His mouth was hard and hungry on hers, and she gasped at the sensation sparking through her body. Derek’s tongue slid inside and she tasted him. He tasted incredibly sweet, like…
“You taste like chocolate,” she murmured against his mouth, curious.
“Peanut butter cups,” he returned, kissing her deeply.
Somehow, Derek Shaw and peanut butter cups didn’t quite go together in her mind, but she didn’t really have the opportunity to linger on that thought. His hands were everywhere, cupping her bottom, caressing her face, his fingers slipping into her hair. Wynne began an exploration of her own, running her hands up his strong back, down to his deliciously tight butt. Feeling bold, she squeezed.
Derek growled low in his throat, his fingers migrating to the buttons of her shirt. They slid open one by one, sending a rush of cool air against her heated skin. He pulled her shirt down over her shoulders, deepening their kiss at the same time. Their mouths fused, melded completely in a hungry rush of sensation. The clasp of her bra came undone.
His mouth broke away from hers, their harsh breathing filling the silence. Those incredible eyes were hot and intent on hers, sending jitters of pure sensation snaking through her, robbing her breath. Raising his hands to her shoulders, he gently pushed her shirt and bra straps down her arms. Wynne knew she should feel an attack of nerves, a moment of regret, maybe a frantic desire to preserve her modesty and pull her shirt back on. But she didn’t. Couldn’t.
Derek’s hands caressed her bare arms as her shirt sleeves slipped away, setting her skin on fire. His eyes, twin pools of heat, lowered to her breasts. The rational part of her mind knew this was Derek Shaw, famous actor, standing before her. He had to have seen countless bare female breasts over the years—perkier breasts, breasts that had never breastfed a baby, breasts that had been surgically enhanced—and her breasts were probably outshined by them all. But his gaze was undeniably appreciative, searing her skin. He made her feel beautiful, confident, infinitely sexy.
He tugged at her wrists, pulling her closer to him again. Then his hands were on her and she nearly jumped out of her skin. His thumbs toyed with her nipples, stimulating them into hardened, painfully sensitized nubs. A moan escaped her lips and that quickly, Derek’s mouth was back on hers, insatiable and demanding. Wynne had never felt like this before, so pent-up with desire she could explode with it. Of course, she had little experience, other than the infamous night five years before, but this was beyond that night. This was so much more. It meant so much more.
She moaned into his mouth as he played with her nipples, back and forth, back and forth. Oh God, she felt as if she were going insane. Her hands went to his shirt, tearing at it. She was desperate to feel his bare chest against hers.
Derek grinned against her lips. “I want you too, sweetheart.”
Was she being too obvious? Overly eager? Probably, but right now every pore of her body screamed with the need to have him. It was as simple as that, but with a heap of implicit complications she would consider later. Like after she had mind-blowing sex with him.
He helped her to remove his shirt and Wynne tore her lips from his so she could enjoy looking at him the same way he had looked at her. Derek tried to pull her close again, but she resisted him, putting her hands on his biceps—which were nicely toned and really quite delicious beneath her fingertips.
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Not yet.”
His chest was exquisitely honed, nothing short of beautiful. Apparently, he had devoted himself to working out rather than alcohol and pills for the last year. And it had paid off. Big-time. Wynne ran her hands over his well-defined pecs, down over his rigid abs.
“Mmm,” she murmured, thoroughly enjoying every heady moment. Unable to resist, she lowered her head and pressed a kiss to his chest. His skin was hot and smooth beneath her lips, and his unique masculine scent teased her.
He groaned when her fingers went to his fly. Planting his hands on her waist, he suddenly lifted her in the air, setting her down on the counter. He stepped between her legs, wrapping them around his waist. Derek took her mouth again in a powerful, drugging kiss. Their tongues tangled. Wynne ran her hands down over his strong back, loving the feel of his muscles rippling beneath her fingertips. One of his hands sank into her hair while the other teased her breast. She tightened her legs around him almost instinctively, feeling his cock press against the center of her body.
