“Holly, you’re the only family I have. The only person I love. This car is the very least I can do to keep you safe.”
Derrick knew he had won when Holly flung herself into his arms.
“Thank you, you over-protective, bossy, brother.”
“You’re welcome.”
Chapter Five
This was like looking for a needle in a haystack. He had no idea where to start first. Why hadn’t he walked her to her door?
She’d insisted that she’d be fine walking to her apartment on her own and he hadn’t pushed her. She’d been wary and he’d understood. They didn’t know each other, after all.
The building only had about 250 apartments.
Piece of cake, right?
He snorted. “Well, I’m not going to find her sitting here,” he muttered and opened his car door.
A small female stepped out of the apartment building and he paused, heart racing. No, her hair was longer than Jacey’s, darker. He watched as the woman walked down the block, entering a diner.
Well, why hadn’t he thought of that? No doubt a lot of people around here frequented this diner, hopefully Jacey did as well.
Derrick crossed the road and entered the diner.
He came to a standstill, shock holding him immobile as he spied a waitress across the room. Her back was to him, but he’d still recognize her anywhere.
“Excuse me,” someone said behind him.
“Oh, sorry,” he said, moving out of the way. Satisfaction filled him.
Damn, his luck was looking up.
Jacey longed to sit with her feet up, sipping a glass of iced tea. She’d been working for close to ten hours and she was exhausted. Not that she would complain.
More hours meant more money and she needed every penny. One of the other waitresses had called in sick and she’d snapped up the extra hours. She only had about twenty minutes of this shift left, she could get through it.
“Jacey.”
She stilled. This voice had been keeping her awake at night. “Jacey.” His voice shivered down her spine as need flooded her, pooling between her legs, making her clit throb.
She had never reacted to Stephan like this. Slowly, she turned, hardly daring to believe her eyes.
Derrick smiled at her. “I was hoping I’d get to see you again.”
She cleared her throat. “You were?”
He nodded. “Are you due for a break soon? Maybe you’ll sit with me for a moment?”
What to do? She should turn him down. There was no way she could take things further, there was just no room in her life for anyone, especially someone as dominant and powerful as Derrick.
And yet, there was something so irresistible about him. Like a whole container of Ben and Jerry’s Chunky Monkey when she was on a diet.
Bad idea. Oh, but it would taste so good.
“I’m finished in twenty minutes. Can I get you something to eat or drink?”
“I’ll take some iced tea.”
Jacey nodded with a smile, watching as he slipped into a booth. Shaking off her surprise, she walked over to the kitchen and grabbing the jug of iced tea and poured a large glass.
“Wow that is one hunk of man sitting in your area, girl.” Frankie stepped through the door into the back, fanning herself. “If I was a few years younger, I’d be drooling all over him.” Frankie had to be at least sixty.
Jacey smiled at her. “What are you talking about, if you were younger? You don’t look a day over twenty-five.”
“If only,” Frankie replied with a laugh, flicking her hand at Jacey.
Jacey picked up the glass of tea and carried it out to Derrick. Frankie was right, he was definitely a hunk with his dark hair and intense eyes.
The last part of her shift went by in a blur and she soon found herself out the back, in the small storage room, changing into her own clothes.
Due to a high employee turnover the diner’s owner kept a few spare uniforms in the back. She wasn’t sure how often he washed them, but she was grateful that she didn’t have to carry it around.
She fingered the uniform as she hung it up. Things would be so much easier if she had a permanent job. But that would mean tax forms and social security numbers and Stephan on her doorstep. He had the resources to find her.
Jacey grabbed her backpack out of one of the lockers then stepped back into the eating area of the diner. A wave of queasiness rushed over her and she took a deep breath, putting a calming hand on her stomach. She needed to eat.
“Go sit down,” Frankie called out to her. “I’ll bring you a burger.”
She smiled her thanks then made her way over to Derrick.
“Hi,” she said as she stood beside his booth. Derrick quickly slid out and stood.
“Have a seat, love. Can I get you a drink or something?”
“It’s okay. Frankie is bringing over something for me.” She’d started her shift at six this morning and had only managed a few bites of a sandwich during her shift. She was now shaking with hunger and fatigue. Frankie bustled over with a large burger and glass of iced tea. Jacey looked over at Derrick awkwardly. “Sorry, late lunch. Would you like something?”
She owed him for the pie the other night.
He shook his head and leaned back. “Please, go ahead.”
She forced herself not to wolf the food down. Eating too fast when she had an empty stomach would only make her sick. She’d learned that the hard way.
Derrick was silent as she ate, but it wasn’t an awkward silence. In fact, she was surprised by how at ease she felt around him.
“Go out to dinner with me,” he finally said.
“Umm.” She glanced down at her near-empty plate.
Derrick’s lips twitched. “Maybe not tonight. Tomorrow night. I’ll pick you up.”
“Derrick, we don’t even know each other.”
“Which is why we need to go out to dinner. To get to know each other. You’re a hard woman to track down, I couldn’t believe my luck when I walked into this diner and saw you. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you and I want to get to know you better.”
