Chapter 10
NOT FOR LONG
PAIGE
“Stop it! Both of you, stop!”
But they weren’t listening. They were too busy trying to kill each other, and all I could do was stand there uselessly, watching my husband and my boss beat the hell out of each other.
I hadn’t thought Derek would be the one throwing a punch.
Jack shoved Derek backward, and suddenly they were fighting. Derek got Jack in the ribs and his fist connected with Derek’s cheekbone with a crack that made me flinch. They crashed into the desk, sending papers flying everywhere, and I heard myself shouting for them to stop.
Then, another man was suddenly there, dragging Derek backward.
“Enough!” Sean’s voice boomed through the office. “Both of you, knock it the hell off!”
Sean, Derek’s best friend, law partner and my other boss. He was back from his vacation with Chelsea, standing at six-foot-three wrapped in an expensive suit. He stood between Derek and Jack, one massive hand on Derek’s chest, the other pointed at Jack like a warning.
Jack wiped blood from his split lip, and the sight should have made me concerned. Instead, I felt nothing but a hollow sort of satisfaction.
Am I a bad person?
“You’re going to regret that, Peterson,” Jack snapped, his eyes blazing with anger. “I’ll sue you for assault. I’ll ruin you.”
“Go ahead,” Derek said, his breathing hard and jaw clenched. “Do your worst. But you don’t get to come into my office and disrespect Paige. You don’t get to make her feel like she’s the problem when you’re the jerk who destroyed your marriage.”
“My marriage?” Jack laughed, and the sound made my skin crawl. “My marriage? You are the one who’s been after her for years, you bastard!”
“That’s enough, Jack,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “You need to get out of here.”
Jack turned to me, and there was something ugly in his expression making me flinch. “He’s using you. Can’t you fucking see that? Or you’re just enjoying the attention you’re getting.”
“Get out,” Sean said and pushed Derek back, since he looked like he wanted to tackle Jack to the ground. “Now. Before I call the security.”
Jack straightened his jacket, his jaw already starting to bruise purple. He looked like he wanted to say more, but Sean’s glare was too imposing to ignore.
“Stay out of my marriage, Peterson,” Jack said. “Whatever game you two are playing, it’s not going to work. She’s still my wife.”
“Not for long,” Derek said calmly.
My heartbeat increased, and I clenched my hands into fists to stop the shaking.
Panic flashed in Jack’s eyes, surprising me. He looked at me one more time, and I found myself taking an involuntary step back.
“We’re not done talking about this, Paige,” Jack said. “I miss my daughter, and I’m not letting you run away from our problems. We’ll fix it.”
“Too bad Lily doesn’t miss you,” Derek said with a smirk, making me close my eyes.
“Now get the hell out.”
Sean escorted Jack to the door, speaking in low tones I couldn’t quite hear. When he finally closed it behind Jack and turned back to us, his expression was somewhere between exasperated and concerned.
“What the hell was that?” He asked, looking between me and Derek. “Someone wants to explain why Jack Mitchell just walked in here looking like he caught you two in bed together?”
“Coffee,” I said, gesturing at Derek’s still-damp pants, heat flooding my face. “I just spilled coffee on him.”
Sean’s eyes dropped to Derek’s lap, then slowly traveled back to my face. One eyebrow climbed toward his hairline. “Okay. Coffee. And the part where Derek assaulted him?”
“He deserved it,” Derek answered flatly.
“Derek, you—”
“He called her dramatic, Sean. He blamed her hormones for being upset that he cheated. What was I supposed to do, shake his fucking hand?”
“That was not appropriate to say,” Sean sighed and dragged a hand down his face. “But you’re a lawyer. You know better than to hit someone, regardless of how much they deserve it. Is there something I should know about? About you two?”
I opened my mouth, but Derek spoke first.
“We’re engaged. Fake engaged. Well, about to. It’s complicated.”