Wynne was lost, helpless to stem the flow of emotions and sensation washing over her. It was almost too much. If she had any sense at all, she would be frightened by the power he had over her. No man had ever held her so helplessly in his thrall. And it had nothing whatsoever to do with his celebrity—if anything, that only made her want to run harder in the opposite direction. Rather, it had everything to do with the man himself. With his innate sexuality. It spoke to her in a way nothing else could, transforming her into a woman she scarcely recognized.
In her four years of raising Paige, Wynne had dated a few men on a casual basis, nothing more. Yet here she was, half naked, legs clamped around him.
Oh yes, she was insane. She wanted to make love with Derek Shaw like she wanted to breathe. It was that simple, that necessary.
Insanity had never felt so good.
“Wynne,” Derek rasped, pulling his lips from hers. “I have to have you right here, right now.”
She should have pushed him away and scrambled to cover herself. She should have remembered her strict determination to avoid a relationship with Derek at all costs. But Wynne had lived life according to what she should do for five years and frankly, she was tired of that.
“What are you waiting for?” Her voice was a seductive purr she didn’t even recognize.
“Good question.” He kissed her swiftly, his fingers working the snap of her jeans, finding the zipper.
She wished she hadn’t changed out of her customary work skirt earlier. Skirts were so much easier to remove. But Derek managed to slip off her shoes and jeans with impressive speed. When he stepped back to survey his handiwork, Wynne pulled him to her for another explosive kiss. It was almost as if he had become her addiction. His mouth on hers was the sweetest drug.
Derek’s hands found the strings of her red thong underwear, pulling them down over her thighs. She planted her palms on the counter and lifted herself up so he could tug them all the way down.
Cupping her face in his hands, he pulled away again, meeting her gaze. “I don’t remember enough about our night together. I want to make that up to you, sweetheart.”
“You don’t have to make up for anything,” she said honestly, searching his gaze. “That night was amazing.” And it had been, despite his memories of it remaining foggy.
A crooked grin curved his sensuous lips. “I want this to be more amazing.”
Wynne leaned forward and kissed him, catching his lower lip between her teeth and tugging playfully. “It already is.”
Derek kissed her back, then trailed his lips down her neck. Wynne ran her hands down over his shoulders again, across the broad, sinewy plane of his back. His mouth drifted lower, across the tops of her breasts. He lingered first on one breast, then on the other, sucking each aroused peak, drawing his tongue in maddening circles around her nipples until she arched against him and cried out with need for release.
But Derek wasn’t ready to give her the release she so desperately wanted yet. His mouth dropped scorching kisses down to her bellybutton, his tongue sliding inside the small hollow. Then his mouth went lower still, teasing a path over her. He took her clit in his mouth and sucked, then pumped it with his tongue. She was dangerously close to orgasm at the sensations and the sight of his gorgeous face buried between her legs. His tongue sank inside her.
“Wynne?”
There was a sudden knock at the door behind them, accompanied again by the unmistakable voice of Wynne’s mother, Eileen. Her mouth dropped open. Of all the times her mother had to show up…damn it, she’d completely
forgotten her mother was dropping off Paige after the movie. Oh God.
“Oh God,” she muttered, shoving at Derek’s shoulders and peering around her in a frantic search for her clothing. “Ohgodohgodohgod.”
“Who the hell is it?” Derek looked disgruntled. He ran a hand through his hair, leaving the golden strands in even more tufted disarray.
“My mother. She took Paige to a movie tonight.”
She hopped off the counter—not a comfortable feat considering the way flesh likes to stick to certain surfaces—and began picking up articles of hastily discarded clothing. She found her blue jeans first and stuffed her legs inside, tossing his shirt at him at the same time. “Put your shirt on, damn it. She can’t see you like that.”
Derek gave her an inscrutable look and shrugged into his now-wrinkled shirt.
Another knock sounded, this time more firm than the last. “Wynne? Are you in there?”
She buttoned her jeans, grabbed her shirt and bra and kicked her shoes to the side, hoping her mother wouldn’t spot them. “Answer the door,” she whispered to Derek, “and try to stall.” With that, she raced to the stairs and vaulted up them two at a time, praying her always too-observant mother would choose this one occasion to turn an oblivious eye on the entire fiasco.
