by Marian Tee
“Even if it is like that, Derek, what made you think I didn’t want it?”
His head shot up, and that was when he saw the smile wobbling on her delicate lips. It told him what he had never really allowed himself to think in certain terms.
Jaike was the one he had been waiting for all his life.
“I’ve always known I was different.” Derek’s gaze captured Jaike’s as he started to tell her about his childhood. “By the time I was sixteen, I became restless and I fucked any and every girl who came my way.”
The words had Jaike flinching, pain flashing in her dark eyes.
It had him groaning and ignoring her struggles, he pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms tightly around her. “I’m sorry, baby, but I want – need – you to hear the truth. We both need this.”
She confessed shakily, “It hurts. Just thinking about you with another girl…”
“It’s all in the past,” he said fiercely. “And it will stay in the past, got that?” But doubts still clouded her gaze, making him sigh. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I did it because I was looking for that special someone who would understand me. I’ve always thought that somewhere in this world, there’d be a girl who wouldn’t mind I was possessive to a fault. That I would want to own her and be mine completely. Every time I met someone that I thought would be compatible with me, I’d show a little of that side of myself, and you know what happens?”
She shook her head.
His lips twisted. “They get scared. They’d try to hide it of course. I’m the heir to two billion-dollar fortunes, after all. But I could smell, I could feel their fear, and of course I knew they weren’t the one.” He cupped her face. “Until you.”
Her eyes widened.
“So be honest with me, baby. Are you afraid of me?” He found himself holding his breath.
She shook her head. “I’m only afraid of myself – of how much you mean to me. How much you’ve always meant to me from the very start.”
The words had him kissing her tenderly, a brush of lips that somehow felt more intimate than any caress. Derek was always sweet and affectionate, charmingly so, but this was the first time she had experienced his tenderness. If it was up to her, she’d make sure that this tender side of his would only be hers to see, forever.
“Jaike?”
“Y-yes?”
“In case you still doubt it, let me say it very clearly now.” He traced her lips. “I love you. I have loved you from the first day I saw you, and I will love you forever.”
Pleasure like no other exploded inside her at hearing the words. But at the same time, despair hit because she knew, even without trying, that she couldn’t make herself say the words. Not so soon, not after what happened between her and Angelo. Not when she was still trying to come to terms with how similar she was to Diana.
She didn’t want to be her mother’s daughter, but everything seemed to be pointing in that direction.
She looked at Derek miserably. “I want to say the words—”
He placed a finger on her lips. “You don’t have to force it.”
Her eyes widened.
“How many times do I have to tell you? You were always been meant to be mine, and I was always been meant to be yours. You already love me. You were born loving me, Jaike Hepburn. Now, you just have to wait until it’s the right time for your heart to realize what your body already knows.”
She wanted to hope. Oh God, how she wished she could believe what he was saying was true. “Do you really believe it?” she whispered.
“Do you trust me?”
This she could answer readily. “Yes.”
“Then trust me when I tell you my words are true. You already love me.” His lips curved in a breathtaking smile. “If you want, we can start with your body. Every time you cry out my name, it’s your body saying you love me.”
In another second, he had flipped her on her back and he was pulling her hips up.
Oh my God, what had just happened?
When she felt Derek pushing her legs wide open, she said again, “Derek?” Her voice was tinged with alarm. When he didn’t answer, she peeked at him over her shoulder and gasped when she saw him unzipping himself.
“Derek!” But her voice soon turned into a moan as she felt him wetting the slits of her pussy with the head of his cock. Soon she was soaking wet, and she moaned long and loud when she felt him pushing his cock inside her.
She shivered when he breathed into her ear, whispering, “Make as much noise as you want. It’s one way of saying you love me. And you want to say it, don’t you?”
She closed her eyes, unable to help pushing her hips back against him so she could have more of his cock. And as he started to thrust in and out of her, she slowly found the courage to admit the truth. “Yes.” She wanted to say the words. She hoped that one day she could say the words without thinking that she was being her mother’s daughter.
When Jaike woke again, she wasn’t surprised to find her body heavy and pleasantly sore. Derek hadn’t been content to make love to her just once this morning. Before leaving, he had managed to make love to her in the shower and just when he had been about to go out, he had turned away from the door, carried her to the sofa, and made love to her all over again, with both of them still fully clothed.
The memories made her smile and blush. She had never allowed herself to dream of what life would be like if she was Derek Christopoulos’ girlfriend, but so far, it was really, really good.
Since it was a Saturday, she had nowhere to go and preferred to wait for Derek to come back. She decided to spend the time cleaning her room, and as she started dusting her books one by one, a letter slowly fell out.
With a frown, Jaike bent down and reached for it. Opening the envelope, she pulled out the piece of paper in it. The handwriting was instantly recognizable.
Angelo had written her a letter?
Chapter Eight
Jaike stood in front of the full-length mirror at the girls’ locker room and nervously studied her appearance. She had done her best to look good – or at least normal. In other words, not nerdy. But she didn’t think she had succeeded. With her hair tied up, her shirt nothing but a plain white tee, and her denim shorts and sneakers just as plain, she looked more like a high school girl on her first trip to college.
