Page 41 of The Love Audit
“C’mon,” he said, his arm steadying me as we shuffled toward the bathroom. “I gotcha, stinky.”
I burst out laughing, swatting him weakly on the arm. Once we reached the bathroom, Derek started the shower and laid out a towel and clean pajamas. I perched on the closed toilet lid, watching him move with surprising efficiency. His presence was oddly comforting.
“All set.” He took a step toward the door. “Yell if you need me.”
After the shower, which felt like the most luxurious experience of my life, Derek helped me back into the king-sized bed, which now had clean, soft sheets. “Feel better?” he asked, his voice soft.
“Much better,” I replied, unable to suppress the smile spreading across my face.
“You smell better, too,” he quipped, dodging the pillow I tossed at him. “You didn’t smell before,” he added hastily, laughing as he left the room.
Twenty minutes later, Derek returned, freshly showered and wearing only pajama pants. My eyes betrayed me, sliding downward before I could stop them, confirming what I’d already suspected from Cassie’s comments: impressive print. Damn it.
“You okay?” Derek refilled my water glass, his biceps flexing suspiciously.
“Would you mind putting on a shirt?”
“Why?” he replied, feigning innocence.
“Because it’s distracting.”
He smirked but left, returning moments later in a white T-shirt that did little to diminish the distraction. He shooed Tora off the bed before climbing in, only for Tora to reclaim his spot at the foot of the bed once Derek settled.
“Lights on or off?”
“Still afraid of the dark, Derek?” I teased.
“Lights off, smart-ass,” he replied, switching off the lamp. The room plunged into darkness.
“Derek?” My voice wavered, and I was glad he couldn’t see me.
“Yeah?”
“I’m really sorry I lost Tora,” I whispered, sniffing back tears.
“I know,” he said softly. “I’m sorry I lost my temper with you. You didn’t deserve that.”
“Tora’s a pretty special guy,” I murmured, reaching down to pat his head.
“Yeah, he is.” Derek let out a long sigh. “And I should’ve told you he likes to bolt if you take him off the leash.”
“He likes to what?” I jerked up, outrage bubbling in my chest.
“Good night, Jasmine.” Derek chuckled. Within minutes, I was asleep.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Derek
After the best night of sleep I’ve had since arriving at Miller’s Cove, I looked over to find Jasmine softly snoring beside me. I couldn’t believe how much my feelings had changed in the short time we’d spent together.
She’s supposed to be my opponent, my rival. Her family was responsible for the destruction of mine, and yet at the first sign of weakness, my urge to be her protector overwhelmed my common sense. Now I was lying in bed beside her, not even trying to pretend that this was not the only place I wanted to be. The problem was that it was the last place I should be.
I reluctantly peeled myself out of bed, being careful not to wake her, but not before taking one last moment to gaze upon her sleeping face. Her mouth was slightly open, and a small spot of drool darkened her pillow. An errant lock of hair had freed itself from her bonnet, and I resisted the urge to tuck it out of sight before leaving the room.
Tora slipped through the door just as I was pulling it closed. Within five minutes, I was outside, sucking in lungfuls of fresh clean air in an attempt to center myself before making the phone call that was going to knock me back to reality.
CJ’s phone rang twice before he answered.
