrong with him? He behaved like a raving lunatic. The things he had said to her. He couldn’t believe he could ever speak that way to any woman, especially Sandi.
Running his hands through his hair, he exhaled a large breath before standing. “Sandi, oh Jesus. Babe, I did not mean those things I said. Or those things I—”
He stopped when something caught his eye on the other side of the bed. A painted, pink toe.
“Oh shit!”
Running to her, he dropped to the floor and brushed the hair from her face.
“Baby, talk to me. Sandi?”
He quickly scanned her body for signs of an injury of some kind. Had she hit fallen and hit her head? He couldn’t find anything other than the prints on her shoulders when he’d held her so roughly.
“Help! Someone help me!” he screamed into the quiet house.
“Sandi, please answer me, sweetie.” Lifting her up, he placed her on the bed. She was breathing. He could tell that much. He just didn’t know what else was wrong.
“Baby, please talk to me. Open your eyes.” He turned his head toward the door. “Someone help me, damn it!”
It donned on him then that she was still naked. He grabbed her negligee from the floor and pulled it over her head. Lifting her body, he managed to slide it down, so she was at least covered.
“Sandi?” He was holding her chin in his hand, gently moving her head from side to side trying to jar her awake.
“Someone! Anyone!”
He was about to leave her to go find Zach or a telephone when Damon entered the room.
“What the hell is all the yelling—”
Derek cut him off. “Call 911, and get Zach!”
“Oh my God. What happened to her?”
“Call 911! Hurry! Now!” Derek screamed the words at the man who stood staring at him.
“Right.” Damon ran from the room.
Derek cradled Sandi in his arms and held her close, rocking her. “Baby, I’m so sorry. Jesus, I’m so damn sorry. Just wake up. Wake up and show your beautiful eyes.”
Zach ran in the room moments later. “Derek, what happened?”
“I don’t know.” Still rocking her, he didn’t take his eyes off of her to answer Zach.
“What do you mean, you don’t know? Why is she unconscious?”
“I found her like this, man. She’s so hot. She’s sweating, but clammy. Not like a fever, and she won’t open her eyes.” Tears were starting to sting the back of Derek’s eyelids.
“Baby, please wake up.” He kissed her forehead, her cheeks, and her lips.
Zach ran from the room. “I’ll be right back. I know what’s wrong with her.”
Derek heard what he’d said, but didn’t understand. He didn’t care either. As long as she was going to be okay. That was the only thing that mattered to him.
He continued to rain kisses all over her face, hoping and praying she would just open her eyes. “I’m so sorry.”
Minutes later Zach finally returned with Damon.
“Is the ambulance on its way?”
Damon looked to Zach. “No.”
“What the fuck do you mean no? What did they say?” He demanded an answer.
Zach answered, “I told him not to call.”
If Derek wasn’t holding Sandi, refusing to let her go, he would have gotten up and decked the man for even uttering the words.
“Calm down, Derek. I know what’s wrong with her. She had a panic attack and hyperventilated. She’s had them before.” He handed a small packet to him. “Wave this underneath her nose a few times.”
Derek figured he would argue how the hell Zach knew that and what the hell he was even talking about later. Right now, all that mattered was making sure Sandi was okay. He waved it under her nose as Zach had suggested, and within a couple passes, her eyes started to flutter.
“Sandi? Oh, you scared me.” He wrapped her tighter in his arms and kissed the top of her head.
“Damon, get her a cool cloth,” Zach instructed as the bodyguard quickly did as he was asked.
“Derek?” Sandi whispered in a shaky voice.
He hated how her voice sounded so weak.
“Yes, honey. I’m here. I’m right here.”
“I thought you left.”
He took the cold washcloth from Damon and started wiping the sweat from her dampened forehead. “I know. I came back though.”
“Derek, maybe it would be best if—” Zach was cut short by him.
“Get out. Leave us alone now,” he snapped at the two men.
He hoped Zach and his bodyguard were not stupid enough to argue with him. They needed to leave. He had to be alone with her. Never in his life had he ever felt that amount of fear before.
Derek looked down at her and breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of her looking up at him. She was wide eyed and looked a little scared, but thank God she was no longer crying.
“Sweetheart, are you okay?”
“You came back.”
