DERRICK’S POV
The moment I stepped off the ballroom floor, I could still feel the ghost of Joan’s touch on my skin. Her warmth, her softness-it lingered, and I hated it. I clenched my fists, shoving past the crowd as I stormed out of the ballroom.
The air outside was cool, but it did nothing to stop the fire burning inside me. I needed to get away from her, from the way she made me feel-like I was on the edge of losing control.
Damn it.
I leaned against a pillar in the hallway, inhaling sharply. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I wasn’t supposed to feel anything. I had vowed to never let another woman under my skin again. Love was a liability, a weakness I couldn’t afford. Not in my world. Not as a mafia boss. If my enemies caught even a whiff of something-of someone-I cared about, they’d exploit it. They’d use her against me. And Joan… Joan was already too close.
Besides, a woman had hurt me before and I’d be damned if I let it happen again.
Women. They were all the same. They’d act like they loved you. Meanwhile, they’re only out to get what they can from you.
Footsteps echoed behind me, but I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.
“Derrick!” Joan’s voice was breathless as she called after me, but I ignored her. I had to.
She was too stubborn to stop. I heard her heels clicking against the marble floors as she approached, coming closer “Derrick, talk to me. What is wrong with you?”
I exhaled sharply my jaw tightened “Go back inside, Joan.” My voice was rougher than I intended, but I needed her to leave.
She didn’t. Of course, she didn’t.
“Derrick.” Her voice was softer now, almost pleading. “I don’t understand. One moment you’re dancing with me, looking at me like I’m the only woman in the room, and the next, you’re running out like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I turned my head slightly so we could make eye contact. I shouldn’t have looked. Her expression was filled with concern, her eyes searching mine for answers I couldn’t give her. I wanted to tell her she was wrong. That she meant nothing. That she was just another passing distraction. But the words stuck in my throat because I knew they would be a lie.
“Joan, I-” I started, but before I could say another word, Santi appeared from the shadows.
“Boss,” he said in an urgent tone. “We’ve got something.”
I tore my gaze away from Joan and turned to Santi. “What is it?”
“One of our informants has a lead on the mole. Says it’s too dangerous to talk over the phone-wants to meet in person,” Santi explained.
As Santi spoke, Ace had his hand on the gun hidden in his jeans. His eyes scanned the hallway for any threats.
I nodded. “We handle it tomorrow. Personally.”
Santi smirked. “Knew you’d say that.”
I turned back to Joan, who was now standing with her arms crossed and an annoyed look on her face.
“Are you okay?” she asked suddenly, ignoring everything else. The fact that she even cared made my chest tighten in a way I despised.
I stiffened when she reached out and placed a hand on my arm. A simple touch, yet it sent fire through my veins. I fucking hated it. I hated how much I craved more. I pulled away as if burned.
“I’m fine,” I said coldly.
Still, she wouldn’t go? Why couldn’t she just leave? Why did she have to care so much?
This was supposed to be a contract marriage. It should be. I shouldn’t care about her. But she makes it so damn hard.
She looked at me for a long moment. I could see something unreadable in her eyes before she scoffed and shook her head. “Liar.”
Before I could respond, another voice cut through the air.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here?”
Antonio.
He and his men approached. Their presence made Santi and Ace tense immediately. They reached for their guns, ready to act at a moment’s notice. I instinctively moved Joan behind me, shielding her from Antonio’s view.
Antonio smirked “Derrick, we still need to talk.”
I clenched my jaw. “I don’t owe you anything.”
Antonio chuckled. “That’s where you’re wrong. My shipment. I want it. And if I don’t get it soon… you’ll regret it.”
“I’ll get it,” I said evenly, though my patience was razor-thin.
Antonio’s gaze flickered to Joan, and his smirk widened. “And who is this lovely little thing?”
Before I could snap at him, he leaned closer to her. He lowered his voice as he spoke “Count your fiancee’s days.”
Rage exploded inside me. I pushed him back “Don’t you fucking speak to her again.”
His men brought out their guns, ready to shoot in public. I was about to bring mine out. I would fucking burn the world for her. I wouldn’t tolerate him talking to her for a second.
Joan, to my shock, stepped forward, placing herself between us. I grabbed her arm, trying to pull her back, but she didn’t budge.
She wasn’t scared of the guns. She wasn’t scared of anything. Joan looked Antonio straight in the eye.
“I know men like you,” Joan said, walking towards him. Her walk was so intense that Antonio took a step back “You think you can threaten people, use fear to get what you want. But the truth is, you’re just a coward who hides behind his men.”
Antonio laughed, clearly amused by her audacity. “Oh, I like her, Derrick. She’s got fire.”
Joan didn’t stop. “You won’t touch Derrick. You won’t lay a hand on him, because you know what happens when you push him too far.”
I could feel my pulse pounding as I watched her. I was torn between admiration and pure frustration. This girl would get herself killed. She didn’t understand what she was doing, what kind of danger she was putting herself in. But fuck, if it didn’t make me want her even more.
Antonio gave her a long, considering look before stepping back. “I’ll be seeing you soon, Derrick.”
With that, he and his men walked away.
I turned to Joan, my temper barely in check. “Are you insane?”
She glared up at me. “Someone had to stand up to him.”
Santi laughed and so did Ace.
“I like her, boss” Santi teased “Good job, Joan”
“Wait till the fathers at the table hear Antonio was put in his place by a woman” Ace said.
Santi patted my shoulder and whispered in my ear “You’ve got your hands full with this one”
He was right.
I let out a sharp breath, running a hand through my hair. She was going to be the death of me.
And God help me, I didn’t know if I wanted to stop her.