Derek

"And then your mom let all of those goldfish go into the lake behind our house. I swear sometimes I still see them in there." Mr. Sullivan laughed.

He had been telling us stories about Cam as a child for the last little bit, and both Riley and I were eating them up. This particular one was about how Camryn stole $50 from her parents to play a game at the State Fair where you throw ping-pong balls into little bowls of water in order to win goldfish. Apparently, Cam's animal activism didn't just start when she brought Champ home. She'd been trying to win them all so she could take them and set them free.

Tonight was perfect. Cam and her dad had spent the whole day together, catching up and doing some much needed healing. I picked Riley up from Cole's and we picked up dinner before heading home to meet them. Riley had been ecstatic to meet her grandfather and I could see how much it meant to Cam. Seeing all three of them together made me more emotional than I expected. I thought of my own parents and the incredible relationships they had with my nieces. Riley had never gotten to experience that. Cam had been forbidden to even see her father for years, but by the end of today, it seemed like they had never been apart.

Mr. Sullivan and I had even had a chance to talk together, and it seemed like I had earned his full approval.

"Well, it has been a long day and I need to get some rest." He said, standing up. "Thank you again for having me."

"Can we see you tomorrow, grandpa?" Riley asked, holding his hand as they walked towards the door.

"Of course! I am staying until Sunday." He kissed the top of her head.

"Goodnight, dad." Cam smiled, and I shook his hand.

"Can we watch a movie?" Riley asked, yawning the second the door was closed.

"Not a chance." I chuckled, picking her up. "You've had quite a day. You need to get some rest, too."

"Mommy, can I sleep with you?" She turned to Camryn, pulling out all the stops to postpone bedtime. I figured Camryn would probably let her.

Cam smiled. "Not tonight, Ry."

"But what if I get scared?" Riley pouted.

"Then Derek and I are right down the hall. Come on, don't you want to be rested so you can play with grandpa tomorrow?"

Riley reluctantly agreed, and we put her to bed. As she was picking out a book to read, I pulled Cam aside.

"If it makes you feel safer, she can sleep in there with us. I know after that day at the market..."

Cam shook her head, cutting me off. "It's okay. I know we're safe with you, and so does she. And besides, I thought it was going to be noisy in there tonight?" She shot me a seductive grin that caught me a little off guard.

I had been joking earlier, knowing that Cam had been through a lot lately and it might be awhile before she was comfortable having sex. That look in her eye was telling me something completely different, though. I was happy to oblige.

"Derek, will you read to me tonight?" Riley asked, jumping into bed.

"Sure." I said loudly and then whispered to her mom. "I'll meet you in the bedroom?"

Cam smirked, nodding.

"Goodnight, baby." She kissed Riley good night and then disappeared down the hallway.

For a brief second, I forgot that Riley wasn't like a normal child, and the book she chose to read tonight was a Harry Potter chapter book that she fully expected me to read tonight. After a little compromising, we agreed on two chapters, and once we were done, I tucked her in.

I headed down the hallway, almost giddy with anticipation. As more and more time passed, Cam we seeming more like herself and I was hopeful that we were all moving past this. I wanted that so badly.

I opened the door to the bedroom quietly and Cam was lying on the bed in her satin robe. She glanced up when I walked in and shot me that killer smile. "Took you long enough."

I chuckled, tossing my clothes to the side and laying down next to her. "Your daughter is quite the negotiator. She tried to make me read her an entire Harry Potter book."

Cam burst out laughing. "You did say you'd read her a book."

"Yeah, I forgot I had to specify one less than four hundred pages."

I pressed my lips to hers, and slipped my arm around her shoulder, pulling her into me. "How are you feeling? We don't have to do this." I reminded her. The last thing I wanted was for her to feel pressured. We could take all the time she needed.

"I know." She said. "But I feel fine, and I think I need it."

I arched my eyebrow at her.

"I think it will help me move on. The last person who had their hands on me used me and he hurt me. I know it's not that way with you, and I need you to remind me that it doesn't have to be that way. I need you to remind me how good it can be. I hate the thought that he was the last person..." she trailed off.

I was speechless. I was so damn proud of her. Like always, Cam was handling this with such grace that it was unreal. After the trauma she'd been through and the way Robby had treated her, she deserved to be upset. She deserved to be angry and to hate him and to wonder why this had happened to them. To feel sorry for herself, if she wanted to. Instead of that, though, she was moving forward and trying to put all of those memories and feelings behind her.

"You are so incredibly strong, you know that?" I brushed my lips against hers, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

"I'm lucky I have you for support." She smiled, curling her body against mine.

