Chapter Twenty Derek
CHAPTER TWENTY
Derek
I didn’t put Jasmine down until we’d reached the bedroom, which was no easy feat with Tora attacking me as soon as I entered the apartment.
I only let her go for the briefest of moments while I undressed and crawled into bed beside her.
She eyed me wordlessly as I slowly peeled her out of her clothing one article at a time.
I pressed a kiss to the soft fragrant skin on the tops of each of her toes and gradually worked my way up her body, lingering on her thighs and hips.
She squirmed under my palms as I pressed my fingertips into the delicate but firm globes of her breasts.
She let out heartbreakingly beautiful moans that made my chest tighten.
I wanted to be inside her so badly I thought I might go insane, but I also wanted to take my time exploring and committing every square inch of her body to memory.
Jasmine Morgan was the most amazing thing that had ever happened to me.
I’d wasted so much time in Miller’s Cove with her at arm’s length, trying to delay the inevitable.
Now that I’d accepted the truth, the thought of losing her again terrified me.
How many more times would I be able to smooth my palms along the insides of her thighs?
How many more times would I hear her intoxicating laugh when I caressed the ticklish curve of her waist with the backs of my fingertips?
“Derek?” Jasmine’s soft voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
“Yes, kitten?” I placed a soft kiss on the gentle curve of her right breast before looking up to meet her soft brown eyes.
“Exactly how much did you miss me?” She reached up and cupped one of my cheeks with her palm to slowly guide our mouths together.
“I’m about to show you.” Our lips finally separated with a soft pop. After pressing my body between her thighs to separate them, I wrapped one of her legs around my waist. “Is that what you want?”
“Yes, sir,” she whispered before I flexed my hips forward, pressing the head of my dick into the fluttering opening of her waiting pussy. Her body welcomed me in one fluid motion, and her moans of ecstasy told me that she needed me just as much as I needed her.
“I love you, Jasmine,” I grunted in between thrusts.
“I love you, too,” she whispered and wrapped her other leg around my waist, gently squeezing me between her thighs. I closed my eyes and let the sensations setting ablaze every nerve ending in my body overwhelm me.
“Oh, Derek!” Jasmine screamed my name when I sank my teeth into one of her nipples.
“I’m gonna come. Please don’t stop. Just like that.
” I opened my eyes to see her face contorted in pleasure with one lone tear racing down her temple.
I caught that tear in a kiss as I continued to sheathe and unsheathe myself in her delicious heat as she began to clench and spasm beneath me.
Her body squeezing me, punctuated by her cries of relief, made me lose control.
My release came with grunts and spasms until I collapsed on top of her, completely drained, emotionally and physically.
I’d expected my first time with Jasmine to be amazing, but I hadn’t expected every time to get better and better.
I didn’t know how our lives would change when we left Miller’s Cove, but I was willing to wait as long as I could to find out.
I rolled off Jasmine and pulled her body into mine.
Both of our chests were heaving. Her face was glistening with sweat, and she was wearing that dazzling smile that rivaled the sun.
“You’re mine,” I whispered and pressed our mouths together. “You’ve always been mine. Even when I didn’t know it. Even when I was too foolish to see. You belonged to me.”
“Even when I was stealing your shrimp?” She let out a heady giggle.
“Especially when you were stealing my shrimp.”
“Derek Carter, the man with the plan.” Marty Aldridge’s voice called through the speaker of my phone. “I hope you’ve got something good for me.”
I’d left Jasmine working on her laptop at the kitchen table to take Tora for his morning walk. She was very careful not to let me get a glimpse of what she was working on, reminding me of the absurdity of our situation.
We were work rivals vying for the same position.
We were pretending to be married to trick people who had welcomed us into their lives, who we also planned to exploit.
We were on opposite sides of a family rift.
We were in love.
I would laugh, but nothing about this situation was funny, just ridiculous.
“Derek,” Marty’s voice called again, ripping me out of my thoughts. “You there?”
“Yeah, I’m here. I’m here.”
“What’s the good word?”
“Look, I’m gonna need an extension.”
“An extension?” He scoffed. “What the hell for?”
“I got some new information, and I need to investigate some things before I’m ready to submit my proposal.”
“What kind of new information?” He suddenly seemed worried. “Nothing that could tank the deal, right?”
“Nah, nothing like that,” I lied. “You know me. I like to have all my ducks in a row. Make sure that I’m fully prepared for every contingency.”
