Her body was quivering with need, as he moved his impressive length in and out of her body, while continuing to kiss her lips, neck and breasts. She wanted more, she needed more. She was on the edge of a cliff and only he could push her over.

She grabbed his hips and thrust up against him, groaning as the full width of him settled against her. “Please Derek, faster, I need…” she gasped. His eyes dilated at her gasped words and he gave them both the pleasure they needed and picked up his speed until they were once again crying out in ecstasy. He flipped them over when they were done and held her close in his arms not willing to let her go.

She seemed to know she’d lost the battle and curled up in his arms. He was so depleted; he couldn’t even open his eyes. He pulled the covers up over them and fell asleep feeling better than he ever had in his life. He’d deal with the real world soon enough, was his last thought as he drifted into a deep sleep.

Chapter Eight

“Mom, I’m home,” Jacob’s voice shouted, waking Jasmine from her deep sleep. She heard his running footsteps and then saw him peak in her door. “Yeah she is here Mrs. Winters, thanks for the ride,” Jacob said and then she heard the front door close.

“Hi Jacob,” she said to her son groggily and then glanced at the clock. She was shocked to see it was past eleven. She felt a stirring next to her and became instantly alert. She’d thought the whole thing had been a dream for a moment.

Her son’s eyes widened as he stared at Derek. “Who are you?” Jacob asked. Jasmine must have looked completely horrified. Her son had never once seen her in bed with a man. She had not been with another man since Derek. She looked at him and found his full attention was on her son. She may as well have not even existed.

She wanted to jump from the bed and hide Jacob from Derek’s knowing eyes but it was too late. She didn’t know how she could get out of this. She couldn’t believe she’d made love to him, not only once but twice and then actually fallen asleep in his arms, when her son would be returning. It was just plain stupid. Her mind was scrambling to figure out how to explain her nine year old son.

Derek continued to look at the boy, which was like looking at a picture of himself from his childhood. Derek had zero doubts the boy was his.

He had all kinds of emotions, competing at once, inside of him. Foremost, there was joy he had a son there was extreme anger Jasmine had kept his son from him. He was confused, because he had just had the best love making of his life and yet he wanted to strangle the mother of his child. He didn’t know which emotion to embrace first. He realized his son had asked him who he was and he also realized Jasmine was sitting there like a deer caught in an oncoming car’s headlights.

“I’m your dad,” he said. He heard Jasmine’s intake of breath and didn’t even bother to look over at her. He was too afraid he may give in to his urge to strangle her. He knew he wouldn’t really do that but he was pretty infuriated with her right then.

“Really?” Jacob asked him skeptically. His face contorted into such a mirror image of his own he wanted to shout for joy. He was meeting his son. He wanted to jump from the bed and pull him into his arms but he was still completely naked underneath the protection of the bedding. He knew the only reason Jasmine was still in the bed was for the same reason.

“I really am,” Derek said, having to fight the emotions trying to break free.

“If you’re my dad, then what did you say to my mom every night before you had to leave?” the boy asked and Derek knew he was being tested. Derek hadn’t thought about those words in many years and yet he’d never forget them.

He took a deep breath and uttered the words he hadn’t said since the night before he was to meet Jasmine and run away, “Sweet dreams my princess, I will rescue you from the tower in the morning light,” he said, with a slight scratch to his throat.

He heard Jasmine gasp again and then felt her body shake slightly. He glanced over at her and saw the tears falling from her eyes. He then grunted as Jacob jumped on the bed and threw his arms around him. He felt stunned as he held his son in his arms for the first time. He was awed and amazed by the little man. He wrapped him up tightly and held his little body against his own.

“You’re my dad,” the boy said in awe. He lifted his hands up to touch Derek’s face, as if he was trying to figure out for sure, if he was real. “Mom said you had to go away for business but she told me one day you'd come back and you did, you really came back,” Jacob said, as a tear slipped from his eye. Derek felt like his heart had just burst in his chest. Jasmine was now sobbing next to them on the bed.

She watched as father and son embraced and her world felt like it was coming apart. She had been so wrong to not tell Derek about Jacob the minute she saw him. She could see the love practically flowing from him.

She’d told her son all about Derek and how he’d seemed like her prince in shining armor. She’d never told her son any of her heartbreak, like how she’d waited for him in futile at that little broken down church. She had wanted her son to think his father would move heaven and earth to be with him.

Jacob was talking a million miles a minute, as he asked a ton of questions and Derek patiently answered each one. They continued to cling to each other and Jasmine felt like an intruder. She would’ve gotten up, to give them some time together but was trapped underneath the covers. She scooted over but her bed wasn’t that big and Derek was a large guy. No matter how much she scooted, they were still touching.

