“Why?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. I moved closer, drawn to him even as my mind screamed at me to run. “Why would you do that?”
His eyes lifted and looked into mine. The intensity of his gaze made my knees weak.
“He deserved it,” Derek said, his voice low and rough. “He hurt Frankie.” He took a step closer, closing the distance between us until I could feel the heat radiating off his body. “He hurt you.”
“But—”
He put his finger over my lips, silencing me. The touch sent a shiver down my spine.
“He hurt you both,” Derek said, his voice dropping even lower. “And he was hurting those girls. Hannah. Her sisters. He was a fucking predator, Kat. And I wasn’t going to let him get away with it any longer.”
I closed my eyes tight, not wanting to face his revelation. Not wanting to accept what I’d already guessed was happening. My eyes opened again, unshed tears making my vision blurry.
“But why?” I asked, my voice breaking. “Frankie thinks you did it because you love us.”
Derek’s hand reached up and tucked a piece of hair that had come loose behind my ear. Then he cupped my jaw, his thumb brushing over my cheekbone.
“Frankie’s a smart kid,” he said softly. “Just like her mom.”
“You barely know us,” I whispered. “We’ve never even spent any time together.”
His thumb traced my bottom lip, and my breath hitched.
“I know everything I need to know,” Derek said.
And then he kissed me.
It wasn’t like the kiss in the restaurant. That had been desperate and frantic and fueled by anger and jealousy.
This was different.
This was a claiming.
His mouth moved over mine with a possessiveness that made my knees buckle. His hand slid from my jaw to the back of my neck, holding me in place as he deepened the kiss. His other hand gripped my hip, pulling me flush against him.
I could feel every hard line of his body pressed against mine. Could feel the evidence of his desire pressing into my stomach. Could feel the way his heart was pounding just as hard as mine.
I should have pulled away. Should have told him to stop. Should have reminded him that we were in Jack’s office, that anyone could walk in, that this was insane.
But I didn’t.
Instead, I kissed him back with everything I had. My hands fisted in his shirt, pulling him closer. My body arched into his, seeking more contact, more heat, more of him.
Derek groaned into my mouth, and the sound sent a bolt of heat straight to my core.
His hands were everywhere, sliding down my back, gripping my ass, pulling me tighter against him. He walked me backward until my back hit the wall, and then his body was pinning me there, his hips grinding against mine in a way that made me gasp.
“Kat,” he breathed against my lips. “Tell me to stop.”
“No,” I whispered.
His eyes darkened. “Tell me you don’t want this.”
“I can’t.”
“Tell me you don’t want me.”
“I can’t,” I said again, my voice breaking. “I can’t, Derek. I—”
