Page 108 of All In Good Time

“Well—” she shrugged, “—pretty much.”

Oh god. A burn rose from his neck and swelled over his face.

He caught Mal off guard and gave her a little shove, strong enough to get her to step out of the doorway before shutting the wood in her face. Expecting her to try and barge her way in again, he leaned against the door and used his body weight to prevent that from happening.

Like he expected, she tried to push it open a few times, yelling that she didn’t know he’d be so embarrassed by a little kiss, and chuckling when he told her to fuck off. After a minute of relentless teasing, she just kicked the bottom of the door. It sent a small shock through the wood, but she backed off, and Derek thought she had given up and left to go to her room.

But she always had to have the last word. “By the way. She’s waiting for you outside.”

By the time he got his bedroom door open, Mal was already running into her own room and closing the door behind her. He could hear her laughing.

“You little shit.”

Derek didn’t stay in the house long enough to hear her response.

40

December 1985

Quite frankly, Becca was too afraid to go inside the house and get Derek for herself. Mark’s car wasn’t around, luckily, but even being near the place made her shake her leg in nervous anticipation.

It didn’t help that Mal had gone inside nearly five minutes ago to get Derek for her, and there was still no sign of him.

God, where was he?

If something was wrong, Mal would come and tell her…right?

She leaned forward across the passenger seat of her mom’s car, trying to get a better look at the front door and the windows of the house. As far as she could see, there wasn’t any movement.

She hadn’t really accounted for her next move if Derek never came out. There wasn’t really a reason for him to not see her right now, as far as she knew. He wouldn’t be avoiding her, right?

She debated between driving away and going up to the house herself. Neither option appealed to her.

Luckily, she didn’t need to make a choice.

After minutes of nonstop worrying, the front door opened, and Becca exhaled.

Partially, because she was glad to see Derek with a soft crooked smile on his face—unharmed. And partially because he looked really,reallygood.

It was amazing the things he could do to his appearance with so little effort, and Becca had weak knees and shaky hands just looking at him as he walked down the sidewalk to her car.

His hair was wet, clearly fresh out of the shower, and something that shouldn’t be so confusingly sexy was. The curls stuck to his skin and hung into his shining blue eyes, giving his look the perfect combination of tousled and strategic. A loose black shirt tucked into tight denim jeans had Becca biting her lips to keep herself sane.

God.

Three light taps on her window shocked her out of her stupor just in time to feel her face flush when she realized that Derek wasright there.The smirk on his face as he leaned down to look at her through the glass made her question whether he had heard every thought in her head.

Clearing her throat, she steadied herself and rolled down the window.

“You just couldn’t stay away from me, could you, sweetheart?”

She sucked in her lips. Derek noticed—there was no way he wouldn’t—and his smirk grew into a delighted grin as his gaze swept over her face.

Was there even a point to playing it cool?

Her pride told her yes.

“I was just dropping Mal off. Thought I might as well say hi while I’m here,” she said. She shrugged, trying to add a believable element of nonchalance.

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