A/N: Hello People! Thank you, readers, for your continued interest in my story. And a sweet kiss on the cheek for those who've reviewed! Anyhoo, this is another transitional chapter that I felt was necessary to give the reader a little more info about of favorite supernatural gang and help setup Chapter 6 and 7. Please enjoy!
Disclaimer: Don't own Darkest Powers, but I can play with the characters. Thank Goodness.
"Oh my God! What is taking so long?" Tori huffed. "Are they cooking the food or growing it?"
Derek glanced across the table at Tori, her arms were crossed and she looked like the very definition of petulance. His dad sat next to her, leaning back, looking amused.
"The game doesn't start for another hour and a half," Derek rumbled.
"Oh, thank you, Derek. I can always count on you to state the obvious," she said, rolling her eyes. "I just want to make sure we get good seats this time. The last game we ended up sitting so far in the corner, I could barely see the basketball hoop."
Like she even gives a crap about basketball. He looked down at Chloe, who sat next to him and gave her a look. Sensing his thoughts, she smiled in response. With her hair up, he couldn't keep his eyes from lingering on the pretty line of her neck. Jesus! Can I stop staring at her for freaking second? He tore his eyes away and glanced around the dining room.
The four of them were sitting in a booth in the town's only Italian restaurant, waiting for dinner to arrive before heading over to their high school. Tonight was the big game ̶ a much anticipated showdown with their school's biggest rival.
"Don't worry, Tori," Kit reassured. "We'll get perfectly good seats to see Simon play."
"Simon play?" Chloe said, smiling. "I think it's safe to say, she's not going to the game to watch Simon. Tonight is all about Justin. Right, Tori?"
"Oh no, Chloe. I love watching Simon play," she snorted. "I especially love watching all the bimbos practically falling out of their tops to get his attention. I'm sure they'll be a record number of low-cut shirts tonight."
Kit chuckled, "Yes, well I'm sure Simon won't let himself get too distracted."
"Yeah, especially with his new girlfriend in the bleachers," giggled Chloe. "He doesn't want to get caught staring down someone's shirt."
Both the girls laughed at that when their food finally arrived. Derek busied himself with his dinner, vaguely hearing the girls discuss Simon's new girlfriend. As he listened to their voices, he wondered how those two could talk about something ̶ anything ̶ for hours, when it would normally be a ten second conversation for him. It was mind boggling. He looked at his dad and they exchanged a look. Girls.
He listened as Chloe and Tori finally came to a conclusion about Simon's new girl. They liked her just fine ̶ well, Chloe did, Tori not so much ̶ but they both agreed she wasn't as cool as his last one. They were pretty big fans of his last girlfriend, and Derek suspected it was because she reminded them of Liz.
Almost a year ago, Liz announced she was ready to crossover ̶ move on to wherever spirits go to "rest". Chloe reluctantly agreed to help her. It was a big loss for everyone, Liz was something of a guardian angel to all of them, but it was especially hard on Chloe. He knew she struggled with the temptation to summon her, just to see if she was okay, but Liz's wishes were specific ̶ she needed peace in her afterlife. Derek was miserable seeing Chloe so unhappy and depressed but he knew there was nothing he could do. He understood the only thing that would help was time and she was certainly feeling better now.
Scraping the last bit of food off his plate, he glanced at Chloe's half eaten meal hopefully. She looked up at him and smiled, pushing her plate towards him. He heard his dad chuckling. "You can finish mine too, son," he said, before excusing himself to use the restroom.
Derek was about two bites away from finishing when Chloe gently rested her small hand on his thigh, causing him to jerk in his seat and nearly dropping his fork. It was an innocent, familiar gesture, but he felt his body instantly react ̶ the spurring of his heartbeat and the ever-present surge in his boxers. He was so wound up these days that any touch from her would have him burning up with lust. It had been three days since their little rendezvous in her room and it did nothing to relieve any of his obsessive yearnings for her. Needless to say, he found himself aroused non-stop. Fortunately, he came up with a simple solution to hide this regular occurrence. Long shirts.
Peering down at her, their eyes locked and he noticed a steady flush spreading over her cheeks, her eyes dilating, breath quickening and he knew she was feeling the same way. He didn't know how long they stared at each other, but the sound of a sharp "hello" broke the spell. Startled, he glanced up and saw Tori slowly waving a hand in front of them, her eyebrows raised in surprise.
"Um...hello? I've been trying to get your attention for, like, a minute," she said, with surprisingly no sarcasm. "And dad will be back in any second."
Embarrassed, Derek looked away, clearing his throat. He felt like Tori had caught them doing something incredibly intimate, instead of just gazing into each other's eyes, like a couple of lovesick teenagers. Who am I kidding? I was practically having sex with her with my eyes. He could sense Chloe fidgeting next to him and he knew she was feeling uncomfortable too.
