DERRICK’S POV The gala was in full swing. Laughter and the clinking of champagne glasses filled the air, but I barely noticed. My attention was elsewhere—on the delicate hand entwined with my own. Joan’s fingers were smaller than mine, softer. Her touch sent heat racing through my veins. Damn it. I tried to ignore it, to dismiss the sensation as insignificant, but my body betrayed me. My pulse quickened, and my grip involuntarily tightened around hers for the briefest second before I forced myself to relax. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I wasn’t supposed to feel anything. Not after what my ex had done to me. I had vowed never to let another woman past my defenses again. But Joan… She was different, wasn’t she? “Did you hear me?” Joan’s voice cut through my thoughts. I blinked and

