Derek Read online

  I hear a choking sound, and that’s when we notice the nurse is still in the room with us. Brittany’s face reddens. I love her innocence, but I am loving that I get to be the one to corrupt her.

  “I hope we aren’t long,” she says, “because P is at the house by herself.”

  “Trust me, we won’t be here long.”

  “Ahh right, the MC.”

  She is correct; there won’t even be a record she was here. They knew who I was the second I stepped foot into the building. I texted Lane, and he will take care of everything. This is why I love the brotherhood. No matter what, we have each other’s backs.

  Brittany

  Hours Later

  I had to get X-rays because they wanted to make sure the fin didn’t hit bone and make sure everything is fine, but the doctor stitched me up and gave me pain medication and antibiotics.

  Now Derek is carrying me upstairs to our room. He sets me on the bed, and I lie back, groaning. I am exhausted.

  “I will help you shower when I get back inside.” He kisses me on the forehead and scoops up Princess, taking her outside to the bathroom.

  One day my kids will see the huge-ass scar on my leg, and the sad part is that I won’t have a cool story. I got hit by a giant-ass catfish and I had to get stitches.

  What else can happen?

  Chapter Eight

  Brittany

  Two Weeks Later

  The past two weeks have been pure bliss. We have stayed in bed cuddling, watching movies, and just relaxing with Princess. Derek has waited on me hand and foot. We have not had sex since I got stitches; he didn’t want to take a chance of hurting me, which I think is absolutely bogus. At this point I am about to die from not having sex.

  I have had orgasms, don’t get me wrong, he has taken great care of me. But I want him inside me—the one time we had sex I got addicted. I need it like my next fix.

  So what am I doing to fix this? I am lying in bed completely naked, waiting for him to bring his ass upstairs. He went downstairs to get us snacks, but little did he know that I already have his snack for him.

  I hear him walking up the stairs, and I turn onto my stomach and prop my head up on my arms. He’s looking down when he walks into the room, and he looks up and stops in his tracks when he sees me. “Fuck me,” he groans.

  I grin widely. “That’s kind of what I am hinting at.” I shake my butt and his eyes go there, nose flaring.

  I got him.

  He puts the snacks on the counter, and I laugh as he drags me up the bed. “Someone’s being bad.” He spreads my legs. “Someone is wanting my dick.” He growls when he sees how wet I am, and he runs his finger through my folds. “All of this is mine, every single inch of you is mine.” He runs his hand up to my neck and holds it tightly. “You are mine.” He kisses me.

  I grip the back of his neck. “And you are mine.”

  He grins. “I would fucking destroy anyone who dared to hurt you, if they even looked at you in a way that I didn’t like. They’re dead. No one hurts mine.”

  I shiver all the way down to my toes. I know his words may be extreme to some, but to me, who grew up in the MC word, this is our life. The men are crazy protective and extremely possessive, and we love every second of it.

  I have noticed that many of the women the guys have settled down with have been through some shit. These guys make us feel safe and make us feel that we have a place in life.

  He winks as he gets on his knees, and I smile as I prepare myself for a ride.

  Ding! My eyes snap open when the doorbell rings. I look at Derek, who is already standing with his gun. I hurry off the bed and put on some clothes. I would hate to freaking be attacked naked. That’s my worst fear.

  Derek puts his hand to his mouth, telling me to be quiet. I nod and grab Princess off the floor.

  He walks down the stairs, and I follow a few feet behind. I am jittery with nerves because I don’t know who would know we are here. Derek’s shoulders are set, his hand is wrapped around his gun, and I know he is ready for anything.

  Don’t get me wrong—I am a badass in my own way, but even I have my limits, and I would be lying if I said it didn’t scare me that this cartel guy is after me. Someone who I have never met.

  I stand at the top of the stairs, and Derek peeks out the window and bursts out laughing.

  Okay, that is not what I was expecting.