“Fake engaged,” Sean repeated the words like Derek was speaking alien. He stared at him for a long moment, then shook his head. “You know what? I don’t want to know. Just... try not to actually murder anyone, okay? I don’t want to defend you for manslaughter.”
He left, and the silence that followed felt deafening.
I stood there staring at Derek across the chaos of his desk. There were papers everywhere, his pants stained with coffee, and his hair a mess from the fight. But his knuckles were bleeding.
“Derek. Sit.”
“I’m fine—”
“Sit your ass down,” I said, and he followed, mumbling, ‘yes, ma’am.’
I gently took his injured hand. The skin was torn across two knuckles, blood welling up in the cuts, and my chest twisted at the sight.
He had done it for me.
“See? It’s fine,” he said, but I could see the way he flexed his fingers, testing his injury.
“Shut up,” I said, and he thankfully did.
I hurried to the small bathroom attached to Derek’s office, finding the first aid kit under the sink. When I returned, he was still sitting there, his injured hand resting on his thigh, looking at me with an expression I couldn’t quite read.
I sat beside him and started cleaning the blood away with antiseptic. He hissed slightly when the cotton ball touched the open wounds, but didn’t pull away.
“He could really sue you,” I said quietly, focusing on his knuckles instead of his face. If I looked at his face, I didn’t know if I would slap him. “For assault. You could lose your license, Derek. Your career. All because of something stupid.”
“It wasn’t stupid,” he said, his words firm. “And it’d be worth it.”
My hands stilled. I looked up at him, and the intensity in his eyes made my breath catch. “Don’t say that. Don’t act like throwing away everything you’ve worked for is worth—”
“It’s. Fine,” he said simply. “It’ll be fine.”
“Derek…” I whispered, but I didn’t know what I wanted to say.
“Do you know what’s funny?” He said after a while, watching my face as if he were trying to memorize it. “When we were kids, you punched Tommy for making fun of my stutter. Gave him a bloody nose.”
“I remember,” I said, a smile tugging at my lips. “You gave me a Spider-Man Band-Aid.”
“I did.”
His uninjured hand came up, and I felt his fingers brush my hair back, tucking a strand behind my ear. The gesture was so gentle, so intimate, that my throat went tight. “Guess I finally returned the favor. It only took me a couple of decades.”
“You’re ridiculous,” I laughed softly. “Punching someone on my behalf doesn’t make us even. Now you’re the one who might get in trouble.”
“Still worth it.”
I shook my head, but I couldn’t stop smiling as I returned to tending his knuckles. The ointment was cool under my fingers as I spread it carefully across the broken skin, trying to be gentle even though my hands were shaking.
When I wrapped his hand in gauze, I took my time, making sure every layer was secure and it would heal properly. And when I finished, I found myself still holding his bandaged hand in both of mine, my thumbs tracing the edges of the gauze.
“Thank you,” I whispered, finally meeting his eyes. “For defending me. For... everything.”
“Always,” he said, and the word felt like a promise.
Suddenly the air between us felt charged.
“Paige,” Derek said, and my name in his voice sounded rougher. Like a warning or maybe a plea.
I leaned forward before I could think better of it. His free hand came up to cup my face, his thumb brushing across my cheekbone, and I didn’t pull away.
I should pull away and remember all the reasons it was a terrible idea.
“We shouldn’t,” I breathed, still leaning closer.
“I know,” Derek said, and his hand on my face was so gentle it made my chest ache. He tilted my chin up slightly, and I let him.
What am I doing? This is my friend. My boss.
Your boss you find attractive.
“Rule number two,” I whispered. “No kissing unless Jack is around.”
My eyes dropped to his mouth, and I watched his lips part slightly. He was close enough now that I could see the darker ring of blue around his irises, and could feel the warmth radiating from his skin. That close that I could see the rapid pulse at his throat that matched my own racing heartbeat.
“To hell with the rules.”