“I know.” She sniffed again, pulling away and wiping her eyes. “I’m okay. And tonight’s about you. Now go. Go make that girl happy. She deserves it.”
“That she does,” I agreed quickly, kissing Zoe on her forehead, grabbing the flowers, tickets, and bag of goodies before heading for the door.
“Derek!” Zoe called out as I yanked open the door.
“Yeah?”
“So, do you, you know?”
I wanted to believe her. I did. I really wanted to, but part of me couldn’t. At least not yet. Instead of lying, of faking some meaningless platitude to make her feel better, I offered her a weak smile before stepping out into the evening, shutting the door behind me.
Chapter 16
Mia
I stood in the reception area waiting for Derek to arrive. I’d been waiting for fifteen minutes and ready for forty-five. And he wasn’t even late. I was just over organized and ready early. And nervous. And shitting myself. And regretting saying yes. And freaking out. And ready to cancel. Desperate for something to keep my anxious fingers busy, so far, I’d dusted the window sills, tossed out any magazine older than three weeks, and flicked through those which made the cut, tidied the reception counter, organized the files, and placed a stationery order. Not to mention the hundred and one pep talks I’d given myself. Kenz had offered to wait with me, but after listening to her babble for five minutes about completely useless and honestly downright frightening first date disasters, I shooed her out the door as quick as I could. I’d texted Josie, hoping for a chat, but she hadn’t replied. It struck me as odd, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized Josie and I hadn’t spoken for a couple of days now…which for normal people wouldn’t be all that long, but for us that was like a lifetime. We usually went only hours. Two days meant we were in a fight. Five meant it was war. This was weird. Shaking the feeling off, I looked at the time again, there was still eight minutes until Derek was due.
“Fuck!” I growled to myself, running my hands through my hair.
“Hope that wasn’t at me,” a deep, husky voice replied, and I spun on my heel so quickly I nearly ended up on my ass in a pot plant I’d been aggressively yanking leaves from.
With Derek’s hand on my elbow steadying my balance, I could feel the warmth seeping into my skin, and it did all sorts of silly things to my insides. Feeling my cheeks burn, I pressed my trembling hands against my chest, willing my heartbeat to steady while I sucked in few deep breaths.
“You’re early,” I admonished, trying to redirect. There was no need for him to know I’d been waiting for what felt like forever.
“You’re gorgeous.”
His eyes never once left mine. I wanted to hide. I wasn’t used to someone looking at me the way Derek was looking at me right now. Like he wanted to kiss me. But not just kiss me either. He looked like he wanted to devour me. And I didn’t know if I had the strength to stop him. Damn hormones. Some days being female sucked ass.
Stepping out of his grip, I made my way behind the counter to grab my purse. Well, at least that was my excuse. The truth was I needed some space. Just for a minute. I needed to breathe and just get my stupid body under control. Derek was standing there looking like sex on legs and I needed to get my stupid girly shit together…or at least try to. He was wearing dark denim jeans that fit him like they were made for him. Tight in all the right places and suggestive in others. His white button down shirt was crisp and clean with the sleeves rolled up his forearms, revealing the muscles I knew were there. What surprised me though was the zing of envy that gushed through my body at the sight of a single strand of long brown hair across his wide chest. I shouldn’t be jealous. I had no reason to be and no right, but I’d be damned if I wasn’t.
“These are for you.” Derek smiled, handing over a small bunch of the tiniest white daisies I’d ever seen. They were beautiful. These tiny, delicate little flowers, wrapped with navy paper and white bow dwarfed by his gigantic hand.
“Th-thank you.” I heard my voice falter and I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole. We hadn’t even made it out the door and I’d already almost fallen on my face, stuttered, and completely embarrassed myself. I was a walking disaster. This night could only get worse from here.
Tilting his head to the side, I could see Derek evaluating me and I was regretting my choice of outfit. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I’d gone to Zoe for help and she’d offered her opinion. So here I stood, a in a cute sky blue summer dress that ended just above my knees, a light white cardigan wrapped around my shoulders, and a pair of brown suede boots. My hair was mussed up like normal, but I’d actually taken the time to add some product to it so it didn’t end up falling flat the second I stepped outside.
