Derek (Hunter PI & Security #1)

by Sharon Cummin

  “Bridget,” he said.

  “We'll be having a conversation very soon,” I said, as I pointed between his chest and me. “Now is not that time.”

  He shook his head and let out a breath.

  “Please be careful,” he said.

  “I'm always careful,” I whispered, so Gabby couldn't hear me. “I'm not a fragile little girl. You need to stop treating me like one. If you ever tell anyone what happened to me again, it will be the last time we ever speak. I love you and Gabby so much. You're my family, but that wasn't yours to share.”

  “It wasn't like that,” he hissed. “Fucking Derek.”

  “Did nothing wrong,” I said, as I turned and walked out the door.

  I'd heard my phone ding while Doug was talking, but I didn't stop to look at it until I was halfway down the road and able to stop to read it.

  Derek: Whatever! It doesn't matter anyway.

  Me: What?

  I headed toward his house, but when I got there, his truck was gone, and Jean was sitting on the front porch reading a book. She looked up as I approached their driveway, and I knew I had to stop, so I did. When I walked up the porch steps, she smiled up at me.

  “He's not here,” she said.

  I heard my phone ding and pulled it up so I could see it.

  Derek: Nothing.

  I knew I let out a huff, but I didn't care.

  Me: You better talk to me.

  The ding came instantly.

  Derek: Don't bother.

  “Asshole,” I mumbled, and my eyes widened the second I realized I'd said it. “Sorry.”

  Me: I'm telling you right now, Derek.

  “I came by to tell you thank you for the gift,” I said, as I looked up at Jean again.

  I heard the ding, and it took all I had not to look at the damn phone.

  “That's why you came by?” she asked.

  “It is,” I answered.

  “Have a seat,” she said. “I'll go make you a cup of coffee and get you a piece of the pie I made earlier.”

  Before she could get up, I was waving her off.

  “No,” I said. “I can't stay.”

  “You drove over here to say thank you, and you're planning to turn right back around and leave.”

  “Yes,” I said with a smile, trying with all my might not to look at my phone.

  “Bullshit,” she snapped.

  My eyes went wide again.

  “Jean,” I said.

  “Don't you give me your lies,” she said. “That party didn't go the way the two of you wanted, and if I had to bet, I'd say he wasn't cooperating with your messages.”

  She pointed at my phone and narrowed her eyes at me.

  “You drove over here to confront him, but he's not here,” she said. “He took off after staring at the television a very short while ago. You're either going to go look for him or go home and sulk.”

  My shoulders fell and I let out a sigh, but I wasn't going to let her know just how spot on she was.

  “No,” I said. “I'm going to go home and sleep.”

  “You are not,” she said with a laugh. “If I didn't like you, I'd let it go, but I do, so I can't. I've never seen Derek with anyone, not even as a friend, since my daughter died. They'd been in love since they were just kids. I know he feels like he let her down, but he didn't. She was damn proud of him. As much as it hurts to say this, because I feel like I'm going against my little girl, I've never seen Derek the way he is with you. You can't just let that go, Bridget. I know you have a past too. I'm not sure what happened with you and Gabe's dad before you lost him, but I see the way you look at my boy. The two of you are going to mess up something that has the potential to be amazing, so let me save you some time. He's at the bar down the street. That's where you need to go.”

  “You're right,” I said. “I do have a past, and you know what, Derek is the only one that hasn't treated me different because of it. I'm going to give him a piece of mind. It's not what you think. We're just friends, but my friends don't blow me off. That is why I'm going to that bar.”

  I turned and stepped down the steps, and when Jean called out to me, I stopped but didn't turn back toward her.

  “He's going to push you away,” she said. “Please don't let him.”

  I waved my hand above my head so she knew I'd heard her. Then I got in my car and looked at my phone to see what he'd said.

  Derek: And what are you going to do about it? Not a damn thing, that's what. I'm not the least bit afraid of you.