“Like a Boy Scout.” He chuckled in relief. “I don’t think an extension is a good idea, but I trust you know what you’re doing.”
“Thanks, Marty.”
“Keep in mind you’re competing with that Morgan woman from Westwood. I heard she’s good, and as far as I know she hasn’t asked for more time. Just be smart about this.”
“I always am. Listen, I’m about to walk into a meeting. I’ll talk to you soon.”
I ended the call and flopped down onto a nearby bench. Tora used the opportunity to curl up in a shady spot, and I decided to call Chris.
“Man.” CJ laughed. “I didn’t talk to you this much when we lived in the same house. Jasmine’s driving you that crazy?”
“Yeah, you could say that, but that’s not the reason—” I paused. “Well, it’s not the only reason I called.”
“What’s up, D? This sounds serious.”
“It is.”
“Well, hit me with it.”
“You remember the Tulsa Massacre?”
“Yeah, we watched Lovecraft Country and Watchmen together. Of course I remember it.”
“You know how I’m in this town Miller’s Cove, cofounded by a wealthy Black inventor in 1922?”
“Yeah, you told me. What does one have to do with the other?”
“That cofounder, John William Pike, was a survivor of the Tulsa Massacre. That’s how he ended up in Florida and why he founded a town that no one’s ever heard of.”
“That is some crazy work, Derek. So what do you need me for?”
“I need your advice.” I sighed and dropped my head into my palm. “I can’t do it. I can’t hand this place over to MasonCorp.”
“What happens if you don’t?”
“I lose my job.”
“And if you do?”
“I keep my job, but I won’t be able to look at myself in the mirror.”
“This is the corporate grind. Why is this one so different? Is it because of Jasmine? Tell me you’re not thinking of tanking your career because of the girl you’ve had a thing for your entire life.”
“No,” I protested. “It’s not because of Jasmine.” At least, I hoped it wasn’t. “It’s this town, this place, these people, and a lot of other stuff.”
“‘Other stuff’ like what? You’re not telling me anything.”
“Other stuff like Oscarville, Rosewood, Seneca Village, Slocum, Ocoee and who knows how many other towns. I don’t know if another place like this exists. How can I, of all people, be the one responsible for destroying it?”
“So what are you gonna do?”
“I don’t know.”
“What do you want to do?”
“I want to tell Edward Mason to kiss my ass.”
Chris let out a loud laugh, and I couldn’t help but crack a smile despite the severity of my situation.
“I wouldn’t recommend that, but if you’re feeling this strongly, you have to follow your gut.”
“Yeah, but if I don’t do this, someone else will, so is it really worth throwing away ten years of hard work?”
“Well, it sounds like it is,” Chris said. “Listen, kid, you’re the second smartest person I know. You’ll figure out a way to make this work. One lesson Dad taught us is that integrity is your most important asset. It’s what makes you a man.”
“Yeah, and look where Dad’s integrity got him.”
“That’s not the point. Make whatever you feel is the right decision. Follow your heart, and everything will work itself out.”
“Speaking of following my heart…” I trailed off.
“Yeah?” I could hear the smirk in CJ’s voice. “Go ahead. Hit me with it.”
“I’m in love with Jasmine.”
“I knew it,” he shouted so loudly that I had to hold the phone away from my ear. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to spend any time with that girl without her wrapping you around her little finger. Just don’t let her poison you again.”
“Shut the hell up.” A grin I couldn’t suppress spread across my face.
“Does she feel the same way?”
“Yeah.” My smile grew wider. “She does.”
“How do you know?”
“She told me,” I said before adding, “And she showed me.”
“Oh shit!” CJ crowed, and I had to hold the phone away from my ear again. “You hit it?”
“C’mon, man, be an adult. But yes, Jasmine and I had sex.”
“And…”
“It was amazing, but it’s not about the sex. She makes me feel things I’ve never felt before. She makes me imagine a life outside of the corporate grind, a life with kids and a house and trips to Disney World and everything.”
“Hold on, D. Slow down. If you’re happy, I’m happy for you, but remember this is Jasmine Morgan we’re talking about.
You’ve been with her in Miller’s Cove for a few weeks, and you’re talking about quitting your job and going to Disney World.
I want you to be careful and really think about what you’re doing. ”
“I know what I’m doing. I’m following my heart. Isn’t that what you just told me to do?”
