“Good morning,” he replied with his gravelly, sexy, morning voice as his arm moved around her waist, pulling her close for a morning kiss. He tasted like coffee and happiness, she thought dreamily as she lifted up onto her toes to kiss him back.
Derick loved her. He’d realized that fact a while ago, but it hadn’t really crystalized in his head until he’d woken up this morning and, as usual, she wasn’t there. But as soon as he’d stepped out of the house, he’d turned and saw her coming towards him. That’s when it hit him. He wanted her forever. As he’d watched her, that sexy, glorious smile blooming on her lips and in her eyes, he knew that he wanted her in his life always.
Unfortunately, he hadn’t gotten her to trust him completely. She was still hiding something. And whatever her secrets were, they were important to her, but also to him, because it meant she still didn’t completely trust him. She gave her body to him every night with complete abandon. She slept in his arms until the early morning. Then she took herself away from him. That’s where the strange mystery that surrounded her life broke down the bliss that he wanted with her.
“What are your plans today?” he asked, keeping his arm around her waist.
She shrugged. “I finished the living room yesterday and started on the kitchen cabinets. But if you need help in your garden, that would be much more interesting.”
He smiled, his arm tightening in a hug. “There are about forty tomatoes that need picking.”
She leaned in and kissed his chest. It was just an affectionate gesture, but it made him want to scoop her up and carry her into the house for another round of lovemaking. He didn’t understand why he couldn’t get enough of her. Every moment with her was a gift, he thought. Every new touch or caress, every relaxed glance in his direction was special, because he knew that she didn’t give her affection easily.
“Hey,” he grabbed her hand, squeezing slightly as they rounded the corner, heading towards the garden. She paused and looked up at him, and his gut tightened as he warned her, “I might have to leave.”
“Leave?”
He felt her tense, and let his hand drift over her cheek. “Yes. Just for a few days. A week at the most. But I’ll be back.”
“Where do you…?” she trailed off, seeing the closed look in his eyes, and sighed. “You can’t tell me.”
“No. I’m sorry.” He kissed her forehead. “Let’s go pick tomatoes. I think there are some cucumbers that the turtles are getting into as well.”
She nodded, but the worry remained in her eyes. Thankfully, as soon as they stepped into the garden, her playfulness returned and she smiled as they harvested the latest bounty. When she picked up a particularly large cucumber, he watched her stare thoughtfully down at it.
“What’s wrong with it?”
She shrugged, hefting it as if weighing it. “Nothing.”
He saw the teasing glint in her eyes. “So, why are you holding it like that?”
She looked over at him. “Well, if you’re going to be away, then…” she looked down again. “Just contemplating your competition.”
Derick stared at her for a long moment, trying to understand. When her meaning came to him, he dropped his trowel and moved purposely towards her, a matching glint in his eyes. “Don’t even think about it,” he growled.
Carrie giggled, backing up, but being careful not to step on any of the plants. “But…you just said you may be gone a few days and…I might get lonely!”
Derick stomped towards her, his intent clear. A moment later, Carrie laughed and sprinted away, hugging the cucumber “competition” to her chest as she went.
Between his longer legs and her inability to stop laughing, he was able to catch her easily and scooped her up in his arms, her legs flying as he swung her around. This time, he didn’t hesitate. He headed inside, pausing occasionally to nibble on her neck exactly where she liked it, which caused her to laugh even harder. When he had her in his bedroom, he tossed her playfully into the bed, and pulled his shirt off. “You’re not going to need that cucumber, Jolene,” he growled, even as she continued to hug the thing closer.
Fortunately, she couldn’t stop laughing long enough to reply and he was able to toss her work boots away and even had her jeans off before she realized what he was doing. By that point, she didn’t care anymore and was fully on board. Especially when he kissed his way up her legs, spreading them as he moved closer and closer to his goal. “Do you think that the cucumber can do this?” he asked, and closed his mouth over that pink, swollen nub.