With a sigh, she turned away and headed for the door. Stupid Derek. Showoff Derek. Insensitive Derek. Didn’t he know it was too soon for them to be seen together?
Or was it?
Again, Angelo’s letter entered her mind, causing her to stumble on her own feet. She placed a hand on the lockers, the only way to keep her upright as words from Angelo’s letter swarmed in her mind. Angelo was Anthony Carras’ nephew. Anthony was his favorite uncle. Anthony – her Uncle Tony, the man who had ultimately caused her mother’s death. Her fists clenched in disbelief and frustration. How could a man like Anthony Carras be related to Angelo Valencia?
When I learned about my uncle’s connection to your mother’s death, I was deeply ashamed. We had always known he was not…right in his mind, but we never thought he would end up hurting another person the way he had caused harm to your mother. With all my heart, I beg your forgiveness. My whole family begs your forgiveness.
At first, all I wanted was to ensure your well being. We set up your scholarship and made sure you were taken care of for the rest of your life. But then I met you. And just like that, all my plans were ruined. I knew I could never leave your life just like that. Even if I knew I could only have you on borrowed time, I didn’t care – I wanted to have a chance to be with you…
Forcing you to leave me, forcing myself to hurt you was the hardest thing I had ever done in my life. But I had to do it, cara. It was the only way for you to leave your comfort zone and free yourself to discover your true strength. With me, you would always be scared of the shadows, and I owe it to you to let you go.
If you can ever forgive me…
I will be
waiting.
And this time, you will know the real me.
Yours,
A Dom who once had you in his life.
Jaike wiped her eyes, unsurprised to find herself crying at the mere memory of Angelo’s letter. She couldn’t believe he had carried the burden of such a secret the whole time they had been together. He really was an angel, to feel like he had to pay for the sins of his blood. How could he ever think that she’d hate him for being related to Anthony Carras?
No matter how much she had suffered because of his uncle, in the end she knew that he was not Anthony and would never be like him.
Thinking about Angelo made her heart constrict, and if she was honest with herself, Jaike knew a part of her was tempted to run back to him. Because Angelo was right – she had always considered him the safe choice. With him, she was never afraid of losing herself completely. But with Derek?
Derek Christopoulos, the man who had captured her heart from the very first time they met.
Derek, the man who made her want to submit to him in every way.
Derek, the man who had told her he loved her, had been in love with her all along—
Heat engulfed her body, and something fierce and warm filled her chest, caused by an emotion she dared not name.
Someone knocked on the door, jerking Jaike out of her thoughts.
“Ms. Hepburn?”
Startled to hear herself addressed like that, she answered in a tentative voice. “Yes?”
“Mr. Christopoulos would like to know if you are all right.”
“Umm…yes. I am.” Why wouldn’t she be? She was only in the locker room.
A pause.
“The thing is, Mr. Christopoulos wants to see you right away.” The man outside the locker room cleared his throat. “He says I am to tell you that ‘he wants to see the love of his life right now’. And if that does not get you out of the locker room, I am to say that he will do what you two did—”
“I’m coming out!” She practically burst out of the locker room, face flaming. She was so right about him. Stupid, insensitive, showoff Derek.
Michael – one of the many bodyguards who constantly followed Derek around – appeared relieved upon seeing her and swiftly escorted Jaike to the gym. She tried to get him to walk with her but the older man insisted on walking behind her, telling Jaike it was the only way for him to do his job properly.
“But there’s no risk to me here,” she protested.
Michael only looked at her like she was crazy. “Mr. Christopoulos had your name included in every establishment that has his family on the VIP list. I would say you’ve been a potential target for kidnapping for almost a week now, ma’am.”
Her mind whirled with Michael’s revelation. Derek was like a whirlwind, with the way he kept turning her life upside down. She had every intention of calling him out on it, but when she got to the gym and saw the smile that curved on Derek’s lips upon seeing her, Jaike completely forgot about her anger.
He was half-lying on the basketball court’s floor, leaning against his elbows, a small distance apart from the other players who were taking a break while the rest continued to shoot hoops. It was her first time to see Derek wearing a basketball jersey, and darn it, but he looked extremely sexy, with the way his muscular body glistened with sweat.
He crooked a finger at her.
Jaike knew she should refuse, but she couldn’t. Instead, her feet moved on their own, and when she was close enough, Derek suddenly yanked her down, causing her to fall onto his lap.
“Derek!”
Laughing, he answered by fisting her hair and smothering the rest of her words with a kiss. She could feel herself turning red in embarrassment, knowing that everyone would see them kissing. But even so, Jaike couldn’t help responding to Derek’s possessive kiss, her fingers curling against his chest as her lips moved under his own, her tongue shyly mating with his.
When Derek finally broke the kiss, they were both breathing hard and there was a fierce glint of desire in his stormy gaze. “I missed you, Jaike Hepburn.”
She tried to return the words but couldn’t. So she leaned down and placed a quick kiss on his cheek instead.