“I want you to use your head, too. The big one, not the little one. Our folks used to be in love. They mixed business with pleasure, and look where they are now.”
“Jasmine and I are not our parents.”
“I know that, Derek. I also know that if we don’t learn from our past, we’re doomed to repeat it.”
“Did you get that out of a Snapple cap?” I muttered.
“Make jokes, but watch yourself, little brother.”
“I will. Thanks, man.”
“Don’t worry about it. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
When I’d called my brother, I’d felt sure about my relationship with Jasmine and confused about my job. I ended the call knowing exactly how I felt about MasonCorp but more confused than ever about Jasmine.
I thought about my brother’s advice. If I didn’t learn from my parents’ mistakes, I’d be doomed to repeat them.
The one thing my parents did, the thing they were still doing, was keeping secrets.
If I wanted my relationship with Jasmine to survive whatever was going to happen with our jobs, I had to be open with her.
I planned to march back into that apartment and tell her everything without chickening out like I did this morning.
I couldn’t do it.
I walked into the apartment determined to lay everything on the line: Greenwood, MasonCorp, Dennis Walker, the whole nine. But when I walked in the door, I took one look at her face and knew that I couldn’t tell her anything that would take that smile away.
As it turned out, she’d been spending all morning working on plans for the Founders’ Day picnic.
She jumped up from the kitchen table, grabbed my face with both hands, and pulled me into a kiss that made my heart expand in my chest. I unhooked Tora’s leash, scooped Jasmine into my arms, and walked us toward the bedroom while she told me all of the ideas she and Eleanor had planned.
I hung on her every word, hoping there was a way I could stretch these moments into forever.
“Penny for your thoughts, Mr. Boyce.” Jasmine stroked my face as she lay cuddled next to me, pressing her nude, sweaty body against mine and wrapping her thigh around my waist.
“I was just wondering if you were trying to kill me with that little move you do with your hips, Mrs. Boyce.” I chuckled and smoothed a hand over her back.
“I thought you liked the little thing I do with my hips,” she purred in a deep voice before sucking one of my nipples between her teeth and releasing it. “I can stop doing it if you’d like.”
“I can think of much worse ways to die, kitten.”
“Seriously, what’s on your mind?” She sat up and turned her body to face me, pulling the sheet across her chest. “When you came home”—she paused and momentarily averted her eyes—“I mean, into the apartment, you looked like you were carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders.”
“Then I took one look at you, and I couldn’t think about anything else.” I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her onto my chest.
“Very smooth, Derek, but I know that there’s something bothering you.” She let out a sigh. “It might be the same thing that’s bothering me.”
“Why don’t you tell me what’s bothering you”—I planted a kiss on the top of her head—“and I’ll tell you if you’re right.”
“Nuh-uh, Derek.” She chuckled and folded her arms over my chest so she could rest her chin on them to face me. “If I confide in you, you have to promise to confide in me.” She raised an eyebrow.
“I promise.” I nodded.
“And I need another promise.” Her playful expression faded, and her gaze grew intense. “What I tell you can’t leave this bedroom.” She paused, still gazing at me, and I nodded again. “Eleanor told me this in confidence, and I couldn’t bear for her to think that I betrayed her trust.”
“You have my word, kitten.” I smiled at her. “Tell me.”
“Well, I know that you know that town’s founding was connected to the Tulsa Massacre.”
“How did you—” I began.
“Eleanor asked me if you’d told me how the town was founded.”
“Ah.” I nodded. “I was planning to talk to you about it, but I couldn’t find the right moment.”
“I get it.” She hit me with a sardonic smirk. “Is there ever a good time to bring up a horrific mass murder?”
“No.” I smoothed my palm over the soft skin of her back. “There isn’t. Is that what’s bothering you, the connection to Tulsa?”
“Yes.” She nodded. “But it’s not just that.
Miller’s Cove is special for a lot of reasons, and not just the people.
John William Pike’s berries have the potential to make millions, maybe even billions.
It could make my career, but it makes me sick to think about it.
The more time I spend here, the more conflicted I am about the reason I came.
I know what I have to do, but I’m not sure if I can. ”
We lay together in silence, just holding each other, while Jasmine’s words hung in the air like a heavy weight.
“Derek.” She broke the silence. “It’s your turn.”
I let out a deep sigh before I responded.
“Baby, I feel the exact same way.”