Chapter 23 Just Use Your Words
JUST USE YOUR WORDS
DEREK
I woke up with Paige draped over my chest like she belonged there because fuck she did. If I could, I’d never let her step out of my arms.
Sunlight slipped through the half-open blinds, soft light splattering over the curve of her back.
My palm glided down the dip of her spine, and I couldn’t stop the stupid, lovesick grin that split my face as I thought about last night.
Round two had turned into three, then four, until she had passed out mid-moan, lips swollen, body trembling with my name a broken prayer on her tongue.
It was the best fucking night of my goddamn life.
And none of it felt fake. Not the way she clawed at my back, nor the way she whispered, ‘I need you,’ like I was oxygen. And especially not the way she had fallen asleep still clenching around my cock like she never wanted me to leave.
Fake dating? Bullshit. Last night was realer than anything I had ever had.
Paige stirred, making a soft little sound that went straight to my already half-hard dick. Her lashes fluttered, then those hazel eyes found mine.
“Morning, gorgeous,” I said, my voice hoarse.
She yawned, stretching against me like a cat, and every inch of bare skin sliding over mine made me throb.
I licked my lips, enjoying the way her hard nipples brushed over my muscles.
“Shower with me?” I asked, kissing her temple.
“Only if you promise to keep your hands to yourself,” she mumbled, voice husky from all the screaming she had done last night.
I gave her my best innocent look and blinked at her. She grabbed a pillow and whacked me with it. I laughed, clutching the pillow she had thrown at me, a small smile playing on her lips.
“You didn’t complain last night when my hands, mouth, and cock were everywhere,” I drawled with a dirty smolder that would earn me another whack on the face with a pillow.
Thankfully, she just blushed, making her look absolutely adorable. Her blonde hair was tousled, but her eyes were bright and perfect. She looked well-rested even though we barely had any sleep last night.
“T-that was different,” she said, looking away.
“Showering’s different too,” I said, rolling us so I hovered over her, caging her in.
“Water’s slippery and might need to hold on real tight,” I said, brushing my lips over her ear. “Let me wash you, Paige. Every inch. I’ll be so good. I promise.”
She pretended to think about it for half a second before rolling her eyes and letting me drag her out of bed.
The rainfall shower was all steam and heat as it poured over us.
I pressed her against the marble wall and kissed her until she melted.
My hands roamed over her tits, her waist, that perfect ass I had spent half the night buried between.
Water streamed down her body, tracing every curve, and I followed it with my mouth and tongue.
I dropped to my knees like a supplicant, hands spreading her thighs.
“Derek, I—” she said, her voice a needy whimper.
“Shh. Let me have my breakfast.”
I licked her sweet pussy. Savoring her taste as my tongue circled her clit until her knees buckled.
I pinned her hips, sucking that swollen little bud between my lips, flicking fast and relentlessly while two fingers pumped inside her.
I knew she was close, and it didn’t take long for her to orgasm.
She came with a sharp cry, fingers yanking my hair, thighs clamping around my ears like she wanted to keep me there forever.
I would have gladly obliged.
When I stood, my cock was aching, jutting up against my stomach, flushed dark and leaking. Paige’s gaze dropped to it, and her tongue darted over her bottom lip. Before I could blink, she was sinking to her knees.
No fucking way.
My eyes widened as I caught her shoulders and said, “Paige, you don’t have to—”
She looked up, water clinging to her lashes. “But I want to suck your cock, Derek,” she whispered, her voice soft and sultry.
Jesus Christ.
My dick twitched as if it had a mind of its own. A throaty ‘fuck,’ tore out of me.
I stepped out just long enough to grab a thick towel, folding it quickly and keeping it under her knees. No way was I letting the tiles bruise her perfect skin. Then I was back, threading my fingers through her wet hair and guiding her forward.
She wrapped one small hand around the base. I bit my lip when she couldn’t even close her fingers around and licked a hot stripe up the underside.
My head fell back against the tile with a thud. Her lips closed over the flushed mushroom tip, soft and warm and so fucking eager. She took me deeper, her cheeks hollowing, tongue swirling, with little hums vibrating straight through me.
I watched her through the steam. My gorgeous girl was on her knees, sucking me like her life depended on it, with her perfect tits bouncing every time she bobbed.
“T-that’s it. Fuck, Paige. Take it deeper—yeah, just like that…” I stammered as my hips rocked helplessly.
She gagged a little when I hit the back of her throat but didn’t pull off. She just moaned around me, her pretty eyes watering and looking so goddamn beautiful I almost came on the spot.
“Paige… g-gonna—” I tried to warn her.
She pulled back just enough and kept stroking me fast and hard. My hips jerked and my muscles tensed as I lost it. Thick ropes painted her chest, dripping down those perfect breasts and mixing with the water.
The sight alone nearly gave me a stroke.
I hauled her up, kissing her hard and tasting myself on her tongue. Our kiss turned tamer, and I couldn’t stop smiling. Every time our mouths met, we kept breaking into laughter. Clumsy, breathless giggles that bounced off the shower tiles.
Her soft skin was warm from the steam, her hair slicked down her back.
“This is ridiculous,” she whispered against my mouth, smiling so wide I felt her happiness in my bones. I wanted to keep it there, deep in my bones to keep it safe and to protect it.
