Attraction: (A Temptation Series Stand-alone) (The Temptation Series Book 4) (38 page)

Lexi smiled with satisfaction and waved to me from her hung
position over his shoulder.

I flipped her the bird, which inevitably made her smile grow
wider.

Turning back toward Mr Nude Australia, I spied him beginning
to pack up his shit.

‘Hey, what do you think you are doing?’ I asked angrily.

‘I just figured the show was over,’ he explained.

Slumping myself down on the seat like a stubborn child, I
twitched my finger at him. ‘It ain’t fucking over. I’ve paid for you to dance
and remove your clothes. So dance and remove.’

He shrugged his shoulders and flipped the switch of his
stereo, replaying JT’s ‘SexyBack’. ‘If you say so.’

‘I do,’ I grumbled, crossing my arms conclusively.

As he began dry-humping my lap and placing my hands all over
his oil-covered body, the music was cut off yet again.

‘Off!’ Derek growled.

I peeked over Josh’s shoulder to where Derek was standing.
‘What now?’

‘I can’t watch,’ he said, shaking his head.

‘Then don’t. Haven’t you got Miss Nude Australia in another
suite? Go watch her,’ I responded with a dismissive and haughty wave of my
hand.

The thought of Derek watching a slutsky stripper did not sit
well with me either, but I’d let it go for the sake of Alexis and Bryce’s
hens’ and bucks’ night
celebrations. Now, I was just pissed off and getting my stubborn on.

Derek
raised an eyebrow questioningly.

‘What?’
I sulked.

‘Baby,
do you really want to do this?’

Pouting
and hanging my head, I groaned. ‘No, all right. Are you happy?’

I
gently slapped Josh’s backside to indicate he stand up. Then, following him to
my feet and grabbing my clutch from the coffee table, I walked past the rest of
Alexis’ friends. ‘He’s all yours, ladies.’ I then turned to Derek. ‘Fine. You
win. Take me home.’

He
slid his arm across my back, pulled me to him and whispered into my ear. ‘With
pleasure.’

***

The following evening, I was still sulking over Alexis’
hens’ night failure. Derek had even tried to cheer me up by attempting to bake
a choc-mint pudding. To be honest, I was not sure why he bothered. Yes, the man
could cook a mean satay, but baking was not Derek’s thing. Plus, he hadn’t let
me eat it yet, saying it was for later on, which probably meant, ‘I fucked it
up and hope you will forget by then’. It did smell lovely though.

Sitting
at our dining table and expelling my grumpiness by harshly flipping the pages
of my
Cleo
magazine, I nearly had a heart attack when ‘SexyBack’
suddenly sounded through the room.

I shot my head up to where the iPad sat on the benchtop and
found Derek standing next to it, fully kitted in his firefighter gear.

Confusion instantly hijacked my mind, but when I realised
what he planned to do, I couldn’t contain the smile that spread across my face.

‘Apparently I owe you a striptease,’ he said seductively.

Swallowing heavily as an overwhelming sense of excitement
swept through my body, I pushed my seat back from the table and patted my lap.
‘Giddy-up, officer.’

He chuckled, then started dancing toward me, rolling his
body enticingly. I couldn’t help it and laughed, tapping my feet in a running
motion on the ground. Derek stopped in front of me with a grin that had the
capacity to melt my underwear. The man — when in a cheeky mood — was a sight I
would never get used to seeing. He lowered himself slowly and straddled my lap,
taking off his helmet and placing it on my head before kissing my nose.

I leaned forward in an attempt to capture his lips with
mine, but he shot up and spun around, slowly taking off his jacket to reveal
his shirtless chest covered in nothing but tattoos and a pair of red braces.

My mouth went dry.

My vagina bats fluttered.

My Carly-cave collapsed.
Fuck. F.U.C.K. Fuck.

Trying desperately to remain on the seat and not slide off
in a pool of hormones on the ground before him, I gripped the table and firmly
planted my feet on the floor.

Derek raised an eyebrow seductively and hooked his thumbs
under both braces while singing about shackles and slaves. He slid his thumbs
down his braces and back up again, stretching them away from his body. I made a
grab for his pants, but he stepped back and turned around, taunting me by
moving his hips in a figure eight.

‘Argh,’ I groaned, ‘take it off.’

