The door to her room squeaked a little as it swung open. Sara stepped out into the seating area, surprised to see it wasn’t dark outside her door.
Derek sat in a cozy-looking chair, a book open on his knee and a lamp casting soft yellow light beside him. He looked up as he heard her door and saw her there.
“Hey, Sara,” he said with a soft, low rumble. It was a nighttime voice, a bedroom voice. Sara’s knees decided they liked it. “Couldn’t sleep?”
She shook her head and subconsciously tried to pull the shirt lower down her legs. “No. Today was too crazy. I can’t believe what happened, it’s like the world has gone insane. How did this all happen?”
He sighed and placed his bookmark before folding the volume and setting it on the low coffee table. “I was going to ask you the same question. This is all new. Never in the past two years have I had to wonder about events beyond my control. Please, join me.”
The chair beside him was as soft and comfortable as it looked, and Sara curled up in it, her legs folded beneath her.
“I’m wondering if everything is my fault,” Sara said, haltingly. Was it time to come clean? If her investigation put Derek in danger, then she owed it to him to stop and let him know. Ron’s assignment could go shove it if it caused this much chaos.
“No,” Derek said. “Don’t say that. I don’t want you to go thinking this is all because of you. What could you have done to bring this on? No, I’m afraid it’s all on me and my father’s company. It’s the only possible explanation.”
Sara held her breath. She had never heard Derek even mention the company’s existence before. Her life being in jeopardy might be the final key to unlocking his secrets. She had to tread carefully. “Your father had a company?”
He nodded. “Yes, and he left it to my brothers and I when he passed away. When he killed himself.” She could see the conflict plain on his face. Part of his being resisted talking about such a painful experience, but he continued on. “None of us wanted anything to do with it, at first. We met with the company executives, and they made everything seem very complicated, and said it was better if we let them go on running things as they saw fit, and we’d get quarterly financial statements. They were the trusted lieutenants of my father’s empire, and they knew what needed to be done. It was very seductive, especially since none of us knew anything about running a corporation. Hell, until he passed away and we met with the lawyers, we didn’t even know he was worth so much money.”
She couldn’t believe her ears. If what Derek was saying was true, then it was possible she knew more about the Onyx Company’s operations than he did!
“And now? What’s changed?”
His lips firmed and he looked at her face. Sara feared she may have pushed too hard, and he’d snap out of the expansive mood he was in. “Evan grew dissatisfied with that approach, after a time. He was older, more mature, and he always felt like he had to shoulder more responsibility than the rest of us. So he devoted a portion of his time to learn more about the company, take a senior advisory role so he could keep us involved in the direction of the company. He found a lot of roadblocks between him and any useful information.
“A little while ago, he warned us about the odd little accident here or there. Small things, at first, but enough of them to stop being coincidental. Finally there were two or three big close calls, things that could have ended his life if they had gone a little differently. Kind of like Gary’s trip tonight. No one to blame, but things like that don’t happen over and over again to the same person.”
“And then you had the attack in the alley. And Gary had the trip tonight. And mine and Becky’s apartment torn to shreds.” It was a damning chain of events. They were under attack, and Sara grew less sure she was the primary cause. Maybe she’d been caught in bigger events than she’d known.
It raised a question. Should I open up and tell Derek about the things I’ve uncovered about Onyx? He deserves to know, and he might use it to make changes. Then again, she might just endanger his life. Someone was already out to get them, and if she gave Derek the information he was missing then he would become that much bigger of a target.
“There’s another one you don’t know the full story about,” Derek said. There was a reluctance in his voice as though he didn’t want to say it but he couldn’t bring himself to stop. “Do you remember the splint I wore after the car crash?”
“Of course. Wait—you don’t mean…?”
He nodded. “Yes, that was another one. I was driving back from the airport on the back roads just like I said, but there was another car there. It chased me down, and whoever the driver was, he was good. Very good. I’m not bragging when I say I thought I could take those roads faster than anyone else alive. I’ve been over them time and time again, and I know them so well. But no matter what I did, I couldn’t get away from him. Eventually, he caught up and nudged my bumper at just the wrong time, and I lost control.”
Sara stared at him, stunned that he could recount the event in such a calm and controlled manner, as though he described an afternoon drive with family. “Derek! I can’t believe I didn’t know. And then I ran away from you the next day. I feel even worse about that now.”
“Don’t,” he said. “There’s no way you could have known. And it was my fault you were even there and had to become so frightened.”
“No,” Sara said. “I need to learn to face my fears.” She tore her gaze away from his too-handsome face and looked out, past the balcony, to the view she’d fought to ignore.
The moon hung low, sitting inches above the water. The reflection shimmered, dancing on the rippling water, a false image that showed turmoil beneath the serene reality. Sara stood and forced herself to take a step toward the railing.
Her leg moved as if through molasses. Her body did not want to obey her commands, but wanted her to run, run away! She became acutely aware of the drop past the balcony to the living room floor two stories below. She took another step.
“You can do it, Sara,” Derek said. His voice became an anchor, and a guide. “Take another step. You’re almost there.”
