Read Meant to Be Yours: New Adult BBW College Romance (Derek and Jaike Book 2) for Free Online Page B

was really here. Was he real or was it her mind playing tricks on her because she was missing him too much? Imaginary or real, this Derek next to her taking Marcy’s place was even more gorgeous than she allowed herself to remember. Black hair beautifully tousled, eyes the shade of blue-gray clouds, and his sleek, hard body clothed in something that would have looked too fancy on most other men.
    He was perfect, in other words, and if he was real—
    If he was really here—
    She jabbed his shoulder, hard.
    He grunted in pain.
    She pulled her hand back as if burned.
    He was real!
    And he really was perfect, not just in looks. He was perfect also where it counted – or at least he was a better person than she was. The words made Jaike bite her lip hard. Those were the very words she had used when describing Angelo. How ironic that it was something she could use to describe Derek when comparing him…to herself.
    “What are you doing here?” She wanted to face-palm herself at the tone of her voice, her defensiveness making her sound sharp.
    Derek asked evenly, “What do you think?”
    She shrugged.  
    Yes, he really was close to strangling her , Derek thought, torn between amusement and exasperation.
    Jaike looked around – anywhere but Derek was good. And that was when she realized something.  
    “Where’s everybody?” Why had she just noticed it was just the two of them in the entire pool area? There was not a single student around, not even anyone from maintenance. Her head snapped to Derek as she demanded, “Where’s Marcy?”
    “She saw me coming and thought it was better to leave us alone.”
    “And the others?”
    He said innocently, “They thought the same thing.”
    “ All of them ?”
    It was his turn to shrug.
    So they really were alone then? A shiver ran down her spine at the realization, but it wasn’t out of fear – and that was what scared her. Tearing her gaze away from Derek, she quickly stood up and started shoving her stuff back inside her gym bag. “I have to leave, too,” she mumbled.
    Jaike had already turned and taken a step away when Derek caught her wrist from behind. His touch burned, making her freeze and hold her breath. Such a small percentage of her body was under his fingers and yet it felt like her whole being was focused on that tiny part. Why did it feel like only that part of her body was alive and the rest of her that Derek wasn’t touching was left for dead?
    Behind her, Derek asked quietly, “Don’t you want to end this now, baby?”
    The term of endearment caught her off guard. Not looking at him, she choked out, “Why?”
    “Why what?”
    “Why are you still so nice to me after what you heard me say?” She squeezed her eyes shut in shame. “After what I did to you in front of your friends?”
    Derek tightened his hold around her wrist. “Because,” he said slowly, emphatically, “I knew you knew that it wasn’t true. Because I knew it was just your fear, maybe even your pride, talking.”
    Her softness, her nearness, was driving him crazy and unable to resist it, he started stroking her hand, his thumb rubbing rhythmically against her knuckles. “I knew I was pushing you too far by wanting to move in with you right away. I knew I was pushing you too far by wanting you to wear my chain. And I knew I was pushing you too far when I wanted you to admit in front of my friends that it was really me you wanted.”
    The tears began when Derek started speaking, and when he was done, the tears were falling furiously. She was the one who had wronged him, but he was the one who was practically apologizing to her.
    Surely a Dom wasn’t supposed to do something like that for a Sub?
    Or at least not a Dom like him…for a Sub like her?
    When Derek tugged her hand to whirl her around and face him, she didn’t even think of refusing. When their gazes met, Derek asked quietly, “Could you say it now?” His other hand moved, and she watched with her breath in her throat