Chapter Twenty-Three
Katrina
I hesitated for only a second before obeying, my thighs falling open.
“Fuck,” Derek breathed. “Look at you. So fucking perfect. So wet for me already.”
He dropped to his knees between my legs, his hands gripping my thighs and pulling me to the edge of the desk. Then his mouth was on me, and I cried out at the first hot stroke of his tongue.
“Shh,” Derek murmured against my pussy. “You have to be quiet, baby. Can you do that for me?”
I nodded frantically, biting down on my fist to muffle my moans.
Derek’s tongue moved over me, licking and sucking, exploring every sensitive inch of me. He circled my clit with the tip of his tongue, then sucked it into his mouth, and my hips bucked off the desk.
“That’s it,” Derek growled. “Fuck my face, Kat. Take what you need.”
His words sent a bolt of heat straight through me. I’d never had a man talk to me like this—so raw, so filthy, so possessive.
Derek slid two fingers inside me, curling them to hit that spot that made me see stars. His mouth never left my clit, sucking and licking as his fingers pumped in and out of me.
“You taste so fucking good,” Derek groaned against me. “I could eat this sweet pussy all day. You’re mine, Kat. This is mine.”
“Derek,” I whimpered, my hand fisting in his hair. “I’m going to...”
“Come for me,” Derek commanded. “Come on my tongue. Let me taste you.”
His fingers thrust deeper, harder, his tongue flicking rapidly over my clit, and I shattered. My orgasm crashed over me in waves, my thighs trembling, my whole body shaking with the force of it. I bit down on my fist so hard I tasted blood, desperate to keep from screaming.
Derek didn’t stop. He licked me through it, drawing out every last tremor of pleasure until I was boneless and gasping on the desk.
When he finally pulled back, his lips were glistening, his eyes dark with desire.
“I need to be inside you,” Derek said, his voice rough. “Right fucking now.”
He stood, his hands moving to his belt. I watched through heavy-lidded eyes as he unbuckled it, then unzipped his jeans and freed his cock.
He was thick and hard, and the sight of him made my mouth water.
Derek gripped my hips, pulling me to the very edge of the desk. He positioned himself at my entrance, the head of his cock pressing against me.
“Look at me,” Derek commanded.
I lifted my eyes to his, and the intensity in his gaze stole my breath.
“You’re mine,” Derek said. “Say it.”
“I’m yours,” I whispered.
He thrust into me in one hard stroke, burying himself to the hilt, and I cried out at the sudden fullness.
“Fuck,” Derek groaned. “So tight. So perfect. Like you were made for my cock.”
He pulled out almost all the way, then slammed back in, setting a brutal, punishing rhythm. The desk creaked beneath us with every thrust, and I had to grip the edges to keep from sliding across the surface.
“That’s it,” Derek growled. “Take it, Kat. Take all of me.”
His hands gripped my hips hard enough to bruise, holding me in place as he fucked me. Every thrust sent pleasure spiraling through me, building higher and higher.
“You feel so fucking good,” Derek groaned. “So wet. So tight. This pussy was made for me, wasn’t it?”
“Yes,” I gasped. “Yes, Derek. Please.”
“Please what?” Derek demanded, his rhythm never faltering. “Tell me what you need.”
“Harder,” I begged. “Please, Derek. Harder.”
Derek’s eyes darkened. He shifted his angle, driving deeper, and I saw stars.
“Like this?” Derek growled. “Is this what you need?”
“Yes,” I moaned. “God, yes.”
One of Derek’s hands moved from my hip to my clit, his thumb circling the sensitive bundle of nerves. The dual sensation, his cock pounding into me, his thumb on my clit, was too much.
“I’m going to come,” I gasped. “Derek, I’m...”
“Come for me,” he commanded. “Come on my cock. Let me feel you.”
My second orgasm hit me even harder than the first. I bit down on my lip to keep from screaming, my body convulsing with pleasure. My pussy clenched around his cock, and he groaned.
“Fuck,” he growled. “Kat, I’m...”
His rhythm faltered, his thrusts becoming erratic. He buried himself deep one last time, and I felt him pulse inside me as he came. He shuddered, his fingers digging into my hips.
For a long moment, we just stayed there, both of us breathing hard, our bodies still joined.
Then Derek slowly pulled out, and I whimpered at the loss.
He helped me sit up, his hands gentle now, steadying me as my legs threatened to give out.
“You okay?” Derek asked softly, his thumb brushing over my cheek.
I nodded, still unable to find my voice.
Derek kissed me softly, tenderly, so different from the raw intensity of moments before.
“We should clean up,” he murmured against my lips.
We moved quickly, both of us acutely aware that we’d been gone too long. I found my clothes scattered across the floor and pulled them on with shaking hands. Derek tucked his shirt back in, his eyes never leaving mine.
When we were both presentable again, or as presentable as we could be given what we’d just done, Derek reached for the door handle.
But before he opened it, he turned back to me.
“Kat,” he said quietly. “I need you to know something.”
I looked up at him, my heart pounding.
“I would do it again,” Derek said. “I would do it a thousand times over. For you. For Frankie. I would burn the whole fucking world down to keep you both safe.”
The words should have terrified me.
Instead, they made me feel cherished. Protected. Loved.
“I know,” I whispered.
Derek nodded, then turned the handle and pulled the door open.
Zero stood in the doorway.
His eyes went immediately to me, to my disheveled hair, my flushed skin, my swollen lips. To the way my sweater was slightly askew, the way I was still trying to catch my breath.
His gaze moved to Derek, then back to me, and I watched the realization dawn on his face.
Shock. Anger. And something else, something possessive and dark that made my stomach drop.
