Chapter One
Derek gripped the steering wheel tightly in his hands as he drove down the long wary road in the blistering dark. He gripped that wheel so tightly; his knuckles began to look pale white and boney. Tunes played softly on the radio as Casey cried. Hearing her mortifying sobs just about killed Derek. He would cringe every time she gasped for air. He had never seen a girl cry so much in his whole life. Not even Marti cried that much!
After seeing Casey react in such a way, Derek wished he had done more than what he had to that jerk, Truman, for doing this to her. His hands throbbed, reminding him of what he had done. Every few minutes he would try stretching his fingers in attempt to ease the pain that throbbed throughout his knuckles.
As soon as he saw Casey crying earlier that evening, there was no holding him back. It was like his natural instinct to hurt whoever it was that did that to her.
Nobody had expected Derek to hit Truman, but he did. Not just once, but twice. He paced right up to him, without saying a word, he swung his right fist back, popping Truman directly in the nose. Truman's hand went flying up to his face, revealing an instant bleed. He was about to say something, but then Derek hit him again, this time knocking his breath right out of him. Truman fell forward, tightly clutching his stomach as he gasped for air.
"Don't even think about going near Casey, ever again." Derek bent over, spitting the words across Truman's face. He turned around, breathless, to see everyone gaping at him with mouths wide open. It was as if everything had gone silent and the only sounds came from the drumming of his heart. He clenched his teeth as he pushed passed the nearby crowd. He could have done a lot worse than that, but Casey was right there, and he wouldn't feel right letting himself go in front of her like that.
Derek left Casey alone with Vicky while he grabbed their coats. As soon as he returned, his body fell heavy as he felt the blood pump heavily throughout his body. Was Vicky really standing up for Truman? 'He sounds like he really likes you.' Derek shook his head as he rolled his eyes. Unbelievable! Yeah! He really liked her alright!
"Vicky, I am dropping you off and then I am driving Casey home." Derek spoke between thin tight lips. She must have read the anger in his eyes as she did nothing but silently nod. He helped Casey get her light pink trench coat on. He watched as she drew her hair out from the coat, letting the long, chestnut curls tumble perfectly down her back. She turned and bashed her long-wet lashes at Derek, a grateful look fell over her face.
"Don't, cry on the upholstery." He joked, trying to lighten her mood. A smile tugged from the corner of his lips as he looked down at Casey. She rolled her eyes at him, trying to hold back a smile, unsuccessfully, of course.
As soon as Derek dropped Vicky off, Casey let the tears roam free. Her feet sat at the edge of her seat, her knees were pulled straight up against her chest. She had her arms wrapped around her legs as she sobbed the whole way home. She kept her gaze out the window. Derek sat quietly as he searched for the words to say. A few things came to mind, but they seemed too sentimental for him to say to her. He could imagine her reaction. The words kept threatening to come out, but he held them tightly. As they got closer to home, Casey's cries came to an end. The only sound left was the occasional hiccup that would escape unwillingly under her breath.
As they got up to the front door, Casey paused before opening it. She turned to look up at Derek, his heart nearly stopping at the look that rested in her eyes. How could he not fall apart when he saw the heartbreak in those beautiful eyes of hers? Those eyes that stood strong before him every single day? That mimicked his every single move? That so desperately craved his vengeance? It was those very eyes that reminded Derek of the unfortunate circumstances that would never let them be together. Every single day, he thought about those eyes. Raging blue like sapphires in the night.
"Thank you." She whispered, a hiccup sneaking out. He didn't say anything, instead letting the look in his eyes say all he couldn't.
Upon entering the house, Casey fell shocked to see her mother half asleep on the couch. Nora jolted up at the sound of the door shutting.
"Hey Mom, what are you doing up?" Casey's fragile voice asked.
"Waiting for you." Nora said, giving Derek a warm smile. "Derek called." Casey turned to look at Derek, who stood tall next to her. He gave her a slight smile before Casey was at it again. She walked to her mother, tears rushing down her cheeks.
"Ugh! More tears? You're like Niagara Falls!" Derek's complained as his eyes widened below his long hair. "Goodnight, ladies." He said as he left Casey alone to be comforted by her mother.
Derek paced up the stairs to his room and tossed the door shut to her sob-fest. The one thing he hated worse than seeing her broken eyes? Was to hear her crying! And man, did she know how! The only time she fell apart like that was when her loser boyfriends would bring her down.
Derek stood in his room, wishing so badly, he could prove to be better than all those guys who carelessly played her. He knew he could be better than them, but he would never get the chance to show her. A girl like Casey needed to be loved and cherished and reminded every day of how wonderful she is. She is beautiful, sweet, caring, loving, smart and most importantly, she was Casey. She was a damn princess that was being treated like a fucking peasant! Derek threw his leather jacket against his bed. He felt his blood burn as he hated the circumstances his Dad had put him in. He despised his father every single day for marrying the one woman that would keep him from ever having a chance with Casey. Deep down Derek always knew she was the one. From the moment he met her. No other girl, not even Sally, has made Derek feel the way he felt around Casey. He hated to be so damn cheesy, but it was the fucking truth! The guy fell in love with her at first sight! He always laughed at the thought, but it stung him like a mother-
He tore his shirt off and threw it against the hamper. It fell down with the rest of the clothes that never seemed to make their way in. He looked down at his knuckles, which still throbbed in pain. He laughed to himself, thinking if his knuckles hurt that bad, he couldn't imagine what Truman's face felt like. That prick got what he deserved. As he stared down at his hands, there was a tiny knock at his door. Casey's body slid in as smooth as smoke. She hadn't known he was partially undressed.
