Chapter 21 Take My Time
TAKE MY TIME
DEREK
I was sure weddings were designed to test a man’s self-control because mine was hanging by a damn thread tonight.
Paige stood beside me, her hand looped through my arm as if we were the picture-perfect couple we had been pretending to be for the sake of my family.
Except nothing about her felt pretend.
Not the warmth of her palm on my skin or the soft scent of vanilla and lavender clinging to her hair. And especially not the way her silky lilac dress hugged her curves and made every man in the room forget their vows.
And definitely not the way my body reacted every time she looked at me.
My pants felt tight for the entire ceremony, and it seemed like my body had forgotten that I was not a teenager anymore.
The reception hall was decorated with golden lights, live violin music, and too many people who had known me when I was the awkward kid who couldn’t say his own name without stuttering.
“He was always getting into trouble,” one aunt said with a laugh. “His stutter never stopped him from talking back to his teachers.”
“He punched a boy in eighth grade for making fun of Paige,” Mom said, appearing beside us with Lily still happily attached to her hip. “Got suspended for a week and I wasn’t even mad.”
Paige looked at me, and I averted her gaze. “You did?”
I shrugged, clearing my throat to avoid embarrassment. “Tommy’s older brother. He called you—” I paused and smiled at her. “Let’s just say he deserved it.”
She blinked as my mom continued talking to the aunt and walked away when Lily seemed mesmerized by the dangling lights.
I was glad she had taken a liking to my mom.
It seemed like a perfect night.
Until my father walked over to us.
“Derek,” he called out, his hand sliding off the waist of his newest wife. She looked at least fifteen years younger than him, dressed in rhinestones and a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Didn’t expect you to show up. Thought you’d choke on your words while introducing your… girlfriend?”
I felt Paige stiffen beside me.
My chest tightened with old, familiar humiliation. He never missed a chance, not even tonight.
I clenched my hand, hoping I could be the bigger person and walk away from him, ignoring his harsh words, but they had bothered me ever since I learned how to speak.
Paige stepped forward, surprising me. “Oh, please,” she said, a saccharine smile planted on her face. “If I had a son who grew up to be a brilliant, accomplished attorney, I would brag about him. Not mock him. Especially when I’ve collected more spouses than he has stumbled syllables.”
Jesus fucking Christ.
I blinked at her in awe.
My father’s mouth dropped open and his wife choked on her champagne.
But my Paige wasn’t done.
“And just to keep the math tidy for you, congratulations on marriage number four. Statistically, you’re due for a good one.”
I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from smiling like an idiot.
I love her.
My father cleared his throat, muttered something about talking later, and turned away.
“Thank you,” I said to her.
Her fingers slid into mine, her hazel eyes dilated as she said, “Always.”
Always.
The word curled under my chest and settled deep in my heart.
“Dance with me?” I asked, trying to ignore the way my heart pounded in my ears, and guided her toward the dance floor once she agreed.
I pulled her close, one hand settling on her waist as slow music started playing.
“Is this okay?” I asked.
Paige looked up at me and nodded, her lashes brushing her cheeks. She stepped into me until our bodies touched in a way that wasn’t part of any act.
Nothing about this was staged.
The hand I placed on her waist wasn’t for show. No, it felt possessive and a warning to every man in the room whose gaze lingered on her too long.
Mine.
Every time someone looked at her, I wanted to growl at them like a caveman.
Mark her and claim her.
Paige had no idea what she did to me. Because I had never considered myself to be a possessive or a jealous person. Even when I was in a relationship.
“You’re quiet,” she whispered, brushing her cheek against my jaw as we swayed to the music.
“I’m trying to behave,” I said, thinking about taxes.
“Why?”
She smiled at me as if she knew. Like she understood exactly how close I was to losing every ounce of self-control.
And by the time the reception ended, my pulse felt thunderous, and I had to get her alone somewhere.
Thankfully, as if listening to my prayers, my mom told us that she would take care of Lily tonight. So we excused ourselves from the reception, giggling like teenagers as the elevator dinged with our floor number.
Our suite was quiet and dimly lit when we entered. Paige’s heels clicked on the floor as she walked toward the mirror, shrugging off her clutch. I removed my jacket, threw it on the armchair, and loosened my bowtie.
In the dim hotel room, she wasn’t just Paige, my friend or my fake girlfriend.
She was the woman I wanted to ruin in every fucking way.
Especially on that king-size bed.
“Can you help me with the zipper?” She asked, sweeping her hair to one side.
My mouth went dry.
I stepped behind her, my reflection meeting hers in the mirror. My bowtie was hanging open, my shirt half undone, hair messy from running my hands through it all night. While she looked like art, her skin flushed from dancing, her lips soft and parted.
I touched the tiny clasp at the top of her dress, hearing her breath hitch. Slowly, taking my time, I dragged the zipper down.
Inches of her smooth back revealed itself to me as I noticed the delicate curve of her spine and the small tremble in her shoulders.
I leaned in, my lips brushing her neck. She gasped and it was a soft, sultry sound that shot straight to my growing cock.
I kissed the slope of her shoulder. Then, the side of her throat. Then the space just behind her ear, where she melted completely against me. Her body went lax in my arms.
“You have no fucking idea,” I whispered, my voice rough. “What you do to me.”
She hummed, closing her eyes.
“I wanted to drag you to the nearest empty room tonight,” I said against her soft skin. “Throw you against the wall. And fuck you until you forgot your own name.”
Paige exhaled shakily, her body arching into mine. Her eyes fluttered open, and her lips parted. “Then why didn’t you?” she whispered.
The dress slipped off her shoulders, then down her waist, and finally pooled at her feet with a soft sigh of silk.
I cursed under my breath.
Fucking hell.
She was standing there in nothing but a tiny black bra and matching panties, her curves glowing under the warm lamplight, still wearing those damn heels that made her legs look endless. I could see her nipples poking through the fabric in the mirror, and I felt my control snap.
I turned her slowly to face me, lifting her chin with one finger. She looked up at me with hazy eyes, chest heaving with a rosy flush spreading down her throat.
“I didn’t,” I said, stepping closer and covering the distance between our bodies. “Because I wanted the first time I touched you like this to be somewhere, I could take my time.”
Her breath caught, eyes dilating as I continued with a filthy promise,
“And I’m going to take all the fucking time, Paige.”