Chapter 11
Derek
I could feel Mia looking at me. She kept doing it. I kept my eyes closed the best I could, trying to make her feel as relaxed as possible. That girl had secrets. Secrets I wanted to know, but I wasn’t going to ask, at least not today. So instead, I settled back in my seat and let her drive my truck. No one drove my truck. Ever. Zoe had never even backed it out of the driveway. It was mine. No one touched it. Yet I’d handed the keys over without a second thought to Mia. I didn’t even know if she had a license. What the hell had I been thinking?
The radio was on quietly in the background, regurgitating football dribble, but I couldn’t concentrate on a word they were saying. Thank fuck it wasn’t my team playing tonight. The scent of cinnamon and something else sweet filled the cab and my mouth watered. I knew where it was coming from, and it took everything I had to refrain from leaning over and breathing Mia in. Instead, I shifted in my seat, attempting to force my thoughts on something else. Anything else. The last thing I needed right now was to make my attraction obvious. It would scare her off quicker than tossing her in an ice bath. And that was definitely the last thing in the world I wanted to do.
Half an hour passed and a word hadn’t been spoken. The houses that had filled the street had dwindled and been replaced by vastness. On one side, the ocean stretched as far as I could see, while on the opposite, empty fields with yellowing grass and fallen trees dotted the horizon.
“Don’t they have any good beer in town?”
At my words, panic settled over Mia’s perfect features and regret gathered in my belly. I wasn’t trying to be an ass, that just came naturally, apparently. “Oh my God, Derek! I’m so sorry, I…I just started driving and I…I completely forgot…”
Since I was the douche that had put that worry on her face, I was determined to remove it as quickly as it had appeared. Reaching over, I rested my hand on hers where she clasped the gear stick. “Mia, it’s fine. I really don’t mind. It’s a beautiful night for a drive.”
Her wide, scared eyes met mine, and I knew she was searching for a trace of deceit, but she wouldn’t find any. There was none there. I meant it. Mia was stunning. Hell, we could have driven to Adelaide and I wouldn’t have cared. Even in the silence it was fine.
“Derek…”
The way my name fell from her lips made me groan. It was breathy and full of emotion. Wriggling her fingers under mine, I took the hint and pulled back, instantly feeling the emptiness. I wanted to say something reassuring, yet I was tongue-tied. Mia’s face scrunched and she had the cutest little wrinkles between her brows as she slowed the truck and pulled into a gravel parking lot.
“We’re stopping?” I asked dumbly. I mean, obviously we were stopping. The truck was in park.
“Yep.” Mia smiled and the wrinkles and worries vanished as her eyes lit up. I no longer had questions. Instead I slid out of the truck and met her in the front.
Without a word, she took my hand and led me down a narrow path, which in all honesty could use some serious maintenance. It was rocky and uneven, but the bushes that grew along the edges had started to get adventurous and decided to spread across, blocking sections. I stumbled twice, causing Mia to giggle and tug on my hand a little tighter, but not once did she let go. She never even tried to pull away.
Above our heads, the moon illuminated the sky and reflected off the water in a way that was almost magical, if you believed in that sort of thing. There was a slight breeze ruffling Mia’s hair, but she didn’t seem to notice. The scent of salt hung in the air. There was something uniquely calming about being by the sea. It was a beautiful night. A perfect night. Even though I hadn’t known it, and I definitely hadn’t expected it when I’d left to drive her home and head to work, it was the night I needed. A night where I didn’t have to be the responsible one. A night where I could just be. Be me. Be free. Be free of the weight. Not have to worry about everyone and everything else around me. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Zoe and there was nothing in this world I wouldn’t do for that girl, but occasionally when I was being an asshole, I just wished I didn’t have to. I wished Spencer was still here to take care of her. I wished Zoe hadn’t been through the shit she had been, so no one had to take care of her. I wish Kane hadn’t gotten so caught up in the mess. I wish I’d stopped it. I wished I hadn’t failed him. Failed everyone. But wishing didn’t get me anywhere.
“What’s with the frown?” Mia asked, shaking me from my heavy thoughts.
“Sorry?”
I’d been so caught up playing the ‘what if’ game in my head I hadn’t even noticed we’d stopped walking and Mia was looking up at me with wide, worried eyes.
“The frown? Do you not want to be here?”
She ran her tiny hand through her hair nervously and I swallowed deeply. Who the hell in his right mind wouldn’t want to be there with her right now? She was every guy’s wet dream. All lithe curves , but it was her lips that had me mesmerized. I wanted a taste. I don’t know if it was the moonlight, Mia, or the combination. Whatever it was, it was testing my restraint to not bend down and taste her.
Crouching down so I was at her eye level, I assured her, “Mia, I swear to you there is nowhere else I’d rather be.”
Even though I knew I meant it, I hadn’t realized how much until the words came out of my mouth.
“Good! Come! I want to show you something.” Mia practically bounced where she stood as she reached out again for my hand. Without hesitation, I slipped my hand in hers. I’d go anywhere with her…a realization that both elated me and scared the shit out of me. I mean, I’d just met her. Why the hell was I thinking about turning my world on its head for her? And what’s worse, wanting to.
But I didn’t ask. I didn’t say a word. Instead I just fell in step and followed down the dark path. For all I know she could be leading me toward a cliff to push me off. If I was smart I’d have asked questions, at least a question, yet I remained silent and just kept walking. A moment later the path opened up and we were at the edge of the cliff.
Mia dropped my hand and bounced up the few steps onto the wooden viewing platform. I may have watched the way her ass looked as she took the steps, but there was no proof of that. Not unless you counted the stirring of my blood and the uncomfortable tightening of my pants. Following her lead, I stepped up and looked out. The wind was stronger up here, we were unprotected from the trees and other cliffs, but the view was worth it. For as far as you could see it was just a wide, dark blue expanse. Beneath me I could hear the waves crashing violently into the rocks and knew that one wrong move and you wouldn’t survive. Sucking in a deep breath, I could taste the salt in the air, and as I let it go, I attempted to release the heaviness I felt.
“It’s really something up here…” I commented pathetically, inwardly cursing myself as soon as the words were out. ‘Really something?’ Surely I could have thought of something better than that. Anything would be more fitting than those dumb words. The problem was Mia had my mind scrambled.
She was standing on the bench, her arms outstretched, her head tilted backwards towards the moonlight, exposing every inch of her neck. A small moan escaped her lips and my feet seemed to move towards her of their own accord.
It took her a moment, but when her arms dropped and she seemed to come back to earth, she tilted her head and looked right through me. I would have given everything I had to know what was barrelling through her mind in that moment, but I wasn’t going to ask. Part of me was too chicken shit scared to know.
“We used to come here when we were kids.”
“That explains it then.”
