Silver Fire (Guardians) (40 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY

Three weeks later

Derek sat back at the bar of the crowded restaurant, observing the two women seated by the window: Sophie and Theresa Cassidy—Sophie’s estranged mother of thirteen years. The past few weeks had been a time of healing. Old scars that had not healed right were reopened and mended, while making sure the fresh emotional and mental wounds were repaired in a way so as not to leave lasting ones. Sophie went back to her therapist, Dr. Hunter, to close the chapter on Adam in her life and work through the death of Justin Bishop. She had to fabricate the whole story around Bishop, of course, because the whole zee bomb operation was classified top secret. Derek hated that she had to relive those experiences, but he knew it was a necessary step if she were to move forward with him. On her last visit to the therapist, she asked if Derek would go with her. He agreed with no hesitation. Dr. Hunter had eyed him suspiciously at first, and Derek wondered if any of his past hook ups had become one of his patients. But after the doctor had pretty much roasted him by asking him all the uncomfortable questions both regarding his past and
 
his intentions toward Sophie, the psychiatrist was satisfied.
 

Derek himself had found that session cathartic. With no life hanging in the balance, with no city to save, and bomb to stop, everything was stripped down to his relationship with Sophie. And with clarity, he realized, he still felt the same. He was still in love with her with such fervor and such intensity. It wasn’t about saving the damsel in distress. It was her. All her. Her quirkiness, her innocence, her beauty.

All.
 

Her.

He took a sip of his beer and shifted his gaze back to the women and froze. They were both staring at him. Sophie with her goofy “I’m so in love with him” smile and, as expected, Theresa Cassidy had a frown and a “You corrupt my daughter” look. He sighed. Sophie should stop looking so damned innocent because that little minx could bring a man to his knees.

Derek remembered their return from South Africa. After a grueling trip, they were sequestered immediately to the AGS “war room” for a debrief. Sophie was commended for her calm in the face of a crisis, but she was also teased mercilessly, first for being “made” in public so quickly, and second, for the drama in the warehouse where she had declared her love for him.

“I have a recording of the whole exchange if you want it,” Tim told them. Sophie blushed furiously, and Derek flipped Tim the dirty middle finger.

For the next two days, Sophie did nothing but sleep. Derek was beginning to wonder if there was something wrong with her—a depression of some sort. She had not even let Beth and Stephen know that she had returned.
 

On the third night, he was sitting in front of the television watching some pre-recorded sports channel and feeling frustrated because he had been basically a walking erection all day and his woman had done nothing but sleep. He did not want their first time after almost a week to be a simple slaking of his lust. He wanted her to be cognitive and actively participating. Man, was he in for a surprise.

Sophie walked into the living room, freshly showered and dressed in a baby doll nightie that barely covered her ass. His mouth immediately watered.
Jesus Christ, she better be ready
. He eyed her warily as she stopped in front of him. His erection had no problem springing to life.

“I think sex is long overdue,” she murmured as she got down on her knees in front of him.
 

“No shit,” Derek muttered as he tried to haul her up. He did not want her on her knees like any other woman he had fucked. But she resisted and instead pulled out his cock and began to suck him off. And she did it beautifully. Derek could feel his eyes roll back into his head as he tried hard not come too quickly.
 

“Fuck, Sophie, if you do not...fuck,” Derek grit his teeth. “Stop... I want to be inside you.”

Sophie pulled back and smiled in a way that made him harder if that was possible. She immediately mounted him and held his wrists on either side of him in a gesture of domination.
What the fuck?
Derek thought. How had his innocent Sophie turn into a dominatrix? And she was not wearing underwear. He could feel her moist heat teasing his cock at the tip. She was going to kill him.
 

“My play,” Sophie purred.

“Angel, this is well and good, but if you delay much longer, I might blow without you,” Derek said with amusement, although his voice came out a bit strangled.

And then she sank down on him slowly, and his mind went blank except for the sensation of her feeling so tight and warm around his cock, squeezing and deliciously milking him...

He snapped out of his reverie when Sophie started waving him over. Time to meet her mother. Derek walked to the corner table and put on his most charming smile. Theresa Cassidy’s smile was frosty.
 

