Lindsey gave him a gentle nudge and then stepped away. He watched, breath ragged, as she tugged her shirt over her head. He took in her purple bra, nipples straining against the thin material. Her body was enough to make him crazy. But it was her sexy smile that was his undoing.
“Linds…” He reached for her. “Come here.”
She stepped back into his embrace and lifted her lips to his. Her hands went to his shirt, fingers undoing each button quickly, and before he knew it her palms were sliding over his chest. The fabric fell from his shoulders and he used his hands to pull it off behind him.
Their lips met again and they kissed deeply as she awkwardly fumbled with her jeans. He followed suit, one hand unzipping his pants, the other gripping the back of her head, never letting her lips get away from him.
As soon as both of them were naked and his hands were free, he guided them to the bed and fell back, pulling her on top of him. Her knees naturally fell to each side of his hips, her body straddling his. It was the most natural thing in the world, the way her body fit against his. Derek got a firm grasp of her hips and pulled her down, grinding her against him. She moaned, the sound deep and raw, urging him on. Pressing a kiss to his jaw, neck, chest, Lindsey sat up. He looked up at her, her breasts full and peaked. It was like living a dream.
A dream he had been so certain would never come true. He reached up and palmed her breasts. She lifted her own hands to cover his, her lower body continuing a steady grind against him.
Her head fell back, her mouth dropping open. And God, he wondered if she was going to come from the friction alone. It felt like a forbidden gift, watching her so uninhibited like this. Derek lowered one hand, using his thumb to stroke, helping her along. She bit at her lower lip and dropped her head forward as she continued to ride him.
“Look at me, Lindsey.”
He held his breath for a moment, but as soon as she opened her eyes and looked into his he felt his chest expand. Nothing in his life had felt so good. He began to thrust against her. Even like this—rubbing skin to skin—she was so warm and wet, it was almost as good as being inside her. Almost. He knew she was close when her chest began to heave, shallow breaths puffing through her lips.
And still she looked right at him. Their gazes never wavered. Her dark hair had fallen over her breasts, one nipple peeking through the soft strands. He wished he could take a photo of her in this moment, her body undulating on top of his, her lips parted, and her lashes fluttering as she pleasured herself.
“This time we’re gonna do this right,” he whispered. “And I’m going to watch your beautiful face as you come.” And in that moment she let out a whimper, then another, her body beginning to tremble. He continued to stroke her as she fell forward, her hands bracing her on his chest.
She never looked away.
* * *
Lindsey fell forward trying to catch her breath. Her breasts smashed against Derek’s hard chest and she pushed her face into his neck. She was almost embarrassed at the intensity of the moment they’d just shared. She hadn’t planned for it to happen that way, but she didn’t regret it.
Derek trailed his fingers across her back, one hand resting on her butt. After a moment she sat back up and looked down at him. He grinned.
“What are you smiling about?” She gave his chest a playful slap.
“I’m smiling because that was hot as hell.”
Lindsey leaned forward and stroked a lock hair off his forehead. God, this man was too much. Too handsome, too smart, too … everything. And she didn’t want to let him go. Ever. Something she had to finally admit to herself. She was already in too deep. If things ended right now she’d shatter. It would be worse than the last time. She knew that, but here she was, risking it all.
Reaching down between their bodies, she took hold of his length, positioning him at her entrance before sliding her body down onto him. She stayed spread across his chest, kissing his neck, enjoying the warmth of his breath on her shoulder as he moaned against her.
Derek’s hands palmed and grabbed both sides of her ass, using the leverage to lift her body, slamming it back down onto him. She relaxed, allowing him to set the pace, his fingers nearly bruising her skin with their grip.
It was so good. The friction so intense. Within a moment Lindsey was holding her breath and coming a second time. Derek groaned against her neck and she angled her head to kiss him as they found their release at the exact same moment.
He pressed her hard against him and then brought his hands to her head, kissing her deeply. The desperation of the moment subsided, leaving them exhausted, tongues sliding lazily against each other. After a few minutes she pushed herself off his chest and looked down at him.
