All Chapters of The Accidental Almost Kiss with my Ex's Uncle: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

DEREK’S P.O.V. For the first time since I started my first business, I heard my phone buzzing on my desk, and I didn’t answer it. After a while, they stopped, and the only sound was Charlotte’s slow, deep breathing. I should have moved a while ago. I should have laid her down and given her a blanket so she could get some rest. Instead, I sat there until my eyes felt too heavy to keep them open, and I let my head fall back. My eyes didn't open again until the warmth of the sun coming in through the window hit my face. It hadn’t been a long sleep, but it had been the best one I’d had in a very long time. At some point, we had shifted and had ended up stretching out on the couch. Charlotte was curled into my side, her head resting on my chest instead of my shoulder, and one of her hands was lightly grabbing the front of my shirt. I looked down at her, seeing her eyelashes gently fluttering as she dreamed, and I sucked in a deep breath through my nose as something twisted in

DEREK’S P.O.V. The house felt empty the second she left, and I found myself unable to stay in that office for a moment longer. It was ridiculous to feel so bothered by how she just left. It should have been the normal thing to do. You sleep at someone’s house, and you leave in the morning. That was how it worked! So, why was this bothering me so much? My entire shower, and while I was getting ready to head into work, I found my mind drifting back. I couldn’t stop thinking about how good it felt to wake up with her in my arms, and then the horrified look on her face when she woke up and saw where she was. Hell, she had practically raced out of my office, desperate to get away from me. I had never had a woman react like that to me, and it was fucking with my head. “Pathetic,” I muttered to myself as I slid my phone into my pocket, cutting off the video feed to her complex after seeing everything looked normal, and climbed into my car. Paul knew to text or call me if anythin

CHARLOTTE’S P.O.V. I had just poured a glass of water when I heard my front door beep, followed by the light on the handle flashing red. Paul was out of his seat and shoving me back into the kitchen in an instant. I gasped as he drew his gun and moved to stand before me and the front door as it beeped and flashed red again. “What the hell?!” Lydia shouted, and I sucked in a deep, shaky breath of relief as I heard my best friend’s voice. “Why isn’t my key working? Charlotte!” I winced as Paul looked over at me with his eyebrows raised, and I sighed and nodded. “She is crazy, but she is safe.” Paul grunted, put his gun back, then marched over and clicked the screen next to the door to access the camera outside. For a long moment, he just stared, his back tense as Lydia continued to pound her fist on it. I moved past him and yanked the door open, causing her to topple inside. “What did you do to my key?” “Hello to you, too,” I said before pointing to the door next to us. “The loc

CHARLOTTE’S P.O.V.I placed my hand dramatically over my chest. “You wound me.” Derek’s mouth twitched as if he were fighting a smile. “That wasn’t an answer.” “You’re impossible,” I said, narrowing my eyes at him with a playful shove against his shoulder as I moved past him to the knife block. "So, I've been told." He said, and I felt a small tug of jealousy settle into my chest even though I was well aware I had no reason to be.Hell, Paul probably told him he was impossible before, or maybe his mom, or a co-worker. It might not have been one of his ex-girlfriends or lovers...“What am I going to be cutting?” I asked, wanting to change the subject before I embarrassed myself. Not a date. I reminded myself.“Vegetables,” He said, and I turned when I heard him open a drawer. As I glanced his way, I found an apron flying toward me and caught it easily. “My Kitchen. My Rules.” I read, and caught him smirking as he turned away and opened the fridge. “Yeah, yeah,” He said, grabbed a

DEREK’S P.O.V.Dessert had been a mistake. Not because it wasn’t good. It had been absolutely delicious. It was because Charlotte had practically moaned her way through half of her tiramisu before realizing she was doing it and turning an adorable shade of red. By the time we were done, I felt like the room was overheating and I couldn’t think straight. The news about her hearing being scheduled had caused something to shift for us, and each time our eyes met, she looked away quickly as if she were uncomfortable, more than the almost kiss had. “Would you like to get some air?” I asked suddenly, and Charlotte lifted one eyebrow in the familiar way that told me something cheeky was about to come from her. “Is this your way of kicking me out?” She asked, and I chuckled, shaking my head.“Never,” I said, moving to stand. “If I wanted you gone, Paul would be out front with the car running.” That familiar smile I had enjoyed far too much spread across her face. “Wow, you really know h