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VALENTINE
Ifinished collecting my money from the stage and headed to the dressing room, tired, but happy. My date with Diesel had lifted my spirits, even if sex was off the table for now. Dread started to overshadow the previous hours, though, as soon as I put my street clothes back on and tied up the canvas shoes I’d worn in to work.
I felt all of the excitement and what I knew was girlish delight over the date that I wanted to replay over and over in my mind disappear while I sat there, wondering what I’d walk into once I made it home. It all warred within me, bringing me down, bad. Which was why I was frowning when Derek walked in so unexpectedly it made me jump.
“Fuck me, Derek, give a girl a little warning, why don’t you?” I spit at him, my face twisted in accusation.
“Why the fuck are you so jumpy is the real question, Val,” he drawled, his eyebrows going up. He had a toothpick in his mouth, and it moved from side to side as he looked me over. “Did everything go alright with Diesel? He said it went okay. If not, I’ll go turn him into a garden feature for you.”
“No,” I laughed it all off, shaking my head. “The date went fine. Although, your little promise to each other put a damper on my plans.”
“Gotta have rules, little girl,” he said, shaking his head, but I saw the spark in his eyes. He was loving this shit.
“Fuck you,” I groused at him, but shook my head. “I don’t mean that.”
“I know you don’t, Val. Come on, tell me what’s wrong. Diesel said you were tense all night.” Derek came and sat down next to me on the couch, putting a comforting arm around my shoulder to draw me to his side. Which would have been awesome, if I hadn’t had that dream about the three of them on this very couch.
“I just, things aren’t great at the moment.” I was nervous with him, but loving being cuddled up to him. I put my nose against his shirt and inhaled, loving the clean male scent of him. It made me feel safe, protected, cherished even.
“How so? Because of us?” He had tensed up, and I tried to clutch at him to stop him from pulling away. I liked hearing the rumble of his deep voice in his chest and didn’t want him to think I was having second thoughts, but he pulled back anyway. “If this is too much for you, Val, we’ll find some other way to keep you safe. Being in a relationship with all three of us will be a long shot, anyway, but if you’re not comfortable, we’ll find something else.”
“No, it’s not that at all.” I snuggled back up to him, holding tight so he couldn’t pull away again. I even put my legs over his to hold him in place, looking up into his eyes as I did so. Part of keeping him with me was confiding in him, telling him my problems, and I knew it, even if I didn’t want to involve them with the guy that might or might not be the danger Diesel had said was close to me. “There’s been someone following me.”
“What the fuck, Val?” Derek shot up from the couch, glaring down at me. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
“Because I didn’t want you to go off half-cocked and end up in prison for the rest of your lives. Sit the hell down.” I pointed at the couch, letting my anger show through. I wasn’t about to be walked over by anyone, not even him.
“Fine, but I don’t like this. What’s the car look like?” He glared back at me from the other end of the couch, leaving me feeling empty without him to keep me warm and safe. He’d always been a great hugger, up until I started avoiding hugs because it made my nipples so damn hard even padded bras couldn’t hide it while my pants would end up soaked in the middle in a rather embarrassing way. Arousal wasn’t always invisible in women, especially those of us that showed it by soaking through cotton panties and denim in a heartbeat.
“I don’t know what the car looks like, they’re following me home from work,” I admitted, and he nodded, his lips pinched tight.
“So it’s too dark to see. Okay. What else? I can see from the way you won’t meet my eyes there’s something more. Come on, spill it, little girl.” He wiggled his fingers at me, and I glared harder.
“Damn you, Derek. Stop calling me little girl.” I turned my face away from him, refusing to look at him. Which didn’t help the situation.
“I’ve always called you little girl, stop changing the subject. What else is there?” He put one booted foot on a knee and sprawled back in the couch, appearing to be relaxed but I knew he was anything but. I’d seen him tense and out of sorts, talking with my dad, more than once, and I knew that pose was anything but relaxed.
I didn’t want to tell any of them about the house being broke into but I knew Derek wasn’t about to let this go. I started to speak, but stopped myself. I really didn’t want to tell him because I knew he’d lose his shit and hit somebody.
“Spill it, Val, or I will put you over my knee and spank you until you tell me. And it won’t be the enjoyable kind of spanking that makes your cream your panties, either.” He growled at me, and I whipped my head back around.
“Excuse me?” I think I might have creamed my panties already.
“Jesus, fucking tell me already, Val,” Derek said impatiently, and I knew he was at the end of his tether.
