Page 78 of Threat of Danger
Jess’s head threatened to split in two. She’d spent the last decade running from all this, from having to think about what had happened to her, having to think about the masked man.
She turned the knob, but instead of opening the door, she hesitated once again.
He was immediately at her back, then pushing her aside and putting himself between her and the door. “What is it? You hear anything outside?”
“Just hoping Jackass Maxwell isn’t out there. He caught me in the driveway the other day, lurking around my mom’s place. I don’t want pictures in the papers about me coming out of your house this time of the night. I hate all the stupid innuendo and speculation.”
His eyes flashed like sharp blades. “He came to see you?”
She nodded. “Took video.”
He had his phone out the next second. A few more seconds after that, he found the footage on the newspaper’s website. He growled with dark fury as her image filled the scene. “I’m going to kill him.”
Once the brief clip was over, she watched him shove his phone into his pocket, then step into his boots. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going home with you. If you won’t stay here, I’ll sleep on your couch. I’m not going to leave you alone and open to another ambush.”
She cleared her throat. “Sorry I called you incompetent in the video.”
“And other things.” He sounded more amused than offended.
“That too.”
“Forgiven.” His boots on, his full attention was on Jess once again, his expression open and earnest. “Could you please consider forgiving me for writing the book?”
She liked that he made that a separate issue, instead of saying,I’ll forgive you for the video if you forgive me for writing the book.
“I thought,” he added, “that if the book provoked the bastard into coming out of hiding, he’d be focused on me.” He shook his head. “But this video of you online. What if he sees it? What if he’ll focus on you instead?” He rubbed the heel of his hand against his sternum in a subconscious gesture, as if the idea hurt him inside.
She appreciated the offer of help, but ... “I can take care of myself. If the bastard comes after me, he’ll find out I’m not a helpless little waif anymore.”
“Let me come along anyway. I can’t handle the thought of you and Zelda at the house alone at night. I’ll be pacing the floor over here, worried about you.”
“We’re not your responsibility.”
“When you care about people, they’re your responsibility.” His gaze warmed. “That’s how it works, Jess.”
Why did the thought that he cared about her have to make her heart beat faster? She cared about him too. They were old friends.
Friends, right? Nothing more. He’d said he cared aboutthem—Zelda included. He cared about Jess the same way he cared about Zelda. So no reason to feel all flustered.
“Fine.” Jess opened the door and stepped out into the cold night before she could read too much into Derek’s declaration of caring.
He drove his own car over, following her, so he would have his car the next day.Today, since midnight had passed.
“Do you need anything?” she asked once they were inside, the mood between them awkward once again.
The couch was way too small for his large frame. But he’d managed when Eliot had been here, so he could probably manage another night.
He wasn’t looking at the couch. He was looking at her. “The throw pillow and Zelda’s quilt will work.”
She couldn’t hold his gaze. She moved away from him and up the stairs. She stopped only when she reached the top. “Good night, Derek.”
He was standing at the bottom of the staircase, watching her, as if maybe he was thinking about coming after her. Built like a warrior, he even stood like a warrior, feet at shoulders’ width, his whole demeanor alert. The only soft thing about him was the look in his eyes as he watched her.
Her heart beat a slow and steady rhythm. The staircase seemed to shrink between them, as if she could touch him if only she reached for him. Suddenly, her skin tingled with anticipation. Would he ask if he could come up? If he did, what would she say?
But in the end, he tore his gaze from hers and turned toward the sofa. “Good night, Jess.”
