My dad was a cop and all, but he wasn’t a cop when it came to me. Ever. He was my dad.
My mom was much the same, though we hadn’t had the type of relationship that my dad and I had.
I loved her dearly, but since I was a little girl, she just wasn’t my person. My dad was my person.
“First, I’m allowed to find older men attractive,” I told him, eyes narrowing. “B, I’m on drugs right now, so you can’t take what I’m about to say to heart.” I gave him an eyebrow raise, and he rolled his eyes. “Furthermore, I find you attractive. You’re older than me. Is that a crime?”
“I’m older than you, yes. But I was at least born in the same time frame as you. He was born in a different century,” he countered. “And was that what had you kicking me out of your room earlier? You kicked me out, and that kind of bothered me.”
“Kind of?” I asked teasingly. “Enough to yell at your dad in front of his police station?”
He shrugged. “It is what it is, to be honest. And yes, I was pissed. But it was a compound type thing. I’m fucking furious with Rachel. Furious even more that she thinks she did nothing wrong.”
My brows rose. “The cop chick who stopped by said that she wasn’t treating this like it was a big deal.”
He rolled his eyes.
“That’s Ashe. She’s my cousin.” He paused. “And Ashe is right. Rachel thinks that this’ll all go away, and it won’t. She’s going to be charged with attempted murder, and even if she gets off on the charges in a court of law, she’s still going to have a record. And that record’s gonna keep her from getting jobs. Plus, she’s eighteen, so it’s not even something that she can get away with as a minor.”
I smiled then, happy for that thought.
“She’s made my life a living hell,” I told him. “It all started in ninth grade when I showed her up during a math lecture of all things.” I shook my head. “I think the final tipping point was me saving her boyfriend from death—at least, my decision to donate my mother’s organs, which then in turn saved her boyfriend, anyway. And since she’s so popular, she can get the other kids to join in because they’d rather be popular than do the right thing.”
He handed me the bag of food with more fries and said, “Eat some more. You missed lunch.”
I pulled out some French fries and started snacking on them, stopping when I realized I didn’t have a drink.
“Can you go ask for more water?” I asked softly.
Derek didn’t miss a beat as he stood and walked to the door. “Just water? No juice? Coke? Sprite?”
I scrunched up my nose. “Unless you can magically produce sweet tea, then no. I’d rather drink water.”
He frowned. “I was going to get tea from the store, but I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I just skipped it.”
I pulled out another fry and shrugged. “I’m okay.”
He looked at me curiously, then grinned. “I have no doubt you’ll be okay. I’m going to make sure of it.
When I finally finished off the rest of my burger and fries, I found myself opening up to what I’d learned today.
“I can’t drive,” I found myself saying. “I can’t pick up anything over ten pounds. My camera bag weighs more than that. Oh, and I can’t do anything more than walk.”
Derek just sat there and listened to me speak, his eyes never leaving mine.
“I can take you to school every day on the way to work. And if I can’t pick you up, someone can,” he told me. “You have a whole plethora of police officers willing to do battle for you. Asking them to pick you up wouldn’t be a hardship.”
Well, that wasn’t the way I was beginning to feel.
I felt like I was burdening people.
I already had to have help moving.
“I can’t help with moving,” I moaned.
He snorted. “You can help pack boxes. Or you can sit there and watch me pack your boxes. But you weren’t going to be helping move them anyway. I already have the entire SWAT team helping this Saturday.”
I didn’t know what to say to that.
Instead, I stayed silent and wondered what was in it for Derek.
Why was he doing this?
“What?” he asked when I stared at him too long.
I decided to say fuck it. What was the worst that could happen? I’d already nearly broken my neck today. What would it hurt to ask him what was in it for him?
“Why are you doing this?” I asked. “Helping me? I know you feel sorry for me and all, but I’m a grown adult now. I can do these things on my own.”
Well, I would find a way. I couldn’t say that I could do it totally on my own.
He snorted and leaned back onto my hospital bed, reaching for the remote.
“I have no doubt in my mind that you’re more than capable of that. Where my doubts start is when you think you can do something, and you can’t, and you won’t ask for help.”
Now that did sound like something I might do.
“And…” He looked me dead in the eye and rocked my entire world. “I wasn’t kidding earlier. I’m done trying to fight this pull.” He gestured between him and me with a jerk of his hand. “You’re…mine.”
I stared at him blankly.
“That day that I turned you down at the calendar shoot? It was because I found you insanely attractive, and all I could think about was how bad my ass would be kicked if I touched you. You’re nineteen, Avery. Still in high school for Christ’s sake. What the fuck am I going to tell people when I make you mine?” He paused, and I stared at him in silence. I had no idea what ‘make you mine’ meant, but it was sounding really good. “Each day since I saw you at that shoot, I’ve thought of nothing but what it would feel like to have you in my arms. I’m fighting—was fighting—a losing battle.”
I swallowed hard at his words.
“I think this is just your guilt…” I started to say.
But he was already shaking his head in denial.
“This has nothing to do with guilt.” He told me. “And everything to do with the fact that I want you. As a man wants a woman.”
I scoffed, and he looked me squarely in the eyes, then stood up.
I licked my lips and looked down, my eyes going wide when I saw the bulge of his erection behind the soft fabric of his sweatpants.
“Do you want a closer look at how much guilt I feel right now?” he challenged.
I was about to say ‘hell yes’ when there was a soft throat clearing at the door.
“As much as I’d like to allow this to keep going,” Sierra laughed. “I can’t allow it. Mostly because there’s a couple here wanting to see you.”
I peeled my eyes away from Derek’s cock that still was just as hard as it was before Sierra had announced herself, and then turned my entire body to look at Sierra.
“Who?” I asked.