She pushed herself, screaming at her body to move the last few feet. Slowly, surely, she brought herself to the balcony and placed her hands wide, supporting herself. Sara had to close her eyes and fight to overcome the desperate, burning need to run away.
Then Derek was there. His hands covered her own, and the closeness of his body behind her gave her all new things to think about. Her body pushed backward, and his forward, until she leaned back against him.
“I’m so proud of you,” he whispered in her ear. “You can do this.”
She opened her eyes and looked down. Vertigo almost overtook her, but Derek’s hands over her own helped to center her, comfort her, and assure her she wouldn’t fall. From the living room floor, she looked out through the stunning wall of glass that made up the back of the house, and was moved by the beauty of the land. Moonlight rolled across it with a soft glow, giving the trees and the grass a glimmer of otherworldliness. It looked like a magical faerie kingdom.
“Wow,” she breathed. “It’s incredible.”
The hands over hers tightened, giving her a soft squeeze. She turned her own to grab his and then brought them to her body, wrapping his arms around her. His chin rested on top of her head, and he surrounded her, lending his warmth and security to her in a way she hadn’t even known she’d needed.
“You are beautiful, you know that?” Derek asked. The deep, throaty purr in his voice was back, and her knees weakened even more.
Sara turned her head, searching for him. Then he was there, their lips meeting, melding.
Sara’s scent filled Derek’s nostrils, intoxicating him and dousing him with a blast of wild need. Her lips, soft under his hungry mouth, opened for him as they sank deeper into the kiss.
He turned her to face him with hands he then ran down her back, feeling her petite frame through the borrowed button-up she wore. His weight presse
d her back against the railing as he leaned into her and pulled her against him.
A small part of the back of his mind noted with amusement she had forgotten all about the long drop to the living room floor behind her back.
She wrapped a leg around him and pulled him deeper with a hand on the back of his head.
It was everything Derek had imagined it to be, but he had to stop.
Sara’s eyes were hazy, confused when he drew back.
“Go to bed, Sara,” he said, voice rough from restrained passion. “You’ve had a long day and I can’t take advantage of you like this.”
“Take advantage?” she asked. “I want this, Derek. I need you so badly.”
Her words had an instant effect on him, and he almost leapt on her right then.
“You’re just in shock. You don’t want to do something you’ll regret in the morning.” His tone made it clear she played with fire.
She stared into his eyes and brought her hands to her shirt, the one he’d lent her earlier that night. Button after button opened under her nimble fingertips, revealing first the swell of her breasts and then the bra that contained them. She exposed the wide expanse of smooth skin covering her stomach before the final buttons parted to tease the small thong underneath.
He should have looked away, walked away. Instead, his mouth watered and his eyes roamed. “You are stunning,” he said, the low purr back in his voice.
Sara bit her lip at his compliment but didn’t respond in words. She walked into his arms and went to work on his shirt’s buttons while he kissed her.
Derek reached inside her open shirt to tease the sensitive flesh of her sides, tracing his fingertips up over her bra and skimming the surface of her flesh, leaving goosebumps in his wake.
Her light moans pushed him into bolder movements and made her lose track of what she was doing. “Take this off,” she gasped as she pulled on his shirt. “I can’t concentrate when you’re doing that.”
Derek wasted no time. He grabbed the fabric and pulled until the stitches holding the buttons popped and the small pieces of plastic shot away to rain onto the hardwood floor. The shirt dropped to the ground, and he palmed Sara’s firm ass to lift her to him.
Long, slender legs wrapped around his waist as she hopped up into his arms. His body moved on autopilot through the hall and into the master bedroom as he took advantage of Sara’s position to knead her fleshy cheeks and squeeze her tight. She wasn’t shy about exploring his body, either—her hands roamed his smooth chest and she latched her mouth onto his right pec as he carried her to his bed.
Her hot mouth felt incredible as it moved across his skin, and Derek’s erection strained even harder against his pants. Sara was in the perfect position to grind herself against him through their clothes, and she took advantage even as she reached down to undo his belt.
With a soft touch, he set her down on the bed and stood up to admire her, her long blonde hair spreading out like a pool of liquid gold. She gave a cute, frustrated mew as the action put his pants out of reach, and even though Derek planned on spoiling her first, she twisted to put herself in position at his waist.
“Why don’t you lean back and let me take care of you?” he suggested. He’d never failed in enticing an attractive woman with the prospect of a billionaire’s head between her thighs.
Sara looked up at him as she ran her hands up his thighs and covered his manhood through his pants and boxer briefs. “There’s time for that later. There’s something I need to see, first.”
He wouldn’t complain when she touched him like that. Seconds later his pants were unbuttoned and fell to the floor, followed immediately by his boxer briefs.
The look on Sara’s face was impossible to decipher.
“Well?” he asked.
“It’s so pretty,” she replied.
“Pretty?” That was a new one for him.
“Oh my God.” Sara realized what she’d said and covered her mouth as she lifted her gaze to his eyes. “I mean, it looks really nice. It’s been a while since I’ve seen one in person, so it’s a relief it’s all normal and everything.”