Because Wynne didn’t even know what she was doing with Derek Shaw. The last thing she wanted was to be forced to explain it to her mother.
Derek took a deep breath, willing his arousal to subside before he faced Wynne’s mother for the first time. He’d yet to meet her, and he wanted to make a good impression. After all, the woman was Paige’s grandmother, the only grandmother she’d ever have thanks to Derek’s upbringing or lack thereof, and he wanted his daughter to have the solidity of family life he’d never had. It was important Wynne’s mother think of him in a good light since it would make their complicated relationship that much easier.
He already knew the woman probably didn’t think much of him. After all, she had supported Wynne’s decision to keep Paige from him. She probably thought him a drunk and a selfish bastard who wasn’t worth a damn. Derek couldn’t blame her since he’d often seen himself in much the same terms. But he really didn’t know what to expect, and clearly Wynne didn’t want her mother to think she was having any sort of relationship with him beyond that of co-parenting Paige. He tried to suppress the twinge of hurt he felt at that, since he knew it was stupid. What did he expect her to do, open the door naked and tell her mother to come back after they were finished having sex?
Hardly. Although it would have been nice to be able to finish things between them. He pulled open the door, pasting a smile on his face that quickly became genuine when his daughter hurtled herself at him with an ecstatic, “Daddy!”
He pulled her into his arms, hugging her and kissing her soft cheek. The woman standing in the doorway surprised him. Unlike Wynne, she was short in stature, but just as slim, with cropped gray hair. She had the same piercing green eyes as Wynne too, but her lips were thinner and pulled down into a disapproving frown.
Derek flashed his most charming smile, the one women the world over always loved. “You must be Wynne’s mother. I’m—”
“Derek Shaw,” she interrupted, still frowning and apparently unaffected. “I know. Do you mind if I come in?”
“Of course not.” Feeling awkward as hell, he backed up.
Wynne’s mother came inside, closing the door a little more loudly than necessary. “Where is Wynne?” she asked shrewdly, her eyes narrowed on Derek.
Derek felt as if he had the words I was having sex with your daughter tattooed on his forehead. “She’s upstairs,” he managed, striving to keep his voice light.
“And what are you doing here?” Wynne’s mother asked next, her gaze dropping to the floor.
Derek followed her gaze and saw Wynne’s red thong underwear crumpled up in a ball to the left of his shoes. Oh hell. Think, Derek.
“I’m, ah, here to see Paige,” he improvised.
“Yay!” Paige clapped her hands, gifting him with a happy smile. Her golden ringlets bobbed around her chubby cheeks. “Wanta play tea party?”
“Sure.” Especially if it meant escaping the dragon lady. Derek sent a wary glance back at Wynne’s mother, whose gaze appeared to be fixed on the damn underwear. “Should we go upstairs?” he suggested, rather desperately.
Wynne’s mother blinked, her gaze focusing on him, then lowering. Derek looked down and realized his shirt wasn’t buttoned properly, leaving the right tail hanging down a good inch lower than the left. Hell. Things were getting worse.
Shifting Paige in his arms and pasting yet another false smile to his face, he headed for the stairs. “Did you have a good time at the movies?” he asked Paige as he climbed the steps.
“Um-hm.” Paige nodded. “And Grammy let me pay for the popcorn. Guess who was on the money she gived me.”
“Gave you, sweet pea,” he corrected gently. “Who was on it?”
“Hammerhal Bacon,” she replied, looking infinitely pleased with herself at her vast wisdom.
Derek bit back a grin. He didn’t really have the heart to correct her on that one. She just looked too proud. Besides, he had a feeling Hammerhal Bacon was more than likely Abraham Lincoln. You had to give the kid credit, it sounded similar.
“He was a president,” Paige continued, her big blue eyes grave.
“Was he now?” Derek asked, reaching the top step and managing a surprised look for his daughter’s benefit. “I didn’t know that.”
“Well he was.” Paige toyed with the first button on his shirt. “Daddy, your shirt isn’t buttoned right.”
