by Nana Malone
"He must have been such a sweet kid though."
Elena shrugged. "He had his moments. You should have seen him. There was this little baby in the apartment we stayed in. I still remember the mother. She was this sweet, timid thing, and she had a baby the exact same age as Derrick. Oh, gosh, those two got on like a house on fire. Looked a lot alike too. When we would take the little ones to the park, everyone asked if they were twins. It was the first time I'd really seen Derrick happy. I knew he needed friends, or family, or something. Mr. Arlington didn't approve, of course, but when we returned to the islands, I made sure he had friends, you know?"
"Did that help?"
"Some." She finished her ice cream. I looked down and realized I had finished mine too. Then with quick, efficient movements, I stood and gathered the bowls, rinsing them before putting them on the top rack of the dishwasher.
"You don't have to do that."
"I wanted to do it."
"Nah, let me get you a hot chocolate so you can tell me about all your Derrick problems."
"Look, I'm not having Derrick problems. I just—" I stopped myself. No one was supposed to know I was his bodyguard. To them, I was just a girlfriend having a fight with her boyfriend.
"Uh-huh. I know woman problems when I see them. This is the kind of problem only a man can cause."
"Okay fine. This whole time he's been trying to make this merger happen, and I assumed it was to make his dad proud or something. But lately, he's been different. He's really concerned about the work he's doing and wants it to be right. And he’s just acting so different compared to what I saw before."
Elena nodded slowly. "And let me guess, you confronted him?"
"Well, I figured talking to him about it might be the best way to understand."
"The thing is I raised Derrick. I know he is spoiled, sometimes baffling, and he can be self-serving. He’s always taken the easy way out. That's basically the man in a nutshell. No surprises there. But lately, in the last month or so, he's been different. It's like he's a different person entirely."
"What does that mean?"
"Now he's caring. I see him with you. He wants what's best for you."
"Yeah well, I know from the outside it looks like that, but I can't take anymore lying. I can't be with someone who isn't truthful with me."
"I understand, but maybe there are some things he can't tell you yet."
I considered that. "I don't know. The truth always seems difficult at the moment, but in the end, it's easy. It's the right choice."
"You know, Derrick; he's complicated. But who he is now is the man I have always tried to raise him to be. He is caring and considerate and respects other people and pursues the right things. I have to tell you, I haven't seen this Derrick in years. So, whatever is changing him—and honey, I think it's you—whatever is changing him, I’d like it to keep changing him. Because the Derrick I know wouldn't usually care about other people. He'd have to be told why it was important and be convinced. But now I see him becoming the man I always raised him to be. And it makes me so proud."
She reached over and gave my hand a warm squeeze before turning in the direction of the staff quarters. "Oh, and Elena, can I ask you a question?"
She turned around. "Yes, sweetheart. Of course, whatever you need."
"The name, Theo, he said his mom wanted to name him that. I can't find any instances of the name in the family. Do you know why?"
Her eyes went wide. "He asked you to call him Theo?"
I nodded. "Yeah. But he says it’s only for when we're alone and that it's important to him."
Her face flushed red, and she held her hands to her ears. "Oh my God. I never suspected—" She took a deep breath. "If he wants you to call him Theo, then call him Theo. That name means a lot to him. I can only say it will be the fastest way to get through to him. That man cares about you, even if he doesn't know how to show it."
"Thanks, Elena."
Did he care about me? And did it matter if there were things that he was still hiding? Things I needed to get to the bottom of because I did care about him. I'd already been burned once, and I needed to know whether or not I could trust him.
Twenty-Six
Theo…
I was a goner.
I knew it. She knew it. And I was powerless to do a damn thing about it.
Are you powerless?
I wanted to keep her. I wanted to make her mine.
I watched her as she curled into me. Tiny. Soft. This woman had bent over backward and run into danger to protect other people. No one ever did that for her. And I wanted to be the one to do that.
She doesn't know who you are.
If I just told her the truth, it would all be okay.
Are you insane? You are bound by a contract. You can't tell her the truth.
Which meant I'd have to keep lying to her. But I would tell her as much of the truth as possible. She already knew my name. Maybe I could tell her other bits about me. The parts that were true. Like about the PhilanthroApp and my friendship with Kyle, and how much I love my mother.
Maybe I could show parts of myself to her. And when the truth came out eventually, maybe she wouldn't hate me. I’d have to show her that even though I might have my secrets, it didn't change how I felt about her.
You're going to get hurt.
I almost didn't care at that point. I pushed out of bed. I didn't want to fight with her. She had some good points, points I needed to text to Kyle. I grabbed my phone and headed into the kitchen. Elena was up, and she smiled at me. "Good morning."
I gave her a grin, not caring that I was shirtless in my pajamas. And she was grinning at me like an idiot. "So, I see you and Miss Zia made up."
My lips twitched. "Ah, I’m working on it."
"What are you doing in my kitchen, Derrick?"
I winced at the name.
"What, you don't like your name?"
"No, it's fine." I shifted my gaze so she wouldn't see my annoyance with it.
"Okay, I'll call you Theo."
