Mine at Midnight

by Jamie Pope

  “Screw shopping.” He grabbed her hand. “I don’t care if we don’t leave this room for the next two weeks.”

  It was tempting. Especially since he was looking at her like she was a juicy steak and he had just come off a fast. “No. We have an appointment.”

  “One kiss.”

  He stepped forward and pressed his mouth to hers before she could respond. It was a hell of a kiss, filled with all the pent-up emotion and passion that had been surging inside them for weeks.

  “One hour,” he whispered into her lips.

  “No more,” she groaned and pulled herself away from him.

  One hour wouldn’t be enough.

  She was starting to think one lifetime wouldn’t even cover it.

  Chapter 13

  “Navy blue?” Derek asked Ava, unsure of the tux she had put him in.

  “Navy blue.” She nodded. If he had to go shopping, Ava was the best person on the planet to go with. She had called in his measurements the day before they arrived, and the swanky men’s boutique they were in had magically produced three tuxedos that fit him perfectly. “Navy blue, with satin lapels and a straight tie. There will be dozens of men in traditional boring black tuxedos, but you will be the young, hip mayor in navy.”

  “And the fit.” He glanced at himself in the mirror, noticing that he could see the outline of his bicep. “You don’t think it should be looser?”

  “Are you insane? This tux is supposed to be fitted. Are you uncomfortable? Like you’re going to burst out of it if you move the wrong way?”

  “No. It’s just... I can feel it.”

  “That’s because the only thing you are used to is wearing jeans and T-shirts.” She smoothed her hands across his shoulders and down his arms. “You have an amazing body that needs to be shown off. You’re built like an athlete. Cartwell’s knows how to properly attire men like you. Carlos gets his suits from here.”

  “He told you about this place?”

  “Really, Derek? Your words are like a knife in my chest.”

  He grinned at her dramatic statement. She seemed happier than he had seen her in days just from being in this store. He had even caught her helping another man pick out dress shirts. It was clear she was in her element and that she took great pride in making people look their best. She didn’t think it was important and maybe being in fashion didn’t compare with what Elias did as a surgeon. But her passion was important, too, because she knew how to make people feel good about themselves. “If it doesn’t have an elastic waist, my big brother doesn’t wear it. I was the one who told him about this place.”

  “And half of his baseball team,” a man said, appearing from the back of the store. “If there’s one thing professional athletes know how to do, it’s spend money. And Ava got the Hammerheads to spend a beachfront house’s worth commission in here in the last few years. How are you, princess?” The man approached and kissed both of Ava’s cheeks. “You look stunning.”

  “Thank you,” Ava smiled prettily at him. “Derek.” She turned back to him. “I want you to meet my old friend Teddy. Teddy is the fashion director for this chain of boutiques. Teddy this is my...” There was just a slight pause, just long enough for all of them to know that she was caught up on what to call him. “This is my friend Derek.”

  It bothered him a bit to hear her call him her friend. They were more than just friends. Way more. But in reality it was the truth. They weren’t dating or committed. They just spent a lot of time together, and he felt closer to her than he did anyone else.

  “Hello, Derek,” Teddy said to him. “I see Ava has chosen well for you. Perfect, color, cut and fit. Understated and yet fashion forward.”

  “Ava knows me better than I know myself sometimes.”

  “I could say the same thing about you.” There was a little smile hovering on her lips, and he had the urge to kiss the smile from her mouth. This day was going to be miserably long, because it was going to be hours until they were alone. Just him and her and nothing to interrupt them. He was going to make love to her tonight. He had never waited this long for a woman. No woman had been worth waiting for before. He was counting down the minutes until he could get what he wanted.

  “I was going to tell you that I was sorry about your engagement, but I see you have moved on to bigger and better things. Got yourself a politician and a clean one, too. That’s like catching a unicorn.”

  “See, Derek.” She flashed him a quick smile. “You’re rare and majestic.”

  “Who are you working for now?” Teddy asked her. “I haven’t heard you were back on the Miami scene. Are you moving up to bigger stores in New York? I always thought you should buy for Bloomies.”

  “I’m not back to buying yet. I have just been trying to figure out what I should be doing with my life. I’ve had offers in New York and even one in Tokyo before. I’m just not sure what’s best for me.”

  “Buy for us!” Teddy took her hands. “We have to wait till Bernardo officially retires in a few months, but if you want the job, it’s yours. You can set your hours. The pay is fantastic, and you’ll get to travel the world to scope out the trends.”

  “I have never bought men’s clothing before. Are you sure everyone would be on board with this?”

  “Yes,” he said with an emphatic shake of his head. “You have a great reputation with designers. The sales reps fall at your feet. And before you decided to quit to marry that billionaire, you were getting a job offer a week. You’re perfect for this job. We’re expanding all over the East Coast. We need someone like you to get us to the next level.”

  “That sounds amazing,” she said a little breathlessly.