"I'm so sorry!" She blushed as she turned to leave.
"Wait," Derek's voice stopped her in her tracks. "Come here." She hesitated before a few seconds before walking in. She did everything in her power trying to avoid looking at him. She almost tripped on his hockey gear that rested against edge of his room, but quickly regained her balance. She walked over to his bed and focused on the red Corvette poster that stood slightly above it. Derek almost laughed at her reaction as she looked over at the posters of all the half-naked girls. Those posters had been on his wall since he was thirteen. It was like the trademark for his room.
"Truman is an idiot." He finally said. He broke her attention, her eyes observed everything in his room, but him. Though he could tell she longed to look at him as her eyes would slowly itch his way before bouncing in another direction.
"You deserve so much better than him, Casey." Derek didn't know why or where he was going with this, but his emotions were taking over the best of him.
"Thank you." She whispered kindly without looking at him. "You didn't have to stick up for me like that." She spoke appreciatively.
"Yeah, I did. And It's no problem, Casey." He spoke her name softly, like the look he gave her. His voice was slightly coarse and almost a whisper.
Derek held his clean shirt tightly in his hands. He wished he had cleaned his dark, messy room. Her eye carefully browsed over every imperfection that stood about. The pillows flung around his messy bed. The olive-green cotton sheets were flailed about from his latest slumber. A bag of potato chips sat on his night stand, crumbs spilling out. He had energy drink cans, emptied on his desk where papers sat loosely. There was at least a week's load of laundry sitting beside the empty hamper. He couldn't believe he didn't leave his hockey gear downstairs in the laundry room, he swore she could smell the thick musky sweat that lingered from practice earlier that evening. Thank God, he had no underwear sitting around. That would be the icing on the cake!
A girl like Casey could never live like this. She was always beyond organized and lavishly clean. She spent hours of her weekend making sure her room would never look like his. He even caught her leaving mints on her pillow one morning! Oh, he teased her for weeks after that. Casey standing in Derek's room was now the cleanest thing in it!
"Casey?" He loved the way her name felt against his lips. "Please don't let him get to you." His voice was low and husky. She looked over at him, a shuddering surprise replaced her every emotion. She was probably half expecting some name calling or sarcastic joke of some type. Instead, Derek's body relaxed as she now gazed over him. His eyes must have been unreadable as Casey desperately searched within them.
He stood there, partially naked. As he gripped his clean shirt within his hands, his forearms flexed so easily.
He smiled as he never saw those eyes look at him in such a way. He watched as they slowly gazed over every inch of his body. He could tell she wanted to see more than what she was given. Curiosity never looked so fucking good, he thought as he slowly bit his lip. Her eyes flashed with nothing but true desire. She kept glancing at other objects around his room, but her eyes always went straight back to him.
This was new, and he craved every bit of it. He watched closely as her breathing elevated. Her face flustered as she struggled to say something. Derek shifted his weight as her eyes darted straight into his soul. Even though he stood half naked in front of her, he had never felt so exposed from an innocent look before. He underestimated just how truly powerful those eyes were.
He began to test her desire. Slowly, his body pulled towards her. One step bringing them closer and closer. Her heart thundered loudly in his silent room. Her breathing became heavier. He heard the soft crash of her breath sound like the ocean waves that crashed against large rocks. The closer he got, the more he smelt that fruity-tropical scent of her hair. He was now standing in front of her, slightly towering her petite body. Her innocent eyes traced over his chest. He knew she must have felt what he was feeling. Was this the first time?
"What has ch-ch-changed in you?" She stuttered as she looked up at him with wide eyes. Her lips parted as he looked down at them. Only an inch or two stood between the two of them. He felt the heat radiate off her body, slowly begging him to pull her in for more.
"You…" He began to say something but was interrupted by the sudden obnoxious knock at his door. The door flew wide open. In an instinct, Casey aggressively pushed Derek away from her. He fell down hard on his bed, elbows barely propping him up from the fall. She looked over and noticed he was still shirtless. She jumped away quickly, throwing her hands behind her back as she looked at her mother.
"I was just thanking Derek for being so nice today." Her innocent face was full on beet red. Derek couldn't help but notice the tickling smile that played on Nora's lips.
"Well, that's great honey, but let's not thank him too much." She joked with a small laugh. Casey's face grew red like the end of a thermometer. She hid herself behind her hands.
"MOM!" She shrieked with embarrassment. She ran passed her mother as she left Derek's room. There was a light slamming of her door shortly followed by music. Nora gave Derek the 'look' before shutting his door. It was a look Derek had seen before. One that told him he wasn't the only one who knew about his feelings.