Love Like Ours (Sugar Lake Book 3) Page 8

  The more Talia learned about him, the harder she fell for the man he was and all that he stood for.

  Dinner was delicious, and the banter was entertaining. Derek and his friends treated one another like siblings. They had deep discussions about life and lightheartedly pondered how their dreams had changed over the years. They teased and joked and weren’t afraid to show their real emotions. Talia couldn’t remember the last time she’d enjoyed an evening as much as she enjoyed tonight. Derek and his friends also seemed genuinely interested in hearing about her and the classes she taught. It was easy to see why Derek had bonded with them, and even easier to see that these were more than friends. She imagined gatherings like tonight were rejuvenating for all of them. Including me.

  They danced around the kitchen as they cleared the table to prepare for dessert, though she was so full from their pre-dinner sugarfest and the delicious meal, she wasn’t sure she could eat another bite.

  “Talia’s sister made chocolate baklava,” Derek said, then dipped his head and kissed her shoulder as he walked past.

  She felt like she was in a scene from The Big Chill—and loved every second of it. Outside of her family, she’d never had friends like these, who were so open and fun, but also serious about family and life. And never in a million years would she have imagined herself dancing around someone else’s kitchen with people she’d just met. She gazed across the room at Derek, and her heart stumbled. Oh yes, Mr. Blue Eyes, you are definitely turning my world upside down, and I never thought I’d like that, either.

  “My favorite!” India said. “You should bring her sometime. Anyone who makes chocolate baklava deserves to feast with us.”

  “Willow would love this. She was very intrigued by my guy and his request for a Mediterranean dessert.”

  The room went silent, save for the music as Derek’s friends exchanged approving glances. Derek took her hand and pulled her against him, and she realized what she’d said.

  “Your guy?” he asked.

  “It just came out,” she said quickly, but for the first time since college, she felt—truly felt—excited about, and interested in, a man. She didn’t want to tiptoe around it or pretend it wasn’t the most amazing feeling, so she said, “But I kind of hope it’s true. I mean, if you—”

  Her words were silenced by the press of his lips. His friends hooted and cheered, making her blush a red streak.

  “I’m your guy, beautiful,” he said against her lips, and began a sensual dance.

  This wasn’t a stage dance meant to impress. His body swayed fluidly and somehow also powerfully, moving with her, not for her, as he gazed deeply into her eyes. She felt herself letting go, lifting more of her barriers, wanting to be even closer to him. In the next second, images of him up onstage, dancing in front of all those other women, came at her, stealing a little of her joy. She felt herself stiffen, and confusion rose in his eyes. He began singing along with the stereo in a low, seductive voice about taking his arm and walking down the street.

  His gaze turned pleading, as if he’d read her mind and understood her struggle. He pressed his cheek to hers, still singing, though this was no song she’d ever heard before. This was meant for her ears only.

  “Let it go, sweet Talia. It’s not who I am; you know it’s true. Be with me. Let me show you.” He drew back, never missing a beat. His hands splayed across her back possessively, honesty welling in the depths of his eyes as he said, “You can trust me to be careful with your heart.”

  All it took was one look for him to understand what was going on in her head and, more importantly, for him to want to make her comfortable. She was safe with him and somehow knew she could trust him not to hurt her. His words soothed her, his body beckoned her, and the tension faded away. She melted against him as he sang to her, and the lingering weight of her worries lifted. It was an amazing and frightening feeling to trust someone that much. They danced through several songs, his friends singing and swaying around them, and soon, to her surprise, it all felt natural—dancing, trusting, the safety of Derek and this group of friends. It didn’t matter that she hadn’t known any of them long or that there were aspects of Derek’s job she struggled with, because those aspects enabled him to give more of himself to his father and, if he realized his dreams, to also help many more families. The way he focused on her, cared about her comfort, made it easy to feel like she belonged. Like they belonged together. She gave herself permission not to overthink or overanalyze, but to enjoy another romantic evening with the man who made her heart happy.

