Angeline POV

Our second date was trickier to determine. As was keeping things quiet from Judy and Puff, and it was nearly impossible to keep it from Karynna, the queen of gossip. And we couldn't go out in public for an array of reasons. My coworkers, his pack seeing us, bystanders placing us together and talking about it, any hunters in general. Derek suggested going to an underground railroad, or the woods. He was more reserved this time, less open, almost preoccupied, but I chalked it up to stress about the next threat to his pack.

I had brushed off his 'romantic' date idea, telling him vaguely to follow me in the Camaro, shooting him a smile as I pulled the driver's door closed. He did as I asked, following without word, I could see him staring forward. His brow was creased, eyes and manner hardened. He was deep in thought that much was obvious. Maybe he was doing exactly what I wasn't, not once had I thought about leading him back to my apartment.

It wasn't much, mostly bare walls, less than half empty fridge. It didn't normally didn't bother me to bring guys back because there was nothing worth of value to steal, and there was no issue of defending myself. I punched a middle aged man once for sliding a perverted look my way so hard, it fractured his cheek.

All of my boyfriends were supernatural, so there was an unspoken trust there too. Despite the crazy 3 that I've had and the one that tried to kill me – because even with werewolf healing, he still had a major psychosis – bringing them back to the apartment was no big deal. I turned the attention back to the road, swerving a little when I noticed how far the car had drifted.

"I have got to get some control on my brain", I muttered to myself. My apparent short attention span was ticking me off lately because I couldn't keep focus. If I were normal I would have ADD, no doubt, but there are some things that the supernatural can't fix. Like a psychosis, or a bad heart in my case.

I pulled into my usual spot, tearing the key out of its socket and gracefully stepping out of the grey car. Derek parked quickly and expertly in the slot besides mine. I only smiled small at him before walking around a corner and eyeing the doorman beneath the shade tarp. Derek jogged a bit till he was by my side, turning his head in to hide his face. I flashed a million dollar smile at Jerome, the doorman, when he pulled open the door. I snatched up Derek's hand – he clutched it tightly in return – and led him through the door so that Jerome wouldn't feel the need to ask questions.

I made a beeline for the elevators; the lobby was more packed than usual, and Derek already didn't want anyone seeing us so having so many witnesses was a bad idea.

I pressed the button excessively, hoping for the doors to open quickly as possible so that I could get the edge out of my nerves. I moved quickly when they finally opened, yanking Derek in behind me. The elevators had no music, and only mirrors, no camera's either, I made sure of that. My palm felt moist, I looked down and realized I was still holding the tall man's hand.

I dropped it in haste, muttering a near silent, "Oh, sorry", that others would've missed completely. He didn't say anything in return, looking away and shoving his fist in his pocket. His face was expressionless, and he was avoiding my eyes, or it was all possible he just didn't even notice I was looking at him in the mirror.

My apartment was on the second floor, all the way down the hall. Halfway there I pulled out my keys, clumsily dropping them on the floor. Derek stood a few paces away, hands in pockets and eyes trained on me. I know it's cruel to do this to guys, but in this moment, I just can't help myself. I bent straight over, one knee bending, and giving Derek and eye full to look at. I had a face full of a smirk, keys sitting loosely in hand.

The door also seemed to give me trouble; something seemed to be stuck in the lock. I squatted down to peer inside, trying the other key on the ring. "Sorry, this lock gives me problems all the time", I mumbled, mostly to myself. But finally the handle gave way, and I stood up slowly, leaving my body bent in half as long as I could.

Derek coughed; he was in my ear, directly behind me. I was playing with him, he knew it, and I knew exactly what I was doing. A sadistic grin peeled my lips apart, and I entered the small apartment.

"It's not much; I can make some food if you want. I would give you a tour, but", I gestured around the one room. Taking off my sweater I tossed it onto the bed, going and opening the window in nothing but jean shorts and a lowly cut, tight, navy, tank top.

Derek didn't say anything and I slipped my hands into my back pockets, a nervous habit and a dead giveaway that there's tension in the air. "You nervous about being here?" I had to ask, because his hands were still in his pockets and he looked uncomfortable just standing there on the dividing line between bedroom and kitchen.

He looked around the cramped room, "I don't know where to sit." That was all he said, his face was sheepish and red had blossomed on his cheeks and spread to his neck.

I laughed, "Sit where ever you like, move the crap off the chairs, chill on the bed, you can even sit in the sink if you want to. Just don't touch the faucet; I broke it last month and if you move it from that exact position, I will have a waterfall in my apartment. And I don't like rainbows."

He looked at me skeptically, "Rainbow?"

"Yeah, you know, you get a stream of water; add light, you get a rainbow." I explained

Derek nodded in response, eyebrow perched frustratingly high on one side. It was a hot look, skeptical Derek, like, really hot, and it was distracting me.

