Chapter 38
Derrick stared at Katherine for a long moment, his gaze drifting from her innocent eyes to the faint smile on her lips. In the end, he said nothing.
But Katherine wasn’t about to let it go. She set her sketchpad aside and grabbed Derrick’s hand to pull herself up.
“Why are you avoiding me? You still haven’t answered my question,” she said. “What’s wrong with me? Say it clearly.”
Katherine paced around Derrick, buzzing nonstop like an annoying bee, her chatter really starting to get on his nerves.
But no matter how Derrick dodged, he just couldn’t shake off Katherine’s relentless pestering.
“You’re cheating. “Unable to take it anymore, Derrick suddenly turned around and grabbed Katherine by the shoulders. “You know I…
Katherine gazed up at him, her bright eyes fixed on his face, waiting for him to say more.
But because of the way he grew up, Derrick had never learned how to talk about his feelings or what he wanted. In the end, all he could do was pull her into his arms.
He pulled her closer. “Katherine, you don’t have to keep pushing me. You can bring anyone you want home.”
But whether they actually got to stay–that was not up to Katherine.
Sensing the tremor and tension hidden beneath Derrick’s words, Katherine just relaxed in his arms and let him hold her. “Alright, I won’t ask you again.”
They held each other for a moment longer before Derrick finally let her go, then headed off to tackle the remaining work.
Katherine had already given Maeve a heads–up earlier, so dinner tonight I was going to be a real feast.
There was even fish on the table–a dish Katherine hadn’t tasted in forever.
“It smells amazing,” Katherine blurted out.
As soon as she opened the door, the mouthwatering aroma hit her full force.
Katherine seriously wondered if she’d starved to death in her previous life. Otherwise, why was she always such a foodie?
Richard heard the sound of a car pulling up and walked out of the garden. “Kate.”
“Dad.” Katherine jogged over and gave him a warm hug. “Dad, I missed you so much.”
Katherine had always been a clingy, touchy–feely kind of person.
In her past life, even though she kept her distance from Richard and Derrick, she always hugged Miranda and Mia.
Now, just thinking back on it totally grossed Katherine out.
Richard was honestly at a loss, faced with his daughter’s over–the–top enthusiasm.
After a long, awkward pause, he finally patted Katherine on the shoulder. “Sweetie, I missed you too.”
Derrick just glanced over, then headed upstairs to change, not wanting to put himself through any more of this.
When Katherine rushed over and hugged Richard, Derrick’s fists clenched tight.
But in his mind, a voice kept reminding him. This was Katherine’s dad, not some other guy I’m gonna go change. Do you want to get changed too?” Katherine asked, glancing at Richard
Richard had probably come straight from work–he was still in his full three–piece suit.
It was one thing to wear that at the office, but at home? That must feel so stully
“I’ll have my assistant bring some leisure wear over,” Richard said
“No need. I’ll just see if I can find something in Derrick’s closet, Katherine replied. 1/3
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Chapter 38
She then walked up the stairs, holding onto the banister.
The bedroom door was ajar, and Derrick was slowly unbuttoning his shirt.
Katherine slipped inside through the door and, without hesitation, ran her hand over Derrick’s abs.
“Derrick, do you have any clothes my dad could wear?” she asked.
Derrick caught her wandering hand, his eyes clouded with a storm of emotions Katherine couldn’t even see.
“Check the closet yourself,” he said, his tone flat.
He let go of her, grabbed some loungewear, and headed for the bathroom.
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‘Letting her get handsy in bed was one thing, but in broad daylight? She really had no idea how close I was to snapping, Derrick thought.
As Derrick reached the bathroom door, he suddenly turned back to look at Katherine, who was rummaging through the closet. His jaw was set hard with frustration.
‘She’s so brazen, just because she knows I won’t do anything to her, Derrick thought.
Derrick and Richard were about the same build, so Katherine picked out the clothes that seemed most fitting for Richard.
“You can crash in the guest room you used last time. Just stay over tonight, okay?” Katherine said.
Just thinking about her dad being all by himself made Katherine’s heart ache.
If she weren’t worried about making Derrick uncomfortable, she would’ve let her dad come live with her in a heartbeat.
After all, Miranda and Mia wouldn’t easily move out of Windridge Villa.
“What about Derrick…” Richard asked, a little hesitant.
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Richard did want to stay, but with the way Derrick looked, he didn’t exactly seem thrilled about it.
Richard didn’t want to cause any trouble for his daughter.
“Relax, he does whatever I say,” Katherine said, puffing out her chest with a smug grin.
“Right now, I’m basically using the baby to boss Derrick around,” Katherine announced proudly.
Richard glanced at her belly, let out a laugh, and gave it a gentle pat. “Looks like I’m only allowed to stay thanks to your influence, little
one.”
No problem, Grandpa, Katherine replied, putting on a playful voice.
The baby wasn’t even born yet, and these two were already acting like total goofballs.
Richard headed back to his room to change, and Katherine glanced around the hallway before closing the bedroom door.
“Derrick, are you done?” She walked up to the bathroom door, muttering Derrick’s name under her breath.
Derrick was running his fingers through his hair when Katherine called out. He froze, then couldn’t help but glance down, realizing his body was reacting in all the wrong ways.
With Katherine’s clingy, honeyed voice echoing outside, he was getting even more worked up.
Derrick took a deep breath and turned the faucet to the cold water setting
Within seconds, the steam in the bathroom started to clear.
Katherine’s head was full of silly things. She was totally clueless about the steamy torment Derrick was suffering inside the bathroom.
“My dad gets pretty lonely. He might be crashing here a lot from now on. Don’t get upset, okay?” Katherine said, her voice soft and a little pleading.
“And even if you do get mad, it’s fine. I’ll just cheer you up,” she added, her tone playful and sweet.
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Chapter 38
Katherine owed Richard a lot. Now, she just wanted to make it up to him. But honestly, she owed Derrick just as much.
“I promise even if Dad comes over more often, you’re still the most important person in my heart,” Katherine said, her voice warm and
sincere.
“And our baby loves Daddy best. Only Daddy, right?” she added, her tone playful and full of affection.
Katherine’s voice was sometimes crisp, sometimes a soft whisper. Every shift in her tone seemed to tug at Derrick’s hand, making his movements alternate between fast and slow.
Katherine finally grew tired of all the talking and flopped onto the bed.
Only then, after what felt like ages of torturous restraint, did Derrick finally let out a muffled, suppressed groan and find his release.
He took another cold shower to calm himself down. When he finally stepped out, his expression was even gloomier than before.
Katherine had already closed her eyes, so she didn’t see any of it.
Derrick stood by the bed, his eyes lingering on Katherine’s vulnerable neck and her smooth arms.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to rein in the urge to do something crazy.
Soon, there was a knock at the door.
“Kate, dinner’s ready,” Richard called out.
He was still worried about Katherine’s low blood sugar, so he never let her miss a meal.
“Okay, I’m coming,” Katherine replied.
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