15. Derek
Derek
Crossing my arms over my chest, I propped myself up in her bed; my back pressed against the headboard.
I knew I would expect this kind of reaction from her, but if Alexis believed she could get rid of me that easily, she was wrong.
I couldn’t give two fucks if she used me for sex, as long as it was me and not someone else.
I wasn’t some soft-hearted, spineless man who couldn’t take a few punches from a woman. It would take a lot more than simply fucking and leaving to deter me from wanting her.
I’ll admit I sat there a lot longer than I should have before getting out of her bed, pulling up my boxers and jeans, and striding across the room to her bathroom door, my fist held up, ready to pound against the wood.
Did I want to push her tonight? Make her angry with me as I always did? Antagonizing Alexis was fun, but I also started growing tired of it .
I needed her to stop pushing me away, to finally admit that she wanted me just as much as I wanted her.
Biting down on my tongue, I banged my fist hard into the door, giving in to the restraint that I tried so hard to hold on to. My desperation to have her once and for all took complete control of my actions.
“Go away, Derek,” Alexis shouted from the other side. Her tone bored and uncaring at the audacity that I was still here.
“Open the door, Lex, before I break it down. I’m tired of these games with you.” I ground out, my hand falling to the door handle and twisting it violently in my grasp.
I could feel my pulse begin to race, pressing my lips into a hard line out of anger and utter frustration. She wasn’t going to shut me out anymore. I wouldn’t let her.
“Me? You started these games, chasing me around like a dog without a bone. Try it and see what happens.” She pounded her fist against the door as she yelled back at me.
Fine, we’ll do this the hard way then.
“One…” I started counting. I wouldn't be gentle with her if I reached five before she let me in—or I busted down the door.
“Oh, real mature, Derek. I’m not a fucking child.” She huffed an incredulous laugh.
“Two…” This was the war that constantly raged on between the two of us—the battle for dominance and control.
“Get the fuck out of my apartment!” Alexis screamed.
Her voice was strained, and I could tell she was slowly breaking under the pressure .
“Three…” I continued.
Her breaths became erratic, as if she was starting to hyperventilate. Alexis was panicking, freaking out at the fact that she had trapped herself in the bathroom with me on the other side and had no way out but to face me.
“Four…” I hissed, my hand releasing its grip on the handle.
I didn’t want to reach five; I didn’t want to kick in the door and force her into anything. But I wanted Alexis in every way imaginable, and I was done waiting. She was mine.
“Fi—” Just as I had taken a step back to get a good angle, I heard the lock on the door turn and click into place.
The sound was deafening in the silence it created between us. I sucked in a breath as my eyes dropped to the handle, the blood pounding in my ears, watching as it slowly turned and the door was pulled open.
There she was. Standing in the doorway and glaring at me through narrowed eyes. Her gaze was molten, and I could feel it searing into my skin, threatening to burn me alive.
“I told you… To leave…” Alexis carefully whispered, her voice dripping with disdain.
The calm before the storm, the eye of a hurricane. She looked almost unhinged as if she had snapped while I counted. But it didn’t make me want her any less; if anything, I wanted her more. She was beautiful—flawless, even with all her sharp edges.
A perfect poisoned apple, and I was begging for a taste.
“I’m not going anywhere; you’d have to kill me if you want me out of your life. ”
I’ll fight for her; I’ll fight until my last goddamn breath. If setting myself on fire right in front of her eyes would make her love me, I’d do it.
“You don’t want me, Derek. I’m not what you need.” Her words came out forced, crossing her arms over her chest and shifting her body to rest on her hip.
I stormed towards her, gripping her arms tightly in my hands, my fingers digging in enough to bruise her marked-up skin.
Where did all these cuts come from? How did I not notice them earlier? Who the fuck did this to her? They were peppered all over her body.
“ Goddamnit , Alexis. When will you wake the fuck up and stop fighting me.” The rage building inside me had peaked, and I needed an outlet.
“I want you, and I will continue to follow, frustrate and fuck you until you figure it out yourself. You are everything I’ve been searching for— everything I need. ”
“You ca—”
“I can, and I will. Do not underestimate the lengths I am willing to go to, to love you, Lex… Let me fucking love you.” I cut her off with a growl, and she stiffened in my grasp.