A few seconds later, his dad strolled back to the table, completely unaware of the tension. Thank God. If his dad suspected Derek's frame of mind ̶ It's the last thing I need to deal with. Derek absently agreed with his dad's suggestion that they head on over to the game ̶ he was still so hyperaware of Chloe sitting next to him.
"Oh my God! Look at all the people here already!" Tori cried, as they pulled into the parking lot. "Our seats are going to suck."
There's only ten cars here so far, he thought, but Derek knew it was more trouble than it was worth to mention that. His dad had barely put the van in park when Tori flew out, dragging Chloe with her, saying, "C'mon Chloe. We gotta beat the throng of people." Chloe looked around confused, seeing only a handful of people moseying over towards the gym.
Derek and his dad trailed after the girls, with Derek distinctly enjoying the view of Chloe's retreating form ̶ ponytail swinging, hips swaying. His eyes were intently focused on the alluring lines of her waist and thighs when she abruptly stopped, waving Tori to go on without her as she pulled out her cell. He could tell she wasn't speaking on the phone, though. The way her eyes focused unmovingly in front of her, he knew she was talking to a ghost.
"Hey, dad. Go on ahead, I'll wait up for Chloe," he said, slowing down. He knew the drill, ghosts in this area usually just wanted to chat with Chloe, and since their houses and school were ghost-proof, the spirits would often wait around where they knew they could find her. Knowing how powerful she was, they were generally respectful, especially when she sent a couple unruly ghost to God-knows-where.
Leaning against a tree, he waited patiently for Chloe. A few boys walked by and one of them instantly took note of her. His gait faltered slightly as he checked out her ass so hard that Derek was surprised her jeans didn't spontaneously combust. He felt his entire body tense, hackles raised, a deadly scowl outlining his face. As if sensing he was being watched, the boy's gaze turned towards Derek and he immediately caught the terrifying glare being thrown his way. His eyes widened in fear and he quickly scurried away. Jackass.
Derek turned his attention back to Chloe and it appeared she was wrapping up her conversation. He ambled over to her, asking her if everything was okay before reaching for her hand to lead her towards the gym. Settling into their seats, the four of them chatted amongst themselves while streams of people piled in. Derek watched his brother warm up on the basketball court, when the players finally appeared. He noticed Simon practically bouncing with nervous and excited energy. He knew how much his brother was looking forward to this game.
Derek's eyes absently scanned over the gym and he unintentionally locked eyes with that obnoxious cheerleader. He groaned internally, before giving her a good glower and looking away.
He heard a soft laugh. "So, I see you still have your not-so-secret admirer," Chloe said, smirking.
"Ugh...The girl's absolutely clueless," he grumbled.
"Well, it's pretty obvious she likes what she sees," Chloe said, looking over in her direction. "I can't blame her for that," she added reasonably.
"But I hope for her sake she just keeps to staring and doesn't try anything physical, like groping you or anything," she said with an edge to her voice. "Or she'll be very rudely awakened in the middle of the night by a horde of tiny, crawly, dead things."
He cracked a smile at that. "You're pretty adorable when you're trying to be scary," he said, flicking her hair. "And have I told you how much I love your hair like this?"
"Every time it's in a ponytail," she smiled, rolling her eyes.
The game finally started and he could tell it was going to be a good one. The players weren't holding back and the crowd was going nuts. Unfortunately, Tori was going nuts as well ̶ shrieking Justin's name every few minutes, causing Derek to wince. God, it's worse than a dog whistle. But he was pleased to see that Simon was killing it tonight. He was so engrossed in the game that he found himself distracted by Chloe's lovely neck only a couple times .
When half-time rolled around, most people got up to stretch their legs. His dad was busy chatting with another parent court side and Tori was leaning against a wall fiddling furiously with her phone.
Derek nudged Chloe, "How much you want to bet she's sending Justin a text," he said, nodding at Tori.
"W-What?" she stammered.
He repeated himself, then noticed the hot blush spreading over her cheeks, her eyes wide. "Why? What did you think I said?" he asked, curious.
"Oh, uh, nothing," she said, a little too quickly, looking away.
It was definitely not nothing, he thought and her reaction was just too tantalizing to let it go.
"Chloe," he rumbled, drawing out her name.
"What?" she said, trying to look innocent and failing miserably.
"C'mon. Spill it," he said simply. When she remained quiet, he added, "Do you want me to call you Pickering all night?"
She flashed him a glare before sighing heavily. "Fine. I thought you said..." she blushed harder and whispered, "How much you wanted to sneak out of here and have...sex." She threw him another glare and said, "Satisfied?"
