Tabitha's lip twitched. Derek's words implied she had a huge appetite for that sort of thing.
"Ahem, rest assured, I'm not as promiscuous as you think," she said.
For her, survival had always been the priority. Later on, it was all about her children.
From beginning to end, such desires had been the least of her concerns.
Over the years, Derek was the only man she had been with.
She was constantly busy and had no time for such thoughts.
If it weren't for Derek reigniting her desires, Tabitha would never have made such a preposterous yet mutually logical request.
With the terms set, Derek got up and grabbed her ankle, leaning down to kiss from her foot up.
A jolt of electricity ran through Tabitha's body. "Stop it, it's dirty," she said.
Even in the past, Derek had never done this.
"How could my treasure ever be dirty?" he said.
His wet, soft kisses traveled over every inch of her skin. Her toes curled, and her eyes glazed over as she watched him.
Derek whispered in her ear, "I want every inch of you to belong to me and only me."
That night, knowing she would leave, Derek exhausted every bit of his strength on her.
Until dawn, when the sound of sweeping in the courtyard began.
In a small fishing village, Tabitha was pinned against a wall by Derek, one hand covering her mouth and the other pinching her waist wantonly.
"Remember to miss me, every day, every moment, every second," he said.
He repeated over and over in her ear, "Tabitha, I love you, I really do. I'll give you my life, okay?"
The quiet fishing village was interrupted by the sound of a helicopter—Alvin had arrived to pick them up.
The courtyard was too small for a landing zone, so the helicopter hovered as it searched for a suitable spot.
Tabitha bit Derek's shoulder. "Jerk!"
"Tabitha, you know my staying power. Unless..."
Thinking of Rolf's big mouth, Tabitha wanted to hasten things.
She turned and wrapped her arms around Derek's neck, nibbling his earlobe and panting softly. "Derek, hurry..."
The helicopter landed in the town square, drawing a crowd. Rolf rushed to the farmhouse.
"Alvin, is this the place? You didn't get it wrong?" he said.
Alvin took off his sunglasses and replied with a straight face, "No."
"Hey, who are you looking for?" the homeowner asked.
After describing Derek, they were led to the house. "Here you go. The person you're looking for is inside," the host said.
Alvin took out some money to thank him, while Rolf barged in, "Alpha Derek, long time no see. Did you miss me... Ah, Tabitha?"
Rolf quickly removed his glasses, thinking he must be seeing things.
What was Tabitha doing here?
Tabitha merely glanced at him. "After all this time, you're still as dumb as ever."
Rolf was speechless.
Alvin reacted more normally. "Hi, Tabitha," he said.
"No way, you knew about this? Why didn't you tell me such earth-shattering news?" Rolf exclaimed.
Derek emerged, his face still unsatisfied from earlier.
So Tabitha could play tricks too.
"Alpha Derek, you and Tabitha, you two..." Rolf stammered.
His jaw dropped. Everyone seemed to know except him.
Tabitha didn't bother explaining. "Are you heading back to the US?" she asked Derek.
"Yep. What about you?" he replied.
Derek naturally wanted to be with her, but he'd just made a deal with Tabitha and didn't dare overstep.
"Perfect. I'm also heading back. Give me a ride," she said.
Derek quickly inquired, "What's your plan there?"
Tabitha glanced at him. Derek immediately backpedaled. "No other meaning. Just thought if you don't have plans, I could help arrange something."
"No need. I'm meeting someone," Tabitha said flatly.
She didn't elaborate. "Let's go," she said, yawning.
She was exhausted and eager to catch up on sleep.
Rolf eyed Derek with pure gossip interest, clearly dying to know their current relationship status.
Derek rolled his eyes. "What're you staring at? Why're you here so early?"
Rolf was confused.
What had he done wrong?
Tabitha boarded Derek's private helicopter, wrapped herself in a blanket, and drifted off.
Finding the seat uncomfortable, she curled up and rested her head on Derek's chest.
Derek, thrilled and touched, gently held her.
Rolf muttered in the back, "Alpha Derek sure has moves. Got Tabitha wrapped around his finger in no time."
"Think again," Alvin said, recalling their earlier conversation.
"Looks to me like Tabitha's got Alpha Derek under her thumb."
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Rolf asked.
"Dummy," Alvin replied.
After a few transfers, the group finally returned to Seattle.
In the snowy city, Tabitha, after eight hours of flight, finally awoke from her slumber.
She stretched lazily in her seat and glanced out.
"Almost there," Derek said.
"Tabitha, about tonight..."
"After we land, you don't need to worry about me. I've got things to do," she said.
Derek looked at her with a hint of grumble. Tabitha patted his shoulder reassuringly. "I'll come find you when I have time."