Our eyes locked, and she stared up at me with that cold, icy glare she was so good at giving me. We stood there for minutes. Neither of us spoke as she processed my words, and I anticipated her next move. I had just laid all my cards on the table; now it was her turn.
“Are you finished?” Alexis breathed, her eyes glistening with unshed tears that she refused to let fall. I nodded, swallowing the lump from my confession of love. My heart was racing, squeezing inside of my chest.
“Good…” She paused, taking a deep breath, her voice trembling.
I couldn’t tell if it was from sheer anger or nervousness. Was she scared?
“Get out, Derek… Please .” Alexis gave me a wounded and pleading look, her voice cracking as she spoke. She dropped her gaze briefly, and when she brought it back up to meet mine, I could see the defeat written all over her beautiful face.
I cupped her cheeks in my hands and stepped into her.
This was the moment I had finally broken my strong-willed viper.
I’ve never seen Alexis so afraid of letting in the truth—accepting it.
She looked nothing like the fierce and vicious woman I had fallen in love with.
This version of her was wounded and scared, searching for protection from whatever haunted her dreams at night.
“Lex…” With a long sigh, I pressed my forehead against hers, breathing her in deeply.
I could feel my hands becoming damp with the tears that began to fall down her face. She was crying. I had brought my wildfire viper to tears—and I hated every fucking second of it.
“Why are you doing this to yourself? To me? To us ?” I murmured, closing my eyes and biting hard on my bottom lip.
I wanted answers but didn’t want the ones I knew she would give me, so I braced myself for her words, the ones built to tear me apart. The words that would rip out my heart and let the pieces fall to the floor .
I felt her fingertips graze against the back of my hands before wrapping firmly around my wrists. She was going to pull away from me; she was going to run.
“Derek…” She whispered.
I couldn’t get enough of hearing my name on her lips. Every time she said it, my heart squeezed in my chest, and I felt as if I were floating.
"I love you, pretty viper—more than you could possibly understand." Alexis was everything, and I was all in.
Her nails dug into my wrists as her grip tightened even further, her hands shaking with the strain. I may have broken her, but I lost the battle. She’ll never forgive me for hurting her, not like this, even with my declaration out in the open.
I could hear a deep groan coming from her throat, and opening my eyes, I was met with her piercing ice-blues falling into their depths. My heart was hammering so hard in my chest that it felt as if it would break through my ribcage at any given second.
“ Fuck it ,” she sighed. “You don’t get to break me and then get away with not having to spend the rest of your life repairing the damage you’ve created.”
My eyes widened as her words caught me off-guard. I was barely able to inhale a breath before her mouth found mine, her tongue forced between my parted lips and tangled with my own.
Alexis’s hands released my wrists, and I slid one hand to cradle the back of her neck while the other moved down to wrap around her waist, pulling her in closer .
This was it; everything I wanted and needed was right here, wrapped in my arms and taking my breath away.
Her arms wrapped around my neck as she rose up on her toes to deepen the kiss further. It was a slow and controlled kiss, yet I could feel her hunger growing as she moaned into my mouth, testing every angle possible.
Alexis devoured me with her mouth, and I didn’t care to come up for air, not once.
She pulled back, her hands moving from the back of my neck to aggressively fist in my shirt. Her eyes searched mine as her jaw tensed.
“Don’t make me regret this, pretty boy.” Her voice was soft-spoken and gentle, filled with lust, but it wasn’t a plea; it was a threat, and I had no intention of betraying my woman.
She was mine, forever, and I intended to claim her right here and now for good.
“I’ll make you regret many things, but never this.” I rasped before picking her up by her thighs and taking her back to bed.
I dropped her onto the bed, bending over her body and pressing my fists into the mattress on either side of her hips. Alexis looked up at me as my eyes roved over her naked figure. She never put on clothes after she had her way with me earlier and then locked herself in the bathroom .
I loved the sight of her bare before me, my cock growing harder the longer I stared. Alexis was petite, with toned arms, abs, and thighs. You could see her strength just by her body alone—a woman who could throw down without a second thought.
“The first time we fucked, you told me to show you what I was made of, pretty viper,” I murmured, dragging my tongue along the edge of my teeth. “This is the only warning I am going to give you—I don’t plan on being gentle this time.”