Page 25 of Derick

“We’re fucked,” a male voice said.

Startled out of my musing, I was surprised to see my cousin Jaxson. He came to Australia months ago when Dustan was hurt, but when Jaxson’s dad was shot and ended up in the hospital, he had rushed home to New York. He was back it seemed.

“Oh, I know. When did you get back into the country? Want to tell me which fucked, you, we, are? Because right now I’m feeling we’re fucked on a lot of things.”

Jaxson chuckled and plonked down on the sofa next to me. “Women. The curse. The family name.”

Raising my brow, I took a good look at my cousin. He was older than me. The same age as Dustan. Now that I saw him, there were black bags under his eyes, like he hasn’t slept in months, his usual clean-shaven look was gone, and honestly, he looked like a homeless person. His beard was scruffy, his clothes didn’t fit, and he seemed almost like he was in withdrawals.

“Cous’, what the hell happened?” I asked. “You look like shit.”

He ran his fingers through his scruffy hair. “The curse. I thought when I headed back to the States to check on Dad, I would be gone at most a couple of weeks. I got her number. I knew where she lived.”

Nodding, I shrugged. “So go to her.”

“Don’t you think I would if I could, idiot?” he snarled at me. “My phone was stolen at the hospital in the craziness of Dad being shot and then the shooter in the hospital. Then when I got a new one, her number hadn’t been added to my back up files yet. When I did get her number again a day later, she wouldn’t fucking talk to me and wouldn’t tell me why. I sent someone to check on her and try to find out what was going on, and she’s moved. I can’t fucking find her now. It’s like she’s fucking disappeared. So yeah, I’m fucked.”

“Bullshit,” I snapped. “We’re Silvermans, and we don’t give up. Stop being a fucking pussy. We have all the money in the world and a vast array of people in our employment. Use them and find your woman.” I punched his shoulder and stood. “I’m going to go stalk my own woman while she has a night out withfriends. Why don’t we get you set up with who you’ll need to find…” I raised my brow and waited.

“Jasmine,” he said on a sigh. “Jasmine Sorne.”

“Okay, let’s set you up with who you’ll need to find her. Then come and keep me from stealing my woman. I want her to enjoy her night out with friends, but I’m itching to lay my eyes on her.”

He covered his face for a moment before he used his fingers to massage his temples. “Fuck it. You’re right, little cous’, let’s find my woman.” I hold my hand out to him, but he gets up without it. “Let’s go.”

This wasthe dumbest idea I’d ever had. Ruby’s bodyguards had told me where she was, and as I find her in the throng of people in the nightclub, not only does my dick get hard instantly, but I groan at how much fun she’s having without me. I reason with myself, like the crazy person I was, not to go over and show her what she was missing, but I’m trying not to be an arsehole.

I wanted Ruby to make friends. I wanted her to have a life and live it. She deserved to have fun. The problem was I wanted all her spare time. I wanted her to laugh like she was right now as she danced with a group of women. I wanted her to give me the carefree look she was giving to her new friends. I wanted her to be consumed by thoughts of me like I was of her. I wanted her to miss me and crave to be with me like I did with her. The curse, er, gift was riding me hard. With everything that Ruby had been through I was trying my hardest to stay sane and not give in, but tonight, I wasn’t sure I wouldn’t crack.

Ruby was always beautiful, but tonight she was breathtaking. Her blue hair was curled in loose ringlets to frame her face that had makeup on it that highlighted her best features: hereyes, high cheekbones, and pouty lips. Her breasts weren’t large, but in the fitted, shimmery dress that dipped down and gave glimpses of black lace, I was drooling to see more. She wore gladiator sandals with a small heel that showed her shapely calves and made her legs look longer. She looked like a mythical fairy. All that was missing was wings and pointy ears.

I gazed around and tried giving every man I saw looking at her a stare that told them she was off limits, but I knew in the crowded club no one really saw or cared.

The girls started dancing with guys. I watched as Ruby’s guards moved in, but I caught Brand’s gaze and shook my head and moved in myself. Ruby was avoiding the men, and I could see her shoulders were now stiff and her movements not as carefree. I didn’t like seeing her so tense.

Slowly, I eased up beside her, leaned down, and spun her to face me. Her gasp cut off as her gaze locked on mine. “Mine.” I glared at the men all around.

Ruby beamed at me, and I was surprised when she jumped and wrapped her arms around me and kissed me. As soon as her lips touched mine, I was lost, but I stopped myself from hauling her over my shoulder and taking her back and ravishing her as I tasted the alcohol on her lips.

My hands rested on her arse, and I slowly eased from my mouth away from hers as she started climbing me. She gazed at me with a look I honestly worried I’d never get from her: it was one of pure lust. Her eyes blazed and her chest rose and fell quickly as her body rubbed against mine. Fucccckkk. I knew I couldn’t go any further though, because she was drunk. But damn, right now she looked like a sexy vixen.

She mouthedthank youbefore she turned back to her friends, who were now giggling and congratulating Ruby, and they were grinning at me like I’d just made their night, giving them something to gossip about. I wanted to leave on a highnote, so leaning down, I whispered in my woman’s ear. “Have fun, precious. I’ll be watching.” She shivered, but the smile that spread over her face and her body relaxing again had me moving back to my cousin.

“Holy shit, cousin, good luck with that. She’s stunning, but the way you two just acted… damn. I don’t think you have anything to worry about, Derick. Your woman loves you.”

I snapped my gaze from the woman he was talking about and raised my brow. “Why do you think that?”

Could Jaxson be right? Did Ruby love me? Could we take the next step? I fucking hoped so, because I was damn tired of sleeping without her.

Ruby

I was drunk.I’d never been drunk before. I’d been offered alcohol a lot, but never actually had it. I’d never felt safe enough to let myself go like that. I’d seen what drinking did, and I didn’t want to do that with people I didn’t feel safe with or where I didn’t want to be. But I knew I had bodyguards with me, and I was coming to trust my new friends, so tonight I let myself be an adventurous teenager.

When the guys finally joined us, I’d been very uncomfortable. At school I could sit away from them. I mostly avoided them, and when they tried speaking to me, I gave them a lot ofyesandnoor short answers. I was trying though, because thanks to the Silverman family and my brother and a few others, I knew that not all men were bad. I hated to be touched still and did my best to avoid the guys’ touch. It wasn’t easy in the packed nightclub, but I think being drunk was helping.

Derick surprised me, and any unease I felt disappeared. He came up to my side and spun me. Gazing up at him, I realized that this man had done the unthinkable and made me fall in love with him. At least I thought it was love. It felt like what I did for my brother and daughter, but different, more intense, more all-consuming, like if I didn’t touch him, I would explode. When I was around Derick, I felt safe. I felt cared for. I felt things I never had before. My heart felt full, and my body ached for something I’d been fantasizing about a lot lately.

I wanted Derick to know how I felt. Closing the gap between us, I wrapped myself around him as my lips fused to his and I rubbed against him. The rest of the world always seemed to disappear when my mouth was against Derick’s. He returned my kiss just as eager until I started climbing him, then he slowly eased his head away from me, ending our kiss.

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