Chapter 14

Life settled into a pattern. Derek was with Bella day and night. They spent time at her apartment and his house.

Derek didn’t know how he’d gone all of these years without the joy of sex. Now, the least little thing made him hard and horny. Once Annabella reached under the sink for the dish soap, and her gorgeous ass seemed to call to him, and he wanted to slip her pants down and slam into her hard and fast.

But that wasn’t the only way he liked it. He liked pushing into her softly as she begged him for more. He loved being with her and not just sexually. He enjoyed holding her in his arms while she fell asleep. He loved watching her on the treadmill as she found a pace that suited her. He loved the way she watched him as if there was nothing wrong with him.

Derek couldn’t believe the turn things had taken, he also couldn’t regret it, even though he had no doubt this would end badly.

No one in Middletown seemed to notice or care that the two of them were always together. In a town that thrived on gossip as its main source of entertainment, Derek should probably be insulted that nobody suspected anything was going on between the ugly ex-soldier and the gorgeous ex-model. But he wasn’t.

Annabella was also on cloud nine. The loneliness that had been her constant companion all her life faded when she was with Derek. Her life was bright, warm and beautiful when she was with him. She felt loved, cared for, protected.

Derek was her breath of fresh air; he was the absolute love of her life. He thought she was perfect, and she wanted it to stay that way. She would do anything in her power to preserve her relationship with Derek.

It had become harder to hide it from Derek now that they were spending most of their time together. When she was with him, she let her guard down and ate things she shouldn’t. She knew she had to tell him about her eating disorder at some point.

It was hard to imagine how Derek could miss a problem as serious as that, but Annabella kept her dark secret pretty well hidden. Or so she thought.

One evening, Derek used the key Annabella had given him after their first night and slipped into the darkened apartment. They had pizza for dinner, and Derek decided to go out for a walk. Annabella had preferred to stay at the apartment. The place was so quiet; Derek thought she’d gone to sleep.

A muffled shuffle from the bathroom made him glance up just as Annabella came into the room. She raised her head, and stiffened, eyes darting to the kitchen table, the countertop, then back to him. The fear on her face made him nervous.

“What is it? You look like hell.”

Her skin was pale, her hair sweaty and tangled; her hands shook when she reached up to rub her eyes.

“I’ll be all right.”

He crossed the room and pulled her into his arms. Her skin was clammy, and she shivered.

“You’re sick.” He led her over to the couch, and she sat down at his urging like a child. “What’s the matter?”

Her eyes flitted to the table again. Derek strode over and picked up a packet of pills.

“No!” she cried.

“What are these pills for? To cause vomit?”

He’d wanted to give her a chance to confide in him, to trust him, but the time for patience had passed. Derek tossed the pills on her lap. Then he grabbed the laxatives off the counter and did the same thing with those.

He lifted his gaze to hers. “Anything else around here I need to know about?” She shook her head, wide-eyed.

“Good. Now we’re going to talk.”

Annabella was shaking from head to toe. Derek knew the truth that no one else had ever discovered. He knew just how ugly she was beneath her skin. Now he’d never touch her again. Bella waited for Derek to walk out the door.

But he didn’t.

Instead, he sat down next to her on the couch and drew her against his side, just as he always did.

“Talk to me.”

“I ... I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I’ve never told anyone.”

“So many secrets, Bella. Why do you think you have to keep everything locked inside?”