Casey glanced at the clock for the 10th time that afternoon. It was well past 2 and Derek still wasn't home. And to top it all off, he wasn't answering her calls either. All of her most recent phone calls had gone straight to voicemail. And despite this, she kept thinking about the previous night and how her mother and George had treated him. Of course he would be a little ticked off. After all, the whole thing had been her idea from the beginning.

Casey squeezed out the batter to make more chocolate chip pancakes. She sighed at the several round fluffy disks surrounding her upon the island in the kitchen. She already had several plates full, but she couldn't quite keep herself from making more.

It was the way she use to apologize to Derek before they finally learned to say the words aloud – which happened to be very recently. They were his favorite. No way could he stay mad at her if she shoved his mouth full of his favorite breakfast food.

Right on cue, Derek entered the house through the back door, instantly turning an eye towards Casey, surly smelling the delicious scent coming from the kitchen.

"Chocolate chip pancakes in the middle of the day? What lottery did I win?"

Derek immediately reached for one, sticking it in his mouth before spitting it back out.

"Bleh. Cold pancake."

"Oh! Sorry. Here's a fresh one," she handed him the plate that housed the most recent batch. He took it from her waiting hands and began chowing down.

She watched him enjoy the food for several moments, taking in the sight before her. It took her back to every harsh word and hateful thing they ever said to one another. How could such a simple gesture make up for the misery that they were forced to endure day in and day out for years?

"I talked to mom last night," she brazenly stated, causing Derek to pause his eating. "I tried to call you, but you never answered."

Derek cleared his throat before taking another bite. "She's at work isn't she?"

"Yes," Casey said with a smile. "You can relax."

Derek placed the plate down, continuing to chew as he eyed her carefully. "And what else did Nora have to say?"

"Only that you better not hurt me."

Derek raised one eyebrow in surprise. "Seriously? That's it?"

"Yeah, what were you expecting her to say?"

"More of the same. I mean, she did have a few choice words for me that I don't care to repeat anytime soon."

"It's only because of your reputation, Derek."

He guffawed at her statement. "She's never said anything about my extracurricular activities involving women before."

"Because they didn't involve her daughter."

"Touché," Derek winked.

"Besides, I told her how much I trust you and that you won't hurt me. I guess only time will show her how serious we really are about this."

"I'm sorry I didn't answer your calls, Space. I just had to take a moment to think."

Casey gazed at him, realizing how saddened he was by the whole situation. She went over to him and placed a comforting hand against his cheek. "I know. I should have given you space. I just wanted to tell you what mom said."

He turned his head slightly, kissing her palm. Casey beamed at the small gesture, receiving a heart stopping smile from Derek.

Derek wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her in a way that was meant to apologize while agreeing to her statement regarding his seriousness about the situation. Casey smiled against his lips. Every ounce of love he had was clearly evident within the heart stopping embrace that left her feeling absolutely weak and lightheaded.

Less than twenty-four hours earlier, their life had literally been a living hell. And now, in this moment, anything seemed possible.

Derek grabbed Casey by the back of her legs, wrapping them around his waist. He paused for a moment to grab his duffle bag before heading up the stairs through the back staircase. She held onto him for dear life, knowing that embracing in the kitchen was much too risky when the rest of the family hadn't had enough time to adjust to their new predicament.

In a matter of moments, Casey was landing softly against Derek's mattress, an empty feeling overcoming her as pulled back to remove his leather jacket and undo the belt on his jeans.

"De-rek! It's the middle of the day."

He smirked down at her. "And it's been days, Case. Dad and Nora are at work, Marti's gone…it's the perfect time."

"And Edwin and Lizzie?"

He rolled his eyes. "They're 13 now. I'm pretty sure they get the gist of what sex is."

Casey gave him a shocked look, making him go to his door and turn the lock. "Happy?"

She nodded her head, though an uncertain feeling continued to course through her overheated body. Mixed with the uncertainty once again laid dormant the guilt that plagued her over the whole situation. If her mom and George were willing to relent and accept it, shouldn't she be a little more respectful over the situation?

