Abby hadn't known such websites even existed but it was interesting to hear how Derek and Stiles had started out.
"He didn't tell me about the chair until we finally set up our first date," Derek told her with a fond smile on his lips.
"That must have come as quite a surprise."
"You have no idea," Derek agreed. "But we had talked via text for weeks, I wanted to at least meet him in person. And I was curious how the dom part would play out."
For a second Abby had forgotten about that part of their relationship. It still baffled her that he was admitting so freely to this.
"I have very explicit pictures of my dom on my website," Derek reminded her but Abby got the feeling that he wouldn't be so open about this with just anybody. "But I'm not going to tell you the juicy bits." He pointed his chopsticks at her.
They finished their dinner and talked for a while longer but then Derek got up, ready to leave. Abby might have been dozing off again.
"Sorry." She stifled a yawn.
"Get some rest," Derek told her. "We still have a few miles to cover tomorrow."
Abby glanced at the clock on the nightstand, it was just past seven. Way too early to turn in but at the moment it sounded like a good idea.
"Sorry, I'm bad company at the moment." Abby felt a little bad about it but the headache was back and she just wanted to take one of her painkillers and crawl into bed.
"Don't worry, I can entertain myself." Derek reached for the door. "I think I'm going for a walk, call me if you need anything."
Abby doubted that she would need anything but it was good to know that he was just there. They said goodnight and then Abby was alone in her room. She took a shower, the hot water helped to loosen the cramped muscles in her neck, and then she crawled under the covers and was asleep only minutes later.
She woke up with a start but it took her a moment to figure out what had woken her. A door falling shut. She glanced at her door, just in case, but it had most likely come from Derek's room. The walls were thin around here.
Abby got comfortable again to get back to sleep but now she was wide awake. Over the day she had slept quite a lot, looked like her body was done with resting for now. Still enjoying the warm bed, Abby just lay there. From the other room, she heard footsteps and a minute later the shower started.
The sound of the shower almost lulled her back to sleep but Derek's bed must be right behind this wall because she could actually hear it when he got comfortable over there.
She thought that he would go right to sleep but then she heard his voice. It was too muffled to make out the words but it was clearly him and not the TV talking. And then there was another voice. Was he not alone over there? For an absurd moment, Abby thought that he had found a hook-up for the night but then she realized that it was Stiles he was talking to. For some reason, he must have put him on speaker. She still couldn't make out words but she had no desire to listen in to a private conversation anyway. So she just drew the blanket up again and closed her eyes in the faint hope that their voices would lull her back to sleep.
However, the tone of the conversation changed. They were not actually talking any longer. Just short sentences with pauses in between. And now she heard Derek's bed again.
"Seriously?" Abby asked into the empty room. Once she had identified the noises, it was clear what was happening over there.
Abby knew that she should turn on the TV to tune out the noises coming from the other room or at least she should bang on the wall to let Derek know that he wasn't as quiet as he thought he was but instead Abby just lay there and listened.
She still couldn't make out Stiles' part, at least not the words but it was clear that he was giving orders of some kind. Abby couldn't help but wonder what he was telling Derek to do. From Derek, she heard the noises the bed was making with his movements. A heavy breath here and there.
But then Derek broke into pleas and curses. Abby heard "please" and "fuck" a few times, those were loud and clear but also something that sounded like broken sobs.
Abby knew she shouldn't listen in on them but she couldn't help it. She heard Derek coming apart while Stiles was talking to him in a sharp voice.
Without even noticing Abby slipped a hand between her legs. Through the slip, she felt how wet she was just from listening to what was going on in the other room. She didn't have a visual, she didn't even want to think about what Derek was doing there, but the noises were enough.
Abby ran her finger over her folds, getting the fabric of her slip even wetter. She couldn't remember when she had done this the last time, for sure not in the last months. And doing this now, with a concussion, was probably a bad idea but then Derek moaned and she had to bite her lip to not answer in the same manner.
She didn't fantasize about Derek but she did let the noises in. Through the fabric, she circled her clit and when Derek let out another broken "please", her hips twitched in response. She slipped her hand under the waistband, dipping her fingertips into the wetness. The thought alone that she was doing something she shouldn't made the warmth pool in her belly.
In the other room, Derek came with a broken cry.
Savoring that noise Abby circled her clit more firmly, the little nub now hard and sensitive under her fingers. It didn't take long for her to come as well, her hips bucking when she rode out the waves of her orgasm. Then she was just lying there, hand still between her legs, catching her breath.
Derek was quiet now but she could still hear Stiles. His voice was lower now, barely audible, it was almost a lullaby.
At some point even that ended and then the other room fell quiet. A few minutes later Abby was pretty sure that Derek had fallen asleep.
Eventually, Abby got up to wash her hands and then she turned on the TV to kill some time.