He spun back around and removed the braces then slowly undid
his pants, one tormenting button at a time. Suddenly, he gave me a quick flash
of his cock.

‘Oh my god,’ I laughed. ‘You are commando under there.’

The devilish smile that crept across his face triggered an
overwhelming sense of excitement and eager anticipation — it was a look that
promised a huge reward.

Grabbing hold of my hand, he splayed it on his chest before
sliding it down his body and slipping it into his pants while simultaneously
gyrating his hips.
Oh. My. God. Oh, my god.

The warmth of his hard erection beneath my hand was a
fucking welcome delight, my fingers happily clasping around it and stroking
with ardour.

‘Carly,’ he growled, ‘I wouldn’t if I were you.’

‘Well,
it’s a good thing you are not me then,’ I smiled, waggling my eyebrows and
dipping forward to lick his delicious V muscle.

He
removed my hand and lowered himself onto my lap then began to unbutton my
shirt.

‘Um
... apparently you are supposed to strip. Not strip me,’ I explained with
amusement as my nipples hardened at the slightest touch of his fingers against
my bra.

‘Shut
the fuck up, baby. I’m in charge.’

Stripping
my shirt from my shoulders and throwing it to the floor, he grasped my breasts
with both hands and massaged them with exquisite force.

‘Oh,
fuck,’ I moaned and threw my head back, causing the helmet to fall to the
floor.

Instantly,
his lips were on my neck, nipping, licking and sucking as he trailed them to my
mouth. I grabbed him and ran my hands up his toned back, pressing him closer
and wanting to feel as much of him as I could while our tongues stroked one
another’s.

Derek
reached behind himself and took hold of my hands, removing them from his back
so that he could stand up. I pouted at the loss.

‘Suck
that lip in or I’ll bite it,’ he warned.

Wanting
to keep my pouty face and call his bluff, I struggled not to smile at his sexy
threat.

He
winked then hooked his thumbs into his pants and pulled them down, allowing his
cock to spring free prominently when he stood back up. I smiled and bit my
thumbnail.

Eye-fucking me intensely, he stepped up to me again and
straddled my lap, thrusting his hips and rubbing his cock up and down my bare
torso. I watched with sheer gratification as his crown glistened with pre-come
while it slid along my skin. It was so fucking erotic, and I just wanted to
grab it and impale myself on top like a goddamned human skewer.

I let out a guttural moan and tried to buck my hips in order
to relieve some of the ache I was feeling in between my legs.

‘You hungry, baby?’ he asked, licking up my neck.

‘Oh, yeah,’ I murmured in response.

Derek pushed up from his seated position on my lap and made
his way into the kitchen only to return with a cute little choc-mint pudding.
Oh
... that was not what I had in mind when I said I was hungry.

Confused, I gave him an unsure grin.

He then knelt down and presented it to me. ‘You once asked
for proof. Well, the proof is in the pudding.’

‘What?’ I asked, giggling.

Displaying an adorably cocky grin, he indicated I take the
pudding.

Tentatively taking it from his hands, my face flushed as his
insinuation dawned on me.

‘What?’ I said again, staring back at him, wide-eyed.

‘The proof is in the pudding, baby. Eat the fucking
pudding.’

I shook my head from side to side at a rapid speed. ‘I don’t
want to eat it.’

‘Then just break the fucker open,’ he said.

Slowly, I broke the small dome-shaped pudding in half to
find a white gold and diamond ring nestled snugly inside.

My eyes popped.

My breath hitched.

My heart exploded.

Derek reached in and pulled it out, quickly dunking it in a
glass of water to remove the pudding crumbs. He then held it in front of me and
took a deep breath. ‘Hey, is it just me, or are we destined to be married?’

A laugh mixed with an elated sob exited my mouth.

He shook his head. ‘Na, that one was lame. What about this?
I want a wife, so will you marry me?’

I giggled and wiped the tears that were pooling in my eyes
so that I could see him more clearly.

‘Na, I got it. How about ... baby, just fucking say yes?’

Offering my hand, I nodded excitedly. ‘Yes, yes, I’ll be
your Mrs Dik.’

Derek hurriedly threaded the ring onto my finger then
reached for my face, mashing his lips to mine.

‘Yes?’ he questioned, projecting a relieved happiness.