“Are you okay?” he asked her again.
“I can’t believe you came back.”
He smiled. “Yes. I came back. I need to know if you’re okay though.”
She shook her head. “I thought you hated me. I thought—”
“Shh…sweetheart, I’m sorry I said those things, okay? I didn’t mean them.” He kissed her softly on the lips. “Damn it, you scared me so bad.”
A tear trailed down her cheek, and his heart just ached to kiss it away.
“Don’t cry. I’m here. I’m sorry, and I’m here.”
She reached her hand up and touched his face. “You are here. I can’t believe you came back.”
Laughing, he kissed her again. “Believe it, babe. I came back.”
Sandi reached her arms around him and held on tight. “I don’t want to wake up.”
“Huh?”
“I must be dreaming. I have to be.”
“Oh, Sandi.” He chuckled. “You’re not dreaming.”
He pulled away from her and placed another kiss on her lips. “Stay here. Don’t go anywhere, okay?”
“Derek, no don’t leave.”
He saw the fear in her eyes once again.
“I promise that I’ll be right back.”
She stared up at him. He could see how truly terrified she was. It broke his heart that he was able to inflict that amount of pain on her.
“I promise,” he reassured her. “Just lay here. I’ll be right back.”
He went into the bathroom and turned on the bathtub water. There was a small container of something which smelled like flowers. He didn’t know much about bubble baths, but he figured it was worth a shot, so he dumped a couple scoops of the small crystals into the hot water. He watched and waited for the bubbles, but nothing was happening.
Sandi stood in the doorway laughing. “They’re bath salts.”
Smiling, he turned to her. “Did I or did I not tell you to stay there?”
She shrugged. “I wanted to see what you were doing.”
“Ah, well, I was attempting to draw you a bubble bath, but I guess salt isn’t a way to do it.”
They both were smiling at one another. It struck Derek as odd. It was as if the past two years of hurt had just drained from his body in that instant of thinking he might actually lose her, and not to another man, but to death.
The thought sent a chill up his spine. So much so that he had to go to her. Wrapping his arms around her, he held her closely and kissed the top of her head.
“Derek, I wish there was some way I could take back everything that I’ve done.”
Still holding her, he shook his head and whispered. “Not tonight. I don’t want to think about anything tonight. I just want to hold you.”
He pulled away from her. “Raise your arms,” he whispered and waited for her to do as he asked.
He reached down and pulled the hem of her negligee up and pulled it up and off of her. He watched as her deep breaths made her chest rise and fall, emphasizing her beautiful, round, and full breasts.
He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bath. Laying her down on one end of the large oval tub, he brushed some stray hairs from her eyes before beginning to undress himself.
Seeing her hardened nipples poking from beneath the water was making him want her all over again. The proof of that was evident when he pulled off his jeans. Sandi was watching. The intent way she stared at him with such need only made him need her more.
He climbed in the bath. “Scoot forward,” he told her and pulled her into him once he was leaning back.
His hardness was pressing against the small of her back. He tried to ignore the urge to be inside of her again. All he needed was to hold her. He wouldn’t use her body like he had earlier.
She leaned her head against his shoulder and kissed the side of his neck. If she kept that up, he wasn’t going to be able to stop himself.
“Derek,” she whispered in his ear, “make love to me.”
“Sandi, babe, you have no idea how much I want to.” He turned his head and kissed her.
Their tongues met and danced for a moment before the kiss turned into a full-on attack of their senses. He was on fire for her. Harder than he’d thought possible after just having her less than an hour ago and wanting to be so gentle. Yet the need to be inside of her tightness as she coaxed and massaged him to orgasm was more than he could handle.
He reached his hands down and lifted her hips. She was startled by the sudden jolt and laughed while holding on to the sides of the tub for balance.
Derek didn’t have to ask her, she spread her thighs apart for him willingly as he brought her down on top of him. Her head dropped back, and they both moaned as he filled her.
“Derek.”
Her voice was filled with pleasure. It sounded so sexy to hear her like that. So lost in the feeling of what they were doing. How they were connected.
Not moving, he just held himself inside of her. She was so tight. So perfect. Kissing her neck, he couldn’t manage to get enough of her.
He jolted to attention when he felt her Kegel muscles contracting around him. “Oh Jesus, baby.”