She stared at him in surprise. This wasn’t what she had expected. Not at all.
“Ahh, Derrick.”
He held up his hand. “I can tell you’re going to say no, so I want you to think about it. When’s your next shift?”
She had a lot of shifts this week to cover for one of the other waitresses.
“I’m working the breakfast shift every day this week.” She probably shouldn’t have told him that. Yet there was something about Derrick that made it near impossible to lie to him.
“Good.” He grinned and pulled out his wallet, leaving more than enough money on the table to cover the bill and a generous tip. Standing, he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Oh God, what was she getting herself into?
Shaking herself out of her stupor, she picked up the cash he’d left, gaping at it in disbelief. Fifty dollars? The iced tea had cost $1.50.
Shaking her head, she placed the fifty into her pocket and grabbed some change for the tea. She’d give him the money back tomorrow.
She was actually looking forward to it.
***
Jacey bit back a yawn as she walked toward the diner for her breakfast shift.
She just couldn’t get used to sleeping in the shelter, there were too many people, too much noise, too much worry that that someone might catch her with her guard down. Add her poor sleep to these early morning shifts at the diner, plus the fatigue from being pregnant and Jacey felt like she was running on empty.
Didn’t help that she’d cut her caffeine intake down drastically.
Oh, baby, the things I do for you. She patted her still flat belly with one hand, before slipping on her uniform. She didn’t regret a single thing she had to do to keep her and her baby safe, including hiding from her abusive husband. She hadn’t known she was pregnant when s
he’d run from Stephan, but she was extremely glad that she had left him. No way would her baby be raised by that bastard.
Pushing Stephan out of her mind, Jacey got to work.
Hours later, she stifled a yawn. There was another hour left of her shift and Derrick had yet to show up today. She forced down the wave of disappointment. It was for the best. Derrick had been at the diner every day that week, trying to convince her to go out on a date with him. So far, she had managed to turn him down. But she was weakening under all that sexy charm.
She couldn’t deny that she looked forward to seeing him each day. It was crazy, she would be better off chasing him away, not dancing around like a giggling teenager every time she thought of him.
It wasn’t like she was ever going to take him up on his offer. She could never date him; there were just too many obstacles in her path. Too many lies, like where she lived and who she really was. Oh, and then there was the fact that she had a husband she was on the run from and was ten weeks pregnant with his child.
Yeah, that’s so not something you can just blurt out over dessert.
She’d tried to give him back the fifty dollars he’d left the first day. He’d taken it, only the next time he’d left one hundred dollars instead. Finally, she’d had to tell him that she couldn’t be bought. From the look of shock on his face she’d realised that he hadn’t been thinking about her that way, which had eased her indignation. He’d stopped leaving such huge tips, although they were still generous.
No, it was best if he gave up, no matter how much she enjoyed seeing him.
She placed a heaping plate of sausages, biscuits and fried eggs in front of one of the regulars before heading over to clean the table of a group that had just left.
Tucking the small tip into her apron, she cleaned up the mess they’d left. Balancing some plates on her arm, Jacey turned, coming to a stop with a gasp. The plates teetered on her arm. Large hands grasped the plates, before they ended up on the floor, taking them from her arm.
“Derrick, you scared me!”
He gave her a long look. “Sorry, love. I did say your name, but you seemed to be deep in thought.”
“Oh, right. Let me, umm, put these plates in the kitchen and I’ll come back to take your order.”
“Actually, I don’t have time to eat. I just wanted to speak to you for a moment.” He placed the dirty plates on the table and gestured for her to sit. Jacey glanced around; all of her customers seemed to be happy for the moment.
She sat.
Derrick reached across and took her hand, running his thumb over her knuckles. “I have to go away for a few days. I leave early tomorrow morning and I’m not sure when I’ll be back.”
“Oh, well…ahh, have a good time.” There was that disappointment again. She was getting far too attached to him.
His lips twitched. “It’s business, love, not pleasure. Have dinner with me tonight, before I go.”
The temptation was so great. She knew she shouldn’t, but this might be the last time she saw him. She really should move on. Staying in one place probably wasn’t a wise idea.
“I’m not sure…”
“Please, I’m begging.” He widened his eyes and she giggled. Derrick wasn’t a man who begged well. She figured he’d never had much practice.
“I don’t have anything to wear.”
“We’ll go wherever you like. You choose.”
Okay, maybe she could do this. She enjoyed being with him and she was lonely. A night out could be what she needed.
“I’ll meet you at the place where Cece had her accident. There’s a great Thai place around the corner.” It was cheap and she’d eaten there a couple of times when she couldn’t get into the shelter for a meal.
“I’ll pick you up.” He frowned.
She shook her head. “I’ll meet you or it’s no deal.”
“Okay, love, you drive a hard bargain. Seven tonight it is.” He kissed her cheek, his lips lingering.
Chapter Six
Jacey stood on the street corner, waiting for Derrick. She knew she was early, but each minute she waited, doubt and nerves settled in.
