Chapter Nine
While Derek watched for Cassie’s return, he hung with Lucas near the bar. Maxie had excused herself to take a phone call. He wasn’t sure where Kade and Lexie had disappeared to, but Lexie was probably calming her husband down. Kade and the mere mention of Julian was an explosive combination.
Derek appreciated that Cassie had removed Kendall from the situation without knowing all the details. But now that Julian had left the event, everyone could get back to enjoying the evening. And he intended to do just that with Cassie when she returned.
“What happened with Julian?” Derek asked Lucas.
“What always happens with Julian. I read him the riot act, warned him to stay away from Kendall. He swore he didn’t know she’d be here.” Lucas shrugged. “I know we always come to the gala, but she doesn’t. So he could be telling the truth. But he couldn’t take his gaze off Kendall either.”
Derek groaned. “How’s he doing?”
“He’s mellower. Something’s changed with him, though I can’t put my finger on what. And since we’ll never be tight again … I probably never will.”
Derek let out a slow breath. “Got it. And agree. Listen, since I have you alone, I need a favor. Remember you hired a PI to look into Julian? I need the name of the company you used.”
“Why? What’s going on?”
Derek leaned an elbow against the wooden bar top. “I want to do some digging into Cassie’s brother. Her old man handed him the chairmanship, and he treats her like shit. He spent the last year in Europe and has no business experience that I know of. I can’t help but wonder if he’s the weak link to my buying the company.”
Lucas raised an eyebrow. “Interesting. The PI’s name is Evan Mann. I’ll text you the number tomorrow.”
“Thanks.”
“Are you sure you want to dig around behind Cassie’s back?” Lucas asked.
Derek rubbed the back of his neck. “No, but I’m going to. My gut is telling me there’s more to her brother than she knows.”
Lucas leaned on the side of the bar with one elbow. “You know what’s best. Are you still planning a takeover?”
Derek shook his head. “Not in a way that screws Cassie. I haven’t figured out what I want to do, but information is my friend.”
“She’s coming.” Lucas gestured toward the far side of the room, where Kendall and Cassie were walking toward them.
Kendall was attractive, but Derek only had eyes for the woman in red. Her dress had enough slits to tempt a man to sin, and Derek was more than ready to misbehave with Cassie, as soon as possible.
“Hi,” Cassie said, joining him, a smile on her beautiful face.
Kendall waved and headed toward where her sister, Kade, and Kendall’s date stood by a window across the room.
“I’m going to go find Maxie,” Lucas said, excusing himself and walking away.
Derek turned to Cassie. “Hi, yourself. How is Kendall? Is she more settled?”
Cassie nodded. “She is, for now. But something tells me she and Julian Dane have unfinished business.”
Derek frowned at that assessment. “That’s not good. Because from what Lucas says, Julian doesn’t seem finished with her. And I really don’t want to have to bail Kade out of jail. He’s extremely protective of his sister-in-law.”
“Because of her mental illness?”
“She told you, did she?”
Cassie nodded. “I like Kendall.”
“And that’s why Kade is so protective. She’s likeable. She’s family and she’s fragile, although less so by the day. And Kade can relate to someone having … issues.”
“What aren’t you saying?” Cassie asked.
Derek didn’t normally talk about his friends behind their backs, but he trusted Cassie. “Kade deals with OCD and anxiety. He has a special affinity for Kendall.”
“I see. But all is quiet for tonight?” she asked.
He nodded. “Want to check out the silent auction?”
“Sure.” He clasped her hand in his, and they spent the next twenty minutes perusing the choices.
Every item, like seats behind home plate to a Yankee game, had a piece of paper with a starting bid and the increment in which bids could go up. All proceeds went to House of Hope.
Cassie paused at an item with a dog leash and collar on the table. Six months free dog walking, courtesy of Kendall Parker. “Oh!”
“Did you get a dog I don’t know about?” he asked.
She shot him a wry glance and picked up a pen. Nobody else had bid yet. She scribbled her name, email, and a bid, then tried to pull him to the next item.
He held on tight to her hand and glanced down. “One thousand dollars for six months of dog walking, hmm? For a nonexistent dog?”
Her cheeks flushed pink. “You can use it for Oscar, and I’ll have donated to an important cause. Now let’s move on.”
And he’d pay Kendall out of pocket, so she didn’t lose out. Her donation was generous but he was sure she could use the money.
His heart warmed at Cassie’s sweet gesture. Not only was she taking care of Oscar and, by extension, him, she was giving to his charity. Now he intended to bump up her bid and give even more.
He snatched the pen and scribbled his own information.
