Chapter 21

AN: Wheeeeee! This is a fun chapter. I was going to post in the morning, but I don't think I am going to have time to post two...My next update is going to be on the 24th, if I can get to a computer, or the 26th if I can't...Happy Holidays!...

They spent the entire day playing in the park with Terry and her family. It was a lot of fun; Terry brought a picnic lunch, which was tasty and good, and then they had an impromptu game of kickball with some neighborhood kids that came by.

One of the boys happened to be the same age as Alyce and was very sweet and flirty with her. Being too cool to be at a park, he said he was there because he had to watch his younger cousins, but he was having just as much fun playing kickball as everyone else. He was also very handsome, with bushy dark hair that seriously needed a trim and pants that needed to be pulled up and belted.

In other words, he was highly fashion forward.

Alyce didn't give him much encouragment. She blushed and kept her head down, but kept giving the boy sidelong glances. With her glasses and her shyness, she reminded Penelope of a couple of friends she'd grown up with. Pen never had that shyness problem; she was always extroverted and outgoing, in your face, fierce on the outside, even when she didn't feel like it on the inside.

She sat next to Alyce and whispered, "That boy, Brian? The cute one?"

Alyce looked up at her with a petulant pout. "What about him?"

Pen smiled slyly at her and bumped her conspiratorially with her elbow. "I think he likes you."

The teen's eyes widened behind her glasses. "Really?"

"Mmm hmm. And if you smile back at him with that pretty smile of yours, he may even tell you himself," Pen said with a wiggle of her brows. She held up two fingers. "I swear."

Alyce looked hopeful, but it faded quickly. "No, he won't."

Pen frowned. "Why would you say that?"

"I'm not like you." She looked down. "I wish I was."

"You don't need to be."

Alyce rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

Pen sighed. "I used to want to be like anyone but me; the chubby girl with glasses and a nerdy fascination with computers."

"But you're beautiful," Alyce said, surprised. Then she frowned and looked down again. "Derek thinks so, too."

"You, ma cherie," she said, tapping Alyce's nose, bestowing a big grin on the little girl, "are good for my ego. But…I digress. Truth be told, I never believed that. Not for many years."

The teen looked at her, curious again.

"Then I found if I was happy with my own style, not trying to be like Debbie Gibson—"

"Who?" Alyce asked, totally confused.

"The Hannah Montana of my time," she answered.

Alyce grinned in understanding. "I'd rather be like Lady Gaga..."

"Wouldn't we all?" Pen breathed dreamily, winking at Alyce. "Anyway, bottom line: I was happy, I found people liked me more, and more importantly, I liked me more."

Alyce thought for a moment, and then smiled at her, giving her a sidelong glance. "You know...You're not so bad after all."

"Thanks!" Pen said, considering it a huge compliment from a sixteen year old. "Go play...and smile."

She stood and left, and surprisingly did smile, which got the handsome Brian to throw the ball to her.

Pen knew she hadn't solved much of anything, but at least she'd made the girl smile for the day. She was feeling peachy keen for a job well done, when Derek came over and sat on the ground next to her.

"Hey," he said, stretching out his leg. She knew his right knee bugged him every once in a while.

"Hey yourself, handsome," she said, smiling. She pointed over to Alyce and Brian and said, "Upset you lost your spotlight?"

"Huh?" he asked, confused.

"D, that little girl had a huge crush on you the size of Canada. Couldn't you tell?"

Judging from the way he blushed, Pen knew he hadn't had a clue. She almost laughed; he hadn't had a clue she had a crush on him, either! Apparently, Derek really didn't know his droolable factor, no matter how arrogant he thought he was.

"Well, the only person I have a crush on is you, amazing woman that you are," he said, leaning closer, kissing her softly. "Thanks for helping with Terry, Baby Girl."

"Anytime." She smiled, feeling contented and so happy, and then stood. "Race you to the monkey bars!"

She could hear Derek laughing behind her.

The sun was setting on the beautiful fall day. The air was crisp, but the sun was warm, and the smell of fallen leaves, still fresh and woodsy, filled the air. Pen was sitting on a swing, dangling her feet, while Derek pushed her. Terry and family had gone home, but she and Derek had remained.

"Still having fun?" he asked, giving her a little push.

"Yep," she answered. "But I got a boo boo." She'd climbed up on so much equipment, she had a blister on her palm.

"Let me see," he said, holding her hand, concern on his face.

"It's a stupid blister, Hot Stuff."

He looked carefully, and then lifted her hand to his mouth. "My poor Baby Girl."

She stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck. "It's fine, cupcake."