He grabbed a handful of her hair and brushed it off her face and behind her ear so they could see each other.
“Would you believe I’m already craving you again?” he asked.
Lindsey gave an exaggerated look down between them and then smiled at him before speaking. “I don’t know. It kind of feels like you’ll need a few moments.”
“That’s it.” He jerked up, rolling them over, and Lindsey squeaked as he pinned her on the bed. In the process he’d left her body, and now he rubbed himself against her inner thigh. “Okay, maybe not quite yet. But it won’t be long.”
Lindsey giggled and then they became quiet once more as they continued to stare at each other. He stroked her skin, his hands softly pushing at the hair around her face as he leaned over her. It was so peaceful. Gentle.
Perfect.
Finally her curiosity got the better of her. “What happened to upset you tonight?”
His movements faltered for a second but he quickly picked up where he left off, his thumb gently stroking her eyebrows. Temples. Cheeks.
“I got to thinking that … I don’t want us to try and make this into something it isn’t. I just want you. I don’t want to overthink it. I already made that mistake once.”
“This scares me,” she whispered.
“I know. Me, too. But you’re here.”
“I’m here.” She nodded.
“And I’m here. Just me. And there is nothing out there waiting to come between us. I’ll make sure of that.”
She bit at her lip, trying desperately not to cry.
“Babe,” Derek said. He always sensed her emotions before they were obvious. “Don’t cry. This is supposed to be good.”
Lindsey couldn’t open her mouth. If she spoke the sobs would escape. She could only nod once more.
“I’m crazy about you, Lindsey. I always have been. I didn’t make it clear then, but I’m telling you now.”
He lifted his head and touched her lips with his, light tentative pecks that led into slow, deep, sensual kisses. She felt warm wetness on her cheek. Her tear rolled down her face and pooled where their lips met. Derek turned his head and sucked at the corner of her mouth, making it disappear at the same time his hand came up and touched her face.
Oh God, Lindsey wanted to drown in this man. Everything about this moment unlocked another little piece of her heart and with every touch of his lips he took one of those pieces from her. She was his.
Twenty
Derek carried a mug of coffee up the steps, not surprised when he found the bed empty. He’d heard Lindsey get up and the bathroom door creak shut when he was downstairs. He set her drink on the bedside table and sat down. When she opened the door and stepped out, he smiled.
“Morning, beautiful,” he said, nodding to the table. “Your coffee.”
“Thank you.” She padded over to the bed and slipped under the covers before leaning against the headboard. “I can’t believe it’s already eight. I haven’t slept this late in months.”
“Well, after the way you attacked me last night, I can imagine you were exhausted.”
Lindsey slid him a look over her mug and he laughed. She took a sip of her coffee and then lowered the mug to her lap. “I do need to get home so I can shower, pack up a bag, a
nd then get back to Anne’s.”
“For tonight?”
She nodded. “We’re all getting ready together. I know guys never do that.”
“Hell no. And we don’t all go to the restroom at the same time, either.”
“That’s a shame. Lots of good gossip happens in the bathroom.”
They drank in the silence for a moment before he had to ask. “Do they know? About us?”
“Do you mean, as in, recently?”
“Yeah.”
She shrugged. “They know enough.”
“‘Enough’ meaning, when you end up in my room tonight they won’t be surprised?”
Lindsey smiled and shook her head. “No, they will definitely not be surprised.”
* * *
Lindsey, Callie, and Anne were all squashed into Anne’s hotel room bathroom sharing the mirror. They’d decided to get ready there. If Lindsey did say so herself, they looked fantastic. Digging through her makeup bag, she pulled out a tube of red lipstick and popped off the lid. As soon as she twisted up the base Callie gasped.
“Are you rocking red lips tonight? That will look so good on you.”
“Yeah? I was strongly considering it,” Lindsey said.
“Definitely,” Anne interjected. “With your skin tone and hair color it will be gorgeous.”