Slowly moving her hips up and down while continuing the motion, he wondered how his sweet angel had ever learned to move her body in such ways. Quickly, he erased the question from his mind. He didn’t want to know the answer. All he wanted to do was feel. Feel her. All of her.
Meeting her gentle movements, he started to rock his hips. Thrusting deeper and more rapidly than she had been. He heard her moans, not that much different than they’d been just a little while before in bed. He knew she was close. He needed her to come so bad. There was nothing he wanted more than to feel her walls convulse and contract around him with her orgasm.
“Derek. Oh, Derek!” she screamed.
He hadn’t been expecting her to go over the edge quite so fast. Damn if she didn’t take him with her though.
A guttural howl tore from his throat. His mind and body were no match for how good it felt to have her pussy stroking his cock.
Their bodies lay there lax and sated. He was still inside of her. Her pussy was still trembling around his semihard dick. He was so relaxed. His whole being felt so good and at peace being wrapped in her warmth.
His eyes were shut, but he could feel her staring. He opened his and looked at her. Kissing the top of her forehead, he exhaled.
“Are you okay?”
She smiled. “I’m perfect.”
He saw her hesitate for a minute.
“What is it? Did I hurt you?” If he somehow marred this memory by being too rough, he was going to kick his own ass.
“No. I just…well, what now?”
He didn’t want to think about the future. He didn’t want to remember the past two years and all the pain. All that mattered was tonight. Nothing else. Just holding her, feeling her body close to his, and enjoying all that he had missed so much.
“Now we sleep.”
He saw the disappointment in her face. He knew what she wanted. He hated that he couldn’t give it to her, that he wouldn’t be able to promise her everything would be all right. Lord knew if he could, he would.
The worst part was a piece of him, somewhere deep down inside, knew that he should.
Chapter 14
When Sandi started to wake, she could hear birds chirping. Squinting, she opened her eyes to the bright sun slicing between the curtains through the window. She covered them to shield them from the harsh light. It took her a few moments for her mind to catch up until she remembered the night before.
Derek. He had come back for her. They’d taken a bath to
gether. He’d made love to her. She was finally happy after two years of being without him. The memory of being without him for so long and the desperation she felt in his absence jarred her back to reality. She quickly opened her eyes.
He wasn’t in bed with her. She lay still for a moment, listening and hoping he was just in the bathroom, but she heard no sounds. For a brief second, she panicked, thinking it had all been a dream. The wonderful feeling she felt below though told her that he had been inside her, that together they had connected like they once were. Actually, if she were to be honest, she’d admit that last night was better than any night they’d ever shared before.
“Derek?” she called out to the empty room.
She wasn’t sure why she did. Her instinct told her that he wasn’t there. As she suspected, there was no sexy voice calling back to her. A fear struck her. It had been so wonderful lying in his arms. Where had he gone? she worried to herself.
She got out of bed and went to her closet. Retrieving her pink, satin robe that Derek had bought her for the first Valentine’s Day they’d spent together.
Putting it on, she felt a chill of discomfort. So many nights, she had used the silky feel of the fabric to sooth her sadness and envelope her with warmth. It had been one of her many ways she was able to get the heartache to subside she’d felt on so many nights she had missed Derek. Now it left her feeling uncertain and scared. The comfort was no longer there. All she could feel was anxiety.
Where could he be? Why had he left?
The sound of a buzz removed her from her thoughts. She hadn’t a clue where she had put her cell phone. Truth be told, she didn’t remember giving her phone a second thought since she’d arrived at Pleasure Seekers.
She looked around the spacious room and tried to determine where the buzzing sound was coming from. Between the dresser and nightstand drawers and the way she had hurriedly unpacked, she didn’t have any idea where it could be. Just as she was about to start rummaging through the different possibilities, the buzzing stopped.
“Great,” she said aloud to herself. “Now how am I going to find it?”
She shrugged it off, deciding it didn’t matter. She needed to shower and make herself look pretty for Derek. He may have left her after the night they shared, but when she saw him again, she wanted him to think of her as beautiful and utterly irresistible.
Morgan, Nicole - Intimate Confessions [Intimate Temptations 2] (Siren Publishing Allure) Page 8