Page 100 of Always Right

Fear.

He kissed me again, this time while my fingers fumbled with his zipper. I closed my eyes as his mouth and teeth nibbled at my neck, causing a small whimper to leave my lips. It wasn’t long before he pulled my jeans down my legs and lifted me up, burying himself deep inside me. He groaned into my neck and sent a shiver down my spine when he stilled, holding me captive there, in his arms.

I wasn't sure how long we made them wait...frankly, I didn't care. The way Derek made love to me was unrestrained, desperate...and I loved every second of it. He kissed all the pain and fear away, he brought me back into the world of us, of his love, and it was exactly what I needed.

I was wound up tight, until he came and did what he did best: grounded me with his love.

He kissed and touched and buried into me so deeply the world around us ceased to exist. My fingers dug into his shoulders and I bit my lip, trying to keep myself quiet as the orgasm ripped through me. He did the same, panting against my neck when he finished inside me.

It took a few minutes for us to catch our breath but when he finally did, he gave me a tender kiss and cleaned us up. He brushed my hair back and smiled, as if now it was all as it should be.

"I see you like this, and I realize how fucking terrified I am to lose you, Hannah."

Realization set in.

He was scared I would hurt myself.

He was scared I'd run away.

He was afraid we wouldn't have a happy ending.

"I'm sorry."

He shook his head, cradling my face in his loving hands. "You have nothing to apologize for, baby."

I smiled at him, resting my hands on his chest, feeling how his heart rate came back down. "I'm not going anywhere, Derek and this...it will all be over soon. I promise."

***

No one asked why we took so long getting ready, but I didn’t think they had to.

By the way Evie wiggled her brows when she saw my flushed face she already knew.

We drove down to the gallery in separate cars. It was a family trip indeed, with Evie and Nathan riding with their two kiddos and us with our girls. Derek held my hand the whole way there as I took in the city of New York. Its beauty didn’t cease to amaze me, especially at night. The hustle and bustle typically irritated others but to me, it was comforting. I loved seeing people walking down the street, chatting and laughing, especially as we got closer to the gallery where the art district was.

The gallery was silent as we stepped in. I missed the place.

I worked from home often now due to everything going on, but if I could, I would go back in a heartbeat. It had become my place of comfort, an escape.

“Believe me, I wish you were here more often, too,” Nathan said, breaking the silence. “This whole rearranging things to your vision, it’s just not for me.”

I smiled when Nathan squeezed my shoulder. Isa cooed in my arms, her beautiful eyes exploring the colorful artwork that surrounded us. Isa did the same in Derek’s arms. They would squeal every now and then, as if they were excited to be there and my heart swelled.

Nathan’s office was oddly quiet when I approached, leaning against the door frame. The last time I had truly been in the office was the morning he found out the money was gone. His expression had been completely shattered, and it hadn’t been because of the money.

He’d worked so hard to have everything he had, and it was suddenly gone.

Because of me.

The idea was constantly there, even if it wasn’t necessarily true.

“You love this place, don’t you?”

Evie’s voice surrounded me as she entered the office with Lily walking beside her and Noah in her arms. Lily took out a blanket and set it on the floor so Evie could set Noah down as well. I did the same with Isa, allowing her to crawl over to her cousins.

“I never thought I would,” I admitted.

Evie let out a quiet laugh, as she stretched out her legs on the floor. She looked around the office, her eyes landing on a family picture we had taken for Mother’s Day.

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