“You ready to head out?”
“Yep. Let’s do it.”
Grabbing my purse, I punched in the alarm code and yanked the door closed behind me. There was no turning back now. When Derek’s huge hand settled in the centre of my back, as he led me towards the truck I expected my senses to be on high alert. Instead I felt weird. Safe almost. It wasn’t something I was used to. It was kind of intimidating. He held the door open and helped me up before scooting around the other side and sliding in.
“So…where we going?” I asked nervously, smoothing out the non-existent wrinkles in my dress.
“Why? Nervous?”
I glanced over at him. He had a playful smirk on his lips and his eyes were alight with mischief. I didn’t want to lie to Derek. In the short time I’d known him, he’d never lied to me, never once given me any reason to want to. He’d never made me feel uncomfortable or threatened. I wasn’t about to start now.
Sighing heavily, I slumped forward, resting my elbows on my knees, sucking in deep breaths. “Yeah, I really am.”
“Oh…thank fuck!”
My head shot up so quickly I heard it snap.
Looking at Derek, I saw his shoulders droop and knew there was more to come, so I bit my lip and willed the words racing through my head to shut up. “Me too.”
And with that we both laughed.
Hard.
I laughed so hard my sides ached.
When the tears stopped rolling down my cheeks and I wiped them away with the back of my hand, I rested my hands back in my lap, I felt Derek reach over and take one of mine in his own, and I couldn’t help the giddy sensation that flooded my body.
“Mia, we don’t have to be anything other than us. Let’s just have fun and see where we end up. I have zero expectations here.”
I stole a glance at him. Thankfully we were stopped at the lights. He caught my gaze and I saw nothing but honesty reflected in his eyes. He meant it. Every single word. And I believed him,
“Sounds good,” I agreed readily, surprising us both.
Until the words passed my lips, I expected them, but as soon as they were out, I knew that without a doubt, they were true. Intertwining our fingers, I relaxed, tipping my head back against the headrest and letting my eyes drift closed. It no longer mattered where he was taking me. I wasn’t worried. Derek wouldn’t hurt me. Not now. Not ever.
I must have been more tired than I realized, because ten minutes later, Derek was opening my door, shaking me awake. “Mia, come on, sweetheart. Rise and shine, sweetheart.”
My eyes flickered open slowly, and the first image they settled on was Derek’s beautiful eyes. It was a sight I could get used to waking up to each morning―a thought that broken through my sleepy haze instantly. It was too early for that. Way too early.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean…”
With a smirk, Derek didn’t miss a beat, “Don’t even worry about it. You didn’t miss a thing. You ready to head out?”
Nodding, I accepted Derek’s hand as he helped me down, and shut the door behind me before wrapping his arm around my waist. It felt incredibly intimate, but at the same time strangely perfect. As he led me down the path, I realized how many people were headed in the same direction. Seamle
ssly we fell in step with the swell of people. I didn’t want to, but I found myself snuggling closer to Derek the thicker the crowd got. If he noticed at all, he was enough of a gentleman to stay alert. Something I’d thank him for later.
When we reached a gate, he handed over our tickets and we were waved through without hesitation and led into the VIP section.
“Okay, now can you tell me what this place is?”
Spread out before me were picnic blankets as far as I could see, filled mainly with adults. The scent of pizza and popcorn hung heavily in the air and my stomach groaned appreciatively. Derek stopped us when we made it to a huge double bean bag, which in all fairness, could have seated a family of five.
“This is something new they’re trialling. Open air cinema.”
“Oh. I’ve heard about this. It’s a pretty cool set up.”
“You were expecting…?”
“Not really sure,” I answered honestly.
When the girls at work had been talking about a girl’s night here they hadn’t made it sound at all appealing. I mean sitting on the grass having ants bite my ass while I battled flies for my pizza and then hoping for the right weather just so I could watch some corny chick flick didn’t really do anything for me. But this, this was different. Or maybe it was the company that made it different.