Not even close, he thought. He tried to keep from smiling. He could tell just underneath her embarrassment, she was disappointed she misheard him and that disappointment gave him all the encouragement he needed.
Leaning in, his nose skimmed the curve of her ear. "I wish we could sneak out of here..." he murmured, and was about to add they needed to figure out someway to be alone soon.
But Chloe unexpectedly blurted, "I'm on the pill."
Derek sputtered, completely taken aback. What the fuck? He stared at her mutely. Clearly, he did not anticipate that particular response.
"I've been meaning to tell you for awhile. It's just the right time never really came around," she said awkwardly. "Aunt Lauren thought it would be best if I started t-taking...because we've been together for awhile..." she trailed off.
"Your aunt thinks we're having sex?" Derek said, alarmed. He was suddenly horrified, the exact opposite of how he was feeling a few seconds ago. Even though he thought about having sex with Chloe non-stop ̶ twenty-four hours a day ̶ the idea of Lauren thinking they were already doing it was completely appalling. How could she not see me as the teenage boy defiling her niece? He groaned and felt his face grow hot. In his mind, he could easily see Lauren explaining "intercourse" and "his penis" to Chloe in her dry, clinical terminology. I'll never be able to look Lauren in the eye again.
"I told her we weren't," she said quickly, seeing his reaction. "And I'm pretty sure she believed me ̶ "
"Pretty sure?" he croaked.
"It was an inevitable conversation, Derek," she said reassuringly. "Plus, I had some concerns ̶ "
His head snapped back towards her direction. "Concerns? What about?"
"Well...I-I'm kind of worried about it...hurting," she said quietly, her eyes checking to see if there was anyone close enough to hear.
"Oh," he murmured, rubbing the back of his neck. "Me too, actually. That's why when we were in your room," he added stiffly, "I, uh, tried to help stretch..." He didn't finish, feeling self-conscious.
Chloe nodded like she suspected his intentions all along. "I know. I've been trying to do that too when I ̶ " she froze, looking suddenly mortified.
Derek was confused for a second, then realization punched him in the face. Did Chloe just admit to...touching herself?
"Ohgodohgodohgod," she muttered, lowering her head, her hand cradling her forehead. He couldn't see her face very well, but the tip of her ear was bright red, along with her lovely neck.
"Please God, tell me I didn't just say that out loud," she mumbled to herself.
Oh, you so did!
He was absolutely speechless. The idea of Chloe pleasuring herself just about gave him a heart attack ̶ and an instant hard-on. He shouldn't really be surprised, if he thought about it, the sexual tension was running so thick between them, he would've been shocked if she hadn't been. But to hear it from her, verified by her ̶ it was too much.
She was still bent over, completely mortified, staring down at the bleachers like she hoped they would just swallow her up. And he felt a slew of emotions ̶ he wanted to relieve Chloe's discomfort, pretend that the conversation about her aunt didn't happen, and jump her bones. His instinct to protect won over and he was about to say something ̶ anything ̶ to make her feel better but before he could, she was speaking again.
"Well, could you blame me?" she huffed defensively. "I've been nearly going nuts with all the ̶ " she pointed rapidly between the two of them, "sexy stuff."
"Well, me too. Why do you think I take so many showers?" he admitted. It was not something he was comfortable sharing, but it seemed only fair that she should know. He hoped it would ease some of her embarrassment. And he thought it did, when he saw the expression in her eyes, loving and appreciative.
He leaned down and gave her a soft, sweet kiss on the corner of her mouth. Her delicious smell wafted around him and his body reacted accordingly. Thank God for long shirts.
"Besides, I think it's really hot," he whispered, brushing another soft kiss on the curve of her ear. He felt the vibration of her shiver against his arm and wished, more than anything, they were alone at this moment.
The crowd began drifting back to their seats. Half-time was almost over. Derek gave Chloe's ponytail a gentle tug before turning his attention to the basketball court, but he couldn't quite focus on the game when it started back up. His pretty girl diverted most of his attention, as well as the details of the crazy discussion they just had. He didn't know how he should feel after that conversation ̶ embarrassed, humored, hot or amazed. But he knew one thing for certain...
...He needed to be alone with Chloe as soon as humanly possible.
Okay folks, usually I update within a week, but I'm going on vacation soon for, like, a week. I'm thinking I won't be able to post chapter 6 for another 1 1/2 week maybe even 2 weeks. I may try to finish Chap 6 before I leave but if it feels rushed I won't post it, plus there's a pretty big cliffie in 6 and I don't want you guys to have to wait too long for 7, the last chapter. Don't worry, I won't leave y'all hanging!