I exhaled loudly. “Fine, somebody broke into my house. But it’s fine. I nailed the damn door shut and replaced the locks. I didn’t come to work because I’d barely slept the night before and all I wanted to do was sleep once I got the glass repaired, put in new locks, cleaned up, and nailed the door shut. And maybe I was a little bit freaked out.”
Derek went very still but his eyes stayed on me for too many heartbeats before he spoke. He was a powder keg about to blow. “Do what now?”
He said it very carefully, holding a finger up at me, as if to tell me to wait. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, then circled his finger when he was calm again. I did notice his lips were pulled in between his teeth, so I wasn’t exactly certain he was as calm as he pretended he was.
“When I called in the other day, it was because someone broke in my back door and wrecked the house,” I said with defeat, shoulders slumped and my eyes on my hands in my lap. “I nailed the back door shut, have a gun, and nothing else has happened. It shook me up, but I’m okay now.”
“A little shook up.” His voice trembled with anger. “Okay. You’re going to follow me home. I’ll check your house, and then, then I’ll set somebody to watch the place. Lock your doors, your windows, and do not step foot out of that house for anyone until daylight, alright?” He spoke softly, slowly, and I nodded my head.
I held a breath, fear warring with anxiety, my heart racing as I wondered who he was going to kill. Would this make him mad at Diesel because of the danger that I was in? Fuck, I hate all of this. “You aren’t going to hurt anybody are you?”
“Don’t make me make promises I’m not sure I can keep right now, little girl,” Derek said and got up from the couch, his face blank, eyes forward.
“Please don’t hurt anyone because of me, Derek,” I begged, trying to talk him out of this mood.
“I can’t promise that either, Val. Come on, let’s get you home,” he said and ushered me out of the club.
He checked the car before he allowed me to get in and kept to the speed limit as I followed him home.
“Let me check inside, then you can come in. Wait here in the living room,” he said once we were in my house. I heard his steps as he made his way into the kitchen, heard him pause around the backdoor, and then he came back in the living room. “Good job on the door. I’ll check the rest now.”
“I’m sure it’s fine, now, Derek. You don’t have to do any of this,” I called but he didn’t answer until he was back in the living room, sitting on the couch with me. In truth, relief washed over me to have him checking and to know I wasn’t alone.
“Listen, Val, it’s not about what I have to do, or what I should do, or even what’s safe to do. It’s about making sure I know you’re safe. That’s all.” He took my hand, and I felt my heart lurch in my chest as I looked at him, seeing the worry in his eyes.
“It’ll be fine, Derek. But it’d be better if one of you stayed with me, maybe?” I tried, but he shook his head.
“Not just yet, Val. It would be the smartest idea, but that would just start other problems, temptation problems. We can’t have that fucking up what we’re trying to create here long term. We want more than one time with you, Val. I’ll go up on that hill behind your house, make sure Diesel is still there, and we’ll deal with this. I will have some of my men protect the property. Okay?” He brought my fingers up to his lips and I don’t know that was sexy, but my lower abdomen thought it was the most incredibly sexy thing a man had ever done.
“Okay,” I said, all breathless and smiles. But the way he looked at me, with need mixed with sadness made my heart ache in my chest. I put my hand out and rested it on his cheek, looking into his beautiful eyes as I did so. “I understand, Derek. Yeah, do what you need to, but please, don’t end up in prison because of me. It would kill me.”
“I’ll try my best, little, Val,” he looked away with a guilty smile, but then looked back at me. “Come on, lock the doors and everything else and I’ll kiss you good night.”
“Oh, a kiss is it?” I grinned and went to check all the windows, before I found him standing at my front door. “I can’t lock it until you leave.”
“I know. I’ll wait to hear you lock it.” He pulled me to him then and I tilted my head back waiting for my kiss. I closed my eyes but ended up blinking when he didn’t move.
“What’s up?” I asked, confused but feeling happy, even if he was about to leave me. I wanted to beg him to stay, to come to bed with me, but I knew when he made a promise, he’d keep it, even if it killed him to do so.
“Nothing. You’re just cute standing there like that, all soft and waiting for things I shouldn’t be thinking about.” He smiled down at me, his head tilted back.
“Asshole,” I said, but he pecked me on the forehead with a laugh.
“And that’s the kiss you get tonight. I’ll give you something better when it’s time for our date.” He chuckled and let me go and chuckled even louder when I made a sound of frustration.
“I hate all of you,” I muttered, but all he did was wave and walk away. I didn’t mean it and he knew it.