Derek gestured for me to sit, and as soon as I did I knew I wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon. I sunk into the bean bag and knew there was no way in hell I’d be able to climb out in a ladylike fashion. Internally I bitched at Zoe for not giving me more warning. I could have worn jeans and been less self-conscious at the amount of leg I was flashing about, but I’d make do. When Derek flopped down beside me I bounced up, almost ending up in his lap.
When his deep, rumbling laughter subsided, he said, “Well, I’ll admit, that was unexpected. Not that I’m objecting at all, it’s just…unexpected.”
“You’re such a…”
“Such a what?” he dared.
“Such a guy.”
“That I am, Mia. That I am.”
I watched as he dug through the bag of goodies I hadn’t even noticed he’d carried in and pulled out a blanket before spreading it over my legs thoughtfully. “This might make you more comfortable.”
If it was at all possible for my jaw to unhinge itself and hit the floor, then that’s the moment it would have happened. Right then. Blinking up at him, I don’t know what came over me, but I leaned in and pressed my lips against his.
Chapter 17
Derek
I’m embarrassed to admit it took me longer than it should have to react and kiss her back. Pulling back, I looked at Mia and saw indecision and uncertainty in her eyes. Suddenly I was overcome with the urge to erase both. My inner caveman was screaming loudly. Pulling her body flush against mine, I brought my mouth down back over hers, tracing the seam of her lips with my tongue, hoping she’d open up and let me in.
Then she did and fuck me, I was not disappointed.
I didn’t know women could taste so sweet.
Hell, I didn’t know anything could.
I don’t know how long we sat there devouring each other, but I was starting to get light headed and craving oxygen when I pulled back, panting.
Resting my forehead against hers, I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to think of anything to re-route the blood back to my brain. “Mia…that was…” I didn’t have the words. I doubted the Oxford Dictionary did.
“Derek, I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me,” Mia’s humiliation was evident as a rosy pink coloured her cheeks and she attempted to slide from my lap, moving away from me. I wasn’t letting her go. Not like this.
Holding her firm, I cupped her chin, forcing her to meet my gaze. “Mia, sweetheart, you can attack me like that anytime you feel the urge.”
Giggling, she buried her head in the crook of my neck, and her warm breath did absolutely nothing to help my current situation. If anything, it made everything slightly less comfortable. Trailing my fingers up and down her spine, I held her against me and was shocked by how right it felt. We fit perfectly. My tiny pixie was in my arms.
When someone knocked into our beanbag, we were jolted from our bubble and back into reality. With a scowl, I watched as Mia wriggled out of my lap and onto the bean bag beside me, tugging down her dress as she went, but not before I managed to steal a glance of her creamy thigh. Damn, these jeans were tight.
After adjusting myself as discreetly as I could, I smoothed out the blanket over our legs and set up the food before tucking Mia up against me. Now I’d had a taste I wasn’t about to stop. This woman was turning me into an addict.
Stealing a glance at Mia, she was nibbling on a cracker, and I said a silent thanks to Zoe for pulling this whole thing together. It couldn’t have gone better. Mia looked happy, and it wasn’t just the flush in her cheeks and the down her neck, there was something in her eyes I hadn’t seen before, but I’d be damned if it didn’t look good there. Like it belonged. And I’d been the one to put it there. I couldn’t help but puff out my chest a little.
“So,” Mia began, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “What movie is this?”
“Honestly?” She quirked an eyebrow at me, unsure. “I have no idea.”
“Really? Then how?”
“Zoe,” I said in way of explanation.
“Ah.” Mia’s eyes dropped. It felt like shit. Maybe I shouldn’t have told her, but I wasn’t going to lie. Zoe wasn’t my dirty little secret, and she wasn’t Mia’s competition, so I didn’t get what the issue was, but before I had a chance to say anything more, the screen lit up and I watched as people around us scurried about like ants into their spots before the credits finished.
