Chapter 146: Mother And Daughter**

Chapter 146: Chapter 146: Mother And Daughter**

As they sat down to eat, Ruth served the pot roast, filling their plates while keeping her gaze carefully averted from Derrick.

The atmosphere at the table was thick with an unsaid tension, but Derrick remained entirely relaxed, casually chatting with Ruth about her day.

"The meat turned out really tender, Aunt Ruth," Derrick said, taking a bite and nodding in approval. "You should definitely make this more often."

"Oh, stop it. You’re just flatterin’ me," Ruth replied, a soft laugh escaping her lips as she took a sip of her water, still trying to wash down the lingering heat from her cheeks.

Underneath the dining table, however, Derrick slid his right foot out of his shoes.

He extended his leg across the narrow space, his toes lightly brushing against Beth’s ankle.

Beth stiffened instantly, her fork freezing mid-air.

Her head snapped slightly down, her eyes locking onto her plate as a bright, burning blush surged from her neck straight up to her cheeks.

’D-Derrick! Right in front of Mom?!’ Beth screamed internally, her heart hammering against her ribs.

Of course, Derrick did not stop.

While maintaining a completely smooth, pleasant conversation with Ruth about the automated kitchen gear, his foot slowly glided up along the curve of Beth’s calf, nudging her knees apart.

"So, Derrick," Ruth chimed in, trying to keep the conversation flowing smoothly, "when do you have to report back to the academy?"

"In a month or so..." Derrick answered calmly while his foot worked its way higher, gently pressing against the warm skin of her inner thigh. "I still have a few loose ends to tie up in the city first."

"Mmm..." Beth let out a soft, barely audible gasp, biting her lower lip hard to muffle the sound.

She tried to press her thighs together to block him, but Derrick kept up the playful pressure, sending electric waves straight through her body.

Then, eventually his the tip of his toe was pressing right in the middle of her cameltoe.

Nudge!

Beth’s toes curled inside her slippers, her breathing coming in short, shallow hitches.

She could feel the nail of his toe, pressing against her walls from the inside.

She gripped her fork so hard her knuckles turned white, her whole body trembling as she stared intently at a piece of potato on her plate as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world.

’If I make a sound right now, Mom is gonna know everything!’ Beth thought frantically, her face practically on fire.

Across the table, Ruth’s eyes flicked over.

She noticed the subtle tremor in Beth’s hands and the deep crimson hue flooding her daughter’s face, down to the way her shoulders were pulled tight.

’Wait... why is Betty acting so restless all of a sudden?’ Ruth thought, her gaze dropping toward the table cloth for a brief second before realizing what might be happening underneath.

Ruth’s hand paused over her glass for a split second.

A knowing, flustered look flickered across her eyes, but after her own embarrassing incident in the kitchen with Derrick, she quickly looked away, clearing her throat quietly and pretending to be entirely engrossed in her meal.

"Betty, dear, you’ve barely touched your food," Ruth said softly, keeping her eyes firmly on her own plate. "Is... everything alright over there?"

"Y-Yes! Everything’s great, Mom! Perfect!" Beth squeaked out, taking a sudden, massive bite of pot roast just to keep her mouth occupied before shooting Derrick a sharp, pleading look from under her dark eyelashes.

Derrick just gave Beth a small, unbothered smirk, completely ignoring her silent plea as he took another calm bite of his food.

Under the table, his movements didn’t slow down at all—if anything, he picked up the pace.

"Ah..." Beth let out another tiny, muffled squeak, her back straightening like a rod. Her cheeks burned so hot she felt like she was going to faint right into her soup.

She forced herself to take deep, quiet breaths through her nose, trying desperately to calm her frantic heart before her mother caught on to the heavy rise and fall of her chest. But every subtle shift of his foot sent another sharp jolt straight up her spine.

"Is the seasoning alright, Derrick?" Ruth asked, her voice sounding a little breathier than usual.

"It’s perfect, Aunt Ruth," Derrick replied smoothly, his tone as composed as if he were discussing the weather. "You really have a gift in the kitchen."

Across the table, Ruth tried to smile, but her mind was completely shattered.

Every time Derrick spoke, her gaze involuntarily dropped to his broad shoulders, and her mind flashed right back to the kitchen.

The feel of his rock-hard abs beneath her palm, and that massive, terrifying heat her hand had accidentally squeezed.

Gulp.

Ruth swallowed hard, her own face warming up to a deep shade of pink.

Unconsciously, she pressed her thighs tightly together, feeling a sudden, strange tightness in her core.

The lingering phantom sensation on her palm made her skin prickle, and without realizing it, she began slowly rubbing her legs against each other under her apron just to soothe the sudden itch.

’What is wrong with me today?’ Ruth thought frantically, gripping her napkin tightly under the table. ’I’m her mother... I shouldn’t be thinking about this...’

Meanwhile, Beth was at her absolute limit.

Her knuckles were stark white around her fork, her toes curled so tight inside her slippers that they were practically numb.

"Mom," Beth stammered out, her voice higher by two octaves as she tried to break the endless assault beneath the cloth, "c-can you pass the gravy?"

"Oh! Of course, dear," Ruth blinked, snapping out of her own daze and quickly reaching for the gravy boat, her hands trembling just enough to make the liquid slosh slightly against the rim.

Derrick watched both women silently struggling to keep their sanity, his eyes flashing with a wicked, amused glint as he casually took another sip of his drink.

Soon, the lunch ended with not just one woman reaching her climax without making a sound.

And the most funny thing was, they both were thinking about the same man.