"You look like you've got that look down." I sank down on the pillow of the bed, resting against the headboard.

Derek shrugged, "I use it enough on the betas, they get this look, my angry look, and my annoyed look."

I laughed again, "So Angry, Annoyed, and Skeptical, those are your 3 speeds?"

He nodded, a ghost of a smile making a split second appearance, "I have more, but the betas only trigger those 3."

"What no praise?"

"On occasion, very brief though. Those teenagers tick me off more than they do impress me."

"Hmmm. Are you going to sit down or are you just going to stand there because you're making me anxious."

"Me standing here makes you anxious?"

"No", I regretted how quick my answer was. It was a liar's tell, and Derek smirked smugly at me.

He walked over, sitting down beside me on the bed. "You're a liar." I chuckled at his statement, peering over at him "No, I just don't want to admit all my deepest darkest secrets to you."

"Yet", Derek stared at me with that calculating gaze of his.

"Oh yeah? You think you can get me to spill my guts on a second date, baby?" I got up, glancing over my shoulder, and crossing into the kitchen while my hips swayed. It wasn't my fault, it's hard for girls with curves not to move that junk in the trunk when they walk. I pulled down a mug from the shallow cabinet, Pouring water in the ketal and spooning out some coffee to go with it.

I could hear movement from behind me, Derek getting up, or getting comfortable on my bed. I didn't hear anything more, no steps or grunts. I ramped up the burner and set the metal Ketal atop it.

A large presents became very prominent behind me, thick muscled forearms snaking and locking in place around my waist. Derek's lips brushed my ear, just near a cartilage piercing I got when I was sixteen. "Yes, I would say I can definitely, make you squeal", I hiccupped at the insinuation, letting my head roll to a side and stretching my neck as long as possible. I chuckled just a little, reaching my arms up and caressing one hand on his neck, the other running fingers through soft black hair. "Squeal is a very peculiar word to use in that sense. Unless you're some sort of James Dean Wannabe from the fifties."

"If you don't like it, I could use yelp, cry, whine, scream", Derek's voice was rough, husky. I single laugh emitted from the easy going smile I was sporting. I tilted my head back to look at him, "Listen to my heart when I tell you. You won't get me to do anything if I don't want to." His eyes twitched, he was listening alright, to my heartbeat. His lips weren't as much of an inch away from mine when the high pitched shriek of the ketal decided to interrupt. I let out the breath I'd been holding in the form of an ironic sigh.

I took my hands back and killed the heat on the burner. Derek receded to lean on the wall a few feet away. "You want some?" I poured the water into my mug, coffee stench emanating from the steam cloud like gas. I glanced at him when he didn't respond, merely nodding his head once in a curt nod 'no'.

After stirring a tad bit of creamer into the purple dome shaped ceramic cup, I turned around. I wasn't tall enough to sit down directly on the counter, but with a small hop and a thoroughly amused, snarky eye from the hunk against the wall, I could inch my way to comfort and lean back on the cabinets. All of a sudden Derek's face contorted slightly, not like he was in pain. More like he had a question that was killing him not to ask, and he were struggling to find the words.

"So are you going to ask what is eating you alive? Honestly you look like you're going to be sick. If so the trash cans in the bathroom, otherwise, spit it out. It's annoying me."

"Such a sudden change in emotion", he said, attempting to change the subject. I raised my own eyebrow, mimicking Derek's favorite expression with my own sarcastic type. "You're diverting attention from your own self conflict about whatever you're trying to say. Thought you had more self- confidence than that." He scoffed and looked away, "I am trying not to screw up and be a jerk by acting overly blunt and insensitive."

"Ha, I thought blunt was your middle name."

"No, I may be rude and detached but not blunt."

"So you're Mr. Cryptic then?" He glared at me; whether it was real I couldn't tell. Glares may have mean many things, but they don't scare me. Never have. "Then I give you my word that I won't be offended."

He sighed and looked at me, "What's wrong with your heart?"

I set down the coffee mug, folding my arms and laughing deliriously. Derek looked towards me like I gone off the edge. "That's it? That's what you didn't want to screw things up about?" I smiled knowingly when merely stared at me.

"My heart has a hole in it. 'Bout the size of a nickel, there are somethings that even werewolf healing can't fix. I can function normally for most of the time, although overly strenuous activity could cause an episode or temporary complication. It beats 3 times, not two. Sometimes when I get stressed out or overthink I count the beats out loud. 1..2.3, 1..2.3,1..2.3",Derek's face was intrigued at first, but as soon as I finished, it turned to one of comfort.

I waved off his concern, "You can wipe that Poor Puppy look off your face. I would be dead if I were human, I've come to terms with that. It hardly changes things for me, so I don't mind."