“Mom, this is Derek,” Sophie said. “Derek, Theresa Cassidy.”

“It’s a pleasure, Ms. Cassidy.”

“Theresa, please.” She nodded for him to sit down.
 

“I understand you helped my daughter come to terms with her past,” Theresa said. “And for that, I am grateful. But your reputation precedes you, Derek and I want assurances—”

“Mom, we talked about this—” Sophie hissed.

“I know, Sophie, but a mother always looks out—”

Sophie pushed back from her chair. “I won’t let you—”

“Sophie,” Derek interrupted her. “It’s fine. I had expected nothing less. Go ahead, Theresa.”

Theresa Cassidy’s perfectly arch brow shot up, and a knowing smile formed on her lips. “I’ve always kept tabs on my daughter throughout the years. I know something happened in the past month or so, but I couldn’t get any information even from all the connections I have, and let me tell you I am quite well-connected. It coincided with the same time you showed up in my daughter’s life. Your reputation as a womanizer is well known, but I’ve also heard rumors that you are involved in dangerous activities. Is this true?”

Derek had not expected this line of questioning, so he answered carefully, “Then you know I was in the Special Forces.”

“And that you worked in security for eight years after that,” Theresa added. “And now you’re a VP at a defense company. But my private investigator has dug up evidence that you may be involved in something more nefarious.”

“May I have this private investigator’s name?” Derek asked smoothly. He and Jack might just pay him a visit and make him disappear.

Theresa blanched. “Absolutely not.”

Derek leaned in closely. “Theresa, I assure you, I’m not into anything illegal. I love your daughter, and the last thing I want is to put her in danger. This is DC; there’s plenty of misinformation out there. Don’t get caught in the web or you may not break free.”

“That sounded like a threat, Derek,” Theresa replied stiffly.

“Not at all.” But the look he cast her held a warning. He hated to intimidate Sophie’s mother on the very first meeting, but hiring a PI to dig up shit on him might just have the poor guy end up in Viktor’s bunker, never to be heard from again. Derek was doing them all a favor.

“OK, that’s enough!” Sophie said. “Mom, do not make me regret contacting you after all these years. I love Derek. Nothing you say or unearth is going to change that. I don’t care if he was a gigolo in his previous life—”

Derek chuckled. “Thanks, Angel.”

“—but he makes me happy and that should be enough. Sheesh, your interrogating him like I’m about to marry the guy.”

OK, that stung, but he didn’t know why. Derek scowled at Sophie.
 

She looked back at him innocently. “What? We’ve only dated for a couple of weeks.”

“Almost two months, actually.”

Theresa covered her mouth to hold down her laughter. “Poor man, I see you’ve got your work cut out for you.”

She was not wrong, Derek thought. He was still glaring at Sophie, who still had no clue what set him off.
 

Theresa quickly changed the subject to Sophie’s plan for rebuilding her grandmother’s home. Derek listened dutifully, giving his input when appropriate. That was another item he needed to discuss with her. She was still talking as if she was just living with him temporarily. True; he had not broached the subject of officially moving in together. But hell, he’d never had such a conversation with any woman before. First time for everything.
 

***

Six weeks later

“Sorry I’m late!” Sophie announced as she quickly strode into the lab while shrugging on her white coat. “The contractor had an issue about some interior molds and needed to get it addressed quickly.”

“No problem, Sophie,” Jan said, smiling indulgently.
 

The lab renovations had been completed a week ago. There was a section added exclusively for enriching zefinium for MDI. She had hired three new lab assistants to help her with testing different methods for isotopic enrichment to achieve different levels for different uses. The events of the past three and a half months had shown her how little she had lived and that there was life outside her little lab. Hiring more help meant more time to spend with Derek and experience the world. She would like to travel more and probably go back to South Africa without the shadow of a bomb hanging over her head.

But first, business is business. She had tweaked the design of her molecular laser isotope separator and was about to test it today.
 

“Do you have the rock mounted?” Sophie asked Jan as she put on her protective glasses.
 