“It’s not fair that you have a tan in March.” Callie shook her head and dug into her own makeup bag.
Lindsey looked into the mirror and applied the cherry-red lipstick, popping her lips together a couple times. She applied a light gloss and then took in the full package. She’d curled her hair in wavy spirals, done a smoky eye, and was wearing a short skirt with heels.
“Okay, ladies, I predict free drinks all night.” Callie held her cell phone at waist level and arranged her body in an instantly flattering pose. “Get in close. It didn’t happen unless we selfie it.”
Lindsey and Anne stepped over and leaned in, smiling and giggling until Callie instructed them to smile with their eyes and look sexy. Lindsey tried but was pretty sure she didn’t pull it off as Callie snapped the photo and then opened it to look at it.
“Boom. Nailed it on the first try. I’m tweeting this, cool?”
They all agreed and then began to collect their things so they could head downstairs where the guys were waiting for them.
“Is everyone here?” Anne asked, pulling her heels on.
“Yep. Eric just texted me from downstairs and said that he, his date, Mike, and Derek are all drinking at the lobby bar. Bennett should be here anytime.”
“Eric’s date?” Lindsey asked. “Who is it?”
“Lord knows,” Callie said with an eye roll. “For his own sake, hopefully a commitmentphobe.”
Eric was Callie’s long-time best friend and employee. He’d also become special to Lindsey and Anne as well in the past couple of years. He was attractive, gay, and had a love life that kept them continually entertained and often shocked.
“I still wish he would have stayed with David,” Anne said. “He was so sweet. I feel bad for him, too. Eric is so indecisive.”
“I know, the guy can’t see a good thing even when it’s slapping him upside the head,” Callie replied. “He’s not gonna be hot forever, then what’s he going to do?”
Lindsey and Anne laughed, but the comment really stuck with Lindsey. Was this a good thing she had right now? She wanted to think it was. Just because something was scary didn’t make it bad. And she certainly didn’t want to be like Eric, letting a good thing slip away. She’d done that once before. Hadn’t even put up a fight for Derek. Now that she knew the truth she figured it wouldn’t have done much good, but she could have let him know how much she’d loved him.
“Well, we look good,” Anne said. “Now, everyone, please be safe. Watch your drinks, don’t get too far away from the guys, and keep your phones on you at all times.”
“Yes, mom,” Callie said.
Anne rolled her eyes and then looked around. “Everyone have a room key?”
Callie and Lindsey held theirs up.
“Feel free to come back to this room until … say … midnight. But after that, if you open that door, I won’t be responsible for what you walk in on,” Anne said with a wink. “But seriously, this room is open if you girls need it. You hear?”
Anne’s gaze lingered on Lindsey and she gave her a small smile. The three of them left, walked down the hall, and then watched the elevator doors close as they headed down to the hotel casino lobby.
* * *
Derek turned to glance at the elevator one more time. An old white-haired couple stepped out. He sighed. Lindsey had left shortly after they’d woken up this morning and he’d been thinking about her all day long. He was pretty sure he’d never felt as close to another person as he had with her last night. Astonishing considering their past. But damn, he was glad. He finally felt like they were on their way to overcoming what they’d been through. What he’d done.
Right now he intended to take things one day at a time. He had said he’d let nothing come between them, and that was his plan. But that didn’t mean he didn’t have baggage, and his son to think about. He just needed to figure out how to make everything work. He knew it was possible. For the time being he saw no reason to talk to Lindsey about what Lisa had threatened until he was sure what was happening. He’d contacted his lawyer, prepped him for all the potential disasters, and was now going for what he wanted.
“Oh man, take a look at this.” Mike leaned over and held his phone in front of Derek on the bar. It was a picture of Anne, Callie, and Lindsey, obviously in the bathroom of their hotel room. They all looked very pretty, but he did a double take on seeing Lindsey. She looked incredible. Her lips looked like ripe-fruit, her hair was sexy and wavy, and she was wearing some sort of tight dress that showed off her amazing cleavage. The day of the photo shoot she’d been wholesome sexy, but tonight … goddamn, tonight she looked like a siren.