  Derek watched Ava closely, trying to gauge how she really felt about the job offer. It was a big deal. It could propel her career. She had been wondering what she was going to do with her life, and this opportunity seemed to have fallen in her lap. He should be happy for her, but his first reaction was that he didn’t want her to go.

  He had no right to feel that way. He shouldn’t be looking at this weekend as the start of something new. She was just out of a relationship, and he didn’t want to be in one...or at least he hadn’t wanted to be in one until she walked into his life.

  * * *

  Later that night Ava checked her appearance in the mirror for the fiftieth time. She had gone to countless events with Max where her only job was to look good, but tonight she was more worried than she had been on the arm of a billionaire. Derek was being honored simply because he was a good man. It wasn’t just his small island who knew how special he was. The news had spread. There was an article about him in Miami’s biggest paper, featuring a large picture of him wearing his uniform of a T-shirt and jeans, swinging a hammer as he helped rebuild a family’s house that had burned down. The reporter wrote about his furniture business and his close relationship with his uncle and how he strived to do the right thing every time, even when it was hard. Ava had always known that he was a good man, and now the people outside of the little island paradise were going to know it, too. There was speculation of a Senate run. She never heard from Derek that he had political aspirations outside Hideaway Island, but if he did, he could do a lot of good for a lot of people.

  Tonight he was stepping out into the world, and she was going to be with him, on his arm. People were going to judge him by her and the way she carried herself.

  He should have some sweet schoolteacher on his arm. Or a powerful woman who could talk business and politics and be on top of every important matter. She was an unemployed ex-fiancée of a rich man.

  There was a knock on her door, and she opened it to find Derek dressed in his tux and looking devastatingly handsome. Sometimes her heart hurt just looking at him.

  “Whoa.” Derek took a step back. “I—I...you’re just incredible.”

  “I
s it okay, really?” She self-consciously smoothed her hand down her side.

  “Wow.”

  She had chosen a pale pink beaded hourglass gown. It was a vintage piece made in the 1950s. It was a garment she had been salivating over for the past few years but knew that she couldn’t wear it to an event with Maxime. The dress would make her stand out. Max just wanted her to be the pretty, well-spoken ornament on his arm. But with Derek she felt safe enough to wear it. He didn’t care about what she put on her body because she was more than just a pretty face to him.

  “I don’t have enough words, Ava. I don’t think there is one perfect enough to describe how amazing you look tonight.”

  He was handsome, too, almost devastatingly so. Yet she still preferred him in jeans and a T-shirt with paint on his clothes and the faint scent of wood on his skin.

  She leaned forward, placing her hands on his chest, and kissed him softly. “I’m nervous,” she admitted.

  “Why should you be nervous? Those people are going to take one look at me and wonder how the hell I ended up with someone like you.”

  “I’m afraid of the same thing.”

  He looked at her for a long moment. His face unreadable, he just reached out and took her hand, locking his fingers with hers. “I didn’t go my prom.”

  “No?”

  “My mother...” He shook his head. “Long story. I’ve never done this. Gotten dressed up and showed up at a girl’s door to take her somewhere fancy. You’ve done this a million times.”

  “I went to four proms. I was even queen at my own.”

  “Show-off.”

  She nodded and grinned at him. “I was kind of a big deal in school.”

  “All this time I was thinking you were a princess when you really were a queen. I got you something.” He pulled her out of her room and into the living room. The sun was just setting, and all she could see out of their wall of windows was orange sky and calm ocean.

  “Thank you,” she said to him.

  “I didn’t give you anything yet. You might not even like it.”

  “Thank you for bringing me here. Thank you for this day.”

  “I didn’t do anything. I just rented a hotel room.” He picked up a small white box off the end table. “I didn’t want to get you jewelry because I know you got enough of it these past couple of months to open a jewelry store. I thought about getting you a puppy or a kitten, but it might be a pain getting it on the ferry—plus we have a shelter full of adoptable cats and dogs back on the island.”

  “You’re such a mayor.” She laughed.

  “Just open the box.” He handed it to her.

  It was a corsage. It was a simple ivory rose attached to a pearl bracelet. It was understated and beautiful. “Oh...” For the second time that day she felt like crying.

  “You don’t have to wear it. I just wanted you to be the woman I gave my first corsage to.”

  She shut her eyes for a moment and held out her wrist. “Put it on me.”

  “Are you sure? I never meant for you to wear it. I just wanted to give it to you.”

  “Put it on me, dummy.”

  Derek slid it on to her wrist and then kissed her hand. He was grinning at her, and she knew that this moment was one of the sweetest in her life.

  “Thank you for today, Ava. I appreciate you.”

  “You’re welcome.” She turned so that her back was facing him. “Now unzip my dress and take me to your bedroom.”

  He let out a loud bark of laughter and pulled her into a tight hug. “You’ve got me in a tux. I’m showing it off.” He dropped his voice to a whisper and spoke into her ear. “I can’t wait to get you back here tonight. I’ve wanted you since the moment I laid eyes on you.”

  “The moment you laid eyes on me? That can’t be right. I was engaged to Max then.”

  “I know.” He kissed below her ear. “Come on—let’s go.”

