Author's Note: OK, guys. If you've read anything else I've posted lately, you know I've been spending all my spare time moving. I'm almost done…thank God!

Here's the latest installment of Head Over Heels. Thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter!

Enjoy!

~Angie

As soon as they reached the crowd, Derek led her straight into the throng of people…and away from prying eyes.

It wasn't his sisters he was worried about, although, there would certainly be a torrent of questions later.

He'd never been able to figure out what anyone had seen in Keri. She'd put on a good show for the boys in high school, but Derek had seen how she'd treated her 'friends.' He liked to think that it was Desiree's good heart that had kept her on good terms with the other woman—it obviously wasn't her sparkling personality. He'd seen the way she'd glared at Penelope when he'd smiled at her and asked her to dance.

The need to protect her had risen up inside of him before he'd even realized it, and he'd nearly laughed. As if she needed protection from Keri. Something told him Penelope Garcia could hold her own with the petite redhead.

When he was certain they were out of her site, he turned around to face Penelope. She never stopped moving, just continued to advance until her body was flush with his. He looked down at her and returned the smile she gave him before sighing and turning her head so she could lean forward and rest her cheek on his brown leather jacket.

He wanted to wrap his arms around her and pull her close, but he resisted the urge. Instead, he let his hands trail down her back until her reached her waist and gripped her lightly as their feet swayed slowly to Toto's I'll Be Over You. Her hair smelled like vanilla, and it was soft tucked underneath his chin.

Everywhere her body touched his he was scorching. That made no sense because the damn woman was wearing a skirt, which, while he'd enjoyed the view immensely, he'd chide her for later. It was freezing out here! Even with his jacket and long sleeved shirt he felt the chill. On second thought…maybe he'd scold her now.

"You're going to catch pneumonia," he warned in a voice just loud enough to be heard over the music.

"You think so?" she asked.

"Yes."

She pulled away and looked up at him. "I'm actually still quite warm from the fire in Keri's eyes," she said with a grin.

Derek chuckled at that. "Your eyebrows are probably even a little singed," he teased.

"Yes, well...apparently she thinks you belong to her," Penelope said dryly.

"I can promise you that I do not now, nor have I ever belonged to Keri," Derek said with conviction.

With a grin, she leaned forward once again, and Derek lifted his arms, giving in to the urge to pull her tighter against him.

He was itching to get her alone…though he didn't know what he was going to do with her once he did. For some reason, it was important to him that he not take her to bed tonight. Yes, he was leaving tomorrow, but not before he'd made arrangements to see her again. There was no way Derek Morgan was leaving Chicago without making sure of that! Fate had brought her back to him, and he wasn't about to let her go now. Standing here with her in his arms, it felt right. He didn't care if he sounded crazy; it was as if he'd been waiting for this weekend his entire adult life.

He'd only ever been in one serious relationship. It had lasted for three years, and while he'd been very fond of Karen, he'd never quite fallen in love with her. When it was clear to her he was never going to propose, she'd left. He'd never been able to bring himself to move in with a woman after that. He didn't want to see that look of sorrow again when they realized it would never go any further than that. And now he knew why.

It wasn't logical…but according to his mother, love never was. He'd given his heart away a long time ago to a girl he'd barely known. He'd fallen hard, and he'd fallen fast. He hadn't even realized he'd done it until he'd kissed her goodbye last night. The hold she had on him was still something he couldn't figure out, but that didn't matter. He only knew that despite the fact that he barely knew her, he was already in love with her.

"I think we should get a room," Penelope said breathlessly, her head falling backwards to rest on the window as Derek kissed her neck. She'd never made it back to his sister, whom she'd arrived with. Hell, they hadn't even made it inside the vehicle! They were standing on the side of the damn street. Luckily Derek had parked in a spot that was just out of the twinkle of the street lights.

"No," he said softly as he moved lower. He pushed her shirt out of the way, his lips suckling gently on her collar bone.

"We can't do it here!" she said.

"I know," he agreed, straightening. "I need to get you home."

"But…" She blinked a few times. "I'm leaving tomorrow," she said quietly.

He nodded. "I am, too."

"I thought you lived here."

He shook his head. "I live in D.C."

"Oh," she said in a small voice. The fact that he didn't live in Chicago lessened her chances of running into him the next time she was in town. "OK," she said.

She stood there trying not to fidget as he stared intently at her. "I want to see you again," he finally said.

"You…you do?" she asked, the glimmer of hope making her heart soar.

He nodded as a slow grin spread across his face, leaning forward and resting his forehead on hers. "Preferably more of you," he teased huskily.

"I'm offering more of me right now," she reminded him. "You're the one refusing." She lifted her leg so her knee came up between his thighs. She moved it gently back and forth over his aching erection. "I could take care of this for you."

Derek's eyes closed as he hissed. "No," he ground out.

"But—"

He opened his eyes and pushed her knee away with his hand, his palm itching to caress her skin. "No," he insisted with a chuckle.

She gave him a confused look.

"I don't want hurried with you, Penelope," he explained in a low voice as wrapped his arms around her. "I want to know that we're going to have more than one night together. I want to know that you're going to be there next to me when I wake up, your soft, sexy legs tangled with mine. I want—"

She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly before pulling away. "I want that, too."