They checked out of the motel in the morning and headed to a diner just a bit down the street for breakfast. Today Abby felt more like herself, the headache not gone but way better and she was more comfortable with showing her face in public. When Derek offered her the seat that was not facing the whole room she took it, though.
"How did you sleep?" Derek when they had their first cup of coffee. He had talked quite a lot yesterday and it was still early, he didn't really seem up for words just yet.
"Fine," Abby answered and busied her hands with adding cream and sugar to her coffee. She couldn't look him in the eye. When he had come out of his room earlier Abby had subtly looked him up and down but he looked just like he always looked. A bit on the rough side, actually, with his scruff and the leather jacket, but in her mind, she still heard the broken pleas from last night.
"You?" She couldn't help but ask.
"Took some pictures last night," Derek told her while he studied the menu. "They have some beautiful places around here."
"Hmm." Abby made. "Slept well? I don't know about you but I want my own bed back."
"Same."
They didn't rush their breakfast but eventually, they were back on the road. They still had quite a ride ahead. Abby texted with Haley to see how she was doing and if she had driven Stiles nuts by now. This should have been a one day deal, two days at most, and now Stiles was babysitting her daughter for days.
"He's good with kids," Derek assured and to make his point, he told her about how Lucy and Justin, his sister's children, just loved him.
"Your family lives in California?"
"Yeah, Stiles' as well," Derek confirmed. He might have mentioned that before.
"My parents live in Wyoming, I don't see them as much as I would like," Abby said. Last time she had seen them at the funeral. However, Derek didn't take the bait and it was quite obvious that family was something he didn't really want to talk about so Abby hurried to change the topic.
They made a few more stops than yesterday but Abby was grateful for every chance she got to stretch her legs and they still arrived in New York in the afternoon.
"Stiles is waiting with dinner at my place," Derek informed her and that was where he was heading. Abby didn't care much about dinner, it was Haley she wanted to see.
"Mommy." Haley flew into her arms the second Abby came through the door. They almost landed on the floor but Abby managed to keep her bearings and then they were just hugging. Distantly she noticed Derek who was squeezing past them but for the moment she just wanted to hold her daughter.
When they finally broke apart, Haley had her first real look at her. Carefully, as if she was afraid to hurt her, she reached for Abby's face. Her fingertips ghosted over the scrapped over skin.
"It's okay," Abby assured her. "It doesn't hurt anymore."
Haley didn't look convinced but didn't push it.
"Dinner's ready." Stiles saved them.
"I'm starving," Abby announced and with her arm around Haley's shoulder, she walked over to the table. Josh was there as well so the table was full.
Of course, Abby had to tell them in detail what had happened but she tried to keep it as emotionless as possible. She was just stating facts. Once or twice a question hit too close to home but each time it was Stiles who caught on and interrupted with another question. How he was doing it she didn't know, maybe she was this easy to read, but she gave him a grateful smile.
"What an asshole," Josh commented when she had finished her story. Haley giggled at that word but she sobered up quickly again.
"Do you think he's coming for you?" Stiles asked. She had made him camp out here just because she had been worried that Rick would come after Haley.
"Honestly? I don't know." Abby pushed her cleared plate away. Next to her Haley did the same just with the difference that her food was barely touched. "But I want to sleep in my bed tonight."
Haley nodded to that. She had spent the last nights on a couch, Abby doubted that she had gotten a good night's sleep either.
After dinner, Stiles offered to drop them off at Abby's place. He and Derek wanted to spend the night at Stiles' and judging by the face Josh was making, sleep wasn't the first thing on their mind.
"At least I'll have this place for myself again," Josh said with a satisfied nod.
"We're leaving Jack and Ginger with you," Stiles informed him to which Josh groaned.
"You're worse than teenagers. Two nights." Josh held up two fingers. "You have been separated for two nights and you're acting as if it's been two years. Other people can go weeks without some." His voice trailed off at the end and he was giving Haley an unsure glance. Lucky him, she didn't ask what he was talking about.
Abby could tell him that they hadn't gone without for two nights but since she also wasn't willing to deal with the questions that would raise, she didn't mention it. Besides, it was none of her business what Derek and Stiles were doing.
Stiles dropped them off at Abby's place and Derek promised to pick her up in the morning. He needed to bring back the rental and she needed to get her car from the airport. Plus, tomorrow was Monday, she should show up at work at some point.
Entering her own apartment felt strange but good at the same time. It was already getting late so she shooed Haley to get ready for bed.
"Did you have fun with Stiles?" Abby was sitting on the edge of Haley's bed.
Haley nodded. She had shown her the pictures she had drawn and the photo she had developed and between that and playing MarioKart with Stiles, Stiles had even managed to get her to do all her homework.
She kissed Haley good night and then she tiptoed out of the room. It was too early for her to turn in as well so she sat down on the couch and just let the feeling of being home sink in.