She glanced over his hand. “Five grand? Are you insane?” she asked, eyes wide.
“Why not? I can afford it and what better use than House of Hope? And don’t you dare think of matching me. It’s the thought that counts in this case, and I appreciate it.” He tugged her close. “I appreciate you.”
He slid a hand behind her, placed his palm on her bare back, and pulled her against him for a kiss meant to express more than he was willing to say.
He traced the seam of her glossed lips with his tongue, slipping inside for a champagne-laced taste. “Mmm.”
“Mmm is right.” She tilted her head back and wiped the gloss off his face with her finger. “Red really isn’t your color,” she said with a grin.
“Maybe not, but it sure is yours.”
“Why, thank you,” she murmured.
Before he could dive back in for another taste, the lights above them flashed, indicating the cocktail portion of the evening was over.
“Ready to head over to the table?”
Cassie slipped her soft palm back into his. “Lead the way.”
A few minutes later, they’d joined the rest of the group at the large table in the ballroom. Beautiful white flowers and gold lamé decorations sat in the center.
The speech part of the night began almost immediately. Derek normally tried not to fall asleep during these events, but tonight he had a captivating date. And he found a way to keep himself occupied.
He slid his hand beneath the long draping of the tablecloth that reached almost to the floor and began to pull Cassie’s dress up, sliding his hand along the silken skin of her leg.
Her shocked gaze shot to his.
He kept his grin to a minimum but continued to play. Starting at her knee, he grazed her inner thigh with his fingertips, skimming his way up her flesh until she was visibly squirming beneath the table.
“Derek, stop,” she whispered.
“Nope.” He continued until his fingertips grazed the crease of her thigh and her sex, causing her to gasp, which she immediately covered with a light, deliberate cough.
“Are you okay?” Kendall asked from a few seats down.
“Fine.” Cassie picked up a glass of water and took a long sip, forcing a smile. “See? All better.”
He swiped his finger over her sex, finding her wearing a tiny thong. She moaned and clenched her jaw, shutting her mouth. He grinned and he slipped a finger beneath the damp fabric, finding her outer lips covered with arousal.
His cock throbbed against the placket of his pants, and he was grateful nobody could see either one of them.
“I’m going to kill you,” she muttered, curling her hands into fists in her lap.
He placed his free hand behind her back and leaned closer. “Shh. Nobody is going to know.” Back and forth he whisked, swiping her clit with each pass of the pad of his fingertip.
She trembled in her seat. He’d never been to a more interesting fundraiser, he thought, breathing in deep, inhaling her fragrant scent.
“And now we come to the honoree portion of the night,” a new, louder voice at the podium said.
At least that meant the talking would be over fairly soon and they could move on to food. Which meant he could take her home and get her into bed.
He picked up the rhythm with his fingers, taking Cassie closer to the brink. She grabbed her napkin and held it over her mouth, faking a cough as her body began to shake and shudder beneath his hand. He let her ride out the orgasm, keeping an eye on his friends, certain everyone was involved in conversation with their own women. Nobody was paying attention to Derek and Cassie.
He brought her down, pulling her tighter against him. Finally, he removed his hand and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Should I apologize?” he whispered in her ear.
“Don’t say another word.” She placed the napkin back in her lap. Her cheeks were pink, her eyes glazed.
“Hey. Derek.” Lucas punched him in the arm, just as everyone in the room began to clap. “That’s you. Get up there.”
Payback was a bitch. He now had to face the crowd, the people looking at him expectantly. All of which was enough to kill his erection.
Still, he took his time acknowledging Lucas’s words. Accepting congratulations around the table. And reveling in Cassie’s kiss before rising to his feet to accept his award for the work he’d done and the money he’d donated to House of Hope.
* * *
Cassie invited Derek to sleep at her new apartment for the first time, and the same limousine that had dropped them off took them there. He called a neighbor to feed and walk Oscar, both tonight and in the morning, and he was all set.
They arrived at her place and left their coats in the front hall. They kicked off their shoes before making their way to the bedroom.
“I’m so proud of you,” she said, unhooking her bracelet and placing it on the nightstand. “Congratulations on being honored tonight. I can’t believe they surprised you like that.”
Cassie tried not to think about what she’d been doing seconds before his name was announced. As his name was announced.
“Thanks,” he said, not meeting her gaze. He’d been humble about it since his acceptance speech, which had brought a lump to her throat.
My parents had no insurance when my father became sick. If my mother hadn’t had to work two jobs to put food on the table and to pay rent, she would have had more time with my father at the end. I want to make sure other families have the time my parents didn’t.