“Where did you get this?” Derek asked.
“Twitter.” Mike pulled his phone back in front of him.
“Since when do you have a Twitter account?” Derek asked in shock.
Mike shrugged. “Since I wanted to start following Anne. They have a blog account all the girls post on.”
Derek heard laughter from the lobby and turned. And there she was. The minute their eyes locked she smiled and intense relief and happiness fell over him. This was the feeling he wanted to have forever when he looked at the woman he loved. And damn, he loved her.
Mike got up as soon as Anne stepped near him, and Derek tried not to watch as his friend nuzzled into his fiancée’s temple. “Happy Bachelorette Party, Perfect.”
At the same moment Derek saw a large guy come up behind Callie and grab her around the waist. She laughed and turned in his arms before plastering a kiss on his lips. Derek hadn’t met Bennett yet, Callie’s ex-pro-football-playing boyfriend, but clearly this was him. Mike liked him so Derek figured he would also.
Everyone was now coupled up and that left him and Lindsey. She stood next to the bar holding a little black purse in front of her. Her dress was black, tight, and strapless. He lifted a finger and beckoned her over to him.
She took the few steps up to him and he grabbed her hand before leaning into whisper in her ear. “You look so good I want to eat you.”
She laughed. “I borrowed this dress from Mel.”
He stepped back and looked down her body. “You should keep it. Although I’ll bet I like you better without it.”
He pulled her against him and laid a quick kiss on the top of her head. He waited, expecting her to get upset. Be embarrassed. She did neither, just smiled up at him.
“David!” Callie yelled, startling them. Derek and Lindsey turned to see Callie rushing over to throw her arms around Eric’s date. “We were just talking about you.”
Derek looked at Lindsey questioningly. “Eric and David have been off again on again. We would like it to stay on.”
> “Ah,” Derek said.
They waited a few more minutes and then Emma—another employee of Callie’s bakery—showed up with a friend of hers and they all headed to the steakhouse at the other end of the building. Derek grabbed Lindsey’s hand, threading their fingers. He slowed them down so they could hang in back as they walked the length of the casino.
“Have you been here before?” Lindsey asked
“Once. It was some conference for developers, but it was a year or so ago. It’s different now. New owner. And I’m not much for gambling so I haven’t been back. You?”
She shook her head. “No, never. It’s pretty cool. Is this what the casinos in Vegas look like?”
“You haven’t been there, either?” Derek asked.
“Nope. I’ve lived kind of a sheltered life,” Lindsey said.
“This is pretty much what they look like. More flashy though, and probably more crowded. Oh and definitely more half-naked women.”
Lindsey laughed. “Sounds really boring.”
“Oh yeah, definitely nothing fun to do in Vegas.”
Derek liked that they could joke like this. She was so easy to talk to, that was what he remembered liking about her the first time. She was just … sweet. And funny.
They continued to talk about the casino as they walked and by the time they made it to the restaurant he had his arm around her waist. The group congregated at the hostess stand, and Derek caught Mike watching him and Lindsey. His friend gave Derek the classic sly Mike grin. Lindsey must have caught it too because she looked up at him and whispered.
“How long have you and Mike known each other?”
Derek considered this. “Since second grade, I think. Damn, a long time.”
“Really?” Lindsey looked shocked. “I had no idea.”
“Yeah, we lived down the street from each other. Used to play outside almost every day. We stayed friends all the way through high school. Lost touch a little after that but we caught up again. It’s nice having a friend that’s known you that long.”
“I bet,” Lindsey said. Derek put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in close to him. He placed another kiss on the top of her head and inhaled the sweet fruity scent of her shampoo. It was hard to keep his hands off her. He’d like to kiss her for real but wasn’t sure if she was ready for that kind of public display of affection.
Draw Me Close Page 21
