“What if he asks questions about my past?”
“Just tell him. What happened isn’t your fault.”
“It’s more than that and you know it. For crying out loud, I can just hear myself now. Hi, my name is really Gia, not Val. And by the way, I’m legally married to a—”
“Stop over analyzing this. If he’s worth it, he’ll understand everything when you’re ready to tell him. For tonight, go have fun. You deserve this, Gia.” She paused and giggled. “Or should I say—Val?”
“Not funny, Nat. Not funny at all. I’m going to hang up now. He should be here any minute.”
“Call me tomorrow. I want all the deets.”
“I can’t call tomorrow. I’m almost out of pre-paid minutes this month. It will have to wait until next week.”
Now it was her turn to sigh.
“I’m so tired of this. I miss you. I wish I could come see you.”
“Me too, Nat, me too. I just… I just don’t think it’s safe yet.”
“I know,” she agreed sadly. “I love you. Have a good time tonight.”
“Love you, too.”
I gave myself one last look before leaving the bathroom. Having finally spent money on a proper haircut and color, I fashioned the short style with soft beach waves and pinned it up loosely on the sides with two tiny clips. It was still dyed a dark brown but I’d asked the stylist to add a few lowlights to break up the solid. The overall look had grown on me and I didn’t think I’d ever go back to blonde again.
I adjusted the straps of the burgundy silk tank top I’d purchased the day before. It showed off strong, toned arms from months of training with Derek and Hana. Skinny black ankle pants followed the long line down my legs to a pair of nude pumps that completed the outfit. I was satisfied with my appearance, and after spritzing a small amount of body spray over my neck and shoulders, I felt extremely feminine for the first time in a very long time. My reflection seemed to radiate confidence—and I didn’t think it was the least bit arrogant to say I looked sexy as hell.
I smiled at my reflection.
“I’m ready for this.”
Tossing my lipstick into my clutch purse, I snapped it closed just as a knock sounded at the door. I headed out to the family room and peered through the peephole to see Derek on the other side. Instantly, the bravado I had in the mirror just moments ago was gone, and my palms began to sweat. As I unbolted the door and lifted the wooden plank, I questioned why I was so nervous. I’d been training with Derek for months. Hardly a day went by when I didn’t see him. Now, it felt like I didn’t know him at all.
Wiping my sweaty palms on my pants, I opened the door and was greeted by Derek’s huge smile. He wore dark blue jeans and a white button-up shirt that seemed tailor-made for him. The way it was cut, there was no disguising the slopes and valleys of the muscle underneath. One finger held a black sport coat slung over his right shoulder, while the opposite hand rested half inside his pants pocket. Trying not to gawk at his perfectly tapered waist, I brought my gaze up to his hard jaw and full lips, before moving to meet the bright hazel eyes staring down at me.
Instantly, my apprehension faded away. Nat was right, I deserved this. We’d been dancing around this moment for months. I was more than ready.
“Hey, Sparky,” he greeted.
Just those two little words sent my heart fluttering.
“I’m used to seeing you in gym gear. You clean up nice, Derek.”
“I could say the same about you, but you do it better. Much better.” He removed his hand from his pocket and reached for mine. Raising it to his lips, his smile broadened even more. “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you,” I appreciated with a nervous laugh. My face warmed until it felt like it was on fire—not from embarrassment, but from the heat of his gaze. I tucked a loose hair behind my ear just to have something to do.
“You ready to go?” he asked, extending his arm to me.
“Yeah, let me just grab a sweater.” I grabbed a black cardigan hanging in the small closet behind the front door, then turned back to loop my hand around the crook of his elbow. Stepping through the front doors of the building onto the city streets, I glanced up at Derek curiously. “Where are we going?”
“Oh you’re going to be one of those types,” he teased and rolled his eyes.
“Those types? What’s that supposed to mean?”
He laughed and shook his head, then surprised me by poking me lightly in the ribs.
“It means you’re the type of person who can’t just go with the flow.”
“That’s not my style. I like to know what’s coming, that’s all,” I murmured. We stopped at a crosswalk, and I felt him looking down at me.
“I can tell. Trust me, I’ve waited a long time to properly take you out. Do you honestly think I’d screw it up?”
“Well, no. It’s just that—”
“You’ll like where I’m taking you. In my opinion, McNuggets are completely underrated.”
“McNuggets!” I laughed, the sound coming straight from my belly, full and throaty. “You are not taking me to McDonald’s!” When his face remained impassive, my eyes widened, and I sobered. “Or are you?”
“That depends.”
“On what?”
“If taking you to McDonald’s means you’ll laugh like that again, I’ll call and cancel the dinner cruise reservations. I like hearing you laugh, Sparky. You should do it more often.”
Not sure what to say about his compliment, I chose to back up and zero in on one point. “A dinner cruise?”
“If that’s okay with you. We’re having a warm spring, so I thought I’d take advantage of the nice weather. I mean, you did once tell me you thought going on a boat would be fun.”
“I did, but that was over six months ago. I didn’t expect you to remember.”
He took my hand, brought it up to press against his heart, and leaned in close to my ear. My body tensed with awareness.
“There’s not much, if anything, I’d forget about you,” he whispered. He ran his nose along my cheek, and my breath hitched at the skin-to-skin contact.
I turned my head until there was barely an inch between our mouths. He cupped my face and used one finger to trace my lower lip. I didn’t know how it happened, but our relationship went from moving at a snail’s pace to sprinting to the finish line at a marathon in two seconds flat. I needed to put the brakes on.
“Derek…” I began.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to kiss you… yet. When I finally get to taste that pretty little mouth of yours, we won’t be standing on a street corner.” My mouth dropped open, but no words came out. I was rendered completely speechless. Derek laughed and tugged at my hand. “Our Uber just pulled up. Climb in, Sparky. I’ve got a whole night planned.”
23
Derek
The patio for The Hatch was packed with people when we arrived. I was thankful I’d booked a dinner cruise rather than a table on the water at the infamous restaurant. For many New Yorkers, the city was at her best in the summer. The season called for evenings spent on rooftop bars and beaches. Gothamites worked hard and endured the long winters in order to make the most of the warmer months. If those warmer months came early, you could expect anything along the shoreline to be hopping.