Savior

Chapter 12

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Cate smirked as she picked up the two wine glasses and empty bottle of wine from the table on Derek's balcony. After the Gala, the two went back to his apartment for the evening. Cate opened a bottle of wine that she had won from the raffles and the two relaxed on the balcony as they watched the city sleep beneath them.

She placed the three items on the counter in the kitchen and returned to the balcony with a fresh cup of coffee in her hand. The brunette leaned forward on the railing as a soft wind swept her hair from her face.

Her brown hair lay in curls behind her shoulders and her face was bare of any make up from the night before.

She thought back to the night before; she beamed with pride of having Derek escort her to her company's biggest event of the year. He was so proud of her and made sure every person he spoke to knew it.

He video-taped her acceptance speech on his phone and made sure to show her when they arrived back at his place. She noted the change in his lock screen photo when his phone lit up in the car after the ceremony. It was a photo he had taken earlier in the night; Cate sat at their table, her eyes fixated on the stage and her chin resting on the palm of her hand. She had a slight smile on her face, and her dimple was on full display.

Cate never even knew Derek took the photo of her, but he commented how beautiful she looked in it.

Her phone beeped on the chair behind her. She braced herself for an early morning e-mail from a client, but was surprised to find the professional photos from the night before sitting in her inbox.

The brunette placed her coffee mug on the table and took a seat. She browsed through the photos and saved several. She grinned at the photo of her with her mother; they were both beaming. Helena Johnson was her rock after her attack. The older woman rarely left the hospital, and stayed with her daughter when she was cleared to go home.

Another photo caught her eye; the couple was dancing and not paying any attention to the photographer. Cate saw it on her own face, the love and adoration she had for the man who saved her life. Derek looked equally as smitten, the smile on his face giving it away completely. His eyes twinkled in the stillness of the photo.

She thought back to the dancing from the previous night. Derek played off that he was not the best dancer, but after the show he put on for her, she definitely disagreed. He held her just perfectly, and twirled her to the amusement of the small crowd who watched them from the tables close-by.

Cate saved another photo, the two at their table sharing a kiss after her acceptance speech. She set it as her wallpaper on her phone and set the phone back on the table. The brunette picked up her coffee mug and watched the city come to life on the Sunday morning.

The thoughts of Cole and Derek's standoff took precedence in her mind. Cole was never one to attend big events like the Gala; Cate had to beg him a few years before to join her. In their two years together, he only went one time and claimed it was a waste of his time.

Why did he show up last night? She thought, clenching her teeth at the realization. She was listed on the invite as a Top 5 Realtor receiving accolades at the event.

How did he know Derek was going to be there? She cringed at the idea of him following her but as the pieces came together, she knew it was possible. The flowers and gifts left at her condo was another clue.

There had been murmurs in her office about his drinking habits. Cole moved to another branch when Cate was in the hospital, and took several of her clients with him. He would seldom touch a beer, let alone hard liquor when the two dated. But she could not look past his intoxication the night before.

"Good morning, beautiful," Cate jumped at the voice in the doorway.

She fixed a bright smile to her face as she pushed her thoughts to the side. "Mornin'," she offered. Derek stood in the threshold of the door with a mug of coffee in his hand. "Thank you for last night."

He grinned. "Anytime." The black man took a seat behind her on the chaise. He placed his chin to her shoulder. "This is the reason I got this place," he mused, relishing in the early morning quiet. "I can come out here and unwind after a long week."

"It's very relaxing," Cate agreed.

Derek kissed her shoulder. "There's an even better view this morning."

She could not control the smile taking over her face. He could say something so simple and she would blush like a school girl. Derek Morgan had a way of making her feel so protected and safe, yet the sexiest woman in the room. She sat on the balcony in a pair of sweatpants and a spaghetti strap tank top, yet he made her feel like a million dollars.

A simple kiss to her skin made her body react to him in a way it never had to any other man. She would catch him watching her across the room, and it was enough to take her breath away.

"What is on the agenda for today?" he asked as she took a sip from her coffee mug.

Cate shrugged. "I have nothing planned," she replied.

"I usually spend my Sundays getting ready for the work week." Derek stood from the seat and rested against the railing. He smiled in Cate's direction as she relaxed back on the seat. "But I was hoping we could grab some dinner?" She grinned. "Take a trip out to the winery this afternoon?"

Cate's eyes lit up. "You know me so well," she could not keep the smile from her face. "I'd love to." She placed her coffee mug on the table and sat up. "I do need to get back to my place to grab a few things so I can hit the office tomorrow morning, but other than that, I am all yours today."

"And hopefully all week," he smirked. "We're supposed to be free from travel this week, which means I get to come home to my lovely lady every night."

She stood up next to him at the railing and looked out over the city. "Oh no," she quipped, "you're going to get sick of me pretty quick."

The black man laughed. "I hardly doubt that." He looked next to him as the brunette. "I could never get sick of being with you."

The honesty and emotion in his voice caused a lump to grow in her throat. She pursed her lips, watching his face. The brown eyes she watched so closely two years ago softened when they looked at her now. His touch may no longer keep her alive, but made her body come to life with the slightest sensation.

"I think I love you," she blurted out, shocked at how easily the admission escaped her lips.

Her blue eyes widened, and her fingers went to her lips to cover them and keep them closed. Derek cautiously moved her hand from her face and placed his lips to hers. Her arm instinctively wrapped around his neck as his snaked around her back.

"Good," he stated when the two pulled apart. "Because I know I love you."

There was no string of words that ever sounded more perfect to Cate's ear. The adoration she had for this man was solid and exploded from every pore on her body. She could never keep the permanent grin from her face when he was around. But to hear him recite those three words was enough to cause her heart to burst.

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Thank you, thank you for the kind words after the last chapter! The kiddos are both feeling much better! This story has been on my mind so much that I'm letting the muse get her way and we're typing away! xo