  I took off down the street toward that bar with a fire building fast inside of me. That fucker wasn't going to know what hit him. I was on a mission, and he was soon going to learn that I wasn't afraid of him either. He could take that cocky, demanding, shitty attitude of his and stick it where the sun didn't shine.

  When I parked my car behind his truck, I got out and stormed toward the bar door. There was no way the asshole was running from me. He was going to stand there and take every single thing I had to give him. I was done being told what to do by him, Gabby, and Doug. I had my own mind, and I was going to run my own life from that second forward. If the three of them didn't like it, they could all kiss my ass. Fuck them!

  When I swung that door open, at least five pairs of eyes turned my way. Every eye in that bar was on me, all but his. He sat at the bar with a drink in his hands as he looked straight ahead at the wall filled with bottles in front of him. I could see the tension in his shoulders as his hands tightened around his bottle. Oh, he knew I was there, but he was planning to act as if he didn't. That shit was not happening. He'd poked the bear, and he was going to learn that I wasn't going to just sit back and be ignored until he felt like talking. Nope, he was going to talk to me right there, right then.

  “Derek Hunter,” I growled out, and his eyes slowly moved toward mine. “Don't you dare sit there and act like you don't know I'm here. Who the fuck do you think you are?”

  “Bridget,” I heard from the other end of the bar.

  It was another one of his guys. I was pretty sure his name was Jared and felt bad that I wasn't positive. He'd been working with Derek for a long time, and I should have known for sure, but my mind was stuck on the anger in my belly.

  Before the Jared guy made his way all the way to me, Derek was up and in front of me.

  “Bridget,” he said with warning in his tone.

  Oh no, it was too late for that shit.

  “Don't you Bridget me,” I said, as I pointed my finger deep against his chest. “You want to know what I'm going to do about it. Isn't that what you said?”

  He shook his head which only made it all worse.

  “You're something else,” I snapped out. “You think you can tell me to text when I get home and ask where I'm at, but you don't have to do the same.”

  “Bridget,” he said, trying to cut me off, but it wasn't working.

  “No,” I snapped, as I stood on the tips of my toes so I could get closer to his face. “I'm done with that shit. You will talk to me, and I'm not fucking leaving until you do.”

  “Stop,” he demanded sternly.

  “Kiss my ass,” I said just as sternly. “You're not going to bully me. I have a few things to say, and I'm going to say them.”

  “I said stop,” he snapped.

  I looked up at him with a cocky smile when I spoke again.

  “And what are you going to do about it?”

  The next thing I knew, I let out a huff, as a shoulder hit my stomach and I was lifted into the air. That fucker had thrown me over his shoulder like I was an unruly child. I tried to kick my legs, but he was holding them still. I began smacking at his back and yelling over my shoulder for the big thug to let me down. I heard the loud smack and felt the sting at the same time and cried out as my hand came back over his head, and I rubbed the cheek of my ass.

  He threw the bar door open and walked toward his truck. When he saw my car behind it, he let out a laugh. I shoved my free hand into the back of his p
ants and pinched his perfect ass as hard as I could.

  “Fuck,” he growled, as he slid me down the front of his body and set me on my feet, pinning me between his truck and his hard body.

  I could see his chest move in and out as he took a few deep breaths. When my eyes looked up and connected with his, I felt my own breath catch in my throat. Just like that, every bit of anger I'd been feeling was gone.

  Chapter 39

  Derek

  When I heard that bar door swing open, it only took a second for me to realize just who it was. Everyone but me turned to her. I couldn't believe she was really there. Part of me wanted to laugh that she'd gone through so much just to follow up on her threat. Then I realized she couldn't have been far when the threat was actually made. Then her mouth started, and I was in total shock. The little, quiet woman I knew was gone, and there was a ferocious, bold one replacing her. She didn't shake or flinch at the guys sitting around her and me, and she didn't back down. I was up and in front of her once I hear Jared's voice. No fucking way was he even getting near her, nobody was.

