Derick (Delta Forces #3) - Elizabeth Lennox Page 0,15

his hands through her hair, soothing her.

Another piece of the puzzle, he thought. But he didn’t know what this one meant. She liked control during sex. Not control, exactly, but she didn’t want to be vulnerable.

The thoughts swirling through his mind twisted his gut, making him want to find who had done this to her, whatever “this” was. Because he knew that something bad had happened to her, even if he didn’t know the specifics.

After a while, Derick yawned, but he still didn’t want to lose this connection with his lovely neighbor. Still, they needed sleep. He’d ask her in the morning. Shifting, he pulled out of her body, smiling when she muttered a protest even in her sleep.

Moving to the bathroom, he cleaned up, then came back to bed, pulling a light, cotton blanket over them. He arranged her against his side, making sure that, if she woke up, she wouldn’t be overwhelmed by his weight, and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Chapter 8

Carrie slipped out of bed, careful not to disturb Derick. Grabbing her tee shirt and her panties, she tiptoed out of his bedroom and down the stairs, wary of making any noise. She was halfway across the lawn when she felt him watching her, but she continued walking back to her house, needing a shower. She also needed to curl up with a cup of coffee so that she could process what had happened last night.

As she walked through her bedroom to the bathroom, her eye caught the envelope. She hated that envelope, but kept it close, just in case she needed it for…whatever. So far, she’d only kept it to remind herself of what she’d gone through. A reminder of what could happen to her if she lowered her guard.

Like last night.

Smiling at the memory of how wonderful Derick had been, Carrie shook off the concerns that she might have made a mistake. It was one night. One night only. One blissful, wonderful night.

She showered and pulled on a clean pair of jeans and tee shirt, wishing now that she had something that fit her properly. She’d lost a lot of weight. Boy, John would be thrilled with her figure! He’d called her fat so many times…! She stopped the memory from fully forming in her mind. That was in the past, she thought, turning away from the mirror. Looks weren’t important. They were…superficial.

She almost danced down the stairs, but faltered slightly when she came to the bottom step and looked out the window. Derick was standing on her front porch, staring out into the woods

Opening the door, she stepped out beside him. “Is something wrong?”

His hands were fisted on his hips and he looked pretty hot in his Army uniform. Broad shoulders strained the olive colored tee shirt.

“You left me this morning,” he replied.

Of all the things he might have said, that was the last thing she would have expected. “Um... yes but…”

“I feel cheap.”

Cheap? Her hand flew to her mouth in order to stop her burst of laughter. “I’m sorry,” she finally said, struggling to appear serious. “I didn’t mean to cheapen what we shared. Is there some way I could make it up to you?”

He stepped closer, nodding. “Yeah. You can kiss me.”

Carrie’s breath caught in her throat. She inched closer, but hesitated as she reached out to touch him. “Um…well, it’s broad daylight.”

A dark eyebrow lifted at her objection. “So?”

“Wouldn’t a kiss be…awkward?”

He moved even closer, pulling her flush against him. “I don’t know. Let’s find out.”

And then he kissed her. His mouth, his hands, his tongue, his body…all were involved in the kiss. It was erotic and sensual and every part of her came alive, wanting last night to happen all over again.

Unfortunately, he pulled back before she’d had enough. She could see the triumph in his eyes as he stepped back.

“Have dinner with me tonight?”

She nodded automatically before she could think twice about the implications of her agreement.

“Good.” And then he was gone. His long legs carried him back across their yards and he swung easily into his truck.

Carrie’s fingers rested over her tingling lips as she watched him drive away. With a smile, she walked back into the house. For some reason, the work was much easier today.

Chapter 9

For two weeks now, Carrie lived a fantasy life. She’d spent every night in Derick’s bed. Sometimes he’d cook dinner when he got home and sometimes, she’d have dinner prepared. They never really talked about their meals, but they sort