“Derick!” she gasped, lifting her hips entreatingly as he teased that sensitive nub. In no time at all, she’d tossed the cucumber to the side so she could use both hands to hold his head in place, guiding him. And then she was screaming his name as her first climax poured over her.
In the aftermath, he stood up and stripped off his jeans, grabbing a condom before returning to his favorite position. “I see you’ve abandoned the competition,” he said as he pressed deep into her body, moving slowly at first. When her legs shifted, her knees bending to take him deeper, he moved faster, pressing against her the way he knew she liked. Bringing her closer and closer. Her fingers inched around his shoulders, almost as if she were afraid to break her concentration as her body climbed closer to that beautiful peak. But he knew her now. He knew what she liked and gave it to her.
When she screamed again, her body arching against him as another climax hit, Derick felt her body tense, then the beautiful shivers came over her. He felt her fingers move from his shoulders to his hair and he groaned at her soft touch. That was always the trigger that pulled him over the edge and he tried to hold back, to savor this moment with her, but her fingers! Damn, he loved her fingers in his hair! So sexy and…she knew him just as well as he knew her now.
Carrie smiled when she felt Derick’s hands on her back, sliding up and down her spine. “You’re tickling me,” she whispered, her mouth moving against his bare chest.
“You’re awake?”
She laughed, snuggling closer. “I wasn’t asleep.”
“Could have fooled me,” he grumbled.
The sheets were tangled around their legs, but only because they hadn’t pulled them up over their bodies. Carrie might have done so in the past, but she knew that Derick liked to touch her afterwards, so she didn’t bother with the sheet anymore.
“We left the harvest out in the heat.”
“They’ll be fine for a bit longer.” He didn’t move, but Carrie sensed a change in him. Sure enough, he touched her hair. “Why did you dye your hair again?”
Every muscle in her body went from relaxed and happy to tense and nervous. Carrie knew she should have gone to the drugstore and gotten the hair dye sooner. But she’d just been so happy with Derick as well as the progress on her house that she hadn’t realized that the roots of her hair had grown out. When she’d looked in the mirror last week, she’d seen the blonde roots and gasped, rushing out to the store that very day to cover up the telltale signs of her identity.
“I just…I…” She wasn’t sure what to say. How could she explain why she hid her appearance? She couldn’t. Not without putting Derick in more danger.
Pulling away, she sat up, shoving her hair out of her eyes. “I’m sorry, Derick. I just remembered something.” Quickly, she grabbed her jeans and pulled them on, and her tee shirt. She didn’t bother to grab her panties or bra. Her fear was that overwhelming. Slipping her feet into her ugly work boots, she looked around, almost as if trying to figure out what she was missing. But that was pointless because the only thing missing was her common sense. “I have to go.”
“Go? Jolene, wait a minute,” he called out, frantically grabbing his jeans. But she was already out the door.
“I have something to do!” she yelled over her shoulder as she raced down the stairs, then burst out through the front door and sprinted across the yard to her house. Once there, she knew that she couldn’t hide from Derick. Not here in her house. So instead, she
grabbed the keys to her pickup truck, her hat and sunglasses, then rushed back out of the house. Diving into her truck, she was already backing out of the driveway before Derick made it out onto his front porch.
Her heart ached as she spotted him and Carrie wiped away tears as she sped off, away from Derick and the happiness that she’d found in his arms. “Stupid!” she muttered to herself. “So stupid!”
Chapter 10
Carrie had stayed away from the house until midnight and had even considered sleeping in her truck. She’d done it many times before, but by eleven thirty that night, after driving around the town and the country roads, she knew that she owed Derick an explanation. He didn’t deserve her running off like that. He’d been so gentle and caring, concerned and kind. And she’d fled as if he’d beaten her.
When she pulled into her driveway, she noticed a light on in his living room, but no truck in the driveway. That was odd, she thought. It was almost as if…was he gone? Her throat closed at the thought of Derick not being there, not being next door to her.