  When the song ended, Derek continued holding her, dancing, as he whispered, “Are you looking for the nearest exit so you can sprint back to your comfort zone yet?”

  He’d held her hand all evening and shared his dinner, offering tastes of different dishes and explaining who’d made what. He laughed at her jokes and paid complete attention when she spoke, making it easy to forget this was their first real date. And as she gazed into the bottomless blue eyes of the man who had appeared unexpectedly in her life and was surprising her at every turn, running away was the last thing on her mind.

  “I’m actually hoping tonight never ends.”

  On the drive home, Talia was a hot mess. Her hormones were in overdrive, taking full advantage of their venture out of their comfort zone and making her a nervous wreck. This was worse than finals week when she was in college. Worse than when she lost her virginity, because at least then she’d had enough alcohol in her system to dull her nerves. This was knee-knocking, stomach-tumbling nervousness. Wanting Derek had become all she could think about. He was as tender and thoughtful as he was manly, and every time those blue eyes locked on her, she got the feeling he looked deeper and saw more of the real her than anyone ever had. Oh, how she wanted to feel all his tenderness and his virility when he touched her, those big hands wandering all over her naked body. Heat shivered down her spine as he parked by her house and came around to her side of the car to help her out.

  “Shall we?” He reached for her hand.

  At five nine, Talia was the tallest of her sisters, and she had relatively large hands. Derek’s hand engulfed hers, sparking more dirty thoughts about what she’d like him to do with them. She usually turned into a motormouth when she was nervous, but as he walked her to her door, she wasn’t sure she could even form a coherent good night without attacking him.

  On the porch, she fidgeted with her keys. Should she invite him in? She wanted to, but would that make her seem easy? She wasn’t easy, and she had a feeling he already knew that, but right that second, after so many steamy kisses and such a wonderful night, every beat of her heart pushed her to be easy with him.

  “I can’t remember the last time I’ve had so much fun. Thank you for coming with me tonight.” He gathered her in his arms and slid his hand possessively to the nape of her neck. “You’re shaking. Cold?”

  “Nervous. So nervous.” Oh my gosh. I’m so lame . . .

  Flames rose in his eyes. He brushed his lips over her cheek and said, “Let me help you with that.”

  His lips covered hers, soft and sweet, like the first step outside on a summer day, warm and inviting. Exhilarating. His fingers tightened in her hair, and a moan of appreciation crawled from his lungs, vibrating into their kiss. That sound unleashed hours—days? years?—of pent-up desire, and she went a little wild. Kissing him ravenously, she shoved her fingers into his hair, causing it to break free from its tether and tumble over her wrists. Why did that turn her on even more? Her world was spinning, and her body was on a mission, pressing against his hard frame, feeling every inch of his desire, urging him to take more. Her hands moved along his broad shoulders, his muscles flexing against her palms as her hands glided down his back. Blood rushed in her ears as she fought the urge to go lower. She wanted to feel more of him so badly, just the thought of touching his ass made her go damp. She craved taking what she wanted, but she’d never been a taker. He intensified their kisses, and every stroke of his tongue ch
ipped away at her good-girl resolve. When he moaned, the greedy sound shattered her last shred of restraint. She lowered her hands to his firm butt, and her emotions skidded and whirled, drawing a long, surrendering moan from her lungs. His hips ground against her, setting off fireworks behind her closed eyelids, and her back met the door, shocking her back to reality.

  They were making out like horny teenagers on her front porch!

  She reluctantly tore her mouth from his, instantly mourning the loss, and panted out, “We should go inside.”

  He framed her face with his hands as he’d done earlier, his eyes storming with passion. “If I come in, there’s a chance I’ll get called away in the middle . . .”

  Her entire body clenched in anticipation.

  “I don’t want to do that to you,” he said. “I won’t do that to you. In an hour I won’t want to leave you even more than I don’t want to right now. But make no mistake about this. I want you, Talia, only you. I want you like I’ve never wanted a woman in my life. I want to be closer to you, to feel your naked body against mine. To become one with you in every sense.”