As the credits rolled, I decided I wanted to hug Zoe and kill her at the same time. A frigging chick flick. I was going to have to sit through two hours of soppy, lovey-dovey, romantic Nicholas Sparks-inspired bullshit. If it’d just been me, I’d have stood up and walked out the moment the girl tugged on the cowboy boots and headed for the rodeo. These movies were so damn obvious what was going to happen next. But the smile dancing on Mia’s lips kept me frozen where I sat.
Twenty minutes later, it was a good thing I was lying back, because you could have knocked me over with a feather. Mia sat up, and I would have sworn she was going to walk away. We hadn’t spoken a word since the movie started. She’d seemed content to just sit back and watch, and I was more than happy to watch the fading sun settle over her. Then she shocked the shit out me. She packed up the array of goodies, wriggled herself over further, pulling my arm around her shoulder, settling my hand on her hip, and draping the blanket across us before letting her head come to rest on the centre of my chest. Taking a deep breath, I breathed in the scent of her coconut shampoo and I realized I’d never felt like this. It was a strangely powerful and intoxicating sensation. I had this overwhelming desire to claim her as mine.
I’ll admit it wasn’t a bad movie. I certainly won’t admit it out loud and I’m not exactly going to run home and get a copy on DVD, but it wasn’t the worst thing I’d ever sat through. Or maybe it was the woman in my arms that made it bearable. Either way, I didn’t give a shit. About fifteen minutes before it ended, I’d looked down and seen Mia swiping a stray tear from her cheek and the urge to protect her was greater than ever…even if it was only from a corny romantic love story on the big screen. Instead I’d said nothing, just placed a kiss on her temple and held her a little tighter.
“You ready to head out?” I asked, offering my hand to help her up. Those bean bags might look comfortable, but climbing out of them was a bitch.
“Thanks.” Mia took my hand and I helped her to her feet. After collecting the rest of our belongings, we fell in step with the crowd and headed towards the exit.
When I felt Mia’s tiny hand slip into the back pocket of my jeans, I had to look twice to check if I was seeing things. It didn’t seem like something she’d do. But there’s no doubt about i
t. There it is. Adjusting the bag of leftover food and the blanket in my other hand, I wrap my free arm around her shoulders before dropping a kiss in her hair and whispering into her ear, “You’re going to be the death of me.” She giggles in response. I don’t think she realizes how seriously I mean it. But fuck, do I ever!
We make it to the car and regretfully I untangle her from my arm, fish the keys out of my pocket, and help her in before kissing her again. It’s like I can’t help myself. And it’s not some innocent kiss, either. I pour everything I have into it. Thankfully, I’d scored a parking spot on the edge of the road and now the sun has long vanished and it’s dark and somewhat private, so when Mia moaned and I yanked her towards me, no one was exposed to the floor show we were undoubtedly putting on.
“Fuck me!” I panted, pulling away.
Her hair was mussed from my hands and her lips were wet and swollen from my kisses, but she’d never looked sexier. It was her hazy, lust-filled eyes, though, that made me dizzy. “Not tonight, Rooster.” She winked.
I heard the growl come from the back of my throat and it surprised both of us, causing us to laugh again. I meant to move away and shut the door, I really did, but I needed another taste. Just one more. I couldn’t leave without it. Stepping into the open doorway, Mia’s knees opened and I closed the distance before her knees clamped around my ribs, locking me in place.
When her forehead touched mine, I felt like I was on fire. She was hot, placing soft, sweet, teasing kisses along my jaw. I shifted awkwardly. I was hard as hell. “Derek…”
“Mmmm…”
“I don’t share.”
At her words my lust was broken, and my eyes, which had been barely slits, were now wide open and she had my complete attention. With her delicate fingers, she reached over and picked the single strand of brown curly hair from the centre of my chest and let it float away on the breeze. The moment it vanished from sight, so did the grip she had on me and the connection was broken.
Running Away (Finding Your Place Book 2) Page 11