  I tried to talk but couldn't get a word in as she rambled on with her finger pushed into the center of my chest. Three times I'd tried to get her to stop, but it didn't work. Then she challenged me, and it was all over.

  “I said stop,” I snapped.

  “And what are you going to do about it?” she asked with a cocky grin spread across her face.

  I went down, put my shoulder to her belly, and threw her ass over. What was I going to do about it? She would soon see. The woman walked into the bar and started talking shit. Did she really think I was just going to let her go? If she did, then she didn't know me very well. Had it been anyone else, I probably would have, but not her. There was something about her that had me reacting in ways I never had before in my life. I wasn't a demanding guy. I never had been, not until her.

  She moved around in my arms, but I held her legs still. Then she smacked at my back. When I spanked her ass, I felt her whole body jerk. Then her hand was down my pants pinching my ass. I let out a laugh when I saw her tiny car behind mine. The woman really was on a mission.

  I let her down, but there was no way I was giving her space. She was right where I wanted her, and I wasn't letting go. I took a few deep breaths before looking down at the spitfire in front of me. When her eyes came up to meet mine, I honestly saw her anger leave her, and I felt her entire body relax.

  When I noticed the reaction she'd just had, I couldn't stop myself from taking her face in my hands and covering her mouth with mine, as the weight of my body held her hard against my truck. She didn't push away one bit. Instead, her arms wrapped around my waist and her fingers grabbed onto the belt loops on the back of my jeans. I kissed her with as much power and passion as she'd just yelled at me, and when I pulled away, she was breathless. I watched as she took a moment to pull herself together.

  “How did you know where I was?” I asked, as I looked down at her.

  “Jean,” was all she whispered.

  “Damn woman,” I mumbled.

  She was instantly at Jean's defense, and I liked that.

  “Don't be mad at her,” she said. “I was.”

  “You were at my house,” I said, cutting her off. “It's not okay for me to show up at yours, but it's okay for you to show up at mine whenever you feel like it.”

  “Derek,” she said my name with such feeling. “She just wants you to be happy.”

  “I am happy,” I said sternly.

  The woman was getting to me, but I couldn't let her see it.

  “You talk about me keeping things to myself,” she said. “What about you?”

  Her words weren't angry at all. Actually, they were filled with care and worry.

  “What about me?” I snapped.

  She let out a loud huff before trying to step back, but she hadn't done anything but move herself tighter against my truck. When she couldn't get away, she looked down at her foot as she moved it from side to side.

  “I know I'm not your type, but you need to.”

  “Who said you're not my,” I cut her off.

  “Come on,” she said with a roll of her eyes, as she cut me off too. “I'm not stupid. I look nothing like her. She's beautiful. I know I could never compare to her, but that doesn't mean that you can't find someone who does.”

  I felt a pull in my heart so fucking hard when she said those words. How could she say that about herself?

  “You're not my type either,” she said, cutting off my thoughts and filling me with something I couldn't possibly describe.

  “You mean I'm not some guy that's going to tip toe around you,” I snapped, as I looked directly into her eyes. “Is that why? Is that what you want? Do you want someone that's going to be careful with you and treat you like you're some fragile woman? That's not who you are. Did you see yourself in there?”

  I hadn't noticed my voice getting even louder as I went on.

  “Did you?” I growled out. “You're a strong woman, Bridget. You don't need someone who's going to follow behind you or watch you from the corner to make sure you're safe. Don't get me wrong, if you were my woman, I'd protect you with every piece of who I am, but I would do that shit while standing right there next to you, proud of the woman you are. You don't need someone who's going to pull someone to the side to warn them that they shouldn't talk to you or be around you because you might break. You don't fucking need that shit. What you need is a damn man that's going to wrap his arms around you, bend you over, and take you fucking hard, showing you how much he needs you and can't be without you. But that same man needs to also be able to love you soft and slow to show you just how much he needs you to need him too. You're not going to break, Bridget. That's not who you are.”