  Yes . . . God, yes.

  Her body shook with desire. She couldn’t speak, could barely think.

  “My life is complicated, but I want to see you again and again and again,” he said. “Even if only for a few stolen minutes, an hour, whatever we can get. Maria is taking care of my father for a few hours tomorrow morning so I can run a few errands. Can I see you then?”

  “I promised to go dress shopping with my sisters.” Her words came fast and breathless. “What about at night?”

  “I have to work. Sunday? I’m taking my father to a museum. Come with us?”

  She stifled the urge to accept right away, her brain slowly awakening. “Are you sure you don’t want that time alone with him?”

  “Talia. My sweet, careful Talia,” he said softly. “I want you there. My life is always going to be complicated, and I know it’s another strange date request, so I’ll understand if you’d rather not—”

  “No,” she said quickly. “I want to go. I just didn’t want to intrude.”

  “Don’t worry, my careful girl,” he said sweetly. “You’re no intrusion. Are you ready for another great date starter? Would it be too much to ask you to meet us at my place? The museum is about half an hour from there, and the fewer changes to my father’s routine, the better.”

  “I don’t mind at all.” She loved that he wasn’t embarrassed to ask for what he needed in order for his father to be comfortable. “Is there anything I should know before meeting him?”

  Something akin to gratitude washed over him. “Sometimes he calls me Archie, when he thinks I’m his brother, and he might get agitated when we’re out. I never know when something will set him off, so we try to keep to a routine, but even that might not help. And he has moments of lucidity that are like glimpses into who he used to be. They’re gifts, and I treasure every single one of them.” He opened his hand and looked at it, his fingers curling slowly. “Those moments, they’re like sand slipping through my fingers. I try to hold on to them, and . . .” He shrugged, but the longing in his eyes told of his anguish. “What you really need to know is that he was a supportive father who fed my love of music and art and my passion for life. He was a loving husband to my mother and a hardworking man. The person you’ll meet is a shell of the man he once was.”

  “If he did all those things for you, that part of him isn’t gone. It lives on inside you, and it’ll be an honor to meet him.”

  He touched his lips to hers in another tummy-tumbling kiss. “Remind me to thank your family for distracting you enough to almost run me over.” He kissed her again, softer this time, as if he was weaning them off deeper kisses. “If you haven’t yet figured out that I’m not a charmed prince, you will soon.”

  She couldn’t resist running her fingers through his hair. “Princes are given everything in life. I prefer a man who gives as much as he gets.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  SATURDAY SUCKED. DEREK ended up working two shifts, one as a bartender and one to cover a dancer who called out sick. Although he’d made a slew of tips dancing, there had been a group of drunk women celebrating their friend’s twenty-first birthday, and a handful of them had hung around the parking lot after he closed for the night. He was used to being propositioned—and turning them down—but it never failed to surprise him how far some women went to be noticed. He’d been flashed, offered blow jobs, hand jobs, sex with multiple partners, and just about everything else under the sun. It had always been easy to walk away, especially now, since the only person he wanted to be propositioned by was a certain professor with cautious eyes and a hungry heart.

  Sunday afternoon, as he waited for Talia to arrive, he remembered what she’d said about his father’s goodness living on in him. Her comment had given him an enormous sense of pride. He looked up from his drawing, taking in his father’s profile as he gazed out the window. Missing the man his father had been was a never-ending, bone-deep ache inside him. This disease was cruel not only to the person it lived in, but to those lives that person touched. He’d never regretted anything he had to do to make sure his father had everything he needed, and he knew if his father were lucid, he’d want him to do whatever it took to help other families who were in the same situation. He could only hope that one day Talia would be okay with his dancing, because he needed that income and flexibility to make it all happen.

