"Are you kidding me?" Penelope asked with a grin.

Derek shook his head with a laugh. "Nope. She asked me to take her up to my room."

Penelope's eyes widened as she tried not to laugh. "She never said a word to me about having 'the hots' for you!"

"'The hots?'" Derek asked.

"Well, what would you call it?" she shot back.

"Clearly the woman has vision," he stated.

Penelope pursed her lips and nodded slowly, a doubtful look in her eyes.

"Oh, what? You don't think she'd be lucky to have me?" he asked.

"I know she would be," Penelope said quietly.

Derek grabbed her waist and hauled her against him, placing a sound kiss on her lips. "Too bad I only have eyes for you," he growled, pushing his knee between her legs. They parted easily and he pushed her gently on her back, cradling himself between her thighs. "Again?" he asked with a smirk.

She lifted her arms up to his waist and used her fingertips to trace a soft path up his sides before resting her hands on his upper back. "Always," she said as he filled her slowly. She closed her eyes—savoring every inch of him. "Slow this time," she asked, a hint of pleading in her voice.

Derek submitted to her request, moving slowly, filling her and then pulling back so just the tip of him was inside of her before entering her again. He used his hands to pull his body closer to the head of the bed, his length rubbing against her core as he pushed back inside of her. He heard her breath catch in her throat as her head tilted back. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her throat, and when she pulled her chin back down, Derek looked into her eyes—so dark blue with passion and full of trust. He'd never seen that look in another woman's eyes before, and he was stunned to find that it humbled him. "Oh, Penelope," he whispered. "I—" The words caught in his throat. Sweet Lord. He'd almost told her he'd loved her. He brought his mouth down to hers to stop the words from trickling out. His tongue thrust forth, finding hers and stroking it softly, tasting her and demonstrating with his body what he forbid himself to declare with words.

He continued until he felt Penelope tighten around him with a moan, then summoned all of the strength he could and kept going until she came again. Only then did he allow his body to find its release, spilling himself inside of her with a groan. He rolled off her and onto his back, pulling her against him with an arm around her shoulders.

"You always hit all the right spots," Penelope informed him with a sigh of pleasure.

She heard him chuckle. "It helps that there are so many of them," he teased.

Penelope laughed as she threw a leg over his hips. "I suppose…" she said with a yawn.

"What?" he asked.

She put a hand on his chest and gently pushed herself up. "I have to get home."

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand to his mouth, placing a soft kiss on her palm. "Or…you could stay the night," he told her.

She laughed. "If the girls wake up—"

"They'll be tickled pink to find their two favorite people here."

"Derek, I don't want them to get used to me and then not have things work out with us."

"They're already used to you," he reminded her, not willing to visit the fact that it might not work out between them. That was no longer an option for him. Penelope was in his life for good now—he just needed to wait for the precise moment to tell her.

"I know, but—"

He shook his head. "No buts," he said. "Do you want me to tie you to the bedposts?" he threatened.

She lifted an eyebrow at him. "Kinda," she said. Now there was an intriguing thought.

He pulled her back down onto his chest with a laugh, then reached for the lamp on the stand beside his bed and turned it off. "Go to sleep, Pen." He kissed her tenderly on the forehead. "I'll see you in the morning."

___

Penelope's breathing had evened out quite a while ago, but sleep eluded Derek. It wasn't that he was opposed to being in love. He was just surprised that it had come so soon. But he didn't know why. He and Penelope had been friends for years. She'd been friends with him when he'd been married to Heather, and she and his wife had gotten along so well that Heather had given their youngest daughter Penelope for a middle name. He figured if they kept things up long enough, he'd fall in love with her.

But he'd expected it to come logically, in time. Not like this—smack dab in the middle of making love to her. And he knew that's what he'd done—possibly for the first time since they'd started sleeping together. Derek sighed as he tightened his hold on her and pulled her closer. He grinned as she sighed in her sleep. Clearly she was as content being in his arms as he was having her there. Now he just needed to convince her to stay.

___

"What are we doing special today?" Chessie asked as her little legs swung back and forth.

Derek turned away from the stove to look at his daughter. "What makes you think we're doing something special?" he asked.

"You're making pancakes," she said. "You always make pancakes when we're doing something special."

"Is it Christmas again?" Millie asked excitedly.

Derek laughed. "No. It's not Christmas again."

"Are we getting another dog?" Chessie asked.

"Don't you think Clooney is enough?" Derek returned.

"I do," Millie said. She still hadn't forgiven the dog for chewing her favorite Barbie dolls head off. "I think Clooney is too much. Can we give him to Uncle Reid?" she asked hopefully.

Derek laughed. Millie was forever looking for an excuse to see Uncle Reid. "No, we can't give him to Uncle Reid," he told her.

She sighed as she rested her chin in the palm of her hand. "Stupid Clooney," she muttered. Her eyes lit up as Penelope walked into the kitchen. "Penelope!" she said excitedly, jumping down off her chair.

Penelope caught the little girl as she jumped into her arms. "Good morning," she said, kissing Millie on the forehead.

"What are you doing here?" Chessie demanded, looking Penelope up and down. "Did you sleep with Daddy again?"

Derek answered before she could. "Yep," he said, his eyes dancing. "Penelope slept with me again." He flipped one of the pancakes on the griddle before walking over to her. He reached for her free hand and tugged her towards him, kissing her gently on the lips, Millie snuggled in between them. "Good morning," he said softly.

"Good morning," she said timidly. He was kissing her in front of his daughters. She tried not to read anything into it, but she knew he wouldn't do that casually in front of his girls. That had to mean something.

"Daddy!" Chessie said.

"What?" he asked.

"You didn't ask her if you could kiss her!" she scolded him.

He turned to my Penelope. "My apologies," he said, trying to keep a straight face. "Next time, I'll be sure to ask before I kiss you."'

Penelope nodded. "Thank you," she said amused. She loved to see Derek being chastised by his daughters.

"What do you want to do today?" Derek asked, his attention returning to his girls.

"I would like to go to the park," Millie said.

"I would like to go the mall and get some new shoes," Chessie said. Then she shrugged. "And we might as well go on the rides while we're there."

Derek laughed. "Park, mall, rides." He nodded. "Done."

"Really?" the girls asked in unison.

"What can I say?" Derek asked. "You caught me in a good mood."

___

Penelope screeched as the shower curtain was thrown back and Derek stepped in. "What are you doing?" she asked, watching as the water dripped down his naked body. The man was magnificent. And if she wasn't mistaken, she was about to enjoy every inch of his magnificence.

"I have to shower, too," he said innocently.

"If the girls walk in—"

"Bathroom door has a lock," he informed her, leaning back against the wall. "Lift your leg up on the side of the tub," he said huskily, reaching behind her knee before she could obey. He placed it where he wanted it, then reached between her legs to find her center, his fingers stroking her.

"Derek," she breathed.

"Yeah, baby girl?" he asked.

Her arms rested on the top of his shoulders as her upper body went limp. "You're killing me," she said.

"But what a way to go," he said gruffly, his lips lowering towards hers. He pulled back at the last second, fighting back a grin. "Can I kiss you?" he teased. The last thing he needed was to incur Chessie's wrath.

Penelope answered by pulling his head down to hers, laughing as their lips met.