‘Yes,’ I replied through desperate kisses. Then, pulling
away, I gave him a worried look. ‘But we can’t mention it yet.’

‘Why?’ he protested in exasperation.

‘Because it’s not fair to Bryce and Alexis. They are getting
married in a few days. I don’t want to steal any of their limelight. After what
they have been through, they deserve it and have waited too long for it,’ I
answered.

Derek kissed my hand, which held proof of his love for me.
‘Okay, we tell everyone after the wedding.’

An overwhelming sense of contentment washed over me. I grabbed
his face in my hands and gazed at him with adoration. ‘Boy, if you were a
vegetable, you’d be a cutecumber.’

He growled playfully, wrapped his arms around me and stood
up, lifting me with him. As he carried me to our room, I prepared to set sail
on a new voyage.

Destination ... unknown.

And I couldn’t have been happier.

EXTENDED EPILOGUE

Eight months later

‘Mum, it’s hideous. I’m not wearing this,’ I said with
disgust as I swiped her hands away from my head.

‘Carly Josephine Henkley, you are my only daughter. You
are
wearing it.’

Slumping in defeat, I rolled my eyes. ‘I’m your only
child
.’

‘Exactly, which is why you have no choice. I wore it on my
wedding day. Your grandmother wore it on hers, and your great-grandmother wore
it on hers. It’s tradition ... an honour,’ she said proudly, as she secured the
antique comb to my blonde hair.

‘It’s ugly,’ I pouted, stepping away from her and the
mirror. ‘I’m ugly ... and fat. Look at me! That’s it, I’m calling the wedding
off,’ I announced, reaching behind to try and unzip my dress.

Alexis stepped in front of me and placed her hands on my
shoulders. ‘Oh no you don’t. Stop being a whiny little bitch. You are hormonal
and pregnant. You’re not fat. Carls, you’re beautiful, and that baby bump of
yours is beautiful too.’

I shook my head at her. ‘I can’t do this.’

Eight months ago, I said yes to marrying Derek. I took that
leap. I’d wanted to. But back then I did not know that in a mere 243 days,
I would not only be
participating
in the actual marrying that I’d agreed to, but that I’d
also be five months pregnant with our baby.

Applying a light pressure to my shoulders, Alexis gently
coaxed me into a sitting position on the bed. ‘Yes, you can. You’re just nervous.
Call it wedding jitters if you must. Trust me, we all get them.’

‘Ha! You didn’t get them. You couldn’t wait to become Mrs
Clark,’ I sulked.

Alexis raised her eyebrow. ‘Um ... yeah I did, have you
forgotten about my first marriage?’

I searched my memory, recalling the day she married Rick.
She was a mess and the epitome of a bridezilla. Granted, she was only
twenty-three years old.

‘You were young, Lex. You had an excuse. I’m thirty-eight.
I’m old.’

Alexis laughed and grabbed hold of my hand which was resting
nervously on my lap. ‘Well, I’m older ... and wiser. And I say you are
stunning, glowing and a completely normal bride on her wedding day.’

My body bounced just slightly with the dip of the bed when
Mum sat to my other side and placed her hand on top of mine and Lexi’s. ‘It’s
okay to be nervous, darling. So much has happened in such a short space of
time. But you are ready.’ Mum looked down at our hands and blinked a few times.
‘I’m so proud of you. I’m proud of the both of you, actually,’ she said,
looking up at Alexis and I. ‘Who would’ve thought thirty-four years ago when
the two of you first met, that you’d both be sitting here now, hand in hand
with families of your own. That in itself is rare and very special,’ she said,
before giving our hands a light tap and standing back up.

I watched Mum walk away and help Charli gather her rose
petals as I deliberated what she’d just said. She was right. So much had
happened to me and, surprisingly, I’d taken it well. Children of my own were
never on the cards. I was too frightened. I still am.

Seeing Derek’s excitement and love at the prospect of having
his own family had eased that apprehension though. Don’t get me wrong, I’m
fully aware it can all go pear-shaped. But I’ve realised that fearing the ‘what
if’ is pointless, ‘what if’ being solely a possibility. Avoiding aspects of
life for fear of a dark outcome only leads to a life unfulfilled; a life not
properly lived. I intended to live mine ... with my husband and child.

Looking down at my and Lexi’s entwined fingers, they soon
became blurred as my eyes filled with tears.