“Completely irresponsible,” I agreed, kissing her again.
We washed each other, taking our time. My fingers moved gently through her hair as she tipped her head back and sighed. I washed her hair, working her shampoo through her blond strands as she closed her eyes and hummed.
I couldn’t stop staring at her. This soft, beautiful and strong woman who somehow trusted me enough to let me hold her like this.
She washed my back and arms in return, drawing soft circles over my shoulder blades, sending shivers down my spine like she knew exactly what she was doing to me.
When we finally stepped out of the shower, wrapped in towels and still grinning like idiots, we dressed slowly.
I started wearing jeans and a dark t-shirt. Meanwhile, she slipped into a light, summery dress in pale blue with little white flowers. It hugged her curves in every place that made my heart and cock throb.
“You look…” I swallowed. “Perfect.”
Color slashed her cheeks, the damp strand of her hair catching my attention.
I held her hand and dragged her to the bed. When she raised her brows, I chuckled and said, “Sit.”
She was eyeing the bed as if it were going to jump up and eat her. “Why?” She asked.
“Because your hair is still wet, and I’m not letting you catch a cold,” I said and, leaning close, I whispered in her ear. “But if you want, we can have a quickie before we leave.”
She rolled her eyes but sat, her knees brushing my leg. I towel-dried her hair with more care than I ever used on anything in my life. When I was done, I reached for the tiny hotel dryer and worked my fingers through her strands until they were soft and golden again.
Then, because I couldn’t resist, I braided it loosely over her shoulder.
She froze as she saw the braid.
“What?” I asked quietly.
“No one’s ever done this for me,” she whispered, touching the braid like she was memorizing it.
My chest tightened painfully. “They should have,” I said. “You deserve it.”
We both knew we weren’t talking about the braid.
I pulled away from her before I could do something stupid, like make her end the fake contract and date me for real. I grabbed my wallet and tucked a generous tip under the TV. Then we headed down the hall to my mom’s suite.
When we reached her room, she was singing a lullaby to Lily, rocking her gently in her arms, sitting by the window.
The second Lily saw her mother, she reached out, babbling. Paige’s entire face softened instantly.
She went to take her daughter, whispering, ‘Hi, baby,’ and pressing a kiss to Lily’s forehead.
Watching that… watching her, I almost forgot how to breathe. Seeing them made something warm and stupid fill my chest.
My mom sent me a look. The kind of look that meant trouble.
Uh oh.
“Derek,” she said sweetly. Too sweetly. I should run away. “Walk with me.”
“What? Why?” I froze. “Did Lily do something?”
Charlotte rolled her eyes. “Lily is a sweetheart.”
“Then… what is it?” I asked cautiously, looking around the hallway and thinking about several ways I could run away from my mother.
“Why haven’t you proposed to her yet?” She asked, crossing her arms.
I choked. Literally choked on air. “What—Mom, what are you talking ab—ow!”
Her palm smacked the back of my head before I finished the sentence.
“Don’t play dumb,” she snapped. “You know exactly what I mean.”
“Mom,” I said, rubbing my skull, glaring and pouting. “Can you not commit assault at a wedding?”
She smacked me again. Harder.
“Ow! What was that for?!”
“For lying,” she said. “To me, to yourself, and to Paige.”
I sighed. I had to tell her, and if I didn’t, she would commit a homicide.
“I can’t, Mom. Us… t-this thing between us is fake. We’re doing it so her divorce goes smoothly, and she has somewhere to—ow! Mother!”
She hit me with enough force to make me stumble. What the hell does she eat?
“If this were fake,” she said, her eyes narrowing. “Then why does she look happier with you than she ever did with Jack?”
I swallowed hard. I opened my mouth, but she cut me off.
“And don’t you dare lie to me,” she said softly. “Not about your feelings. Not to your mother.”
My throat tightened.
“I can’t tell her.”
“Why the hell not?”
“Because…”
Because once I said it, it would be real. Because she would look at me differently. Because she might walk away.
My mom stared at me as if I was the biggest idiot on earth.
“Derek,” she said, her voice softer now, with her hands gripping my shoulders. “You’ve been in love with that girl since you were a child. Everyone knows it. I’m shocked the birds outside aren’t gossiping about it.”
I froze.
“I want you to be happy,” Mom said. “And you aren’t. Not like this.”
“I am happy,” I muttered.
“Happy pretending the best thing that ever happened to you is fake?”
I didn’t answer.
“I know you stopped eating for days after you saw her get engaged,” she reminded me. “I know you started smoking when she got married because you didn’t know what to do with yourself. And I also know you quit the next day because she didn’t like it.”
I felt a lump rise in my throat, burning. I hated that she remembered. I hated more that she was right.
“Then what do I do?” I asked helplessly.
“You’re a successful lawyer, Derek, and you still can’t figure out your own feelings?”
I groaned. “Mom—”
She cut me off with a look.
“Just use your words, Derek,” she said. “Talk to her.”
Use my words.
Sure.
The thing I failed throughout my entire childhood. The thing that still failed me every time Paige smiled at me like I hung her entire world in the sky.
Talking to her would be easy.
So fucking easy.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Yeah,” I muttered. “Talking to her will make everything easier.”
Mom’s unimpressed stare told me she knew exactly what I meant.
And she was absolutely right.
I was so fucking screwed.