Chapter 9

AN: Thank you so much for reading this story and for reviewing, alerting, and favoriting. When my Palm Pre rings with new emails, I get so excited!... Originally had no epilogue for this, but I was writing last night, and POW! There is was. Posting that tomorrow. :)...

He watched her for a second, and she smiled at him, a little tentatively. "You mean that?"

"Yes, I meant it. Here, I'll say it again. God, I love you." Derek gave her an odd grin, tilting his head to the side at the same time. "Why would you think I didn't?"

She blushed and stammered a little bit more while answering, "I..I don't know. Heat of the moment sort of thing?"

He sighed, rolled his eyes, and then pushed himself up to sitting, leaning against his headboard. "Sweetheart, I don't just say that to someone because I had a good time in bed with them."

"I didn't think you did," she answered quickly. She felt awful. She didn't mean to make him feel like that.

"I think we need to talk," he murmured softly, touching the side of her cheek.

She turned onto her side, resting her head on her palm. "Okay, Hot Stuff. Let's talk."

He couldn't help but stare. Her nakedness knocked him stupid. She looked very delectable laying there, the valley of her waist nipping in nicely as it headed to the rounding of her hip, her breasts, full and ripe, just-

She lowered her gaze, sat up, and self-consciously reached for the sheet to cover herself.

He stopped her. "No need to do that."

Pausing while holding the sheet, she looked at him, blinking. "Well, I.. you looked.. and.."

"Baby Girl," he began, more exasperated than before. "What did I tell you outside before we even took off one item of clothes?"

She stared at him blankly.

"I said that you should never doubt how much I want you. I meant it then; I mean it now," he repeated, still scowling. "Do you want me to go put on a turtleneck and sweatpants?"

"No," she answered, giggling at the stupidity of the question. Of course she didn't want that!

"Then why would you want to cover up these from me?" he asked, reaching over to tap her pert nipple. It was still somewhat reddened from his attention. "Men are visual creatures; we like to look, especially when something appeals to us... and baby, you definitely appeal to me."

Smiling, she dropped the sheet, then kicked it to the foot of the bed. "There. Satisfied?"

His lips quirked, but he didn't smile yet. "One more thing, and then, maybe, just maybe, I'll get us back on the road to satisfaction again."

"Hmmm?" she asked.

He turned to face her. "I am in love with you, Penelope. I have been for a long time. You're beautiful, funny, sexy, smart, my best friend. To me, you are the perfect woman, and I'd be stupid not to love you."

She smiled, a very wide, very happy grin. "You're definitely not stupid."

"No, I'm not."

She giggled at his matter-of- fact tone, while her heart soared. "I love you, too, Derek."

He pulled her up and over so she sat on his lap. "I think I've always loved you."

"Thanks for telling me that, angel fish, and I'm sorry if it sounds like I'm doubting you. I'm not. It's me doubting myself," she said, touching his cheek with her fingertips. "I believe in you; I've always believed in you."

He turned his face in to her hand, and kissed her palm. "I know, honey."

She was quiet for a moment, just looking into his warm, deep chocolate eyes. "This feels so wonderful, I may need you to pinch me, to make sure I'm not dreaming. It seems too good to be true."

"Oh, it's true," he said. " Trust me; I don't say I love you to just anyone, baby. Those words mean something to me, I'd never just toss them around."

"Me, too," she replied seriously.

"They're sacred, Penelope." He smiled at her, brushing his thumb across her lips. "Did you know I've never said them to another woman outside of my family in my entire life?" He kissed her lips. "Always only you."

"Wow, sugar," she said, somewhat awestruck. She caressed his cheek softly. "How'd I get so dang lucky?"

"Easy; you're Penelope Garcia," he answered, kissing the tip of her nose. "I was born to love you."

"You're very sweet. Did you know that?" she asked, still cupping his cheek, feeling the bristle of his five o'clock shadow.

A second later, he turned his cheek in her hand, and sucked her finger into his mouth, nipping it with his teeth. "Not too sweet. I'd hate to be boring."

"You? Never."

"Good," he said, starting to kiss her neck.

She was thinking, not very hard about something, but still thinking. Her curiosity was peaked, and it wouldn't go away. "Derek?"

"Hmm?" he answered. He was holding her hand now, his thumb brushing against her palm, rubbing her fingers.

"When you stripped... you were really good."

"Thank you; you were fantastic, too," he murmured, kissing her palm. He looked up at her and wiggled his eyebrows. "Practice obviously made you perfect."

"Thank you," she said, blushing, then she continued. "However, D... you were so good, you could be a professional."

"No, thank you," he said, trailing his fingers up her arm, while he placed hot kisses on her hand. "I only do private shows for one woman."

She blushed. This wasn't going to be easy, but she just needed to say what she was thinking. "Hot Stuff, did you strip in college?"

That gave him pause. "What?"

"You did the exact same moves some of those strippers did tonight. Exactly the same." She arched a brow at him. "I believe in natural talent, sugar, but you had skillz..."

"You think I stripped my way through college?" he asked with a chuckle.

"It's not such a stupid question," she retorted, then she grinned sheepishly. "Lord knows you have the body for it!"

"I don't know if I should be insulted or flattered," he said, laughing.

"Most definitely flattered," she murmured.

"No, honey, I did not strip," he began. "I worked for the Chicago PD, and the bars in town needed to have a uniformed, off-duty cop available. Some of the older officers thought it would be funny to send me, the poor new guy, to Sharkie's Bar every Friday night. Ladies' night. Male stripper night."

"Oh, Derek," she said, trying hard not to laugh.

"I saw more oily stripper ass than I'd ever wanted to see in my life," he answered, looking kind of green.

"Poor baby."

"However, there were a few advantages. I picked up some moves... and I got laid more often than any of the other cops on the force." He shot her a grin. "Your group was tame next to some of those Chi-town women."

She laughed. "Leave it to you to find a cloud with a silver lining!"

"Mmm hmm... and now I found me an angel, too."

Pulling her on top of him, he began to kiss her again with urgency. Moving her legs so she straddled him, he reached between them and guided his erection to her entrance. With a slow slide into her, he said, "Now, angel, time to take me back to heaven."

Arching her back, Penelope began to move with true abandon. She thought he was right: with Derek filling her heart and her body, this was definitely heaven on earth.