Page 102 of Devil's Kiss
Derek wanted to tell him to back off and it must have been obvious, too, because Finn called him on it.
“How much do you want to tell me to get fucked right now?”
“About a hundred percent.”
“I can tell. But you know what? I’m right. You’ve always been like that. I’m not saying it’s wrong, because it’s how you deal with shit, and you’ve had way more to deal with than others. But maybe it’s time to stop bottling things up. Hell, the fact that you couldn’t tell me for years that you moved out of your house and moved in with fucking Devaney proves that.”
Okay,Derek thought as he glared at Finn.Way to bring up years’ worth of resentment, Danny boy.“If you knew or felt that way, why didn’t you say something?”
“Because you were already dealing with enough,” Finn shouted. “You didn’tneedme the way you needed him. So I let you go, Derek. It wasn’t until I came back that I even realized you gave a shit because you finally told me so.”
Finn’s words were a punch to the gut, and fuck, that hurt. Where did he get off bringing up all this shit now? Just when Derek needed his goddamn friend, when he’d shown up here even though he hadn’t wanted to, Finn was acting like a total dick. And he wasn’t finished yet.
“Then we all went out to Boyz,” Finn said, on a roll now. “And you told me you loved him but that he didn’t feel the same. I wanted to go inside and kick that guy’s ass for you.” Finn took a step toward him then, brave move, all things considered, and when they were close enough that their shoes touched, he said, “But you know what, Derek? A man who builds a charity in your name for issues that he has watched youfightyour way through and survive…that’s a man who not only loves you but one who admires and respects you—deeply. And you know that. I can see it on your stubborn-ass face. So are you really willing to let him go for doing something because it fucking terrifies you?”
“Are you done?”
“Not quite. I have one more thing to say. There’s no excuses here, Derek. He might’ve gone about this the wrong way. Hell, he probably did. From what I remember, he was never subtle or very good at having a brain around you. But he did this for one reason only. Don’t let your fear get in the way of seeing that.”
As silence finally descended between them, and Derek was left standing there staring at a man he’d thought was his friend, he shook his head, shell-shocked.
“Wow,” he said, his voice low as he tried to control the urge to tell Finn to take his opinions and shove them up his ass. But instead, he reminded himself that he was in Finn’s house, as a guest. “It must be nice to be so sanctimonious. Huh, Danny boy? Aren’t you the one who got pissed and stayed the fuck away for close to a decade because the manyouloved did what was best for you?”
“That was totally different, and you know it.”
“Do I? Fuck you. I don’t need this shit tonight.”
Derek turned, ready to leave, only to see Brantley and Jordan standing just inside the kitchen. He had no idea how long they’d been standing there, but judging by Brantley’s pissed expression, he’d at least caught the tail end of it, whereas Jordan…he just looked…sad.
“Then maybe it would be best if you left for now,” Brantley suggested as he walked into the center of the tense room.
Derek heard Jordan gasp, but before he could say anything, Brantley had taken another step forward, and this time his eyes softened, and Derek hated that worse than the irritation he’d originally seen.
“You arealwayswelcome in our home, Derek. But not when you’re talking shit about two of the people I love most in this world. Got it?”
Derek swallowed and tried to compose himself. “No sweat, professor. I figured this was a mistake anyway.”
He looked over his shoulder to Finn, whose jaw was clenched and his eyes downcast, and then without another word, Derek turned and headed for the door.
JORDAN COULDN’T BELIEVEwhat had just happened and what he’d heard. He watched Brantley walk over to where Daniel stood, offering him a hug, and then…well, then Jordan lost his shit.
“Are you both out of your fucking minds?”
Brantley looked over at him, his eyes wide, and he looked as if he was going to speak, but Jordan didn’t want to hear it.
“I can’tbelieveyou just did that to him.”
“Jordan, he was in a foul mood and you heard what he said when we walked in. It was just going to get worse.”
“I don’t give a shit,” he snapped. “You two were hardly hearts and roses when you were working your mess out. How dare you be so judgmental now, especially when there is so much going on with him that you don’t even know. Good job, Daniel. MaybeIshould be the one kickingyourass.”
“Jordan,” Brantley growled.
“Forget it,” Jordan said with a shake of his hand as he spun on his heel and made his way out of the kitchen, running toward the front door. He yanked it open and caught sight of Derek walking down the driveway toward the Jeep he’d parked out on the curb.
“Derek,” he shouted, and ran after him. By the time he caught up, Derek had the door open and was climbing inside. “Would you wait a goddamn minute?”
“Why?” Derek barked.