Derek walked forward, eyes leveling with mine, sparklingly pale, if that were at all possible. He moved directly up to the counter, jeans brushing the laminate countertop. He never looked away, focused expression practically etched as a mask onto his facial features. Even when his hands moved back past my legs, I thought for sure he was going to hug me out of comfort. Not sure why, but I swallowed a cautious 'Whoa there Bucko, watch what you're doing'. But my nerves went eased when he recoiled with my mug in hand, taking a long gulp from it.

He finally broke his gaze away and leaned beside me, "That blows."

I repressed the urge to laugh and smack him, "And thus returns Mr. Blunt." He shrugged and took another drink of my coffee. I snatched it from his and went to take a down the last of it, only to find it empty. I sighed and glared at Derek, rinsing it out.

"I took 3 drinks from it. 3 drinks is all I got." I filled it with water, not glancing at the man as I crossed the room and gingerly poured the clear liquid into a small pot on the mantle, just beside the door.

"You're not supposed to water a cactus, you know." Derek was back to lying on my bed, arms crossed and a small smile on my face. He'd taken off his jacket and revealed a white tank top, rather see-through and showing 8 abs and 2 firm pectoral muscles.

"Hey, this cactus saved my life once. My psycho ex-boyfriend tried to pry his way through my door, I closed it and his face was stuck between that and the doorway. Guy was off his rocker. Like I told you, there are just somethings that enhanced abilities just can't resolve. He pushed the door open, pinned me to the wall, and I grabbed the cactus and shoved it in his eye. I kicked his teeth out afterwards, but that's not the point." I glanced over my shoulder to the form on my bed. Derek's head was tilted downwards and his eyes were fixed on a mostly still object in my direction, there was an odd little smirk playing with his lips. He was staring at my hips, or to be more specific, the mass between them.

"Hey Hale, keep your eyes north of the equator, or I'll do to you what I did to the last guy. His nose is still healing from being shattered. He was on the business end of a stiletto." My glare seemed to work, at least at first. Derek picked his head up and then his whole body, approaching quickly and closely.

"And you're going to stomp me out with a stiletto heel?"

I turned my head and played innocent, "Much of a shame it would be to damage such a precious, porcelain face like that", I ran the back of my fingers across his jaw and then gripped his chin between my thumb and index finger. "I would stab you with a silver dagger, shoot you up with a syringe of wolfsbane, and bury you in a Mountain Ash casket if I felt the urge."

Something mischievous glistened in Derek's face, suddenly he pushed my back, into the wall, colliding his lips with mine. Roaming hands found my upper ribcage, and my thigh, pulling it up and around his midsection. My hands tugged and pulled at the hem of his shirt, aggressively tearing it up and off of his body, tearing a small hole in the side. He kissed my jaw, advancing his way passed my ear and down my neck. I pressed as close to him as I could, gripping both sides of his head and pulling at his hair.

A moderate vibration on the bottom of my thigh caught our attention. My eyes snapped open and my senses went on primal alert. Neither of us moved except for him readjusting his grip on my leg, and me moving an arm around his neck to prevent my own fall.

Another vibration. He sighed and let go of my leg, hand digging into his pocket instead, and retrieving his phone. I pulled back and looked at it, reading the text from Stiles.

Is having your tongue halfway down your girlfriend's throat right now the reason you're gone?

"Ugh", I grumbled and took the device from his hand, sharply replying:

It's never halfway.

To which another white little bubble popped up seconds later, you've got problems. Look it's just us at Hale house and the pack's exhausted from training and for me specifically, working a 20 hour week doing research for you. Do you mind if we just have a pack night and watch a movie or something?

My left hand almost dropped the phone because my fingers were typing so ferociously. Fine, whatever you want. DO NOT contact me again unless it is important.

I clutched it tightly to my chest and moved to kiss once more when, again it vibrated.

Is your girlfriend texting for you? Because that was a freakishly lax dismissal

I growled and wrote in a simple sentence. Learn to end a conversation Stiles. After I hit send I angrily pitched the phone across the room, ignoring that it smashed into the wall. I yanked Derek's face down to mine and furiously placed my mouth over his. His response was immediate.

He was rushed, but gentle, sweet almost. He moved us to the bed, hovering before me. Derek looked at me, hunger faded from his eyes. His features relaxed, softened, his hand brushed a stray brown hair from my eyes. I grabbed his hand gingerly, leaning into it and placing a soft kiss on rain tasting lips. He laid himself on the bed, arms lying protectively but limply around my back and neck. I nuzzled into his neck, breathing deep and heavy.

Despite the smell of need, and adrenaline, we were out of it. After sitting silent in the now cool, breeze – conditioned apartment, I felt Derek's rigid body go slack, and my eyelids drooped. Within seconds of feeling Derek tighten his arms, I fell victim to the sweet executioner sleep.