  He set his hand on his father’s leg, catching his attention, and said, “Pop, you remember we’re going to the museum soon, and my friend Talia is coming along?” Derek knew his father wouldn’t remember their plans for the outing, but he always posed questions as if he might, just in case he got lucky. They’d had a nice morning, and his chest constricted as he waited for his father to respond, hoping this wouldn’t agitate him.

  “Okay,” his father said, then went back to looking out the window.

  He sighed with relief. Another hurdle avoided. At least for now. He went back to drawing, and a few minutes later he heard Talia’s car out front. Adrenaline pushed him to his feet, and he watched her through the front window as she parked. “I’ll be right back, Pop.”

  He raked his hands through his hair, taking a moment to settle himself down. He didn’t want to seem overly anxious even though he was. He opened the door just as she climbed the porch steps, looking gorgeous bundled up in her red coat and flashing her heart-melting smile. The day they’d spent apart felt like a year. How was it possible that he’d missed her so much in such a short time? Drawn to her like a bee to a flower, he stepped outside and gathered her in his arms. His entire body exhaled. This was so right. She belonged in his arms.

  “Hey there, Teach. It should be illegal to look as good as you do every day of the week.”

  Her arms circled his neck, happiness twinkling in her eyes. It was the greatest sight he’d ever seen. Well, other than the lustful looks she’d given him the other night.

  “I’m no longer your teacher, and you need to kiss me quick, before I die of anticipation.”

  “Sweet Jesus, you are the most precious thing.”

  He lowered his lips to hers, going for a tender kiss, but his first taste of her sent bolts of heat coursing through him, and when she pushed her hands into his hair, making sensual sounds, tenderness was a lost cause. He deepened the kiss, and they stumbled with the force of it, crashing against the wall beside the front door. In his T-shirt, his arms took the brunt of the brick, and those abrasions only made their make-out session that much hotter. She fisted her fingers in his hair, holding on so tight the sting shot to his cock, sending his hips bucking forward.

  “Mm,” she moaned, and tugged on his hair again.

  “Fuck, Talia,” he ground out.

  He wedged himself between her legs, grinding against her. Their kisses turned rougher, more urgent, as if these few seconds might be all they ever got. And hell if that didn’t rattle Derek to his core. Thinking of
his father alone in the house, he reluctantly broke away. Her lips glistened, pink and alluring. Fire and ice battled inside him with the realization that he needed to get inside. But he wasn’t ready, not yet. He had to have more.

  He laced his fingers with hers and took her in another cock-throbbing kiss. She arched against him, wanting and needy. Fuuuck.

  “I can’t stop kissing you,” he said between bouts of devouring her. “But I have to.”

  “I know.” She went up on her toes, allowing him to consume more of her.

  When they finally parted, they were both breathless. He pinned their joined hands above her head, because if she touched his hair again, he was going to lose it. Her eyes said take me, her writhing body pleaded now, but she was worrying her lower lip in the way that made his insides go soft. He released her hands and gathered her in his arms. “Was that a giant leap outside your comfort zone?”

  “You have no idea how giant.”

  He met her smiling eyes and kissed her softly. “I do know, Talia. I see so much that you try to keep hidden.”

  “Everything with you is outside my comfort zone,” she said with a more serious expression. “But I’ve decided my family is right. It’s time I step outside that familiar circle, and I want to do it with you.”

  Her gaze moved over his face, slowing at his mouth so long, his body rocked into her again, earning a sensual sigh.

  “Maybe I’m part of your new comfort zone.” He kissed her again, slow and sweet, before finally putting space between them for the last time. He straightened her coat, tucked her hair behind her ear, touching her anywhere he could without ramping up their arousal, because not touching her wasn’t an option.

  She inhaled deeply and blew it out slowly. “I was nervous about meeting your dad. You got rid of that anxiety, but now there’s this between us, and I’m going to be hot and bothered all day.”

  “Want to go back to your car and start over?” he teased.

  She shook her head. “It wouldn’t matter if we never touched. This heat between us is inescapable. Your eyes do me in every time.”