Going Down Hard (Billionaire Bad Boys 3)
She leaned back, her arms around his neck holding her steady. “No, I do. Want to know why?”
He cocked an eyebrow, wanting to hear her say it. “Why?”
“Because I love you too.”
The words wrapped around his heart. Damn, he’d never have believed it. If, back when he’d gone to this school, someone had told him he’d find his other half in the princess across the yard, he’d have died laughing, sure someone was playing a joke on him. But what he felt for her was far from funny.
He kissed her again, locking his lips over hers and losing himself in her sweetness, tongues tangling. He nipped on her lower lip, and she pressed herself against him, jacket against jacket, heat sweeping through his body, his cock at attention.
This wasn’t the best place for his declaration, but it was their place and he owned it. He swept his hand into her hair and kissed her again, hard and with urgency, until they heard a loud banging on the door.
“Come on, kids,” the familiar voice of the janitor called. “Time to go.”
He broke the kiss and laughed. “This could have happened way back when too.”
She grasped his hand and met his gaze. “We’d have been too young to appreciate what we had,” she said, her eyes warm and glazed with a combination of arousal and happiness.
“Point well made,” he said. “We’d better get going or the janitor is going to drag us out.”
She laughed and let him lead her out of the room, through the school, and into the frigid air.
* * *
Derek spent the night with Cassie in his bed. He made love to her slowly, savoring the feel of his cock bare inside her, sure of his feelings. Knowing she felt the same way. He’d never used those words with another woman before, and speaking them to Cassie felt right.
He didn’t sleep much; he was too hyped up. He’d been open with Cassie. He’d been honest. And he finally had faith that they could work through the past on their terms. She wanted the same thing he did. To move on together.
He’d woken her earlier, his tongue between her legs, tasting her, savoring her, bringing her over the edge, not once but twice before he found his way home, coming inside her. Losing himself in her and finding himself all over again.
Derek rose to light streaming through the window in his bedroom. The sun matched his mood. He’d never felt so light or free.
He was about to wake her up when his cell rang. He jumped up to get it before it woke her.
“Hello?”
“Derek, it’s Kade.”
“Hey. What’s going on?” Because Kade didn’t normally call this early. “Something with Blink?” Derek asked.
“No. You know how Lexie collects the articles we’re all mentioned in?”
He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly anxious. “Yeah?”
“You have a problem. I know you had faith in Cassie, but I told you to be careful.”
The muscles in his neck bunched into tight knots. “Fucking spit it out,” he muttered.
“There’s an article on the Take a Byte website about you.”
Derek shook his head. “That doesn’t sound right. She would have told me.” He glanced at the bed. Her bare shoulders peeked out from beneath the comforter; her brown hair was splayed across his pillow. So innocent-looking.
“Yeah? Would she also have told you she was going to do a trash piece on your mother?” Kade asked.
“Excuse me?” Derek asked, his voice rising.
Cassie jumped up, her bare breasts bouncing and teasing him before she grabbed the comforter and covered herself. “What’s wrong?” She turned sleepy eyes on him.
He held up a hand, indicating she shouldn’t interrupt. “Go on,” he said to Kade.