Chapter 456 - Plan To Conceal Their Relationship (2)

Angela got into the kitchen and leaned on the doorframe, taking a minute to sneakily stare at her handsome boyfriend because his back was facing her.

She was insecure, wearing only his boxer shorts and a t-shirt that reached below her buttocks, but the sight of shirtless Derek busying himself at the stove was breathtaking.

Angela smiled as her eyes roamed over his solid muscles, and she paid close attention to the tattoo. It was a circular shaped yin-yang symbol with the addition of tribal designs around it that was centered between his shoulder blades and wings spreading from the circular design toward his shoulders. It looked rebellious and sexy, just like Derek.

Derek turned with a pan in his hand and gave her a lopsided smile. "Take a seat. This is the last thing…"

Angela noticed scrambled eggs in the pan he was holding onto, and on her right was a table that had toasted bread, bacon, pancakes, and hash browns. She was so focused on her handsome boyfriend that she neglected the table with food.

When he said that he needs fifteen minutes for breakfast, she assumed that he will go to the store and buy some pastries, or maybe make a quick sandwich, but this was a full breakfast, personally made. She was impressed.

Two plates were already placed on the table, and Derek divided scrambled eggs evenly between them.

"What do you want to drink? Coffee? Tea?", he offered.

"Do you have milk?"

Derek responded with a nod and before he could get to the fridge, Angela did. "Let me get it."

She was touched that he made breakfast and was serving her, but she was not used to such treatment.

Derek didn't stop her. He enjoyed that she roamed through the kitchen to find cups and utensils; he wanted her to feel at home in his place.

Angela was enchanting in his t-shirt that fell loosely over her body and the way her two peaks bounced as she moved, told him that she was not wearing a bra. He wondered if she had panties on or something else or… is the t-shirt the only thing she is wearing? The t-shirt was long, and he could not see that she had his boxer-shorts on, but with or without them he found himself getting aroused.

Derek took a seat at the table to conceal the tent that formed in his crotch area. He does not want her to think that this is only about sex.

He licked his lips nervously. Should he ask her to move in with him? No. It's too soon and he does not want to scare her away, but he enjoyed sleeping with Angela by his side and cuddling in the morning, and breakfast together… it's easy to get used to good things. Everything about her was right and he didn't want to mess it up.

Derek saw her looking at the breakfast he made with approval and his chest rose with pride. As a single guy who was living alone, Derek picked up some cooking skills, and he will gladly show off.

"What happened to your face?", Angela asked when they started eating.

Last night, in the nightclub, she was drunk, and his bedroom was dark. Even if she saw the bruises, she would dismiss them as shadows, but now she can clearly see that his face is bruised. They look a few days old, but Angela knows a bruise when she sees one.

"Uhm…" He touched his face while remembering Ashton's warnings to stay away from Angela. "Nothing much, just a scuffle.", he said while avoiding meeting her gaze. He didn't want to say that it was from her big brother because it would definitely spoil the mood.

"Did you get into trouble?", Angela asked with panic in her voice. How can he dismiss those injuries so easily? Does he get into fights often? "Was it something last night?"

"No, no… these are two days old."

"Two days?", Angela repeated robotically. "Look at me.", she demanded. "What are you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding anything.", he lied.

"Why are you not looking at me, then?"

Derek exhaled heavily. "Sorry, baby, but… nothing good will come out of it if I tell you."

"Let me be the judge of that. You said that you will not lie to me."

"I'm not lying. I'm just omitting some details.", Derek said quickly in his defense.

"Like…?", Angela persisted.

She is not the nosy type, but the way he avoided to look at her and then tried to squirm out of answering made her suspicious that it's something related to her. Is it a brother or a father of his ex who will ruin Derek and any woman who comes close to him? Is she in danger? Angela's mind was coming up with all kinds of scenarios.

"It was at the wedding rehearsal dinner. Ash…"

Angela frowned. "Ashton did this? Why?"

Derek looked at Angela's face that was full of worry and he realized that he needs to tell the truth. "He found out that I dropped you home on the day we met, after the hospital and… that I made you cry. He told me to stay away from you. Actually, from his family, you included."

Angela bit her lower lip while her eyes darted aimlessly over the plate in front of her. How did Ashton find out? When did he find out? Well, he knows for at least two days… How come he didn't say anything? Angela spoke about that only with Mia. Did Mia tell him? No, not possible, because that evening, when they returned from the restroom, Mia was always in Angela's sight until they left.

Is it possible that Ashton knew about it before the rehearsal dinner? Or did he find out during the event?

Angela remembered that Ashton's hand was bandaged and that he was missing for some time before that and they left early. She didn't see Derek at that time, and she thought it's a good thing. Now she knows that he was not there because Ashton and Derek fought.

Derek was not sure what to say, but he saw that Angela was thinking about something and that she was troubled. He knew that Angela respects her older brother, and she has a good relationship with all of her siblings. Can he compete with that? Will their relationship force her to choose between Ashton and him? The choice was obvious. She would not abandon her brother for a one day long relationship with a guy she met two weeks ago. Will she leave him now?

Angela's heart cracked a bit. Her brother knew that she was hurt, and he didn't say anything, but he silently went to punish the scoundrel who dared to break her heart. And on the other side was Derek, who got a beating and a warning to stay away from her, yet he still came after her. She was not sure if Derek is reckless or in love, or maybe both, but it made her fall for him more.

"Does it hurt?"

Angela's question surprised Derek.

"No, I am fine."

Angela exhaled heavily and touched his bruises gently while smiling sadly.

She knew that those must hurt a lot, but he was putting on a brave façade for her. Thinking about Ashton beating up Derek and the upcoming wedding, Angela came up with an idea… "I think that we should keep our distance from each other…"

Derek panicked. She is breaking up with him because Ashton does not approve of them dating! "Let me talk to Ash and explain things."

"This is not the right time.", Angela said while shaking her head and rejecting his idea.

Derek's heart sunk. "That's it? What happened with us making it work? You are giving up already?"

Angela was not sure why was Derek so dejected. And what is that thing about giving up? "I want to talk to Ash and explain things, but this is not the right time. It can wait a day."

Derek paused. "What happens in a day?"

"After the wedding, we can talk. Knowing Ash, he will blow up and make a mess, and…" Angela stopped talking when she saw that Derek visibly relaxed. "What did you think?"

"You said that we should keep our distance from each other, and I thought that you are breaking up with me.", Derek admitted.

Angela wondered, how can a grown man be so handsome and adorable at the same time? "If you didn't interrupt me, you would hear that the distance is only for the wedding. We can still interact, but let's not give Ash any hints that we are more than friends."

Derek pressed his lips into a line. "Are you ashamed of me?"

Angela was not sure from where that came. "Of course, not."

She moved to sit on his lap and caressed his cheeks. "Can you stop thinking that I'm breaking up with you? This is just to avoid trouble at the wedding because I don't know how Ash will respond, but I can assume that his initial reaction will not be calm and collected. Ash accepted that something happened two weeks ago, and let's not steer that pot today. After the wedding, we can find a good opportunity to tell Ash that what happened was a misunderstanding and that we are dating."

"Just for today." Derek wanted to make sure.

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