  He throws open the door, and I see a small older woman and a man who looks a lot like Derek but much older.

  “Mom, Dad, what are you doing here?” he asks and his mom smiles. “I found out you were in town, so I decided to come visit my son, since he decided not to tell.” Her smile grows as she talks.

  Uh oh, Momma is mad.

  He winces and, as he turns to look at me, his mom follows his gaze and her face softens. “Who’s this?” she asks Derek.

  He reaches out and I go to him. “This is Brittany. She’s my ole lady.”

  My eyes widen at the term “old lady.” That is a serious term in the MC world. It’s what marriage is to the normal world.

  It’s huge.

  His mom smiles, and this time it’s completely genuine. “She is beautiful, my boy.” She steps inside and pulls me into a motherly hug.

  She immediately reminds me of my mom, Darla; she has the same kind of hugs. I hug her back and she pulls back. Then I am hugged by his dad, who is an older version of Derek, but Derek has his mom’s beautiful eyes. “Nice to meet you, honey.” I can’t help but smile because their country accent reminds me of Derek’s.

  “It’s nice to meet both of you.” Then I throw Derek under the bus. “I have been trying for days to get Derek to call you guys.”

  Derek loses his smile. He puts his hand on my back, like he is rubbing my back, but it drifts down to my butt, pinching hard. I bite my tongue so I don’t squeal and let on that it bothered me, but he is going to get it later, that’s for sure.

  Derek’s mom glares at him like he is sin itself, and I try not to laugh at his expression. He is trying to act like he is all innocent, but I ruined that for him.

  “Derek Dwayne, do you mean you’ve been here for days and haven’t told your mother? I have been wanting to see you for months.” She wags her finger at him as she scolds him.

  I am loving every minute of it, and his dad is grinning behind his wife. He winks at me, knowing exactly what I am doing.

  “Brittany, this is my mom, Willow, and my dad’s name is Zander,” Derek says, and I wave, like the nerd I am.

  “It’s nice to meet you guys.”

  Willow throws her hands up. “Okay, you’re just adorable!” She opens her bag and takes out a photo album. “Look, I have Derek’s baby pictures.” She takes my hand and leads me over to the couch.

  I seriously love her already. Derek rolls his eyes, and his dad smacks him on the back. “Come on, bud, let’s grab a beer and head outside while the women do what women do.”

  Willow rolls her eyes at them. “Men.”

  I laugh because she hit the nail on the head. We watch them leave, and the second the door shuts, she turns to me, grinning. “Derek’s birthday is next week, and I think we should plan a surprise party, in a day or so, so he’s clueless.”

  Before I can tell her that is a fantastic idea—Derek is the sweetest and he deserves to be spoiled like that—she opens the album and I burst out laughing. It isn’t an album, it’s a planner. “That was smart,” I say.

  “Honey, you have to be smart with the guys in our family, every one of them is too much of an alpha male to be anything other than in control.” I can’t take the smile off my face as she goes over every single detail, asking my opinion. I had a good feeling about Derek’s family, but his mom is just great. It makes me so happy that he had this. I wish I’d had this. Don’t get me wrong, Darla is amazing and the best mom, but I wish I’d had her since the beginning instead of moving in with her after my life had already been changed. Things would have been different. I wouldn’t ha
ve had to go through a healing process that took years to be mentally healthy and break myself out of old habits.

  Derek peeks through the doorway, looking at me. “Is my girl good?” he asks.

  “I’m good, baby,” I reassure him, and he goes back outside, softly shutting the door behind him.

  “I love you guys together.” Willow sighs and goes back to her planning. It goes from twenty people to fifty in just a few minutes. I feel like this is just the beginning, and before the time comes for the party, it’s going to be the biggest event the town has seen.

  And Derek will hate every single minute of it. What fun!

