Chapter 2
AN: As always, thanks for the reviews. I truly appreciate it. I will respond to them after I get this chapter out: it's begging to be written. A different POV….
The alarm next to Derek's bed was an unwelcome intrusion. He couldn't really fuss too much though. For the first time in years, he slept like a rock. No nightmares, just a few solid hours. He knew this had everything to do with the gorgeous blonde lying next to him. She made him comfortable, made him feel home. He hit the snooze button and turned slowly, "Sweetheart, time to wa-."
Empty. Her spot was empty. Originally, he thought that maybe, just maybe, she was in the bathroom or something. "Penelope?" he said, cursing that lost sound that crept into his voice. He actually sounded a bit panicky. He leaned back on his pillow, his suave nature taking over, waiting for about two minutes more.
When she didn't answer, he jumped out of bed stark naked and looked in the pile of pillows and blankets scattered around on the floor. Nope. Clothes were gone too. Now, he was pissed. He had plans for this morning. He was going to wake her up slowly and make passionate love before they had to go to work.
He sat there thinking, and absolute disbelief crossed his face. She snuck out on him! That little devil, she was going to get it when he saw her at work today. Then he started to chuckle a bit. In all the years that he'd been doing this, since that first cheerleader in the back seat of his Monte Carlo, he had always been the one to leave. Leave it to Penelope to make things different.
And oh, did she ever make it different! He wanted to wake up with her everyday, kiss her silly, and have more mind blowing sex. He was never going to get enough of her. It was even different that they ended up at his place. He never brought any other woman here; it was too personal. But he needed Penelope to be there. He wanted to make memories here, too. He told her that he loved her at her place, he got to show her that he loved her at his.
When she said she broke up with Kevin last night, he had to hold back a cheer of delight. That was so long in the making, he could barely stand it. Finally! He dated numerous women, really trying to make a relationship with some of them, but it never worked. He always ended up back with her, her friendship meaning more than any relationship he had. As far as he was concerned, his current relationship was nullified the minute his lips touched Penelope's.
He had no choice in the matter. It seemed like he was waiting forever for her to dump that little weasel, but she kept up with him. She broke his heart when she started dating him. He told her he loved her- he had never said that to a woman before- and she went off with Lynch. He never could figure out why she did that, he just assumed that she didn't feel the same way he did.
Frigid! He couldn't believe it. The man was a blithering idiot- she was so hot, she practically burned his bed down. In fact: the wall in the foyer, the back of the couch, the door to his bedroom should all have singe marks. The foyer….. He thought about that and was immediately aroused again.
He was kissing her with all the pent up desire that he had for her (Five years!) when they stumbled through the front door. They never stopped kissing and touching, not in the cab ride home or the elevator ride up. He was pressing himself up against her body as hard as he could against the wall, trying to get to her warmth through the layers of flounce in her skirts. She was grabbing on to him, hooking a leg around his knees, trying her best to climb up his body. It was desperate, nearly clawing, and he loved every second of it.
He kissed down her neck to the valley of her very tempting cleavage, and his hands were under her skirt, touching her bare legs and silk covered derrière. It just wasn't enough. He wanted her skin, to kiss it, touch it, and he wanted it now. He sank to his knees in front of her, and ran his hands from her ankles up the length of her legs. He placed his cheek against her soft knee, then started hot, open mouthed kisses up the inside of her thigh. Until her skirt got in the way. Grabbing handfuls of the pretty fabric, he pushed it up into her hands.
She looked down at him with ever darkening eyes, her legs shaking a little as she held on to the skirt, complying with his wish. He'd never seen her look like that before: passion blushed, full of wonder and need, softly trembling. He would never forget it. There was no need to talk; they understood each other exactly. They were so in tune, each stroke, each touch a masterpiece. It was so right. Then….
The noisy alarm sounded again. Derek growled as he ripped the stupid cord out of the wall and knocked the damn clock off the nightstand. He needed a shower, a damn cold one, then he was going to go talk to a certain tech and ask why the hell she ducked out without even saying goodbye. More than anything, they needed to talk. Once that happened, everything would be okay. There was a lot of unfinished business between the two of them.
Dressed in his dark suit twenty minutes later, he started walking towards the door. He spied something laying on the ground. With a grin, he scooped it up and placed it in his pocket for later use.
