Page 70 of The Cupcake Standard

“It’s just sex. Ow.” I rubbed my arm where she’d smacked me soundly.

“You need to quit that. He’s in love with you and has been from the beginning. Wake up.”

“This is real life, not some fairy tale.” I shook my head, walking into the hallway. “I need a drink.”

Derek had staked out our chair, leaving my space open on it along with a glass of whiskey. Instead of sitting beside him, I sat on the floor between his legs. When I took my drink from him, I ran my hand down his thigh before I settled against the chair.

He leaned forward while the others were deciding what we should do. “Everything good?”

I took a sip from my tumbler. “Just the usual interrogations that come with having Gina as a BFF.”

He laughed.

The group decided on charades, guys against girls. Gina had an app on her phone for it, and we tried to get our team to guess as many as we could before the time ran out. Nobody could figure out why Derek blushed when he got pirate. Or why I laughed when I had to act out carrot. Even though there were four other people in the room, it felt like it was just the two of us.

When it wasn’t our turn, he’d play with my hair, finding a loose piece to twirl between his fingers. Or he’d massage my shoulders and neck, his thumbs feeling like magic on my skin. As the night flew by, so did the drinks, and it just made sense for everyone to stay.

There was one weird moment as we were all saying good night and Liam kissed Carla a little too long. She pulled away, red-faced as we catcalled.

Liam just shrugged, eyeing Derek. “Well, at least I’m not the only one being blue-balled tonight.”

Derek’s promise echoed in my head, and my gaze locked with his. He just winked.

“All right, girls with me.” I rounded up Gina and Carla, who had both come with extra clothes, just in case. I herded them to my room, while Derek pushed the guys down the hall.

He darted back toward me. “Meet here in fifteen minutes, okay?” Then he was gone.

I looked at the clock in my room, counting down each minute as it passed. I raided the couch for a few extra cushions to make a bed, directing Carla and Gina to mine. Maybe they won’t notice me sneaking out. They both breathed steadily when I crept into the hallway, only five minutes late.

“Hey, Cupcake,” was all the warning I got before his whiskey-scented breath mixed with mine. Then he wrapped a blanket around me and hoisted me over his shoulder, true kidnapper style. But he paused, asking in an almost whisper, “Is this okay?”

“Depends on what you’re doing.” I trusted him, more curious than anything.

“Kidnapping you, then having my way with you.” He paused and added an “Arr.”

I couldn’t stop my grin. “Carry on then, just try not to bounce too much.”

“Don’t worry, we’re not going far.” We ducked into the hallway, down one floor and into Liam’s apartment. “I have his spare key, for emergencies. I think this counts.”

I tried to keep my giggle quiet. “He’s going to kill you when he finds out.”

After he shut the door behind us, Derek set me down to spread the blanket on the floor of the living room. Liam’s apartment had one thing we didn’t, a cozy fireplace, which Derek flicked on. When I nibbled on my lip, Derek touched his thumb to my mouth. “He’ll never know. Now stop worrying.” His hands edged under the hem of my nightgown.

I smirked up at him. “Make me.”

He grinned. “Is that a challenge?”

When I didn’t waver, his lips found mine in a kiss that felt different than before. A secret part inside me had unlocked in that bathroom earlier today, and I was scared to look too closely at it.

His warm hands grazed over my ribcage and brushed my breasts before he broke the kiss to tug the nightgown over my head. Those blue eyes raked over my nearly naked length, and my breath caught at his intense perusal. I reached for the bottom of his shirt, slipping my fingers up to touch his flat abdomen. A fire ignited between us.

Derek yanked his shirt over his head, then we collided. We ran our hands over every bit of each other in our frantic need to assuage the hungry yearning. His thumbs dipped into the band of my panties, dropping them to the floor. Our lips met in a fury of passion, not parting as he lowered me onto the blanket. He slipped his fingers into me, and I tore my mouth from his, needing to breathe. I gulped in the air, our eyes locked together. I didn’t even try to fight the tidal wave crashing over me, and I came under the heat of Derek’s gaze.

The delightful bliss was a mere taste of what it would take to satisfy me. I’d crossed a line today, and there was no going back. I not only wanted him—I needed him with an urgency like nothing I’d ever felt before. He ripped the condom open with his teeth, his movements hurried as if he too were under the same spell. When he finally slid into me, I moaned.

It wasn’t enough, and I arched against him as he pounded out a furious rhythm. My fingers dug into his back. His hands gripped my shoulders, each of us anchoring the other. I clenched around him, the only warning I had before reaching that pinnacle. His name slipped from my lips in a rough cry as I shuddered in his arms. Several thrusts more, and he went rigid, pulsing into me. I stared up at him, ripples of bliss washing over me as I stared at Derek. His blue eyes held a tenderness that should have frightened me, but instead I basked in it. There was no room for anything else at the moment. He didn’t move right away, simply holding my gaze while our breathing steadied.

When he did pull out, he stood, walking over to grab a tissue from the box on the end table. I missed him immediately, but the view of his chiseled back and firm ass made up for it.

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