  * * *

  Hours Later

  We are sitting in the dining room eating some burgers Derek grilled up, and I made the salad with Willow. Derek is completely at ease. His smile is brighter, and it’s like the weight of the world isn’t as heavy as it usually is. I know he is worried about my safety. It’s weighing on him, and it makes me happy to see him breathing a bit easier.

  He brings his gun into the shower with him, and he makes me sit on the toilet as he showers if I don’t join him. I hold Princess and enjoy the view.

  During the weeks we have been here, it’s gotten worse. He’s gotten more protective, and he doesn’t want to let his guard down.

  Derek comes in holding the tray of steaks and sets it down on the table. He pulls out a chair beside me and kisses the side of my head before whispering in my ear, “You’re beautiful.”

  You couldn’t stop the smile on my face no matter how much you tried. I reach under the table and slide my hand up his legs until I’m cupping him through his jeans. He freezes and clears his throat. I take a drink of water and rub a little harder.

  Derek coughs and clears his throat, moving his bottom half, trying to dislodge my hand without drawing attention.

  His mom narrows her eyes on him, “What’s the matter, Derek? Your stomach hurting? When’s the last time you went to the bathroom?”

  I take my hand off him and cover my mouth laughing, hard. Tears are rolling down my face because that was even more epic than I thought it would be.

  Derek presses his lips against my ear. “You’re so getting it later.”

  Oh, I am so scared. I am sure I am going to love every single second of what he has planned.

  Willow is looking at me, completely confused as to what I'm laughing about, and I’m sure Derek is probably mortified at this point, which just makes me want to laugh harder.

  Derek's mom's phone starts ringing. After she looks at the screen, she pauses for a few seconds before she puts the phone to her ear.

  “Mom, what's the matter?” Derek asks.

  She doesn't answer; she just holds up her finger for him to hold on. Her face changes from an expression of worry to one full of happiness.

  “We will be there!” She hangs up the phone, and I see the tears in her eyes.

  “Your brother is coming home tomorrow!” she yells, and she hugs Derek’s dad, crying.

  I look at Derek and he laughs. “Fuck yeah.”

  I watch this moment, as they experience such happiness, as a family, that Derek’s brother is coming home.

  “He will be at the airport at twelve tomorrow.” Willow composes herself and wipes the tears from her face. “You guys coming?”

  Derek nods automatically. “I would not miss my brother coming home.”

  I lean over and rest my head on Derek’s shoulder, the food long forgotten, as his parents leave to prepare for their son’s arrival. Derek walks them to the door, and I stand here knowing very well I am in deep shit. There’s no escaping what is about to happen.

  As I wipe down the table, I can hear his footsteps coming in my direction, but I completely ignore him.

  “If you’re going to run, I will give you a ten-second head start,” he informs me and I laugh, not wasting a second as I book it out of the dining room.

  I can hear him laughing at my theatrics. I do have a flair for the drama. I run straight for the laundry room, not bothering to shut the door before I slip inside the dryer. I am not sure how I even fit, but thank goodness I do. I pull the door closed as best as I can. I can see slightly out of the crack. I cover my mouth so I won’t laugh, like an idiot, giving myself away.

  Derek comes into view in the hallway. He stops, his head cocked to the side, listening for me. There’s a bang upstairs and he takes off in that direction. Princess has done me a favor. She has knocked over her water bowl once again.

  I hear him upstairs, and I let out a breath, laughing slightly, not able to hold it together anymore. I can hear him moving around upstairs trying to find me, and it makes it even more hilarious.

  So I decide to mess with him even more. I take out my phone and log into the cameras that he installed. I see he is in our bedroom, looking under the bed. I pull up my texting app and message, “Cold.”

  He takes his phone out and laughs. He walks out of the bedroom into the hallway.

  “Hotter.”

  He walks into a guest bedroom that’s right above my head. “Hotter.” He walks over to the closet and I text, “HOTTTTT.”

  He grins widely, grips the doorknob, and throws the closet door open, peering inside. His face falls as he realizes he’s been conned.

