What’s New Pussycat(49)
Derrick tucked his arm beneath her, hauling her close, inhaling the scent of her hair and trying to process the intensity of this driving need to keep her close, to show her that not everyone had to be a disappointment.
That she didn’t have to be alone.
She could be safe.
She could be loved.
Chapter Twelve
Almost a week and a half had passed since she and Derrick had found a semblance of a routine, and since that stranger had snatched her up in the woods.
They made dinner together, watched TV together, did crossword puzzles, talked about all sorts of things, and made more amazing love every night.
They’d found a comfortable place—were they shared everything and nothing, because the expectation of a relationship, all the little things you held back when you wanted to impress someone, were unnecessary.
She wasn’t afraid to show her displeasure when Derrick dropped his towel on the floor every morning after a shower and simply left it there, soggy and rumpled. Though, he had shown her how delicious it could be when he picked it up and wrapped her in it, pulling her close and giving her a searing kiss.
Derrick wasn’t hindered either—he’d very loudly expressed his dislike of her spaghetti sauce, claiming it lacked his special ingredient. After which she’d flicked a spoonful of it at him, then licked it off his lips, leading to more incredible lovemaking on the kitchen floor while her sauce burned. He’d bought her dinner at the local diner to make up for it.
They’d bonded over not bonding. Their words with each other were honest and sometimes raw. Their opinions uncensored—they were naked in the purest sense.
And as each day passed, Martine found herself watching him when he wasn’t looking, not just because he was beautiful to look at, but because everything he did, he did well. He did it with purpose, and when it came to his family, he did it with so much love, her heart had almost exploded a time or two.
Like Jerry, who’d offered to keep her safe when she wanted to leave the house. Derrick hugged him every day, unashamed to show his appreciation. And Hector, whom he’d sworn off eating bunnies for, or Max, who he religiously had coffee with every morning at the bar.
She and Jerry walked together every morning now, and she found each day she looked forward to their time together more than the last. The quiet of the morning, the crunch of snow beneath their feet, the freezing air stinging her lungs were all welcome things.
Things she’d miss when she had to leave. Things she was discovering didn’t smother her, but filled her up. Way up.
Usually she and Jerry chatted about all sorts of subjects on their walks, but this morning her mind was elsewhere.
Yep. It’s on that vacant storefront you saw yesterday when you went in to drop a sandwich off to Derrick for his lunch.
She couldn’t help but smile when she remembered his grin of surprise the first time she’d made him lunch, carefully packing it up in a cooler.
He’d dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose in gratitude before he’d gone off to handle some tussle between Morris Polanski and another vampire, playfully arguing over the pool table.
That gesture, one he’d repeated every day since, was the reason she made him more sandwiches.
She’d fought that notion—fought it hard until she realized his approval, his happiness over stupid pieces of bread and leftover sliced roast beef made by her hands, brought her happiness, too.
And then there was the empty store, just down the street from the Bar, needing someone to fill it. It would make a great place to reopen a business—a business she was determined to breathe new life into.
“Penny for them,” Jerry said quietly.
She smiled, slipping her arm through his. “I was just thinking about the empty store down the street from the bar.”
Jerry perked up, his sweet eyes alight. “Used to be an antique shop. Belonged to Mortimer Chase, but he gave it up to travel when he hit five hundred. Said he was retiring.”
Martine chuckled at the notion. “Five hundred?”
Jerry grinned down at her. “Vampire. I guess after five hundred years, I might want to retire, too.”
“It’s in a great location.”
“Yep. Right near Derrick’s place.”
“That’s not the only reason I like it, Jerry.” Doth thou protest too much?
“It’s one of ’em. Probably the biggest one.”
No. No. No. She didn’t base business decisions on a man’s whereabouts. But she was curious. “Why do you say that?”
His wide shoulders shrugged. “You guys are good together in your efforts not to be good together.”
That stopped her in her tracks. “What?”
He rolled his eyes, pulling her back into the rhythm of their walk, his handsome face serene. “Time for some honesty. You’re not fooling me. Your plan is to go back to New York once this mating thing is done. You think you’re going to be able to do that without looking back. But I know differently. I don’t know what kind of arrangement you and Derrick have, but I can guess. Neither one of you talk like you’re mates, because that would go against everything you think you believe, but you act like mates anyway.”