Page 43 of Silver Fire

He followedMaia down the hallway where she turned into another room. Once inside, she spun around and nailed him with an icy stare. “Derek, you seriously need to get your priorities straight. I can see you’re crazy about Sophie and I’m thrilled for you, but damn it, she is holding some serious shit in her hands. Stop thinking with your dick.”

Derek gave a short derisive laugh. “Ha! Tell that last line to your husband.”

“We are not talking about Jack.”

“Maybe we should.” Derek grabbed Maia’s forearm and pulled back her sleeve. “Things got a little rough last night? I’m fucking gonna kill Jack.”

To Derek’s amazement, Maia’s face changed, her face softened and a little smile tugged on her lips. “No, you’re not. I bruise easily. But more than that, I’ve discovered something about myself.”

A brow shot up. “Do I want to hear this?”

“You started it.”

“Well then, out with it.”

“I realized, I like being dominated during sex.”

Derek shifted uncomfortably. Damn he needed to get laid, and he definitely needed to readjust his cock, which was getting hard under his trousers.

“Um, maybe we should do this over tequila.”

Maia giggled. She rarely giggled. “I was so shocked by my reaction. But it was something else last night.”

“Maia, I haven’t had sex in almost five days. Stop. Now.”

“You need to talk to him,” Maia told him.

Derek sighed. “We were talking about Sophie.”

“You’re the one who changed the subject.”

“Maia—”

“Look, I was just bluffing, OK? I like Sophie, but we need to keep an eye on her,” Maia said. “She’s clueless about the world outside her lab. I get she is a woman of science, but she needs to know there are people willing to exploit her.”

“I’m expanding her horizons,” Derek drawled.

“Derek, you know I love you and all, but I think Sophie is a bit too innocent for your taste.”

“Hmm, don’t know if I should be flattered or insulted.”

“You know what I mean. She seems inexperienced. I don’t think she’s sexually or emotionally mature enough to handle your brand of debauchery.”

“Thanks,” Derek said tightly. Other times, he would have taken such barbs in stride, but lately, it had been hitting closer to home.

Realization dawned on Maia’s face. “You like her. I mean really, really like her.”

“I don’t know what I’m doing with her,” Derek admitted under his breath, raking his fingers through his hair. “The fact that I’m taking it slow with her—”

“I can’t believe this.” Maia clasped her hands in glee. “My boy is falling in love.”

“Hardly a boy,” Derek grumbled. “I’ll talk to your man and find out what bug is up his ass.”

* * *

It tooksome serious convincing from Maia to have Derek leave Sophie at AGS for the day. After their initial stare-down, the women seemed to have hit it off. Now Maia wanted to teach Sophie a few self-defense maneuvers as well as how to handle a gun. The immediate threat of Abu-Haxa Brotherhood might be over, but Ademola had not been entirely forthcoming about his organization’s future plans.

The men headed back to MDI to handle business, and Maia promised to drop Sophie off later that afternoon.

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