Chapter 455 - Plan To Conceal Their Relationship (1)

Derek woke up feeling a warm and soft body pressing on him.

He glanced down and smiled at the sight of Angela who was sleeping with her head on his chest, her arm around his waist, and her leg is over his.

She was breathing softly, and her hair covered his shoulders like a wonderful golden blanket that smelled divine.

Derek craned his neck in an attempt to see the time, and as soon as he moved, Angela stirred.

"Shh… sleep, baby.", he murmured while wrapping his arms around her.

Angela's eyes snapped open. Oh, God! It was not a dream! She really is in Derek's apartment, in his bed, in his embrace… naked!

She scrambled into a seated position and clutched the cover above her chest. If this is any other day she would take her time to absorb the facts that she is dating Derek and that they spent the night together, but today is Hunter's and Mia's wedding and if Angela and Derek (aka bridesmaid and groomsman) end up late (or not show up), people will notice. Ashton will notice! Ah, Ashton! She needs to find a way to tell him about this whole dating thing!

Angela froze. Are they dating? What if it was just a fling for Derek? What if he can't wait for her to leave and he will start ignoring her, or pretend that he is busy so that he can move on? He called her his girlfriend and last night was amazing, but what if there is no more to it? Her heart pounded wildly as she plunged into panic.

"It's only 7 AM, baby… come back to bed…", Derek said lazily, and his arms snaked around her waist, pulling her down. He noticed that she was stiff and he stopped his attempts to pull her. "Is something wrong? Are you aching anywhere?"

Angela relaxed a bit after hearing that it's only 7 AM. She does not need to show up at the styling saloon before 11:30 AM, so there is plenty of time, but there was still that other thing…

"Derek, what are we going to do now?", she asked vaguely.

"I don't know about you, but I would like to stay in bed a bit longer. The wedding is in the afternoon, so other than relaxing, I have nothing else going on now." When she didn't respond, he added: "If you have plans, tell me."

'Ugh… so, he does not mind if we part ways and do our own thing…', Angela thought.

Derek saw that Angela was not moving or talking, so he pushed himself up in the seated position. "Baby? Talk to me." He touched her chin, making her look at him.

The curtains were drawn, and the daylight crept in through small gaps giving enough light for him to see that her face shows worry. Dejection maybe. 

"Are you having regrets?" 

Angela took a deep breath and steeled herself. "Last night. Was it a one-time thing for you?"

Derek's handsome eyebrow arched while he processed her question. "One time? I think you counted wrongly. It was four times for me, and you, I counted at least… Ow!", he cried when she slapped his shoulder. That fragile-looking girl has an unexpectedly strong hand.

"You know what I meant!", Angela hissed. "Am I a hookup to you or…?" She was not sure what word to use to finish her question. What if she says 'girlfriend' and he ends up making fun of her?

Derek wondered, how come they returned to the topic of hookups? Didn't they talk about that last night?

"Baby, did you forget that we agreed to give our best shot in this relationship? Did you change your mind already? Is it because my performance last night was not satisfactory? Or is…?", Derek stopped talking when Angela hugged him.

He was not sure what caused her to change from almost dashing out of the bed to hugging him, but he will take it. His arms wrapped around her and he pulled her down on the bed.

"Don't scare me like that, baby…", Derek murmured. "If you have issues troubling you, I need you to talk clearly. I told you that I'm not good at taking hints."

Angela exhaled in relief. She forgot that she is not the only one who is insecure. Derek said that he does not tell lies and that he wants them to date. Angela scolded herself. Why did she allow her anxiety to take over? He said that she should tell him what is on her mind, and that seemed to be a very reasonable request.

"Sorry, but…", she paused and looked into his chocolate eyes that made her heart skip a beat. "I was worried that you will send me home and ignore me."

Derek's face lit up with a smile. He was happy that she shared her thoughts, and he found her insecurity adorable. He cradled her in his arms and ran his fingers through her silky golden-brown hair. The feeling of her relaxing in his embrace and the sense of peace and belonging it brought upon him was priceless.

"Tell me about you…", Derek asked softly after some time.

"What do you want to know?"

"Everything. If you can disclose Ashton's embarrassing moments, I will reward you with extra kisses."

Angela stifled a laugh and started telling bits and pieces as they came to her mind. Derek enjoyed her stories about her large family and life on the farm. It was not about the stories, it was about Angela's changing voice and her lively expressions, and the way her eyes lit up as she spoke. He would interrupt her occasionally with a quick kiss and then he would urge her to continue, and he was delighted to notice that after some time Angela was the one initiating kisses.

It seems that he managed to fix the delicate flower he broke two weeks ago. And not only fix it, but it was also blooming wonderfully, right there in his arms.

…

As much as they enjoyed their cuddles in bed, they had to get up because there was a whole Mia-Hunter wedding business they had to attend.

Derek freshened up first while Angela fiddled with her phone to figure out the post-bachelorette's party situation.

Derek told Angela that Mia knows they left together, so Angela texted Mia.

Angela was happy to find out that everyone split up last night, leaving only Mia in the suite, so other girls will not know that Angela bailed on them. Of course, Angela is not aware of the 'big secret' which is how everyone knows that she left with Derek.

Mia agreed to wait for Angela at the suite so that they can go to the salon together and Angela promised to be there on time.

Derek didn't take long with his morning routine and by the time Angela ended her chat with Mia, Derek crawled on the bed next to her.

"I need fifteen minutes to have breakfast ready. I left you a new toothbrush on the sink.", Derek said before giving her a light kiss.

Angela stared at him goofily. He was wearing only sweatpants and nothing on top, his hair was damp from the shower and he smelled divine. The dim lighting due to blackout curtains being drawn only made the scene in front of her more seductive.

"I don't have anything to wear.", Angela said when she found her voice. She didn't want to put on the dress from last night.

Derek gestured toward the closet. "Find something. T-shirts are on the left and some of my shorts have strings…"

He gave her another quick kiss before walking out of the bedroom.

Angela perked up when she noticed that Derek has a tattoo on his upper back, some tribal design with wings that spanned from one shoulder to another. It made him look more sinful if that is even possible.

Angela gazed at the closed door dreamily. All this appeared unreal. Last night, she was dejected and thought of drinking to have some fun with girls, yet she ended up in Derek's apartment. They cleared up the misunderstandings and discovered that the attraction they feel is mutual; after a steamy night (and a few hours of sleep), Derek held her and they chatted, and she could not be happier.

After two miserable weeks, she woke up to a reality where the sinful man called Derek is her boyfriend. Angela giggled at this thought and hoped that Derek didn't hear her because he might think that she is crazy.

She forced herself to scoot out of the bed and went to the closet to find something to wear.

Angela was giddy that she gets to go through Derek's closet. Knowing that he allowed her to explore his things freely, made her feel that he has no secrets from her. It confirmed her impression that he is a straightforward guy. Sure, his mouth can ruin the mood but at the same time, it gives her assurance that he will not lie to her. Now that they are dating, she will take his inability to scheme as a positive because he will be unable to plot against her. Angela was confident that in time they will adjust to each other and learn to communicate without troubles because that is how relationships grow, and he promised that he will do his best to make it work, and she believed him.

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