Derek cleared his throat and looked around, hoping to God Wynne would appear and save him. Fortunately, she did, slipping around the corner with obviously swollen lips. He winced. At least she was buttoned up in proper order.
“Mom,” Wynne greeted brightly. “I take it you met Derek?” She waited for her mother’s nod. “Derek, this is my mom Eileen.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Derek offered, holding out a hand for Wynne’s mother to shake. “Officially.”
She accepted it with obvious reluctance. “If I had realized you had company, I wouldn’t have just shown up.” Eileen aimed a pointed look at her daughter.
“Derek swung by to pick up his jacket,” Wynne said, doing her best to appear unruffled.
“But you said you came to play with me,” Paige argued, pouting.
“And so I did,” Derek said, kissing the tip of her little nose. “We’ll have a tea party. Why don’t you go to your room and get the tea set?”
He set her down on her feet and Paige scampered down the hallway.
“So what made you decide to be an actual father?” Eileen asked him.
Derek blanched. “I just learned of my daughter’s existence,” he said stiffly. “I take my responsibility very seriously.”
“Don’t you dare break that little girl’s heart.” Eileen crossed her arms over her chest in a gesture reminiscent of one Derek had often seen Wynne make.
“Mother,” Wynne interrupted. “Please don’t do this.”
“Someone has to tell him,” Eileen shot back. “You don’t stand up for yourself. You just let him walk back in here with his smiles and his charm and you’re at his feet all over again. Well, you might not be able to see it, but he’s going to leave the both of you as soon as he gets tired of you. Right now, you and Paige are a diversion. You’re a new toy for him to play with.”
“Mother,” Wynne began.
“No,” Derek interrupted, holding up a hand. “Let her finish, Wynne. We’re going to have to get along together, so it’ll be best if we all know where we stand.”
Wynne didn’t look happy but she remained silent.
“You made yourself a part of their lives,” Eileen continued. “It’s too late to go back, but if you hurt either of them, I swear I’ll make you sorry.”
“That’s enough.” Wynne shot Derek an inscrutable look. �
��Mom, I know you’re being protective of us and I appreciate that, but you don’t have to lecture Derek.”
“I’ve said what I needed to say.” Eileen nodded. “I’ll just go give Paige a hug and a kiss before I leave.”
Wynne approached him when Eileen had disappeared into Paige’s bedroom, placing a hand on his arm. “Derek, I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t expect her to be so—”
“Honest?” he asked, giving her a self-deprecating grin. “She’s just telling the truth. You have no reason to trust me.”
“You’ve given me reasons,” she replied softly, the proof of it right there in her eyes. She believed in him.
She believed in Derek the fuck-up. Hell. It almost knocked him over like a physical blow. No one ever believed in him. He was accustomed to Trina’s unwavering assertion he would always fall off the wagon. But incredible as it seemed, impossible as it seemed, Wynne stood before him, telling him she believed he could be a good father. She believed he would be a stable force in their daughter’s life.
He felt humbled. Wynne continually staggered him, always keeping him guessing as to what could possibly come next. But this was entirely unexpected…this was crazy. Soon he was going to turn into a big blubbering baby right in front of her.
Derek swallowed, unable to tear his gaze away from Wynne’s mossy eyes. “I don’t want to disappoint you or Paige.”
“When you first got here, I would have sworn that was exactly what you would do,” she said softly. “But I know differently. You’ve worked hard to get where you are, and I admire that.”
Now she even admired him? If the woman didn’t stop talking, he’d soon pick her up and take her straight back to her bedroom to finish the heated session they’d begun earlier. He was hard as a rock. It was almost embarrassing, this insane reaction he had to Wynne. Derek felt like a horny teenager whenever she was within ten feet of him.
He liked to think that was because he hadn’t had sex in a good year—which he winced just thinking about—but he knew instinctively it had more to do with Wynne. There was a connection between them that went beyond mere lust and her being the mother of his child. He must have felt it the first time he’d seen her five years ago. He didn’t want to believe she had been another drunken conquest, not even then.
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