“Yes, I have.” Her assistant had a silly smile on her face. Maybe someone was just as excited as she was about testing the new design.

“You’re the best, Jan,” Sophie said and peeked through the lenses for a visual of the target zefinium rock. At first she couldn’t tell what it was. Instead of a gray craggy rock the size of a pebble, what she saw was a clear, quartz-shaped rock on prongs and it was dazzling.
 

“Oh my god. Is that...” Sophie whispered. She yanked her glasses off and opened the eighteen-inch square glass chamber. Sparkling dizzyingly at her was a huge, princess-cut diamond that was set in platinum. Smaller but no less gorgeous diamonds were paved on either side of the bigger rock. Mesmerized, she reached out her hand to touch it, but a large masculine hand covered hers, and she felt the heat from his body before she felt an arm curling on the other side of her to reach for the ring.

Derek’s voice whispered in her ears. “Marry me, Sophie.”
 

Tears sprung to her eyes, warmth radiated through her chest. She turned around and looked right up at Derek’s face, his eyes warm and tender, gazing down on her with so much love.

“You’re crazy,” Sophie choked out. “What if I didn’t check the chamber and blasted it.”

Derek chuckled, his fingers grasped her chin and tilted her face up. He leaned in closer. “I don’t give a damn. I’ll get you another one. Well?”

“Oh god, Derek, yes,” Sophie cried happily. “Of course, yes!”

He flashed her a brilliant smile and slipped the ring on her finger. He crushed her in his arms while his mouth took her lips in a scorching kiss. Clapping and sighs were heard around them.
 

Sophie managed to free her lips and said seriously, “Derek, we need to talk.”

“Don’t I know it,” Derek muttered back, a bit impatiently and proceeded to remove her lab coat, flinging it on an empty chair.

“Wait, I just got here,” Sophie squeaked as he took her hand and basically dragged her toward the exit.

He paused and said, “Angel, we just got engaged. Everything else can fucking wait.”

She had no arguments for that.

***

“It’s beautiful out here,” Sophie breathed as she got off Derek’s Harley. It was the end of October and the leaves were in full autumn splendor. The lake before them was languid and added to the peace that she was finally feeling in her heart. “Did you rent it?” She nodded to the lake house that was fronting the water.
 

“It’s mine. Bought it a couple of years ago and fixed it up. Haven’t been down here in the past year, too much crazy stuff going on,” Derek said.
 

“Sophie—”

“Derek—”

They spoke at the same time. Derek gave her the go ahead to talk, albeit slightly irritated.

“To say that I was shocked by your proposal was an understatement,” Sophie said. “I would have been happy just the way we were.”

“Well, I wasn’t,” Derek cut in. “No. Let me finish, baby, before you piss me off.”

“Hey—”

“Sophie.” Derek looked determined, so she let him have his say. “I’ve been waiting for you to come around. I’ve been patient. You think you’re the one being patient with me because of some misguided notion that I needed to adjust to a life of monogamy. But ever since that time I made love to you in the shower, I knew. I was in love with you. You are it for me, Sophie. There’s never going to be anyone else. All this time, I was just waiting for you.”

“I told you I was in love with you,” Sophie reminded him. “In a most public manner, if you recall.”

“Enough to spend the rest of your life with me?” Derek asked roughly.
 

Sophie thought for a moment. “You know, yes. I think I could tolerate a lifetime of your caveman behavior.”

Suddenly her feet were off the ground as Derek yanked her to him and lifted her so their gazes were level. “You’re a sassy little thing. Whoever would have thought that the geek in a lab coat could turn out to be such a temptress.”

“Well, you’re the corruptor of innocents,” Sophie replied saucily. “My friends think you’ve turned me into a nympho. Imagine that.”

Derek gave a hoot of laughter. “What made them think that?”

“We didn’t have sex for two days after the first time we had that amazing shower sex,” Sophie said. “So I asked my friends if maybe you’d gotten tired of me.”

“You told me you wanted to take it slow.”

“Yes, but I was hoping you wouldn’t take me seriously. After all, you bulldoze me in every other aspect of my life.”