Page 105 of The Cupcake Standard

He tilted his head, studying me now. “What?”

I allowed my need to shine through, my voice husky with it. “I fantasize about hearing that voice in bed.”

Those blue eyes widened, blinking in shock.

“What are you going to do to stop me?” I lowered my voice to almost a whisper, taking half a step backward.

His grin was predatory. “This.” And with one swift motion, he threw me over his shoulder, striding through the door with my ass in the air.

I smiled as I bounced along, happy to be back where I belonged. “Derek?”

“Yeah?” He slowed.

“I love you.” I heard his smile when he answered.

“I love you, too.”

My fingers played with the waistline of his pants through the split in his suit coat. “Don’t take off the tie.”

He paused in his steps. “What? Why?”

I grinned. “’Cause I have plans for it.”

“Yeah?” He set me down, making sure I slid down every solid inch of him.

Not that I was complaining. I kept my eyes on his the entire time, letting him see how much I enjoyed it. Particularly when I ended up pressed against his thigh, his warm hands around my waist. Then I realized we weren’t alone.

Derek was speaking to a chauffeur, not Greg. When the chauffeur left, Derek said, “Greg took Rhonda home. Tony drove me here tonight, so he’ll take us home.”

I went to get in, but Derek’s hand stopped me.

“One more thing, Cupcake.” His hand came up to fiddle with his tie, not meeting my gaze. “I hope I’m not overstepping, but I spoke to my lawyers. They think you’d have a pretty good case if you want to build something against your mom. You could go for power of attorney over your dad, and it sounds to me like a lot of her start-up money was his to begin with, so there might be misappropriation of funds, too. Maybe even neglect, given his isolated situation.”

I gaped at him, too stunned to speak.

He touched my cheek, searching my face. “Was that too much? Should I have kept my nose out of it?”

Tears gathered in my eyes, spilling down my cheeks as I threw my arms around him. “No, Derek. That’s the best possible gift you could have ever given me. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart.” I clung to him for a long moment as I regained my composure, then I stepped back, swiping at my cheeks.

His smile was tender as he allowed me time to compose myself. “Okay, I’ll give my lawyers the go-ahead to start looking into it first thing tomorrow.”

I kissed him, slowly, passionately, putting all the things I couldn’t say into that kiss. When I pulled back and Derek turned those burning blue eyes on me, I was suddenly thankful Greg wasn’t our driver.

After opening the door, Derek commanded me, “Get in.”

“Yes, Captain.” My answer was demure, and I made sure to show a bit more leg than necessary climbing in. I knew he’d appreciate the lacy garters. Desire strained within me, a frantic thing needing to be freed. The coolness of the leather seat jarred my skin through my dress, and I could hardly wait the few seconds for Derek to be next to me. At least the barrier was up between us and the front seat.

As soon as he was within reach, I grabbed a hold of the tie, just like the first day. I yanked him to me, burying my other hand in his luscious curls and finally, finally melded my lips to his.

His delicious weight settled on top of me. Somehow even in our frenzy, he was thoughtful, producing something soft to stuff under my head while we devoured one another. His hands were everywhere, running down my bodice, stroking my thighs, cupping my ass. Our teeth clashed as we deepened the kiss.

“How does this thing come off?” he asked, pulling back and looking at my dress like it was his nemesis.

I couldn’t help a laugh. “I picked it out just for you.”

He waited impatiently, arching an eyebrow. So I gave him a not so subtle shove as he sighed and moved off me. Then I presented him with my back, sweeping my hair to one side.

“I definitely need help getting out of this one.” Silence met me, so I glanced over my shoulder. I grinned to see his mouth open as he gaped at my laces. “You didn’t notice?”

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