Chapter 10

Annabella had been working with Derek for months. She looked forward to getting up every morning and getting to the gym. She finally understood what people were talking about when they claimed to be addicted to exercising.

However, the reason to wake up early every morning was Derek. She loved his kindness. He was the gentlest man she’d ever known. He never held against her what she had done to him in the past. He treated her with the greatest politeness and attention, and when she was about to leave, he offered to accompany her, which she accepted, and he walked home with her, a true gentleman.

When Annabella got her last paycheck, she realized she had enough money saved to move out of her mother’s house into her own little, cheap apartment.

When Bella looked back she felt grateful that her mother had taken a ‘tough love’ stance and taught her the world didn’t owe her a living.

Of course, when Bella’s mother heard the news, she had some parting words for her. “I loved you enough to teach you that if you had time to talk on the phone with your friends and check you social media, then you had time help around the house and do your chores. I loved you enough to let you discover that your so called friends were bad news. I loved you enough to let you make your own mistakes and learn from them. I had to be mom and dad at the same time. You’ll never find someone who loves, prays, cares and worries about you more than I do. When you understand that, I’ll know you’re a responsible adult.”

Bella hugged her mother tight and left. She had been pain in her ass, but it had been her way to show her love for her.

The next morning, as she entered the gym, she heard the faint clanging sound of bells. She hesitated, alarms, bells ... clocks? And then, when the music started, she realized that it was part of a song.

Derek was pounding on the treadmill. He wasn’t wearing his hoodie, just a T-shirt and sweat pants. He was singing and moving to the music. He felt the rhythm in every muscle.

Bella thought he was sexy even without trying.

She had never in her life seen such a specimen of a man. His body was sheer perfection! His back formed the most perfect V down to a narrow waist and a round butt that begged to be pinched. His arms were wire tight with ropes of muscles. His short-sleeved shirt allowed her to see scars shining on the brown skin of his left arm.

“Good morning, Derek. What are you listening to?” Bella asked approaching him.

Derek turned off the treadmill and lifted the bottom of his shirt to wipe the sweat from his face. Oh God ... his six-pack was magazine perfect, but then it instantly disappeared when he dropped his shirt back down. He gave her a crooked smile, or maybe just a smile that was crooked because of his scars.

The lust wasn’t going away. In fact, it was getting stronger the longer she was with him. The more she knew about Derek, the more she liked him. The more she saw of his body, the more she wanted to run her hands all over it.

“Good morning, Bella. Pink Floyd, of course! Dark Side of the Moon, one of the greatest albums ever made.”

“Can you lend me the CD? I never heard it.”

“Sure.” Derek took the compact disc out of the player, placed it in its case, and gave it to her.

He walked to his office and Bella followed him. “How are you feeling today?” he asked in that low rumbling country drawl.

“I’m good.”

“Really?”

“Really,” she assured him.

Derek sat down on his chair and made her tell him exactly what she’d had to eat that morning. He had been checking on her meals since she fainted.

“You skipped breakfast today,” he said, shaking his head.

“I have a good excuse, I moved out from my mother’s house this morning.”

Derek smiled.

“A step in the right direction. Congratulations!” Derek said sincerely. Annabella had been telling him bits and pieces about her relationship with her mother. Derek had helped her to find a cheap apartment to rent and lend her some money for the deposit.

“I’m happy to have my own place.”

“I’ll help you to move your things out of your mother’s house,” Derek offered.