Chapter 13

AN: Thanks for the reviews! I'm a smidge late on answering them; heading up north for a late birthday celebration! Thought I'd put this out first, and answer the reviews later...

Penelope awoke feeling a little like she needed to sneeze. She was curled on the firm, slightly hairy chest of her best friend. That was the culprit causing her distress; the sparse curls were tickling her cheek and nose. She nuzzled closer anyway, closing her eyes again. In all seriousness, she thought she could spend the rest of her life in bed on that spot and be completely content.

It hit last night, somewhere in all the give and take of their lovemaking. She'd thought she didn't want someone like Derek. Someone powerful, strong, controlling. She'd thought she'd lose herself; be overpowered and lose who she was. She'd found that wasn't the truth.

It was a give and take. He was powerful, but simply because he wanted to protect her. He took control of situations, but he listened to her, too. He was not a spiteful man; he didn't want to bring her down to make himself feel better. He was considerate; he honored her, her friendship, her body, and her spirit-he wouldn't let her think down about herself, just like she wouldn't let him talk smack about himself, either.

It was a wonderful give and take. Making love to him really proved that., When she kissed him, when she gave herself over to him, she gained so much. He had been a thoughtful, caring lover, who'd brought her to peaks she didn't even know she could reach. Looking at his face, at the look he had when he came, she knew she took him right along on that journey, too. There was an innate rightness about it, like destiny being fulfilled.

With that, she knew completely: she had been definitely wrong. He was exactly what she'd always wanted.

She opened her eye and looked at her still sleeping Hot Stuff. She looked back down, sighing. She traced her finger over the indent of his navel, up the sculpted perfection of his tummy. She was beginning to frown, caught by a moment's hesitation.

She was trying to think of what he would say, what he would do, when he woke. Just because she knew they were a damn good pair didn't mean he'd changed what he wanted in a woman. She couldn't help but snicker. They were like Reid's socks, oddly matched, but for some unknown reason, they worked together.

At that moment, Derek stirred, his hand coming down to pat her butt. The man had an obsession with her butt and her boobs; her nipples were a bit sore from whisker rubs. He pushed her closer to his side. She looked up into his heavily lidded eyes.

"Woman, it's settled," he commented, smiling contentedly at her like a cat who ate the canary.

"What's settled?" she asked, her eyebrow quirked.

"You need to sleep here every night. I'd be a very happy, very well rested man."

"That can be arraigned," she answered, smiling coyly. "Just do what you did last night for me, and I can somehow work it into my schedule."

"Somehow?" he croaked with a laugh, then had the audacity to look offended. "Please. It's priority, top of the list, necessity, urgent, ASAP."

"You wanna be my top priority, hmmm?" She was working for a teasing, light tone, and hoped she'd succeeded. Her heart fluttered; little did he know, he was already her top priority.

He rolled her under him, bracing himself on his forearms. He tucked them under her pillow, holding her in an embrace of sorts. "I'd like to be your only priority, for a very long time."

He was looking at her with a heat and passion she hadn't expected to resurface so soon; they'd made love multiple times last night. She'd never had a lover look at her like Derek was; like she was the only woman on earth, the only one that could satisfy him.

Her heart stopped in her chest. She was trying to think of a witty comeback, a tease like they always did, but she was having a hard time doing it. It was hard to think with that much intensity staring at her. She was saved from having to answer, because he leaned down to kiss her.

His mouth was hot, searching, demanding. She reached her arms up to wrap around his shoulders, holding him near. She felt that same sweeping heat, a delicious spiraling warmth that seemed to build every time his lips touched hers. She parted her lips, and his tongue swept inside, stroking against hers. His kiss possessed, claimed her, and she loved every moment of it.

He started kissing his way over to her ear. Once there, he whispered, "What do you want, Penelope? Tell me, and I'll do everything in my power to make it come true."

She shivered in his arms at the intensity of his statement. One look into his hooded eyes, black with desire, and she knew he meant every word he said. So she answered him truthfully.

"I want you."

He started to kiss her again, her neck, her jaw, her collarbones. "Oh, baby. My sweet, beautiful Baby Girl." He kissed her mouth again, drawing her more into the heat of the moment, before moving down to the juncture of her shoulder and neck. He kissed the pulse that fluttered there, the bristles of his morning beard rough against her tender skin.

She moved under him, moaning with want, as he worked her up to a frenzy of need again. Apparently, he wasn't the only insatiable person in her bed. So, she kissed him back, her tongue melding with his, her center liquefying, her body readying itself to receive him yet again. However, above all the heat, all the passion, all the lust, she couldn't tamp out a burning question that pricked the back of her mind….no matter how hard she tried to ignore it.

She needed to know, had to know, before this went any further.

"Derek," she gasped, pulling her mouth away from his.

"Mmm, sweetness?" His voice was a low rumble near her ear, causing goose bumps.

"Derek… how about you?" she asked quietly as he nibbled her earlobe, hoping her voice didn't betray her nervousness. "What do you want?"

He raised his head and met her eyes. "That's simple, angel." He wrapped his arms around her and rolled her on top of him. He watched her for a moment, his eyes focused on her breasts, her lips, her eyes. As if he couldn't resist the urge, he cupped her face in his hands, bringing her mouth down to his.

She lost herself in the kiss again, before she forced herself to lean back. She responded with a soft moan, "Tell me."

"I want you, too," he answered plainly. Thickly, huskily, like the words were driven from deep inside, his eyes glittering dark obsidian fire.

"Oh," she breathed, caught in his spell again. "I-"

He pulled her forward, so that her lips were against his, as he whispered, "And I want you to be mine…Only mine."

"Yes," she said, starting to kiss him again. She'd grant him his wishes, too. All he had to do was ask.