That scared her silly! She looked around, peering through the windshield of her stupid truck. It was dark. Everywhere, it was dark with lurking shadows.
“Stop it!” she scolded herself. Holding her keys in her hand so that the keys came through her fingers, she hurried up the steps, then pushed the key home. But just before she slammed the door closed, she spotted something on her front porch. Derick had left her a basket of vegetables.
For some reason, the gift caused her heart to ache in ways she’d never thought possible. He might not be here with her, but his vegetables were his way of telling her that he was still there, still cared for her. She picked up the heavy basket and brought it into her kitchen, lowering her face so that she could breathe in the earthy scents. Ensuring that the doors were locked and the curtains drawn on the windows, she walked upstairs to her bedroom. But for the past two weeks, she’d slept in Derick’s arms. In his bed. Right now, the air mattress and sleeping bag looked…anemic. Pathetic.
After showering and pulling on yet another annoyingly large tee shirt, Carrie slipped into the sleeping bag, but couldn’t sleep. Instead, she stared at the ceiling, wondering where he was. She pictured jungles and deserts, guns and bad guys chasing him. It was almost dawn when she remembered that Derick was a capable man. He’d caught her up in his arms yesterday with barely any effort. And he’d carried her up the stairs to his bedroom. His strength was always controlled. But she didn’t think he’d control himself if some bad guy tried to hurt him.
Rolling over, she pulled her pillow closer. It was no substitute for Derick’s warmth, but at least she could fall asleep now, knowing that he could handle anything that came at him.
Chapter 11
“Can I help you?” Carrie called out to the two beautiful women standing on her front porch.
The ladies turned around, startled to find her behind them instead of in the house. “Oh! Hello!” the one with dark brown hair said. As Carrie watched, the two women came down the wooden steps, back into the still hot, evening sunshine. “Are you Jolene?” the one with startling green eyes asked. She was also about five month’s pregnant and glowing. That old phrase about pregnant women seemed trite, but was shockingly accurate.
“I am,” Carrie replied, taking off her work glove and extending her hand.
“I’m Abby Fisher,” the woman replied. “And this is Lexie Cain.”
“It’s great to meet both of you,” she lied, feeling grubby in their presence. Abby looked sophisticated and beautiful in her casual sundress and summer heels. Lexie wore a pair of cute shorts that showed off her amazing derriere and long legs. In contrast, Carrie was dressed in her normal baggy jeans and baggy tee shirt, feeling dumpy and definitely outclassed.
“Derick asked us to check in on you,” Lexie explained, pushing her sunglasses onto her head, revealing beautiful blue eyes and long, dark lashes. “He said he was worried about you, but,” she glanced behind her at the newly painted house and laughed, “You clearly are capable of just about anything you set your mind to.”
Her words caused most of Carrie’s animosity to dissipate. Her tense shoulders relaxed and she smiled slightly. “Um…well, I’m not sure what to say.”
Lexie pulled a bottle out of her purse and lifted it up into the air. “Why don’t you invite us in for a drink?” she asked.
Abby lifted a plastic container filled with what Carrie suspected were cookies. “She brought the booze, and I brought the cookies!”
Carrie stared at the box of cookies, thinking back to last week. “Please tell me those are Zeke’s cookies,” she whispered with reverence and hope.
Abby laughed. “They are. He’s my husband.” She patted her stomach. “This pregnancy is driving him crazy, and he bakes to relax. That means I’m constantly surrounded by baked goods.”
Lexie laughed, rolling her eyes. “He’s a bit nuts,” she whispered conspiratorially to Carrie.
“He is,” Abby nodded. “But he’s my glorious nut case.”
Both ladies laughed and the sound was so infectious that Carrie couldn’t help but smile. Plus, she was so tired of being sad and desolate because Derick was gone.