“Are you going to come to my wrestling match?” Jacob asked, with hope shining in his eyes. “If you don’t want to, we can skip it,” he said, although he loved to wrestle and had never missed a meet. It broke her heart how much her young man wanted to please his father.

“Nothing would make me happier than to watch you wrestle,” Derek said and he meant it. He had missed nine years already and wouldn’t miss one more minute.

“It’s really fun. Just ask Mom. She never misses my games. She always yells too loud but coach says it’s okay cause she’s just really proud of me,” he said, as if he couldn’t understand women. “I kinda like it, though,” he whispered to Derek, thinking she wouldn’t be able to hear. She had to fight the smile back.

“Can you go to the kitchen for a minute so your mom and I can get ready to go?” Derek asked him. Jasmine was relieved. She needed to get out of the bed.

“You promise you won’t leave?” Jacob asked, looking on the verge of tears.

Derek grabbed him close again. “I promise you I will never leave again,” he said and then glared at Jasmine over Jacob’s shoulder. A shiver ran down her spine from the look. He wasn’t happy with her. She stiffened up her back and glared back. She wasn’t the one who walked out on him. How dare he look at her that way!

“Okay, I’ll be right out here,” Jacob said, almost like a threat, in case Derek decided to disappear on him.

He slowly left the room, closing the door behind him. As soon as he left, Jasmine grabbed the sheet and jumped from the bed. She ran into the bathroom and locked the door. She needed a few minutes to gather herself before she had to face him. She leaned against the sink and took some deep breaths. A few seconds later Derek was on the outside of the door.

“You can either open this door, or I will break it down, it’s your choice,” he said, in a deadly calm voice. She decided not to test him.

He was standing there in nothing but his pants and the man looked far too sexy after just climbing out of bed. She said nothing to him for a few moments, not knowing how to begin this conversation. She decided to go on the offensive.

“You didn’t have to blurt that out to him. What if you’re not his father?” she said and then took a step back at the fury in his eyes.

“Don’t even try and play games with me, Jasmine. It’s more than obvious he’s mine and you have already robbed nine years of his life from me. You won’t take anything else, do I make myself clear?” he growled at her, as he backed her into the corner.

She went from offensive to defensive in a matter of seconds. “I didn’t say he wasn’t yours, I just said you should have asked me first, instead of blurting it out like that,” she said, a bit shakily.

“So you could come up with some more lies? I don’t think so, Jasmine. Get yourself together. I’m going to spend the day with my son and I don’t want him to know I want to hurt his mother,” he snapped at her, before turning to leave.

Derek walked out of the bedroom and had to fight the tears from stinging his eyes, as he saw his son sitting by the front door. His son was so afraid he’d leave him again, he was guarding the door. He’d prove to the boy he’d never leave again. They wouldn’t spend one more night apart. He’d figure out what he was going to do about Jasmine later.

He took Jacob into the kitchen and fixed him breakfast. Father and son sat, eating their first meal together and getting to know one another.

Jasmine slid down to the floor after Derek stormed out. She sat there, sobbing into her hands and feeling sorry for herself. How had her life changed so much in only a week’s time? She finally got up and climbed into the shower. She stood there until the water turned cold and then reluctantly climbed out, shivering. She had goose bumps all over her body.

She pulled on thick sweat pants and a sweatshirt, threw her hair in a ponytail and didn’t bother with make-up. She had little energy to even care about her looks, even though she was going out in public. She was simply too frightened about what would happen next.

She stepped into the kitchen to the sound of her son’s laughter. She smiled at him and then kissed him on the head. “Oh Mom,” he grumbled and then rolled his eyes at Derek. Jasmine held her breath, because if Derek said that his mom kissing him was gross, her son would never let her do it again. He was already hero worshiping the man.

Derek surprised her, by grabbing her around the waist, which knocked her off balance, so she tumbled into his lap. He kissed her squarely on the lips and then released her just as quickly. She was feeling light headed as she stood back up. Even angry with the man, he still made her feel things no one else ever had.

“Jacob, we never complain when a beautiful lady wants to kiss us,” he said to her son and then wiggled his eye brows at him. Jacob giggled and Jasmine’s heart swelled. Derek had said exactly the right thing.

“Yuck, Dad,” Jacob said with more giggles and then went back to scarfing down his breakfast. He looked up every few seconds to stare at Derek, as if to make sure he wasn’t going to disappear on him.

“I need to make lunch for the boys,” Jasmine murmured and then set to work making a large pot of homemade soup and fresh bread. The smells coming from the kitchen were making Derek’s stomach growl. Whatever she was making smelled delicious.

“Coach says mom makes the best lunches ever and that’s why they always want her to make the food for our tournaments,” Jacob said with pride.