I frowned and whipped around. "What?"
"Oh, you didn’t think I’d remember. When you were little, we took a trip to New York. We met a little boy named Theo. You liked that name so much better than Derrick, so you insisted I call you Theo for weeks."
I frowned at that. "How old was I?"
"About two. You kept saying, 'Me, Theo, me, Theo'. Of course, that just drove your father insane, and your mother, well, she thought it was fine at first, and then she was exasperated by it."
I didn't know what to say. I didn't know how to act. I didn't know what the response should be. "I, um, call me what you want."
She gave me a warm smile and then patted my hand. "How about when it's just you and me, I'll call you Theo."
Fuuuuck. Did she know? Did she have any idea? Instead of asking any of those questions, I asked, "Do we have eggs?"
Her eyes went wide. "Yes, what would you like? I can make you scrambled eggs, or maybe an omelet."
I shook my head. "No, I'm going to cook for Zia."
Elena blinked at me, and then she stepped forward and looked at me. Really looked at me. She brought a hand to my face. "This is good. This is very, very good." She studied me again. "I'm happy to see you this morning."
I frowned. "Uh, you saw me last night."
She inhaled deeply, making a long soothing sound. "I know. Indulge an old lady. What are you making?"
"I was going to keep it simple. Eggs benedict?"
"Simple? Where did you learn to make hollandaise sauce?"
"Elena, there are YouTube videos for that." I pulled out all the ingredients, and the old woman kept me company as I cooked. I made her breakfast too.
She blinked back tears. "Theo, you've never made me breakfast before."
I winced and frowned. "I should have made you breakfast a long time ago. After all, how many breakfasts have you made me?"
Her smile was warm. "I'm not keeping count. As far as I'm concerned
, we're even."
When she ducked into her room thirty minutes later, I figured it was a step toward repayment. I'd make it a point to buy her some tickets to some shows that were coming to the island soon too, because something told me the real Derrick was never going to make that happen.
I carried a tray into the room. Zia had expanded into a starfish shape. How did someone so small sleep so big?
"Sleeping beauty, wake up."
She frowned then reached for something under her pillow. When she turned around, I was facing a Taser. "Well, you know, I'm not really into the painful kinky foreplay, but if it really rocks your boat, I could try."
She scowled. "What are you doing out of bed?"
"Well, I went to make you breakfast."
She blinked, and then her nose took over. "Is that hollandaise?"
"Yep. I made Eggs Benedict."
She sat up, putting the Taser back under the pillow before scooching her ass up until she hit the headboard. "You made breakfast?"
I nodded. "Yeah, so eat up. We're going to spend the day together."
"Uh, Theo, that's—I don't even know what to say."
I grinned at her then kissed her nose. "First, start with thank you."
She grinned. "Thank you. This looks amazing. How much did Elena help?"
"She didn't. I can cook."
Zia watched me. "Are you telling me the billionaire knows his way around the kitchen?"
"Yeah. I like to cook. It relaxes me."
"Did you even know where all the utensils were?"
I rolled my eyes. "Everyone's a comedian. Eat up. I'm serious. We'll spend the day together."
She took a bite and moaned. Suddenly, I wasn't thinking about getting her fed, but rather keeping her naked and never leaving the bed again.
She swallowed a mouthful and then groaned. "Oh, crap. What's today?"
"It's Saturday."
"I wish I could. But after our scolding, Deedee got her own apartment. She moves in today."
"Oh, really."
"Since Deedee, of course, refused to pay for movers, she still needs my help."
That sister of hers. "Okay, I'll go with you."
She stared at me. "Have you ever moved someone into an apartment before?"
The real answer was yes, of course, many times. But I had the feeling Derrick never did anything like that. "Well, how hard can it be?"
"You don't have to do this."
"I don't have to, but I want to. So, eat. I'm getting a shower."
"You're not going to eat?"
I shook my head. "I ate with Elena. I wanted to bring you breakfast in bed."
She shook her head. "Sometimes I don't even know what to do with you."
"Well, I have a few ideas." I shifted the tray out of the way, making sure to move the orange juice I'd squeezed to the bedside table so it wouldn't rock. And then I pounced, catching my weight on my arms so as not to crush her. She giggled. "Oh my God, you're impossible."
"I know. Listen, I'm sorry I've been such a twat. Let me take care of you. Let me help Deedee move in."
She met my gaze with wide dark eyes. "Okay. Maybe I'll join you in the shower."
"Yes, now you're talking my language."
Twenty-Seven
Zia…
It was official. Derrick Theo Arlington was a Chupacabra.
Oh sure, they may be called mythical creatures, but I was certainly looking at one. This billionaire playboy was loading boxes into the moving truck for my sister. He didn't hire someone to do it.
Oh no, he was moving them himself, carrying them down the stairs and then up a little platform into the truck. He was dusty, he was sweaty, he was dirty. Still, every time he placed a box in the truck and hopped down from the platform, he gave me a winning smile. Like he was posing for the goddamn cover of a magazine. He was stunningly gorgeous. Those are the only words I had to describe him. I couldn't say much about anything else. Honestly, though, he was everything. Where did he come from?
