Right now, I had something more important to do.
Without another word, I closed the distance between us, grabbed his shirt, and yanked him towards me before crushing my mouth over his, throwing everything I had behind the kiss. Right now, I might not have the words to convey that everything he’d just told me was exactly what I needed to hear, but I could damn well show him. Or at least I could try.
When Derek pulled back, my lips felt bruised, and I was gasping for air, but I couldn’t hold back the smile. This boy, this man set every nerve ending I had on fire. He could be the death of me, but what a way to go. Just when I thought he was about to step away and give me some breathing space, he surprised me yet again. Tugging me close he straightened his back, lifting me off my feet like I weighed nothing at all.
“Derek!” I heard the needy squeak pass through my lips and was suddenly glad there was no one else around to witness my pathetic-ness.
Slipping one hand under my butt, he wrapped my legs around his hips and backed me towards the truck until I was squished between a wall of muscle and metal. One side was scorching my flesh with his body heat, while the night cooled metal sent a shiver through my limbs.
Giving my ass another squeeze, Derek bit down on my ear lobe before soothing the nip with his tongue. His incredibly talented tongue. It was the single most erotic experience of my life. A huge part of me didn’t want him to stop. Not now, maybe not ever. But the other part, the sensible part, the angel on my shoulder reminded me that we were in a public car park.
“Derek,” I tried to get out, but it came out as a needy whimper as he ground himself against me.
“Mmmm,” he murmured against the pulse point in my neck.
If my blood wasn’t boiling before it was now. It felt like molten lava as it flowed through my veins. If this kept up much longer I’d be embarrassing myself fully dressed in the car park and I wouldn’t give a shit who heard me.
“We-we can’t do this?not here,” I managed to splutter. There was no conviction behind them, but thankfully, Derek understood and pulled back. Slightly. But only enough to leave me with another scorching kiss before setting my feet back on the ground.
I’ll admit I was thankful he didn’t let go when my feet first hit the gravel, because there was no way my legs would have been able to hold me up. They were more useless than wet noodles.
For a few moments we stood there, not saying a word, our foreheads pressed together just panting as we tried to regain control of our breathing. I can’t speak for Derek, but I know I for one was struggling. Every frigging breath I took, his scent filled my nostrils and the urge to climb him like a monkey up a tree was overwhelming. He must have sensed my discomfort, or stupidity or maybe I just looked like an idiot, because all of a sudden, he stepped back.
“I should get you home,” he said.
His words may have come out no louder than a whisper, but to me, it couldn’t have been any clearer. I watched with my mouth gaping open as he pulled open the passenger door and silently helped me in.
I shouldn’t have been as worried as I was, I just couldn’t help it. He liked me. That much was obvious. And we had chemistry. Enough of it that it was damn near combustible. But something was off. I hated my head sometimes. Sometimes it just twisted me into knots. Damn anxiety girl. Able to leap to the worst possible conclusion in a single bound. Knotting my fingers together, I tried to force the tension out of my body as I watched the scenery flash by.
Sneaking a glance at Derek, he looked powerful and in control. He must have sensed me watching him because his lips quirked up mischievously before his hand reached out and intertwined our fingers, steadying my nervous digits.
“I can hear the wheels turning from here, Tinkerbell.”
“Tinkerbell?”
“Yep, Tinkerbell! My little pixie!”
He smiled, a full megawatt, panty-melting smile and I knew I was screwed. This boy had me completely twisted inside out.
“We’ll see,” I countered, not wanting to cave too easily. Or at least not wanting to seem like I was.
Before I was ready, he was parked out the front of my parents’ house. Groaning, I didn’t want to get out of the car. Hell, I didn’t want the night to end. I’d had a good time. A great time. But I couldn’t very well invite Derek inside. With my luck, my mother would be sitting on the lounge with her grey hair twisted up in curlers while she read some trashy romance novel that she was way too old to be reading, while Dad watched some terrible English police drama providing his own commentary. Nope, Derek wasn’t getting inside. Not tonight. Probably not ever.
As I unbuckled my seatbelt, the sound of the click echoed through the car. “Well…thanks. I had a good time tonight, Derek.” The worlds dribbled out, sounding pathetic. It didn’t seem like enough. I just had nothing else.
Derek just chuckled. His deep, rumbling laughter was infectious, and before I knew it, I was giggling right alongside him. Then as abruptly as it started, it stopped. Silence filled the cabin again and it was just as weird and awkward as it had been.
“Mia…don’t pretend. With me, you never have to say what you think I want to hear. I want to make that perfectly clear, okay? If you want to say something, say it. If not, don’t. Easy.”
His words wrapped around me like liquid comfort. They were warm and reached into the deepest pits of my soul, touching parts even I didn’t know existed. It was like he knew exactly what I needed to hear, exactly when I needed to hear it. I both hated and loved him in that moment. He frightened the shit out of me.
“Okay,” I murmured weakly.
“Okay then.”
With one huge hand he cupped my cheek and the warmth flooded my body. My eyes flickered shut and an embarrassing little moan escaped my parted lips. I wanted him to kiss me again.
“Mia.” His warm breath was on my neck and it set every hair on my body on end and my skin was covered in goose pimples.
“Mmm,”
“Goodnight,” he murmured against my neck, dropping a soft kiss against the skin just behind my ear before pulling back.