A smile tugged at Derek’s lips and he couldn’t hide it any longer. Sara burst out laughing and he joined her.
“It’s big, too,” she said, and her hand lifted to wrap around his shaft.
He sucked air through his teeth, laughter gone as her touch sent a rush through him. She stroked him softly, exploring him, looking up to watch his reactions as she did.
“Keep doing that,” he said, closing his eyes to concentrate on the sensations.
Another hand joined the first, gentle tugs coaxing more blood into the spongy tissue until it couldn’t get any harder. Sudden warmth and moisture captured the head, forcing a groan from Derek’s throat. He swayed from the pleasure and had to open his eyes to keep from falling over.
The view was almost as arousing as the sensations, Sara’s golden-haired head bobbing away while she used both hands to swirl around his shaft. Her legs stretched across the bed as she lay on her stomach and propped herself up on her elbows. The tiny thong did nothing to hide the taut ass he’d felt earlier.
Sara’s ministrations brought him close to the edge quicker than he could have imagined. Finally having her in front of him like this made him more excited for sex than he’d been since his teens.
“That feels so incredible,” Derek said even as he leaned back to take his cock out of her mouth. “But it’s my turn now.”
She’d just got into a rhythm when Derek pulled away, so she missed what he said.
What did I do wrong?
It had been two years since she’d slept with a man, and she was terrified of screwing it up and driving him away. He usually fucked models and actresses—the most beautiful women of Los Angeles. She put every trick she could remember to use in the hopes she wouldn’t disappoint him.
It must not have been enough.
Before she knew what happened, Derek flipped her onto her back and crushed her lips with his. His body covered hers, and he pressed his manhood into her groin, only the thin strip of fabric standing between him and her pussy.
“Oh, God,” she murmured as he left her lips to bite her neck.
He growled as he moved, his mouth all over her, cock pressing urgently against her, hands seemingly everywhere. It was hot and animalistic and she drowned in the sheer passion as he owned her body. She hung on to his shoulders, the muscles rippling underneath the skin in the most delightful way.
The bra she wore—the only one she had left—ripped off her body in two pieces as Derek tore it from her, exposing the flesh beneath. He cupped her breasts and squeezed, the action calculated to bring her further under his spell without being painful. Wet heat covered her nipples one after another as his dextrous lips and tongue swirled around the sensitive skin. The contrasting hardness of his teeth nipped at the rigid flesh, sending shocks through her body that traveled straight to her screaming clit.
“Fuck yes, Derek,” Sara moaned. Her eyes fluttered shut and his scent filled her, every sense on fire as she submitted to the heat he used to forge her pleasure.
His head trailed down her stomach, nipping and nibbling as it went. A low roar rumbled from deep in his chest when he got to his destination and found it covered by her thong.
This time she knew what would happen, but before she could say or do anything to stop him, he’d grabbed the slip of fabric and ripped it off her body.
Oh my God, that is so hot. She let herself forget that she had no underwear left. He’d just have to take her shopping later.
The time for teasing was long past, and Derek didn’t make her wait. His tongue was just as skilled between her thighs as it was around her nipples. From the first pass of his mouth, it felt too good to be true. No man, not even Michael, had ever created those sensations in her.
“Holy shit!” Sara screamed as he pushed her up against the wall of her orgasm and plundered her ruthlessly. Before she could blink, she’d car
eened over the edge into a thunderous climax. Her thighs clamped around his ears, fingers clutching his hair as she held on for dear life, not sure if she wanted him to stop or to hold her down and keep going.
No matter what she wanted, he decided for her. Derek continued to focus on her clit with his mouth as he pushed a big finger inside of her, stroking against her inner wall and doubling the electricity flowing through her body. The gentle pressure on the inside combined with the insistent skill of his mouth to send torrents of pleasure gushing through her, threatening to make her delirious.
He eased his movements and let her come off her peak, his finger stilled and his mouth busy kissing her inner thighs, letting the painfully sensitive flesh between her legs recover.
Sara felt sluggish and overwhelmed, unable to so much as raise her head to look down at the man who’d devastated her.
Derek came to her, crawling until he covered her body once more with his own. This time he rested directly against her, the contact jolting her still sensitive button.
She pulled his head down for a deep kiss, tasting herself on him. They lingered there, a languid joust of tongues as she regained her energy. Somehow instead of knocking her out, the powerful climax had primed her for more. She couldn’t rest until she’d experienced all of him, had given herself to him.
“I want you inside of me,” she said as they looked into each other’s eyes.
Derek said nothing but shifted his hips. The head of his cock slipped down between her wet lips until it pressed against her entrance. Sara gripped his back as he sank down inside of her, holding on as he stretched her open so much more than his finger had.
“You’re so big,” she breathed. It was impossible to tell if it was just because of how long she’d gone without sex, but it seemed like he went on forever.
By the time his hips came to a rest against hers, Sara’s eyes rolled back inside her head and she couldn’t help but moan at being spread open. Derek started a gentle rocking motion, pulling out just a few inches and sinking back in, letting her get used to him.
Taking Flight (A Devereux Novel) Page 12