  Chapter 14

  It was a short walk to the hotel next door, and as Derek and Ava made their way to the ballroom where the event was being held he couldn’t help but feel that this was all surreal. He didn’t think he would ever be here.

  He didn’t go to galas. He didn’t rub elbows with the rich. It never appealed to him because that seemed to be the only thing that his mother ever wanted out of life. “This place is really incredible,” Ava said to him in awe.

  It was beautiful, lavish by anyone’s standards. There was a red carpet leading the way to the doors, and on each side of it were live tall trees filled with blooming white flowers. She must have traveled the world with her ex, seen equally stunning places, but she always managed to find the beauty in all things, even the small things. He loved that about her.

  “It is.” It was like the organizers of the event had brought nature inside. There were thousands of flowers inside the ballroom. Blooms in every color imaginable and they had lined every inch of the room almost making it feel as if they were in a rain forest. It represented Miami with its tropical, colorful elegance.

  They checked in and were seated at a table toward the front. He felt completely out of his element. The governor of Florida was seated at the next table. There was a congressman four chairs away from him, and some of Miami’s most powerful businesspeople were there. On paper he supposed he belonged. He owned a very successful business and could command thousands of dollars for a single custom-made piece. But he wasn’t in his business for the love of money. He was in it because he loved what he did. He loved to work with his hands. He loved when he turned nothing into something.

  Ava slipped her hand into his and leaned against him. “You belong here.”

  “What?” Derek frowned at her.

  “You belong here just as much as anyone else does. I wanted to remind you.”

  Was she in his head? Was she reading his thoughts? Or did she just know him that well.

  “I was smart and brought the right date. You’ll smack my hand if I pick up the wrong fork, won’t you?”

  “You want to know a secret?” She shut her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder. “I had no idea what I was doing at all those events with Max. But I was really good at pretending that I wasn’t a total poseur.”

  “Damn it, Ava. If you didn’t belong, then no one does.”

  “I grew up in a tiny three-bedroom house. My father worked in a factory. My mother worked two jobs. We lived paycheck to paycheck. I don’t know anything about etiquette. The fanciest dinners we had were at chain restaurants. I looked good on Max’s arm. Exotic. You think I don’t know that? You think I don’t know what people at these events thought of me?”

  “What did they think of you? Anyone who speaks to you for more than five seconds can see how incredible you are.”

  “It took you a lot longer than five seconds.” She grinned up at him.

  “It took me a little while to get over your horrific taste in men.”

  “Me, too.” She sighed. “I found myself thinking about my father a tremendous amount these past few months. Sometimes I think my wedding falling apart was his doing.”

  “Really?”

  “He would have hated Max, too.” She laughed. “And he wouldn’t have been able to hide it.”

  “I would have loved your father.”

  “He would have loved you, too,” she said quietly, with an undeniable tinge of sadness to her voice. “We’re here tonight to celebrate you and so that you can make connections or do whatever you politicians do.”

  He pressed his forehead against hers. “I’m here because you yelled at me. I don’t need to make any more connections. All my connections are on Hideaway Island. I just wanted to have a nice evening with the beautiful woman that drives me insane.”

  “Son?” Derek felt a tap on his other shoulder. It had been a few years, but
the sound of his father’s voice was unmistakable. He had tried not to think about his father this trip. He had been hoping that he had nothing to do with this honor, that Derek’s work in his community spoke for itself, but he was afraid he had been wrong. That this was just some ploy by his father.

  He sat up and turned to look at Victor, who seemed not to have aged at all. He was a handsome man, his hair just going gray at his temples. He wore an elegant black tux, and the way he held himself told the story of how undeniably powerful he was.

  It was odd looking at him, because Derek could see so many of his own physical features. Even if his father wanted to hide that he was his son, he couldn’t. The world would know from just seeing them together.

  “Hello, Mr.—”

  “Don’t. I’m your father and I love you. You don’t go by my last name, but I refuse to be called Mr. Bernal by you.”

  His strong words surprised Derek. He expected some strained small talk, but his father wasn’t messing around.

  “Did you have something to do with getting me this award?”

  “No. A committee decides. I found out when everyone else did. Very frankly I didn’t think you would show up, but I’m glad you did. I’ve been wanting to speak to you face-to-face for years. Do you think we could talk somewhere in private for a few minutes?”

  He looked back at Ava, feeling her gaze on him. “This is Ava, Dad. Ava this is my father, Victor Bernal.”

  “Ava Bradley?” His eyes narrowed a bit. “You were engaged to Max Vermeulen. We’ve met before.”

  “It’s nice to see you again.”

  “You’re with my son now?” There was a little bit of judgment in his father’s voice that Derek wasn’t sure he liked. He looked to Ava to see her reaction to the question, but she kept her face neutral and slipped her fingers between his.

  “Yes.” She nodded. “He’s my neighbor on Hideaway Island and a friend of my family. He helped me get through a hard time.”

  “What the hell happened with you and Max? He’s crazy about you.”