She shifted from one foot to another. What had she been thinking, agreeing to this? She had no business going out for dinner with anyone at the moment. She needed to keep her head down and concentrate on herself and the baby.
But Derrick was hard to resist. She only hoped she wasn’t making the same mistakes all over again.
When she had first met Stephan, there had been something about his take-charge attitude that had intrigued her. She’d thought him protective, caring, strong.
She had been so wrong.
Was she also wrong about Derrick? Could he be an asshole as well? Maybe all dominant men were? Maybe everything she had read about how protective and loving dominant men could be was really just fiction. Nerves bubbling, she turned to walk away. This was stupid.
“Jacey!” Derrick called out.
She stopped, unable to ignore the command in his voice. Damn it. Turning, she watched Derrick stride toward her, her throat dry. She swallowed, trying to find her voice. He was so handsome, he took her breath away.
He stopped in front of her, holding out his hand. Against her better judgment, she let him take her hand in his. Tingles of pleasure raced up her arm, her nipples instantly hardening. Stephan had never had this effect on her.
“You weren’t leaving, were you?” he asked.
“N-no,” she stuttered.
He stared down at her knowingly. She thought she’d been getting better at lying, but it seemed Derrick saw straight through her.
Then he smiled and letting go of her hand, held out his arm. She slipped her hand in the crook of his elbow.
“Good,” he said. “I have been looking forward to this all day. I would hate to be deprived of your company.”
“You’ll probably be disappointed. I’m not that interesting.”
“Hey. Look at me.”
Jacey glanced up at him.
“You could never disappoint me.”
Oh, if only he knew. But she gave him a small smile and straightened her shoulders. What was up with all this self-pity? Must be fatigue, she always grew more emotional whenever she was tired.
“Let’s go eat. I’m starving.” Derrick patted his stomach and Jacey snorted, leading him around the corner to the restaurant. It didn’t look like much from the outside, and she snuck a glance up at him as she steered him toward it.
Derrick’s expression didn’t change, though. He just reached forward and opened the door.
“Ladies first.”
***
Jacey chuckled as she and Derrick left the restaurant. She’d spent most of the evening laughing and eating. She felt pleasantly full and happy.
As she stepped out onto the pavement, reality hit her. Derrick wasn’t hers. This was just a one-time thing.
And now she had to say goodbye.
“I had a really good night,” she said, stopping so she could face him. Who knew he’d have such a good sense of humor?
“That sounds like you’re saying goodbye,” he murmured, cupping her cheek. “Let me drive you to your apartment. I’ll walk you to the door, we can neck for a bit and then once we’re all hot and bothered you can tell me goodbye.”
“Neck?” She giggled. “Nobody says neck anymore. I’m pretty sure that went out in the fifties.”
He shrugged good-naturedly. “I can be a bit old-fashioned.”
“Have long have you lived in the states?”
She was changing the topic, but he didn’t seem to mind.
“Nearly 13 years, long enough for me to lose most of my accent.”
“Do you miss it?” she asked.
He looked off into the distance. “Sometimes.” A sad look crossed his face.
Jacey tugged on his hand. “Take me home with you.” It was incredibly bold. Something the old Jacey would never have done. But it was time to embrace the new her, the Jacey that had es
caped her abusive husband, who was trying to carve out a life for her and her baby. She was more determined and stronger than she had ever thought.
She could have refused a ride home with him. Could have gotten him to drop her off at the same place as she had the other night, but she was lonely. She wanted just one night where she felt safe and happy. Derrick could give her that. She might not know him well, and her instincts about men had never been good, but right at that moment she was willing to throw caution away.
His eyes widened as he stared down at her.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
She nodded. “I’m sure. Let’s go.” Before I change my mind.
Thankfully, he wrapped his arm around her waist and led her down the street to his car.
***
By the time, Derrick pulled up in front of his sprawling two-story home; he could tell that Jacey’s nerves were starting to get the better of her. She’d grown increasingly pale and her hands were clenched together on her lap. That backpack she carried with her everywhere was tightly pressed between her legs. One leg jiggled up and down as she looked nervously up at his house.
It didn’t seem like she had much, her clothes were worn, her backpack scruffy and well-used, so his house was likely as intimidating as hell to her. Glancing up at it, he wondered if he shouldn’t have gone with something smaller. But he liked plenty of space and hated having neighbors pinning him in.
“Too much?” he asked.
Jacey turned to look at him. “What?”
Good, at least she was focused on him now.
“The house, is it too much? A bit gaudy?”
Her lips twitched. “Gaudy?”
“What? Another word that went out in the fifties?”
“No.” She shook her head. “I think that one went out well before then.”
“Cheeky brat,” he told her with a grin. Reaching out he grabbed her hand. “Jacey, it’s just a house. I promise that nothing is going to happen here that you don’t want to happen. We can just go in and have a nightcap, maybe watch a movie. You can stay in the spare bedroom if you want or I can drive you home. It’s entirely—”
Just For You, Sir (Doms of Decadence) Page 4