Cassie’s heart had hurt listening to his words. Her family had the money to make sure their employees had insurance. They could have given Marie time off to be with her husband. Instead she’d already been fired, accused of stealing. It still didn’t make any sense to Cassie. She definitely planned on talking to her mother about it next time they were alone together. She wanted her mom’s take on what had happened. And why.
“House of Hope is lucky to have you,” she told him.
“It’s just something I need to do,” he said, placing the plaque he’d been given on her dresser top.
He shrugged out of his jacket and laid it over the vanity chair in the corner.
She strode over to him on bare feet and met his gaze. “Well, this is something I need to do.” She reached up and unhooked his bow tie, tossing it to the floor.
Next she worked the buttons on his dress shirt, unhooking them one at a time, revealing his bare chest, a light sprinkling of hair, and the hard muscles that tapered into his slacks. She slid the shirt off his shoulders, letting her hands trace the strength in his upper arms and chest before dropping the garment to the floor too.
Unable to resist, she leaned in and breathed in the scent of him, his cologne and raw masculinity, tracing the tattoo along his left arm with her mouth.
“So sexy,” she murmured, trailing her lips along the black ink.
His big body trembled. “All this because I won an award of some kind?” His lips twitched in amusement.
“No, all this because you’re you.” She ran her tongue across his chest, around first one nipple then the next, tracing the same path with her fingertips.
She undid his pants, hooking her thumbs into his briefs, and pulled both down. He kicked them off, and then he stood before her nude. Exactly the way she wanted him. Naked and erect, there for her to do whatever she desired.
She lowered herself to her knees, and he groaned at the implication of her pose. She had no intention of disappointing him. He spread his legs, bracing his weight, and she grasped his shaft in her hands.
He slid his hands into her hair, messing up her blow-dry, not that she cared. He gripped the long strands just as she cupped his balls in her hand and drew his cock into her mouth, swirling her tongue around the rigid length.
His grip tightened, pulling at her scalp until her eyes watered. She accepted the pain, a good hurt that reverberated inside her body, all the way down to her sex. Giving to him turned her on.
Who knew? She wasn’t an expert. This wasn’t something she made a habit of doing with guys, mostly because her experience had been with quick sex. Nothing with Derek was typical, and no matter what happened, she had memories to last a lifetime. Right now she wanted to make sure she made an impression on him so he’d never forget what they’d shared.
She held the base of his cock in her hand and began to suck his shaft, pumping her hand up and down at the same time.
“Fuck, princess. You feel good.”
She smiled around his thickness and kept up her movements, aware of how quickly he was closing in on coming by his harsh grip in her hair, the way he began to thrust into her mouth. The head hit the back of her throat, and she managed to swallow around him, causing a harsh groan from him.
“Damn, I’m going to come,” he warned her.
She refused to back off, wanting to take him all the way. Her own arousal was off the charts, her panties wet, her sex full and pulsing with need.
He thrust into her mouth, once, twice, and came with a loud groan, and she swallowed everything he had to give.
She was about to collapse onto the floor when he lifted her up and carried her to the bed, coming down beside her. He propped himself on one side and curled her hair around his hand, and they lay together, their breathing synchronized, the world around them quiet.
She could get used to this, she mused, happy with a man for the first time. That the man was Derek continued to take her by surprise. But the more time they spent together, the more she fell under his spell.
* * *
Derek caught his breath, well satisfied after the surprise blow job she had had given him. She never ceased to amaze him. From how kind she’d been to Kendall, a woman she’d just met, to the generous donation she’d been willing to make to House of Hope, to watching her drop to her knees in front of him…
He’d never been so fucking hard … or humbled in his life. There was something special about this woman, something he’d known from the first, all those years ago.
She had him wrapped around her pretty little finger. Not that he had a clue what to do with her.
“Question,” he said. Because Lucas had reminded him he was getting married next weekend in a small ceremony, and after seeing him with Cassie tonight, he’d offered to have Derek bring her as his date.
“Yes?”
“Maxie and Lucas are getting married next weekend. On Valentine’s Day.”
“Aww, that’s so romantic.”
He smiled at that. “Do you want to come as my date?”
“I’d love to! Thank you.” She leaned over and placed a kiss on his chest, and his body stirred. It didn’t take much when it came to Cassie.
“I had a nice time with everyone tonight,” she said. “Lexie, Maxie, and Kendall were sweet.”
“Glad you liked them. They’re all good people.”
“Not Julian?” she asked.
He paused. “Julian was a good guy. He was one of us. And then he got involved with the wrong people. Drugs… I wouldn’t have thought he was capable of the shit he pulled on Kade, but I guess I didn’t know him as well as I thought.” But Derek had a problem thinking of Julian as all bad.