  I cover my mouth because his face is absolutely hilarious.

  He takes out his phone. “Very funny.” I don’t even bother hiding the laugh that escapes.

  I watch as he searches the room before he takes his phone back out. I get the notification that he is logged into the app. But I am not in a room with a camera, and I am inside the freaking dryer. Sitting inside of this bitch hurts though. It’s sticking into my back, but there’s no way I am going to get out.

  Wait, you can play it back to track the movements. Fuck. I wait until he puts the phone down and I get out of the dryer. I run into the kitchen and hide in a pantry. I look at the camera and see him strutting into the laundry room, opening the dryer like he is the slickest motherfucker around. He laughs and takes out his phone. I stick my hand out of the pantry and flip him off.

  I take off like a bat out of hell up to our bedroom. I can hear his footsteps thundering after me, and I strip out of my clothes on our bed. He might be nicer if I am naked.

  He steps inside the room and stops in his tracks, taking me in. I give him my most seductive look. His eyes darken and his nose flares. I flip my hair over my shoulder so it fans down my back.

  “All fucking mine.” He sets his phone on the table by the bed and, little by little, he takes off every inch of clothing he has. My mouth waters at the sight of his beautiful rippling abs and the small fan of hair on the V on his stomach, drifting down... He takes off his pants and underwear, leaving everything he has on display for my eyes to feast on.

  I am so lucky.

  He cocks his head to the side as he looks at me, studying me. I turn around, still lying in the bed, and arch my back. Before, I could not have imagined being completely naked in front of a man like this but now, with the way Derek looks at me and the way he treats me, I feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.

  I feel that down to my very soul.

  I love him. Every day I love something more about him. Every day he steals another part of me, the way he smiles and the way he laughs and it reaches his eyes. He’s an ass to pretty much everyone but me. I kind of like that though.

  The longer he looks at me, the more his face softens. I grab his hand and pull him onto the bed with me.

  “What’s the look on your face?” He touches my cheek, and I smile because, right now, my whole world is tilting on its axis, and the whole cause is right in front of me.

  “You,” I say simply.

  “And?” He urges me to say more.

  He drags his hand further down my legs. I seal my lips together and his eyes narrow on my lips. “I will drag it out of you,” he promises.

  He pulls my legs open, baring me for him, and he growls at the sight of me. “Sometimes
I can’t fathom that God gave me something as beautiful as you, my Brittany.” He moves closer, pressing a kiss right above the place I want him more than anything.

  “The things you say to me, Derek.” My heart is so full it physically hurts.

  He licks the top of my folds before he burrows his tongue in, licking my clit from top to bottom. I close my eyes and lift my legs over his shoulders, pressing myself even closer to his mouth.

  He pulls away from me. “I am in control, baby. When you tell me what you’re hiding, I will let you come.”

  What a challenge that is. I will take it.

  I spread my arms above my head, my eyes closed. “You’re on.” I sigh. I am going to sit back and enjoy every single second of it.

  “I have created a fucking monster.”

  I snort. “All your fault.”

  The smile drops from my face the second his mouth is back on me. God, that mouth of his.

  Thirty Minutes Later

  I fucked up. I didn’t realize the full extent of the torture this could be. The second I am about to come, he rests his head on my thigh, staring at me with a cocky grin. I can’t count how many times I have gotten close and then didn’t reach what I am needing.

  “I can’t take it anymore,” I groan, and my thighs are shaking as I strain to compose myself.

  I am on fire.

  Derek raises his head, looking at me, and I nod because I have taken all I can take, and it’s been my plan from the start to tell him. He moves up my body, his arms on either side of my head. “Tell me, angel.”

  I reach up and grab his face with both hands, making sure I am looking him dead in the eye. I have never told a guy I loved him before; this is huge for me. I love Derek, and I know this is the kind of love that just comes once in a lifetime.

  “Baby?” he asks and I can tell he is getting worried.

  “I love you, Derek.”