  Without a single word, her body slammed into mine. She was up on her toes with her arms around my neck and her mouth on mine. When her feet left the ground in a leap, I caught her. Then her legs went around my waist. Her fingers gripped tight to my hair, and there wasn't a single space between us. She held me tightly to her as her tongue dove into my mouth to control mine. I let her have her moment before I slammed her body against the side of my truck and took that control right back. My fingers dug into her ass as I held her to me.

  When she pulled back and gasped for air, I took in a huge breath of my own. Then I reached over, opened my truck door, and sat her on the edge of the seat.

  “Get in,” I said.

  She shook her head no, and it took all I had not to strip her naked and fuck her exactly how she needed right there. Before I had a chance to think, she pushed me away.

  “I'm driving,” she said. “You were drinking.”

  “I never even finished my first beer,” I said, still trying to collect my thoughts. “Don't even like the shit anymore.”

  “My car,” she said, as she pointed to the car blocking in my truck. “Now.”

  She hopped out of the truck and took off for her car. Fuck it, I thought. I'd give her that one. It would take too long to move her car. I needed her, and I wasn't about to wait. I closed my truck door and walked toward her car. My door wasn't even shut, and she was already pulling out. Neither of us said a word. When she pulled off the road down a path, I looked over at her. Then she pulled out into an open field surrounded by trees. It was dark. The only light was coming from the car and the stars. She opened her door and walked toward the front of her car. I got out, shocked by the quiet surrounding us, and walked forward to meet her.

  “What is this?” I asked, as I turned to see a calmness wash over her features.

  “A place I come to sit alone,” she said.

  “When?” I asked, automatically trying to figure out when she had the time to be alone like that.

  “Sometimes during lunch, sometime after work, and sometimes after coffee,” she said.

  I stepped forward against her hard and lifted her chin, keeping a grip on it.

  “You come out here alone after coffee,” I said in
a rough tone. “It's fucking dark and late, Bridget.”

  Then it hit me.

  “You text me when you get home,” I snapped even louder.

  She pulled out of my grip and stepped by me.

  “Sometimes I need to think, and I can't do it there,” she said, as if my reaction hadn't even mattered.

  “Are you fucking telling me that I think you're home but you're really out here?” I could hear the boom in my voice, as I grabbed her arm and turned her back toward me.

  When she looked up at me with a sadness I knew I'd felt a million times, I grabbed her face and kissed her harder than I had yet. When I finally pulled away for air, I took a huge breath in and slowly released it.

  “Don't ever do that shit again,” I said. “Need to know you're safe. If you need time, you fucking tell me. Do you hear me?”

  She nodded her response. Then I pulled her to me and kissed her again. Before long, I felt her undoing my belt and then my jeans. When her hand slid beneath my boxers, I let out a hiss. Then she went down on her knees and reached up for my jeans, pulling them and my boxers down. When my cock sprang free, her eyes went wide. Then her hand came up, and her soft skin grabbed hold of my shaft.

  “Stop!” I snapped, my brain realizing where we were. “You're not doing that with your knees on the grass.”

  She looked up at me with the most sincere look in her eyes.

  “I'm so fucking tired of everyone telling me what I need to be doing,” she said in her own stern voice that honestly made me even harder. Then she tightened her hand, leaned in, and licked the liquid that had already come to the surface. “If I want to kneel in the grass while I suck your cock, I will.”

  Then she spread her lips wide around my tip and slid me slowly into her mouth until I tapped the back of her throat. The moan that came from me filled the air, as my head fell back and my eyes closed. By the time she pulled me from her mouth, swirled her tongue around my shaft and back up to my head, and took me into her mouth again, I felt like I was going to explode. I opened my eyes and looked down to see my cock filling her mouth and grabbed hold of her hair.

  “I'm begging you get off your knees,” I said. “It's been a long damn time since I've had a mouth wrapped around my cock like that. If you don't get up, I'm going to embarrass myself by filling your throat full in a matter of seconds.”