Savior

Chapter 46

-xx-

Derek stood in the doorway of the kitchen watching Cate hard at work; piles of paper lined the dining table and her fingers were going a mile a minute across the keyboard. He crossed his arms as he watched her work. She was so meticulous about each piece of paper, and having all possible information when she worked on a sale.

Music played softly from the laptop as she twisted around the table to grab every piece of information. She stopped for a moment to read what was on the screen and stretched her aching neck.

Derek stepped into the kitchen and placed his hands on her neck, his fingers slowly going to work on the pulled muscles. She instantly let her shoulders down as he massaged the sore part of her body.

"You are a godsend," she mumbled, forcing herself to stay concentrated on the work in front of her.

"This means its time to put away your work." Derek moved his hands down to her shoulders, causing her to stop typing and lean forward so he had access to her entire back. "It is the fourth of July after all."

She grinned. "I'm almost done. I want this in his e-mail as soon as possible so I can enjoy the holiday with my boyfriend and then my weekend in Miami."

Derek started to ease up on the massage and began to back away from the brunette. She stretched her shoulders, letting his work sink in even further and went back to her laptop. "You've got ten minutes and then you're off to get ready to head to your parents."

She grinned over her shoulder. "Yes, sir," she replied with a mock salute. He winked in her direction before continuing towards the refrigerator to retrieve a bottle of water. Derek stopped to place a kiss to her cheek as he walked out of the room.

-xx-

"You're drooling," Jackie stated as she took a seat on the pool lounge chair next to Cate's.

The brunette jumped at the voice and turned to her sister. She lifted the sunglasses from her narrowed eyes. "I'm allowed to drool all I want over that guy." The smile that broke across Cate's face brought one to Jackie's.

"You're really happy," Jackie pointed out.

Cate nodded. "He's pretty sexy, huh?"

The older sister rolled her eyes. "I refuse to answer that question." The two sisters laughed. "Do you think he could give Steve some pointers on getting a six pack like that?"

"I'm fairly certain that's an eight pack, Jackie," the younger brunette replied with a grin.

Jackie pursed her lips into a smile and nodded in the direction of Derek as he started towards the two women. "Speak of the devil," she muttered with a laugh.

Derek reached the two and leant down to plant a kiss to Cate's lips. "Having fun with the Johnson men?" Cate asked as she chuckled.

Derek grinned. "You have two pretty protective older brothers."

Jackie laughed. "Alex is the only one I'd worry about. Nathaniel is a push-over."

Derek sat on the edge of Cate's lounge chair. He momentarily got distracted watching her scoot over in the chair to make room for him. He could tell she was self conscious about being around friends and family in her newest bikini, but he was enjoying the view.

"I got invited to go out and play golf with your father and brothers."

Jackie interrupted, "I guess you're stuck with him, Cate." The younger brunette turned to her sister. "That means Dad likes him. It took Steve three years to get an invite to Boy's weekend."

Cate watched the expressions play over Derek's face. Inwardly she was jumping up and down in happiness; her parents were always extremely particular of who dated their daughters.

"It's a day of golfing," Derek defended with a laugh.

"You may as well ask her to marry you now," Jackie countered. "Daddy doesn't just invite anyone on his golf trips!"

Cate took a sip of her mixed drink and grinned. "She's got a point," she said and motioned to Jackie. "He, who shall not be named, was never invited. Steve would sulk every time Dad got his golf bag ready."

Jackie busted out laughing. "Do you remember the year Dad asked him to clean his bag out?" She turned to Derek and did her best to tell the story through her laughter. "Cleaned his clubs and balls; I mean they were spotless. He still didn't get an invite."

"It was almost as depressing as when Jackie told him he couldn't come to Miami with us!"

The two women laughed. "I think my invite got lost in the mail," Derek said jokingly.

"Nope," Jackie replied. "There never was one! It's Girl's weekend for a reason!"

The black man shook his head as he laughed. "And what is on the agenda for this Girl's Weekend?" he said, and used air quotes around the name.

Jackie shrugged. "A lot of liquor and a lot of sun."

Cate grinned. "It's just some much needed R&R for the ladies, baby." She winked in Derek's direction. "It'll be very boring. Lots of lounging around on the beach in bikinis."

"That's it," he joked. "You're staying home."

Cate rolled her eyes and laughed. "You wish. With your luck, you'll be called off to work for the weekend."

"As long as he gets called away and it's not to Miami!" Jackie added. "It's my birthday weekend, after all."

"So that puts Cate in charge for the weekend?"

Jackie laughed as Cate took a sip of her drink. "Hardly! I am very responsible, Mr. Morgan!" she retorted.

"Until the tequila comes out," Cate quipped.

Jackie shrugged at her sister's comment. "Be nice, Cate! I promised you don't have to drink it this weekend!"

"Derek won't be there to carry me around! I can't handle my tequila and you know it!" She pointed at her sister and laughed.

"You are such a lightweight, Cate," her sister replied. "You have been since high school!"

Derek chuckled. "That's just what your parents want to hear," he said with a belly laugh.

"I warned you," she said to Derek. "I was no angel growing up."

Jackie sat up in her lounge chair and turned to Derek. "Oh, the stories I could tell!"

"Don't you dare," Cate warned.

Jackie ignored her sister. "She did everything she wasn't supposed to. I swear she had youngest child issues. I can't tell you how many times she 'borrowed' my ID."

Cate nonchalantly pointed in Derek's direction. "Remember he's a federal agent?"

"Remember how you just needed that belly button piercing?" her sister replied.

"You should have kept it," Derek mumbled.

The younger brunette rolled her eyes. "It would have clashed with this gigantic scar taking up half of my stomach."

Jackie was impressed; she realized it was the first time in over three years Cate had worn a bikini to a family event. The Fourth of July at her parent's house was always a big party, and wearing that definitely made her older sister proud.

"I'm just glad you opted for your nose ring instead of a lip ring like you wanted."

"Ah, to be young and naive," Cate said as she stretched out on her lounge chair.

Jackie chuckled. "Those were the days. The Johnson sisters were raising hell every weekend."

Cate sighed. "It's a really good thing we knew the Chief of Police."

The two laughed. "Daddy got us out of a lot of trouble, but I think we ended up okay." Jackie took a sip of her drink as she watched her daughter play in the pool. "Now-a-days, we just get asked when we're going to have more kids or get married."

Cate noticed her sister narrow her eyes in her direction from behind her sunglasses. The grin on Derek's face was the answer to the unspoken questions lingering in her head though.

-xx-