"Not to me," he whispered, his arms holding her tightly. His eyes began to heat to a dark, decadent chocolate color. "I always want you to have pleasure, not pain." He lowered his head and began to kiss her.

Pen nearly cried, Hallelujah! All day, he'd given her little kisses, brief brushes of his lips, teasing touches of his tongue when no one was looking, along with longing looks. She'd wanted so badly to crush herself to him, but hadn't, because of the under age audience they'd had.

Now, however, the park was deserted, the shadows were growing, and the streetlights had just flickered alive. It was only Derek and herself, and she was going to make the most of it.

Arching against him, she opened her mouth, allowing the deeper penetration of his tongue. She moaned, stroking her tongue against his, her body becoming awash in pure sensation. She was greedy, sucking at his tongue, drinking from him. She'd missed his flavor, the essence of Derek that she craved always, but even more when she was in physical contact with him.

Derek felt the same way. He cupped her bottom in his hands, lifting her close, grinding her against him. He angled his mouth on hers, fusing them together, and then moving again, catching her from every angle. He explored every way to kiss her; lightly and softly, playing with her lips, capturing the bottom one with his teeth, and then deeply and hungrily, like he was starving and she was his only sustenance.

Derek started thinking about getting them home and in bed, or any horizontal surface at that point! He began to pull away, but she clamped her hands on his ass, squeezing tight, keeping him close to her. He smiled at her eagerness and lifted his mouth.

She nipped at his lip gently and tugged him closer, her hands grasping at his head. The near aggression, passionate need surprised him…and turned him on. He thrust his fingers into her hair, tugging it slightly, and ravaged her mouth, drawing her potent lust, her energy into him.

When he ripped his mouth away, she whimpered and sagged against him in protest.

"Baby, we need to get somewhere more private than this, or I swear, I am going to take you standing right here."

She looked up at him with passion glazed eyes. "Then let's hurry."

Holding Penelope's hand, he ran with her towards the SUV. It was quite the distance—across three baseball diamonds. Derek was really moving fast; he was dragging her in his wake, and she was trying her damnedest to keep up.

At the second diamond, he stopped to a dead halt in front of a set of bleachers.

"Climb on," he said, turning away from her, pointing over his shoulder.

She climbed up on the bottom row and then onto Derek's proffered back, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She kissed his ear and said, "All set."

With a quick bounce, he moved her up a few more inches, locked his elbows behind her knees, and took off like a bat out of hell. He could feel her jostling from the movement, heard her stifling a giggle.

When they reached the SUV, Derek squatted down, and she slid off his back.

"Thank you," she said.

"That's not a proper way to say you're grateful," he said, yanking her in his arms, and then pressing her against the side of the truck.

"I think I can guess the proper way," she murmured, looking up at him through heavily lidded eyes and thick lashes. She slid her hands on his chest, getting handfuls of fabric, and pulled him forward, locking her lips on his.

Derek moved his knee between hers, his thigh pressing against her mound. He felt the intense heat between her legs, the warmth, and he groaned. The pressure of his erection was painful. He ground the ridge against her hip, seeking some relief and finding none.

He had to have her. It was that simple. His hands itched with the need to feel her silky skin, his ears needed to hear her breaths and sighs as he plunged in her… his mouth, although pleased with drinking from her lips, longed to drink from her sweet wetness below. It was an all over craving that was near obsession. He was never going to get enough of her.

They kissed, more and more, until the kisses turned deeper, more aggressive. She was nearly whimpering, moving herself against his thigh, obviously in as much need as he was.

The sky was darkening quickly, and a rumble of thunder sounded in the distance.

"We're going to get rained on," she murmured, sounding like it was a definite thing.

He chucked, knowing it was a hopeless cause, trying to tamp down that feeling. "We're never going to make it home at this rate, are we?"

She put her head against his chest and sighed, shaking her head. "We can't do it here. We'll get arrested."

He gave a short bark of laughter. "Imagine if Rossi found that out. We'd never hear the end of it!"

She didn't laugh; instead, she looked up at him with the saddest eyes he'd ever seen.

He cupped her cheek, running his thumb along her lower lip while he thought for a moment. Then he shot her a half grin as the answer came to him. "Climb on in."

Derek opened the back door of the SUV and gave her a cajoling look. He watched as she hesitated for a moment. He knew this really was risky, and a part of him felt like he was a teenager again. He weighed the options. The windows were darkly tinted, and as the sun set, it was now very dark. The only lights were in the corners of the parking lot.

After another moment's thought, she gave Derek an innocent look, reached under her skirt, and slid her panties down her legs. She scooped them off the ground, and then turned and climbed into the back seat.

"Oh, hell, yes," he murmured, and climbed in after her.