Nope, you promised you wouldn't do this. You promised you would enjoy yourself, have fun and not worry about it.
This is true. I could do my job and protect him. I didn't need to know anything about him. He was right. I just wanted to know everything, which was different. When he could tell me, he would.
Are you sure about that?
All I knew was that he’d woke me up with kisses and food. The man had cooked. I’d snuck a peek at Elena and asked if she'd made the breakfast, but she shook her head and said he'd done everything himself. She also said it was the first time he’d ever cooked for her.
And then in the shower, he'd kissed me until my legs were jelly. When we'd gotten dressed and ready, we left together. It was my off shift, so Trace and Jax were nearby. Which meant they also were moving boxes because they had muscles.
And of course, Deedee and her friends who'd come to help were really just sitting around sipping mimosas and ogling. Not that I blamed them.
"If you keep smiling at me like that, I'm going to have to do something bad." Theo's voice was low and mumbling. I could feel a vibration against my back as he spoke.
"Well, you keep moving these boxes and I won't be able to help myself."
"Is that the key to your heart? Move some boxes around?"
"Well, in theory, I could move back into this place. I mean, I do own it. And then we wouldn't always have to stay at the penthouse."
His smile lingered for a moment. "You don't like the penthouse?"
"No, of course, it's uh, beautiful. Lord knows, I've never seen a view like that before. But we could have real privacy, you know, with no one around. We can’t stay at Royal Elite, obviously, because that's where I work, so everyone's around."
He nodded. "So, what you're saying is you want me all to yourself, with no staff, just like normal people?"
I bit my lip and blinked through my lashes. "Kind of. I thought maybe it would be nice, you know."
He nodded. "I think that would be fantastic. When do you move?"
"Um, I want this place to be sanitized first. By professionals."
"We could clean it. It's not so bad."
"Are you serious?"
He shrugged. "Yeah. I mean, I'd be down for that." I grinned at him like an idiot and he added, "Look, however I get to spend time with you is how I want to spend time with you. It doesn't matter if we're at the penthouse, or at Royale Elite, though that's awkward for you, or if we're at your place here now that your sister is moving out. I could get behind this."
"Why are you being so..."
"Awesome? Handsome? Fantastic? Sex god-like?"
I laughed. "You're insane."
"About you."
The words were true. I could tell in his eyes. There was no deviation from the truth there. He was telling the truth. So how come there were so many times when he wasn't telling the truth? He wrapped his arms around me and held me tight, and I wanted to stay in his arms forever. As soon as the door swung open to my flat, he let me go and stepped aside. So far, I hadn't really told the guys, or anyone else for that matter, that we’d become a thing. Tamsin knew, of course, but she was respecting my right to to keep it under wraps for the time being.
Not that I really wanted to, to be honest. I wanted to tell them what was going on. I wanted everyone to know.
"How about I call someone to see if they can come clean this place tonight?"
I blinked at him. "Oh, you're serious?"
He nodded. "For this kind of thing, I'm more than happy to put in the hard labor. But if you won't move in here until it's spic and span, I'll make that happen in an hour."
I grinned. "I don't have any furniture. I don't have anything."
"You just let me take care of that."
"You think I'm going to let you furnish my apartment?"
"I think that you could let me do something for you."
I shook my head. "I don't want anything. I don't want money."
"I'm not saying you do. I'm saying
that I could be of use. I'm saying that I could perhaps just do something for you. Stop worrying about how it looks or what it means. Just let me do something nice, okay?"
"Why are you being so sweet?"
"That's who I am. And sooner or later you're going to realize that."
"I guess I am."
He kissed my nose and jogged back in the house. I couldn't help but stare at his behind as he moved.
Deedee came jogging over. "Oh my God, you guys are the cutest."
I wrinkled my nose. "I don't know what you mean."
"I mean, I see him looking at you. You guys think you're slick with the secret touches, but I see them. Mostly, I see that you're actually happy. And not that pretend happy you always put on, but the real one. The real smiles, when he looks at you, when he talks to you, and when he gets me out of trouble."
"Could you do me a favor and stay out of trouble for a while?"
"Yeah, I'm working on it. But I like him for you. Also, he's a billionaire, so he can buy like the biggest house on the island."
"I don't need the biggest house on the island. I just need someone to love me. Someone who's going to stick around and be there."
She shook her head. "He's all well and good now, but if he fucks up, he’ll have me to contend with. You don't deserve just the bare minimum. You deserve everything. You're my big sister, and you looked after me. Maybe I haven't always said it or showed my appreciation, but you are the best. Better than I deserve, for sure. So don't accept anything less than actually fantastic."
I pulled back and stared at my sister. When had she grown up? In the last few weeks, when Theo had handed her her ass? I didn't know, but somewhere in the last month or so, she'd become the grown-up I'd been trying to make her all these years. And she was the one who had smart words for me. "I hear you."
I glanced back at the house where Theo, Jax, and Trace were laughing together. My stomach flip-flopped again. I really, really hoped this was going to work out because I didn't think I could survive another broken heart. Not by him.