“Would you like to come inside?” she asked, hoping that they might want to stay and chat for a bit. Carrie hadn’t realized how much she’d like the company until the thought of them just dropping off the wine and cookies occurred to her. “I mean, I don’t have a lot of furniture, but…”
Abby perked up. “Derick warned us about that. Why don’t we go sit on his back porch? It’s shaded at this time of the day, plus he has those fans to cool things off.”
Carrie brightened at the idea. Any reason to be close to Derick was a good thing, in her mind. “That sounds great,” she replied, then hesitated. “Um…I should probably jump into the shower first.”
She was covered in mud and dirt – literally, it was all over her jeans, boots and even up to her elbows. Carrie suspected that there was even dirt on her face.
“What have you been working on?” Lexie asked.
“Oh, nothing really,” she replied, not ready to admit what she’d been doing.
Abby and Lexie looked at her with matching secret smiles. “Right. Okay, well, if you’re not going to tell us your secret, we might as well dive into these cookies. But they are caramel apple or something like that,” Abby explained. “So hurry up and come on over to Derick’s back porch and there might be some cookies left over for you.”
Lexie laughed, shaking her head. “She’s pregnant. So, she’s not kidding!”
The pair headed towards Derick’s yard, obviously familiar with the house. Carrie watched, admiring the way the two ladies leaned their heads together, as if their friendship was close and intimate. Her heart ached for a friendship like that.
Turning away, she reminded herself that she would have to leave soon. The threat against her was too strong to ever stay in one place for long.
But for now, for this moment, she was going to relax her guard and just enjoy being with potential friends.
With that in mind, she hurried into her house, stripped off her clothes as soon as the door closed behind her, leaving the filthy, sweaty mess piled just inside the door. She’d collect her dirty clothes later. She raced up the stairs and jumped into the shower.
When she was clean, Carrie pulled on the pretty sundress she’d worn that first night with Derick. She swished her hips playfully, feeling feminine as the short skirt danced around her thighs. Instead of drying her hair, she simply pulled it up on top of her head and slipped on sandals, then went to meet the two ladies.
“That was fast!” Lexie called out, pouring some wine into a glass, which she handed to Carrie as she stepped up onto Derick’s porch.
“Thank you!” Carrie said, accepting the glass and taking a sip. “Oh, this is good!” she whispered, sitting down in one of the porch chairs.
“Why don’t you have furniture at your place?” Abby asked, sitting wit
h a glass of lemonade in one hand and the other resting over her gently pregnant belly.
“Oh, I’m only here long enough to renovate the house. I’ll sell it for a profit, then move on.”
There was a long pause as both ladies stared at her. “Does Derick know this?” Lexie asked.
“About you moving on?” Abby clarified.
Carrie glanced away, unaware of the longing on her face, which the other two immediately recognized. “I don’t know. We never talk about the future.” When she turned to look back at them, she said, “We’re only neighbors.”
Lexie smiled gently. “I don’t think that Derick considers you to be just a neighbor. If that were the case, we wouldn’t be here.”
“Lexie is right,” Abby added. “Derick asked us to come over and check on you.”
Carrie stiffened slightly, hurt. “I don’t need pity,” she told the ladies, setting her glass of wine down.
“If we pitied you, then you’d be in your house with Zeke’s cookies, all alone. The cookies would have been enough. The wine is from us. It’s our offer of friendship,” Abby explained.
Carrie eyed them carefully, their smiles seemed to be genuine. “Thank you,” she replied. “I’m a little…wary.”
Lexie grinned and the expression transformed her features. “We understand. We’ve both been through trials and tribulations with life. But…” she paused, shooting a meaningful look at Carrie. “I doubt that the issues we struggled with were as painful as yours.”
Carrie didn’t reply. Instead, she took a long sip of her wine, not sure how to respond.
“Those are your secrets,” Abby said into the silence. “But know that we’re here if you need someone to talk to. And if you’re leaving soon, we’re a good ear for venting, since you’ll never see us again.”
Derick (Delta Forces Book 3) Page 5
