Derek burst into laughter after I pulled my hand away. “You just made it so much worse.” His stomach shook in full-on belly laughs.
“Well, don’t just stand there! Help me.” I pouted, giving his shoulder a small shove. A small black smudge was left behind on the blue fabric.
Looking at my hand, I realized it was tinged blackish-grey in places. I hadn’t cleaned up after arranging the briquettes so powder clung to the pads of my fingers, creases of my palm, and some in the webbing between.
“Fuck, sorry, I got it on your shirt.” I winced.
Derek looked at his shoulder, still chuckling some, and just shrugged.
“It’s not that big of a deal. Let’s get the stuff off your face.” He motioned for me to follow him.
We made our way into the house, a few guests makingjokes about the smudges as we walked along. Derek led me to the hallway bathroom, gently knocking before we stepped inside. It was a smaller half-bath with only a sink and toilet. We had to practically stand on top of each other to get the door shut, given both our sizes.
“You don’t need to be in here with me. There is a mirror.” I said, gesturing to the glass piece hanging on the wall.
“It’s fine. Let me do it.” He ran a washcloth under some water before gently swiping away at my cheek. The cloth was cool and damp and felt amazing after having been in the summer heat.
This close, I was able to admire how long Derek’s eyelashes were. They were so full. I let myself indulge in cataloguing his features. The arch of his brows. His straight nose. The fullness of his lips. I could feel he had moved onto my hand, swiping so gently like he was washing something delicate—special.
Unbidden, the memory of him at Darby’s Wish bounced back into my mind, and all those sensations rushed back to me. Heat flooded my body and when his eyes returned to mine, my heart hammered away in my chest.
His breathing quickened and his tongue tentatively slid out to wet his lips.
My eyes reflexively followed the motion. My own lips parted slightly as my chest rose and fell quickly. His hand cupped the back of mine from where he was cleaning, small tingles of awareness pricking up my arm from the contact.
“Derek?” I practically whispered, returning my eyes to his.
“Yeah?” He breathed back, pressing in slightly closer to me. I felt him slowly shift his hold on my hand till he was able to rub slow circles on my palm with his thumb. My head felt fuzzy with the sensation.
“Did you get it all?” My mouth felt dry as I pressed the words out.
“No, I think I missed a spot.” He said, voice gravely. Hiseyes dropped to my lips and lingered there. The gaze sent a rush of excitement up my spine.
Knock, knock, knock
“Hey, is anyone in there?” Someone called before the door was unceremoniously opened, slamming me into Derek’s chest with an ‘oomph’.
“Oh god, sorry.” The woman poked her head inside the bathroom. “Are y’all hurt? I’m so sorry. It wasn’t locked.”
“It’s fine.” I blurted, straightening myself up and turning back to her. “We were done in here.”
Derek grunted in what sounded like disagreement, but we both edged our way out of the tight space. Once on the other side, the woman shot a questioning glance between the two of us before locking herself in the bathroom.
My body was still thrumming with the anticipation of kissing Derek, my nerves left feeling frayed. Glancing to my side, I could tell that Derek was in a similar state. He had run his hands through his hair, messing up that perfectly styled ‘do. When we made eye contact, the heat from earlier hadn’t left them. My stomach clenched again.
“Can we go somewhere to talk?” He asked, glancing around at all the people still enjoying the party around us.
“We could go upstairs. Ryan has the only bedroom up there, but we could use my mom’s office.” I sucked my lips between my teeth for a moment, wetting them.
“Lead the way.” His voice was husky and seductive.
Just then, the backdoor burst open, my father pounding inside looking more menacing than the time Brooks stole Mr. Geier’s golf cart. He’d taken it on a joyride around town before sending it into the depths of the river. That had resulted in many hours of community service and paying every cent of that golf cart back, which didn’t bode well for whatever unlucky soul was at the other end of this ire. His eyes locked on us and all the heat in my body turned to ice.
“Derek Hammond!” He bellowed, barging over to where we stood.
CHAPTER 11
Derek