When she pulled away, she was surprised to see Derek’s cheeks flushed.
Around them, the entire squad burst into laughter.
“Oh my God,” a falsetto voice Jaike recognized as Reid Chalkias’, the school’s most popular player on its varsity team, gasped behind them. “Is that Derek Christopoulos blushing after his girlfriend just kissed him?”
Jaike and Derek turned a deeper shade of red at the same time.
Derek reached for a lock of her hair, twirling it around his finger. “I can’t help it,” he said gruffly. “I’ve been after this girl for years, and this is the first time she’s kissed me on her own.”
Oooooooh. The whole team hooted and elbowed each other at Derek’s words.
Jaike was mortified. “You didn’t have to let them know that!”
Derek only shrugged. “Why not?” He flashed her a wicked grin. “I love you and I’m proud that you’re mine now.” Leaning forward, he bumped his nose lightly against hers, a cute and tender gesture that she would never have expected from someone as sophisticated as Derek. “Soon,” he whispered, “you’ll be the same. You’ll be as proud as I am about being my girlfriend.”
She turned warm all over at his words. When they were together like this, life didn’t seem as scary and her fears about them becoming like Diana and Anthony were easy to ignore. She whispered back shyly, “I already am. I’m proud to be your girlfriend, Derek.”
Behind them, Reid was laughing again. “What the fuck? Christopoulos is blushing again.”
****
More days passed, with each being more glorious than the last. Jaike couldn’t remember being this happy. It felt bad and traitorous to think so, but she couldn’t even recall being this giddy in all the years she had been with Angelo. Perhaps if both of them had been more honest with each other, things could have been different.
But with Derek?
Every day was…magical.
Like now.
“Time to get up, baby.”
Derek scooped a sleepy Jaike into his arms, settling her on his lap with her back against his chest while he played with her breasts and teased her pussy.
By the time Jaike was fully awake, she was soaking wet between her legs and whimpering Derek’s name.
At the sound of her moans, Derek lifted her up and then lowered her back down again, causing Jaike to whimper as she felt herself being impaled on his cock.
“Morning sex,” Derek whispered huskily into her ear, “is supposed to make your brain cells become more active. That’s why,” he added piously, “I’ve decided to wake you up every day with this.”
Jaike could only nod. Whether that was true or not didn’t matter. She would be happy if he chose to wake her up every day like this.
After, Derek carried her to the shower, hot water already running in the tub. “Don’t be too long.”
When she came out of the shower, Jaike expected Derek to be sleeping since all his classes were scheduled after lunch. But instead, the bedroom was empty and she found him in her suite’s mini kitchen, setting the table.
“You don’t have to do that,” she protested. “You should be sleeping. Didn’t you come home late from poker night?” Before, she had stumbled all over the word ‘home’ but now, she found it wonderfully easy to say. She knew her suite at Blake Hall was nothing like any of the palatial homes that Derek’s family possessed but even so, that was how it felt now. Wherever Derek was would always be home.
Derek yanked her down on his lap, something she had noticed he liked to do every so often. “Just eat your breakfast like a good girl.”
“I’d like to,” she said breathlessly, “but not when you’re doing that.”
He was tickling her ear with his hot breath the whole time she was talking, making her think of anything but br
eakfast. There was also something big and hard poking her below, and that was a major distraction, too.
Derek sighed. “Fine.” He cupped her face, placing a short sweet kiss on her lips before reluctantly setting her down on the seat next to him. “Go and eat your breakfast then.”
When she was done, he waved off her offer to clean up. “I’ll do that later.” At her doubtful look, he said in exasperation, “I promise I won’t break any more of your plates.”
“I only have three left, Derek.”
“I said I promise, didn’t I? Now let’s go.”
She was confused. “Let’s go…where?” She was rooted to the spot, watching Derek walk to the door in his sweat pants and hoodie.
Derek looked back at her with a raised eyebrow. “Are you going to move or what?”
“B-but where are you going?” She slowly walked to his side.
He opened the door. “Duh. Walking you to class of course.”
Her eyes widened.
Derek grabbed her hand. “You’re really going to be late at this rate.”
And she had been dumbstruck the whole time they walked to her first class of the day, unable to believe that Derek Christopoulos had woken up early just to, well, walk with her. By the time they reached her school building, everyone was staring at them, and she knew what they were all thinking. It was obvious that Derek had just gotten up from bed, with his bed-tousled hair. Just as obvious was why he was up—
Derek tipped her chin up. “What time does your class end?”
“Umm, five?”
“I’ll be outside your room waiting for you.” He kissed her on the forehead and began walking away.
She could only look at him, her heart nearly bursting with happiness. She so wanted to say the words then, but something was still stopping her.
Derek turned around and began walking backward as he called out her name. “Jaike?”
She blushed because she felt everyone looking at Derek when he said her name. It was as if everyone wanted to be Jaike – his Jaike. “Yeah?”
He grinned, that beautiful wicked grin of his that never failed to make her blush and her body throb. “I love you!”
