Savior

Chapter 26

-xx-

Cate made sure to keep a tight grip on Derek's hand as he spun her across the dance floor. She returned to him, and grinned as his hand found a spot on the small of her back, and slowly shifted further down her back, just above her bottom.

The two swayed to the live band, a pleasant surprise when they had gone downstairs for dinner. After a delicious meal, the two wound up on the veranda listening to a three piece band.

Her hand slowly moved from his shoulder to his cheek. Derek lost himself in her gaze, and the love pouring from it. He was in awe of the grace she had as he led her across the patio area.

Cate's sandals had been kicked off under the table where they left their drinks. As the song winded down, Derek slowly lifted his girlfriend off of the ground. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he placed a kiss to her lips. His grip tightened on her when he slowly returned her feet to the floor.

The pair found themselves caught up in the music and themselves. Derek's hands wrapped around her petite waist as his lips found hers again. They swayed to the strains of the song as Cate rested her arms on Derek's shoulders.

"I don't want to go home," she whined.

He grinned. "We'll have to keep coming back to our hide-away," he replied, nodding to the inside of the hotel.

The brunette nodded. "I love it here," she began, her eyelashes fluttering as she looked up at him, "and the company doesn't hurt either."

Derek laughed and spun her around again. When he brought her body back to him, he wrapped his arms around her from behind. Her hands entwined with his as they rocked to the music.

The black man placed soft kisses behind her ear, causing her to laugh and try to squirm away from his hold. Cate curled away and laughed as she wrapped both arms around his neck. "I am the luckiest person in the world," she stated as the two lost themselves in the song.

"It goes both ways, baby," Derek replied.

The song came to an end, and Cate took a hold of Derek's hand, and pulled him from the dance floor. She slid on her sandals and picked up her glass of wine. As Cate finished the remainder of the glass, she took Derek's hand and started towards the boardwalk.

For a few moments, they walked hand in hand, in silence, listening to the waves crash in the darkness next to them. A soft breeze blew off of the water, causing Cate to lean closer to Derek.

Derek wrapped an arm around Cate's shoulders as her arm went around his waist, resting her hand in his back pocket. "Back to real life tomorrow," Cate mumbled, breaking the silence.

Derek sighed. The pair stopped along the wall separating the boardwalk from the sand. He took a seat on the stone and pulled Cate between his legs. She rested her forearms on his shoulders.

The silence became almost deafening between the two some. Cate shrugged away any thought of Cole in the time at the beach, but they both knew what would be waiting for them when they arrived back home. Derek placed a hand to each of her hips as she trailed her fingers along the back of his neck.

"We will stop him, Catie." The brunette swallowed the lump in her throat and stared out towards the water. Derek slowly pulled her into his lap, breaking her stare down with the ocean. "I promise you, baby," he said softly as their eyes locked. "I will stop at nothing to protect you."

Cate pursed her lips, fighting back the tears stinging the corners of her eyes. "Why won't he leave us alone?"

It was no longer just about Cate. Derek could promise to protect her, but protecting what she had was more important to her. She would do anything in her power to keep by the side of the man who changed her life.

"He will," Derek replied. "He will have no choice but to back off. Or he'll land himself in jail."

Cate bit her lip, fighting the thoughts in her mind. "His father would never allow that," she muttered. Cate scoffed. "He won't settle if his precious baby boy landed in jail." It came out more bitter than she meant.

"He'll have no choice, Cate." She wrapped her arm around his neck and looked back towards the water. "It all depends on what the judge says Monday morning regarding your protective order. If it becomes a permanent order, and he comes near you, he's done."

The brunette pursed her lips. "And if the judge dismisses the order?"

They let the question linger in the salty sea air. "We will not stop fighting until he leaves you alone for good."

"Us," Cate reminded. "We're in this together, right?"

Derek placed his lips to her cheek. "Always, baby." She turned back to him and gave a soft smile. "Let's enjoy our last night, shall we?"

The brunette's smile turned to a smirk. "And what did you have in mind, my love?"

In one swift move, Derek stood from his seat on the wall and kept his grip on Cate. She flung both arms around his neck to hold on as he started back towards the hotel. "Me. You. A bottle of wine in our room?"

"That's it?" She feigned sadness. "I guess I could make that work."

Derek laughed. "I've got all night, princess. Do you wanna make it a memorable one?"

The mischievous twinkle in his eye make Cate's pulse race. She released a squeal of joy as he shifted her to carry her over his shoulder into the hotel.

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Hope you guys had a great holiday week! I definitely got a lot of writing done this weekend, so you'll be seeing quite a few updates soon