“I think something had to have happened for him to do what he did to someone he once considered a friend.” Derek shook his head. “But I don’t know.”
“Kendall seemed upset to see him. But she couldn’t stop staring at him either.”
Derek frowned. “That went both ways. But if she knows what’s good for her, she’ll steer clear. Kade will never forgive him, and she needs her twin on her side.”
Cassie sighed. “Family is complicated. Relationships are complicated,” she mused.
“Life is fucking complicated.”
Her laugh warmed him. And his groin started to perk back up again. He pushed himself up and rolled on top of her, his now hard cock gliding over her soft, wet pussy.
He brushed her hair off her face, staring into wide brown eyes at the same time he raised his hips and pushed inside her, gliding home as if he belonged there.
They groaned in unison, their joining electric.
He rolled his hips against hers. He kissed her, sliding his lips back and forth, losing himself inside her. She grabbed his hair in her hands, holding him tight as they rocked together, climaxing simultaneously, his entire being caught up in hers.
They lay in silence, his eyes growing heavy.
Derek woke to the smell of something delicious cooking. With a grin on his face, he headed to the bathroom, used her toothbrush, and washed up before he met her in the kitchen.
“Something smells good.”
She placed a plate on the table, then turned to face him, wearing a long tee shirt, her bare legs peeking out, and a bright smile on her face. “Morning.” She settled into the chair at her small table.
“Morning.”
“Have a seat and dig in.” She gestured to the pancakes and orange juice at his place setting.
He happily complied, inhaling the warm scent. “I can’t remember the last home-cooked breakfast I had.”
“You’ve been deprived. I’ll have to make it up to you.” She winked and began cutting into her breakfast. “I’m starving.”
“Because you worked up an appetite last night.”
Her gaze shot to his, her cheeks flushing, her eyes darkening at the memory. “Yes, I did.”
They paused to eat, him smothering his with maple syrup. The food was as fantastic as the aroma. “You’re a good cook.”
“Thank you.” She placed her fork down and met his gaze. “So I need to talk to you about something.”
“Go ahead.”
She shook her head. “It’s a touchy subject for you.”
He narrowed his gaze. “Okay…”
“I’ve been collecting a lot of good information for the kind of article I want to run. I can delve deep into your college years, the creation of Blink, and how you run the company. I’ve even got your charitable contributions down too. But…” She paused to lift her glass and take a sip of juice. “Something’s missing,” she said, placing the cup on the table.
An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. “And what would that be?”
“Your childhood,” she said bluntly. “I’d like your permission for me to call some of your old teachers, and I’d like to meet with your mother and sister,” she said on a long breath.
She was right. It was touchy. His initial, gut instinct screamed a loud no. Of course, she could call teachers without asking him, so he appreciated the fact that she’d asked him first. But that wasn’t the sensitive part of her request.
His mother.
His sister could handle a conversation with Cassie. Brenda was married and had a two-year-old daughter. She’d always been a straight shooter, and Derek didn’t have an issue there.
“Derek?” Cassie broke into his thoughts. “I’m not going to upset her. I won’t ask about the circumstances of her leaving my parents’ employ. I just want to know about you as a kid.”
He understood why she needed to do it, and he understood that if he said no, he was ruining any further chances between them. She’d forgiven him each time he’d been an outright asshole because she’d mentioned his parents or the status differences between their families had come up. But she’d flat out told him to get over it or walk away.
Which meant it all came down to trust. Did he trust Cassie not to bring up the touchy parts of his mother’s past? Yes. He did. Was he ready for her to talk to his mother, to have those two parts of his life come together?
“Okay,” he said, surprising even himself at how quickly he’d answered those internal questions.
Her eyes opened wide. She obviously hadn’t expected such a fast or simple answer. “Thank you.” She jumped up, coming around to his side of the table to wrap her arms around his neck and give him a hug. “I know how difficult it was for you to agree to. And I appreciate your faith in me. I really do.”
He breathed in her scent, allowing her nearness to calm his rapidly beating heart. Because no matter how much he trusted Cassie, allowing anyone to ask questions and dig into the most personal parts of his life just wasn’t comfortable.
“I’ll need to talk to my mother, give her a heads-up, and set it up,” he said as Cassie untangled herself from him.
“Whenever you’re ready,” she assured him.
He blew out a shaky breath. Though he knew his mother would be happy to meet with Cassie, Derek still needed time to prepare himself. Because allowing the two women he was closest to to meet spoke more about his feelings for Cassie than he was ready or willing to admit.