I laid her back on the bed against the pillows and slowly started peeling off her robe."You tell me when to stop, okay?"

She nodded a little apprehensively. Cam wanted to move on so badly, but I knew this was going to be a slow process. I didn't mind, though. I would take my time—loving on every inch of her perfect body and making sure she knew just how muted I loved and cherished and valued her.

Cam's body was marked with bruises and bite marks, and the thought of the pain she was in enraged me. It was one thing to hear about it, but an entirely different thing to see the physical evidence. I kissed each mark gently, working my way from her neck down to her chest, along her stomach and to her hips. "Does that hurt?"

She shook her head, parting her legs just slightly. I made my way down, trying desperately not to show the anger I was feeling on my face. The bruises on her upper body were nothing compared to those on her legs and thighs. I brushed my fingertips along them gently, worried to even continue. Maybe this was too much for her. Maybe she just didn't know how to tell me.

Cam picked up on my hesitation as I pulled back. "I'm okay, Derek. I promise. If I want you to stop, I'll tell you." She assured me, running her fingers through my hair.

"I will never let anyone hurt you like this ever again." I whispered harshly against her ear. Seeing her like this ignited a possessive instinct in me.

"I know." She nodded.

Kissing her hungrily, I slipped my tongue inside her mouth and held her tightly against me. I ran my hands along her every curve as gently as I possibly could, and felt myself getting hard just by holding her in my arms.

Sex was usually only about the physicality for me, but with Cam it was so incredibly different. I was so emotionally connected to her that it took on a completely new meaning. My own satisfaction was the last thing on my mind, and all I could focus on was making her happy. My hands trailed between her legs, gliding into the wetness of her folds. Cam arched against me, already responding to my touch. I slipped one finger inside of her and then two and slowly started pulsing them in and out.

Her breathing got harder as my pace quickened, her body tightening around me.

"Oh god, Derek." She breathed, clinging onto my neck. "This feels so good."

I put my hands to her cheeks, holding her head still as I kissed her with sheer passion. Slowly, I ran my hand down her entire body, stopping at her knees and pressing them apart, spreading her out for me.

"You are so fucking beautiful." I grinned up at her before dipping my head down and flicking my tongue against her slick flesh.

Cam cried out in pleasure, unable to contain herself. "Oh, my god!"

She wiggled around, trying to get out of my grasp, but I held her hips tightly in place. "Does it hurt?" I asked. If she was squirming because she was in pain, I would stop, but if she was squirming because she liked it, I was going to drive her wild.

She shook her head. "Not at all. It just feels too good."

"Sorry baby, I'm not nearly done yet." I smirked, kissing each of her thighs again. I plunged my tongue inside of her, twisting and flicking and teasing her relentlessly until I was sure she was right on the edge of orgasm.

"Derek, please!" She begged, although she was so disoriented with pleasure that I wasn't sure she even knew what she was begging for.

I slipped my fingers inside of her again, pulsing in and out until I felt the warm rush of her orgasm and her body writhing against me. I flipped her around, plunging inside of her, extending her high as I bucked my hips against hers. I could get off fast, and this wasn't about me tonight. All I cared about was Camryn. I was already rock hard, so, after a few thrusts, I finished and we collapsed next to each other.

Cam clutched on to my hand, and after a few minutes, her breathing even out.

I rolled over, draping my arm over her and stroking her cheek. She had soft tears falling. "Are you okay? Did something hurt?"

She shook her head. "No, not at all. It was perfect. You were perfect." She rested her hand on my cheek. "I just... it's hard to believe this is real. That you're mine."

I smiled, kissing her gently. "I am. And I will always be."

"I thought it might feel weird after everything. That I might have flashbacks or something..." She sighed. "But I didn't. All I could see was you."

"Camryn, I will spend the rest of my life making sure you know exactly how you deserve to be treated. You will never have to wonder where I am or who I'm with, or what mood I'll be in when I get home. You'll never have to be scared, or unsure, or doubt for one single second how I feel about you. And the second you're ready, I will marry you. Just you and me and Riley on a beach somewhere with all the margaritas and chips and salsa we can stand." I smiled.

"I love you so much, Derek. And I can't wait to marry you someday."

For now, that promise was enough for me. Cam and I fell asleep in each other's arms, happy and safe and content. Our little girl was sleeping down the hall and we could do anything we pleased tomorrow. We didn't have to look over our shoulder or be afraid. We could just be. Be together.

And being together was the only thing that mattered to me.

___________________THE END_________________________