Derek by D. J. Krimmer
"My house is a mess, my underwear is mixing with hers in the laundry, and my safe, quiet haven now smells of burnt candles and her."
Indy
I’m not chasing love. I’m chasing survival.
Running The Crown Project — a nonprofit for kids who’ve lost too much — is the only thing that makes sense anymore. Not my health. Not my friendships. Definitely not the grump who works with my brother.
Derek Rowe is infuriating, off-limits, and unfortunately… magnetic in all the worst ways.
He’s made of walls and silence. I’m made of too many feelings.
I don’t get to be the princess.
But maybe I can still give someone else their fairytale. Even if I never get mine.
Derek
Chaos ruins everything.
I learned that the day my wife slept with my best friend.
Since then, I’ve built a life of routine, control, and zero vulnerability.
But Indy doesn’t follow rules.
She crashes into my world with her colors and her hope and her heartbreaking smile—and I make the mistake of letting her stay.
In my house. In my space.
Not in my heart. That’s locked up for good.
Fairytales are for people who don’t know what loss tastes like.
But the longer she’s near me…
The more I wonder if some kinds of chaos are worth the fall.
A grumpy tattoo artist. A sunshine nonprofit founder. And the fairytale neither of them believes in.
"My house is a mess, my underwear is mixing with hers in the laundry, and my safe, quiet haven now smells of burnt candles and her."
Indy
Being the founder of a non-profit and keeping it going is my only focus right now. I don't have time for distraction–men, my health, my friends–all of it takes a back seat to me keeping this going. I've lived by other people's rules for too long, I am ready to break out on my own, and I'll prove to everyone I can do it. The Crown Project helps sick children and their families find some happiness during hard times, and I am committed to making it happen. If I can't have my own, I'll give someone else a fairytale. The only man I'd want is off-limits to me anyway. He's the meanest, grumpiest, and, unfortunately, the sexiest man I know. He also works with my brother. So there's that. I'll always be a supporting character, never the princess. My life just won't let me. It's impossible.
Derek
Without routine and order, the only thing left is chaos. Chaos leaves room for disorder and unhappiness. And that leads to betrayal. Never again will I allow that to happen. I am steady, focused, and at the top of my game as a tattoo artist at Hel's Ink. I am established, successful, and there is nothing that happens in my life that I don't allow. And then there is Indy. She is inescapable – a whirlwind of kindness and beauty and goodness. Everything about her is impossible. Left with no choice but to help her out of a challenging situation. I soon regret my decision and the insanity that comes with it. I let her in. Into my home and my life. But never– never- into my heart. There's no such thing as fairytales, and love stories don't really exist. But when everything changes, I wonder if maybe I've found a little piece of chaos I can live with.