As she watched Derek slip his shirt over his head, the sight of his perfect abs greeting her instantly melted away her hesitation. It had been days. He hadn't tried to sleep with her since the first night they got home, and even though it had been a short while, it felt much longer.

Derek held out a hand for her take, pulling her towards him gently, slipping her dress off her body in one swift move. Within moments, he unhooked her bra and slipping her panties off before placing her on her knees before him. Her self-consciousness skyrocketed as she stayed in that position for several moments, looking over her shoulder to see Derek fumbling with a box that he pulled from his duffle bag.

He held the small foil packet in his hand before giving her a devilish grin. He sunk to his knees and began kissing every inch of her exposed person as she continued kneeling with her ass in the air. The feeling was incredible as his tongue brought her to life in more ways than she thought humanly possible, but the exposed position was almost too much.

Back at the motel, Derek had taught her how to wrap her mouth around him and how to ride him in between the vanilla lovemaking that they desperately devoured.

But this was a first. The bright light streamed through Derek's bedroom windows, illuminating her exposed skin to his gaze as he continued licking her from behind. She moaned while clutching tightly to his bedding, hoping that their younger siblings were distracted in another part of the house.

Derek latched onto her clit, sucking gently while holding her thighs in place so that she wouldn't have the power to jump out his grasp. She could hear the wrapper opening, indicating that he was about to the put the condom on. In her mind, she was relieved that he opted to finally use protection. At some point, their luck would run out and one of their rendezvous would ruin their planned future.

However, she knew that no matter what, this was the man she would one day marry…one day share children with.

And as he entered her from behind, an audible gasp escaped her, reveling in his size and how the position stretched her to unimaginable lengths. He kept a steady pace, bracing himself by grabbing onto her ass as he continued to pound inside her. But his gentleness was surprising. He wasn't rough like so many times in the past. It was as if they were settling into their passion, basking in the deeper meaning behind their newfound relationship.

Casey shattered around him, unable to keep her desire at bay any longer. Moments later, Derek followed, thrusting a few more times before finally withdrawing from inside her. He let go of Casey with ease, only for her to collapse against his bed; satisfied and elated.

Casey crawled up Derek's bed, slipping below the covers. She curled into a ball, relishing in the scent that she was basking in. Derek's scent swirled all around her and it was completely intoxicating.

Who was this Casey that she was becoming? Who was this women that simply allowed a man to overpower her in an instant? The truth was, she loved the women that she was becoming. Giving herself over to Derek had never felt so liberating. She trusted and loved him with all of her heart, and that's all that mattered.

Derek crawled beneath the covers behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close. She nestled her bottom against him tightly, not able to get close enough. She didn't care if they stayed like that forever.

As long as Derek stayed with her.

Derek gazed down at Casey as she laid in arms sound asleep. This was the first time he had witnessed her so relaxed, and he was hesitant to wake her. He gently grazed her arm with a finger, loving the feel of her satin skin against his fingertips. He fully drank in how perfect she was from her long lashes that brushed her cheeks in a feather light kiss to the pink lips that haunted his every waking moment.

He continued feeling a built guilty for ignoring her calls the night before. However, he had to ponder over what had really happened. He promised her that he would never leave and he meant it. But he was ashamed to admit that the thought crossed his mind when he began to wonder if she was better off without him.

Breaking a promise was superior to ruining her life. Nora was worried for a reason. He understood where his step-mother was coming from.

But every time he thought about telling her they can't be together, an overwhelming emotion of dread would take over.

She was the love of his life, and it was moments such as this one, that solidified what they truly were. In all honesty, he hated himself for taking so long to make her his. It was four years wasted. And while their parents would have murdered him to unimaginable lengths if he had tried something when they were still kids, he continued feeling angry for the four years they lost.

But they were 18 and 19 now. They had a good 70 years to make up for lost time.

Derek glanced at the clock on his nightstand, cringing at the time. Their parents would be home soon, crushing them back to reality. Despite Casey's blissful rest, she looked like she had just been thoroughly fucked and might need a minute to get herself presentable for the dreaded dinner than awaited them.

Derek dipped his head low, kissing her sweet mouth until she responded. She opened the most beautiful pair of azure eyes; a deep yearning of tenderness swimming within their depths.