DEREK'S MATCH (DEREK #1) SAMPLE, NOW PUBLISHED

28. maybe

Back in Newport, I would look over my parent's inn a lot, especially when they went on vacation. My sister used to live in Portland so, really, I was the only choice for them. I used to hate it when I was a teenager and they would make me work during the weekends. I would help my mom clean the rooms and do the laundry and cook. The older I got, the more I enjoyed working in the inn.

My favorite thing to do, of course, is cooking for the guests. We're not a five-star hotel so the meals at the inn are homey meals like buttermilk pancakes, eggs with beans, homemade tortillas made by my mom, among other dishes we've mastered over the years.

Cooking in Derek's kitchen is making me think about the times I used to cook in the inn's kitchen. It's Saturday morning and I woke up before Derek so I thought I would cook breakfast since I haven't had much time to cook because of school.

Ian hasn't been in the house much since I started staying here, so it's just Derek and I.

As I cook us omelettes and pancakes, I think about last night at the bar. That was just weird. Somehow, it's hard to believe that Jeremy was hitting on me. Why would he decide to hit on me when he knows that I'm Derek's girlfriend? Guys really have no boundaries.

Last night when I got home, Derek was already asleep. He had a photoshoot all day so I know he was probably very tired. I'm looking forward to spending some time with him this morning.

I'm cooking the pancakes when I hear footsteps coming down the stairs. I'm smiling before I even feel him stand behind me. He puts his arms around me from behind and places a kiss on the crook of my neck.

"Good morning," he says.

I smile, keeping my hands and eyes on the stove. "Good morning."

He rests his chin on my shoulder. "It smells really good, Gin."

"Thank you." I turn my head to smile at him. "I hope you like it."

"I'll love it," he says reaching in to plant a kiss on my lips. He tastes like toothpaste.

"The stove is on," I say against his lips when he deepens the kiss.

He reaches in behind me and turns it off. "Now it's off."

I laugh and shake my head as I turn back around to face the stove. I don't turn it back on because Derek begins to kiss my shoulder. His hands are tight around my waist, resting on my lower stomach. I'm breathless. He's the only man who can turn me hot in a second. All he has to do is kiss me or put his arms around me or both, like he's doing right now.

He kisses his way across my shoulder and back. I'm wearing my pajamas which are basically just shorts with a spaghetti strap white blouse. I'm not wearing a bra so my nipples quickly harden as Derek kisses me. His right hand goes up and he cups my left breast, his thumb caresses my nipple, relieving it of the hardness, and making me feel weak at the knees.

His right hand drops from my breast to my stomach. It moves down, slowly, making the butterflies in my stomach go wild.

"I want to touch you," he says. "Would you like that?"

I gulp. What was I doing before he came downstairs? Breakfast, right. This escalated quickly and I don't mind one bit.

"Maybe." I whisper.

"Is that a yes?" I feel his smile on the back of my shoulder.

I smile. "Maybe."

His hand continues its way down my lower stomach and then his fingers are inside my shorts, inside my underwear. He presses me closer to him and I feel his hardness on my back. He's hot for me too.