Gold Blood (Criminal Minds, Derek Morgan x OC Fanfiction)

Safe Place

[Elizabeth’s Point of View]

There was a laughter of relief from both me and Derek when the door gave a ‘click’.

“Yes!!” I exclaimed in victory, bubbly, as the door swung open.

“Ahh!” Derek groaned dramatically as he adjusted my weight in his arms. “Finally! That was intense,” he joked, causing more giggles to escape me.

As soon as he got us inside, Derek kicked my door back and closed it with his left feet without even so much as taking his amused chocolate eyes off of my face. I giggled.

“I see this is not your first rodeo, my chocolate cowboy,” I teased as Derek walked us towards my couch, “Sweep the girl off her feet; get her alone in her home. Kick her door close and get right down to business,” I said with a sing song.

Derek gently lowered me down on the couch, minding my still injured leg. A sexy smile–I noted–pulled on his lips as he responded to my teasing.

“We don’t always make it inside,” Derek replied huskily. The sultry look in his chocolate eyes as he said those words made me squirm. Heat crept up my neck, and my fine specimen of chocolate goodness chuckled at me, pleased to see my silly reaction, knowing that my teasing had come back biting me on the ass. He gave me a tiny Eskimo kiss on my nose before releasing me. Instantly, I felt myself missing his warmth. “I’ll be right back, cookie.”

With that, Derek left and out the door to probably get my crutches and our bags. Derek had, in a way, invited himself to spend the night at my place–at least until he was confident that I was able to stand back on my own two feet.

The very moment Derek left, and the sound of his steps disappeared, was the moment I felt that the emptiness of my apartment settled in. I looked around; there was something different about the place that I used to call home before. It was still mine; but the memory of Jonathan’s presence had tainted it. I looked at the vinyl floor of my living room and vividly remember the way my palms had dragged across the synthetic wooden floor as I crawled on them; desperately trying to call for help.

“Hey, baby.”

“Hey.” My smile came on its own the moment Derek walked back in into my apartment. As he locked the door and put down our bags, I let my eyes wonder to his form appreciatively. His dark grey henley shirt fitted perfectly on his hard body, accentuating the taut muscles on his biceps and his chest. His skin was a beautiful mocha color that had a healthy glow in it. He was like a work of art; sculpted into perfection by the hands of a magnificent artist. 

Derek flashed me an attractive smile, as if confirming my thoughts: that he was indeed, tall, dark and devastatingly handsome.

What was he doing with someone like me?

I didn’t know. But when he sat on the couch next to me, I selfishly melted into his arms and nuzzled his neck, seeking comfort from him.

“What is in your pretty little head?” he asked, his voice mumbled a bit as he dipped his nose to my hair.

“Lunch,” I lied, smiling to myself. “Do you think we can–“ I was about to ask if we can eat out, finding reason to get out from the apartment, but the recollection of the broken elevator situation was quick to deflate me. I didn't want to make Derek carry me up and down three-story-floor through the stairs. I changed my mind last minute, “–do you think we can order?”

“That’s the plan, baby,” he replied, caressing my hair as his intelligent chocolate eyes were studying me. “What do you feel like having?”

“How about Thai?” I suggested randomly, procuring a smile to hide the sinking feeling in my stomach, knowing that we'd have to spend the day in the apartment–at least until the elevator got fixed.