“Zero,” I breathed.
“You fucking piece of shit,” Zero snarled, his voice low and venomous. He took a step forward, his hands clenched into fists. “In your brother’s office? You couldn’t keep your dick in your pants for one fucking day?”
Derek’s body went rigid in front of me. “Back the fuck off, Zero.”
“Or what?” Zero’s laugh was harsh, bitter. “You gonna beat the shit out of me too? Add me to your list?”
“Watch your fucking mouth,” Derek growled.
“Why?” Zero stepped closer, his face twisting with rage. “You don’t want her to know what you are? What you’re fucking capable of?”
My stomach dropped. The air in the hallway felt too thick to breathe.
“Zero, don’t—” Derek’s voice held a warning edge.
“Don’t what? Don’t tell her the truth?” Zero’s eyes flicked to me, then back to Derek. “She deserves to know who she just fucked. She deserves to know what a fucking bastard you are.”
“Shut your fucking mouth,” Derek said, his voice deadly quiet.
“Make me, you psychotic fuck.” Zero took another step forward. “Go ahead. Show her who you really are. A man who beat his wife so fucking badly he almost killed her. Almost killed the child she carried.”
“I SAID SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Derek roared.
The hallway seemed to shake with the force of his rage. But Zero didn’t back down.
“That’s right,” Zero said, his voice dripping with venom. “Get angry. Lose control. Just like you did with Sam. Just like you do with everyone who gets too close to you.”
My blood turned to ice. “What?” The word came out as barely a whisper.
Derek’s head whipped toward me, his eyes wide with panic. “Kat, it’s not—”
“You beat up Sam?” I asked, voice shaking. “Jack’s wife? You—”
“She wasn’t Jack’s wife then. She was mine,” Derek said quickly, desperately. “It was an accident—”
“An accident?” Zero laughed bitterly. “You put her in the fucking hospital, you sick fuck. You broke her ribs. That’s not a fucking accident.”
The room was spinning. I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think.
“Kat, please,” Derek begged, reaching for me. “Let me explain. It wasn’t like that. I was—”
“Don’t touch me,” I said, jerking away from him.
The look on his face, the raw devastation, should have made me feel something. But all I felt was numb. Cold.
“Is it true?” I asked, my voice barely audible. “Did you hurt her?”
Derek’s jaw clenched. His eyes were pleading with me to understand, to listen, to give him a chance.
But he didn’t deny it.
“Derek,” I whispered. “Is it true?”
“Yes,” he said finally, the word torn from him. “But, Kat, you have to let me explain. It was years ago. I was different then. I didn’t know how to—”
“You hurt her,” I said, backing away from him. “You hurt Jack’s wife.”
“She was my wife!” Derek shouted desperately, following me.
“And that makes it better?”
“I didn’t know how to manage my anger. I was—”
“And what about now?” I demanded, my voice rising. “What about Richard? What about the next person who pisses you off? What about me? What about Frankie?”
“I would never hurt you,” Derek said, his voice breaking. “Never. Kat, please, you have to believe me—”
“I don’t have to believe anything,” I said.
I pushed past him, past Zero, into the hallway. My legs felt like they might give out, but I forced myself to keep moving.
“Kat, wait!” Derek called after me.
But I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop.
I burst into the main room, my eyes scanning frantically for Frankie. The music was too loud. There were too many people. Everything was too bright, too overwhelming.
“Frankie!” I called out.
She looked up from where she was sitting with Cami and Maggie, her face lighting up when she saw me. But then her smile faded as she took in my expression.
“Mom?” she said, standing up. “What’s wrong?”
“We’re leaving,” I said, grabbing her hand.
“What? But—”
“Now, Frankie. We’re leaving now.”
Maggie stood up, concern written all over her face. “Kat, what happened?”
“I have to go,” I said, pulling Frankie toward the door.
“Mom, you’re scaring me,” Frankie whispered.
“It’s okay,” I lied. “Everything’s okay. We just need to go.”
I could hear Derek calling my name behind me, but I didn’t turn around. I couldn’t look at him. Couldn’t face him.
I pushed through the front door of the clubhouse, dragging Frankie with me. The cold air hit my face, but I barely felt it.
“Mom, what’s going on?” Frankie demanded as I fumbled with my keys.
“Get in the car,” I said.
“Not until you tell me what’s wrong!”
“Frankie, please,” I begged, my voice breaking. “Just get in the car.”
She must have heard something in my voice, the desperation, the fear, because she stopped arguing and climbed into the passenger seat.
I got behind the wheel, my hands shaking so badly I could barely get the key in the ignition. The engine roared to life, and I threw the car into reverse.
Derek burst out of the clubhouse just as I was backing out of the parking spot.
“Kat!” he shouted. “Please! Just let me explain!”
But I didn’t stop. I shifted into drive and pressed down on the gas, the tires kicking up gravel as I sped away from the clubhouse.
“Mom, what happened?” Frankie asked, her voice small and scared. “Did Derek do something?”
I couldn’t answer. My throat was too tight. My hands were shaking on the wheel, my knuckles white from gripping it so hard.
All I could think about was Derek’s face when he admitted it. When he said yes, he had hurt Sam.
And I’d let him touch me. Let him inside me. Let him make me feel safe when I should have been running.
“Mom,” Frankie said again, her voice breaking. “Please. You’re scaring me.”
“It’s okay,” I whispered, even though it wasn’t. Even though nothing was okay. “We’re okay.”
But as I drove away from the clubhouse, away from Derek, away from everything that had just happened, I knew it was a lie.
Nothing was okay.
And I had no idea if it ever would be again.