Page 11 of Dealing Dirty
Cassidy’s gone silent behind me, and I know it’s not because she’s enjoying the show. “What is it, babe?”
Her eyes brim with tears. I drop my spare clothes on top of Jack’s desk before stepping over to her. She’s not usually the emotional one. “Cassidy, what’s the matter?”
She swipes under her eyes. “I’m sorry. I really did want to give you space, but it’s been hell not having you at the house or working with you like we used to.”
How could I have been so oblivious? Clearly my absence has hurt her more than she’s let on. “No, I realize now what a terrible, selfish mistake that was. Bruce was someone I’d loved, but you guys are my family, albeit a very dysfunctional one. I shouldn’t have disappeared like that.”
I pull her toward me, and we cling to each other for a minute while I gather the courage to be honest. “I need to know that it’s okay for this to be temporary. I appreciate everything you guys are doing for me, I do. But if I choose to leave Mackville when this all blows over, can you promise me you’ll be okay with that?”
“Of course, Jules. I’ll be glad to have you as long as I can, and if this doesn’t work out, then I understand.” Pulling away, she laces her fingers in mine. “I don’t want you worrying about Bruce or his men. Jack, Micah, and D aren’t going to let anything happen to us. Even Ben is protecting us in his own way.”
My heart plummets to my stomach at the mention of Derrick, and as usual, memories of our night together coalesce with the earthy scent of cedar and smoke. Almost like he was standing right beside me. “Have you, uh… heard from him at all? I’m surprised he’s not here tonight.”
“What? Don’t get that gleam in your eye, woman. There’s nothing going on. I’m just curious is all.” I shrug, reaching a hand under each of my breasts to scoop them into position in my bra. I peek down at my handywork before wiggling my brows.
She snorts. “Sure you are. He’s actually been gone for the last week. Something about visiting his sister. I think she may be moving back here.”
“Ah. Sasha, right?”
Cassidy gathers her hair into a ponytail and cocks her head. “How did you—”
A heavy knock on the door and a deep male voice interrupts our conversation. “Hey, Cass, can you come out here for a sec? Someone jammed the jukebox full of quarters again.”
My body goes slack. It’s Micah and not the person I was hoping to avoid for… well, forever if I’m lucky.
“Why do we even keep that ugly thing around?” She rolls her eyes. Adding a smile in my direction, she says, “Take your time getting ready. I’ll meet you in the kitchen once I put out this fire.” Leaning in, she places a warm kiss on my cheek, and I return the affection, wishing her luck.
With Cassidy gone, the unnatural quiet makes me fidgety. I wring my hands before smoothing them over my outfit one more time. I’m on the shorter side, which means I’m all thighs and ass, and these scraps of clothing do nothing but accentuate them. Being a thicker-bottomed woman generally means a lot of unsolicited attention from the male species.
I look back at the asset in question. “You better not embarrass me tonight.”
“Who are you talking to?”
Blood drains from my face with a dizzyingwhoosh, and I squeeze Jack’s desk in a death grip to keep myself upright.
Derrick leans against the doorframe with his arms across his chest and one booted foot crossed in front of the other. Saliva pools across my tongue at the sight of his Wranglers and those delicious muscled forearms. I do my best to hide a swallow, skimming up and over his strong biceps before fixing my gaze on an all-knowing smirk.
Oh, hey, denial. How you doin’?
The amusement glittering in his soft brown eyes makes him all the more handsome. There’s not a chance in hell I’ll ever grow tired of admiring him. The slight curl at the end of those blond tresses and the boyish grin that’s created a permanent dimple in his left cheek make my stomach flip.
“I-I… What? No one,” I fumble, finally finding my voice. “Well, me, I guess. My ass actually.”
Flames scorch their way up my neck to deepen the color of my cheeks, but I can’t look away. I’m tangled in the web he’s woven and desperate to be devoured.
He takes a step forward, considering me the same tentative way Jack did earlier, and again, I chastise myself for making them all so skittish around me.
With a hiked brow, he shifts to get a look. “And did your ass respond?”
Derrick’s voice is a silken caress as it crosses the room, tenderly stoking those flames into something less embarrassing and much more intimate. Flashes of our roaming hands and heated bodies fuel my deepest desires. What would it be like to close the distance and press my lips to his again? To claim him the way I’d imagined that night in Vegas, instead of screwing him blind.
I fidget with the strap of my constricting tank top, and the subtle movement draws his gaze directly to my cleavage—right to where his mouth had marked me repeatedly.
Oh?I get a front-row seat to watch as he remembers those touches, too, relieved I’m not the only one affected by this insane attraction.
There’s no stopping the grin that curls my lips as I unfurl myself from Jack’s desk. Slowly, and oh, so deliberately, I sway my hips as I stride past him.
“Why don’t you ask her?”
