Page 36 of Devil's Kiss
Jesus, if he didn’t fall asleep during the actual exam it would be a miracle.
He tossed his pen on the desk he was seated at, then leaned back in the leather chair, stretching his arms above his head as a yawn escaped him. It was Thursday night, and tomorrow’s exam was the last one he had—and then he would be done with his sophomore year.
God, where did the time go?He spun around in the chair and looked toward the open door leading from his bedroom to the long balcony that flanked this side of the building. Most days he still couldn’t believe he lived there, in the penthouse of the Palisades, but he did.
Jordan had invited him to stay that first night, and since then the two of them had settled into a comfortable routine of landlord and tenant. Just as Jordan had suggested they should. On one hand it was totally strange, yet on the other it had turned out close to fucking perfect.
Tonight, the penthouse was quiet. Jordan had told him he was going out to celebrate his final day of teaching, and instructed Derek with a sassy wink not to wait up.
As if he ever would.
Considering what close quarters they kept, they lived very separate lives. And just as they’d agreed from day one, there were no strange men in the house, and the two of them had developed quite the unexpected friendship.
Jordan Devaney out of school was exactly as he had been that first semesterinschool—times about ten. He was opinionated, sarcastic, and rather full of himself. But Derek had to admit, the guy could back it up.
Jordan was smart, rich, and smokin’ hot—not that Derek would ever mention that these days.Fuck no. There was no way he was crossing that line they’d both drawn in the sand that night, and neither had ever stepped over.
However, Jordan wasn’t only all about himself. The other thing Derek had learned in the past year was just how generous he was. Not only had he taken him in that day, the guy had refused to take his money for anything other than rent on his small section of the house. Derek couldn’t remember how many times they’d argued over the grocery bill. But in the end, even if he got pissed and called Jordan a bossy asshole and left the money on the counter, Derek would find it later that night on the bedside table in his bedroom.Stubborn ass.
Deciding he was done for the night, he got to his feet and stretched his neck from side to side, ready to go to bed, but the sound of the elevator dinging echoed throughout the condo. He yawned again and glanced at the digital readout on his phone.
It read 2:45 a.m.Late night, huh, professor?
Ready to give Jordan shit for being an old guy able to stay out past midnight, Derek was halfway down the hall when he heard someone giggle and then someone else say, “Shh…”
As more musical laughter floated through the air, Derek froze, waiting to see if he’d imagined it, until “God, J. That last round of Mind Erasers totally did you in. You’re trashed,” confirmed that he hadn’t.
The footsteps shuffling through the condo’s main living room indicated there were at least two people, and when he heard an “ompfh” followed by more laughing, Derek contemplated turning and heading back to his room.
Jordan had never brought anyone home with him before, and while Derek was more than aware the guy stayed out every now and then, it was different to know he might have to lie in his bedroom and listen to some other guy get in bed with the man he had secretly been fantasizing about.
Just great.
Dressed only in a pair of lightweight sweats, Derek was about to head back to his room when a light was switched on and Jordan’s voice sounded throughout the penthouse.
“August!” Jordan laughed loudly, then whispered, “Turn it off. You’ll wake?—”
“Me,” Derek said, figuring that maybe if he announced his presence to the men in the living room, then they might not do whatever they were back here to do.
Jordan was sitting on the couch with a guy dressed in jeans, a loose mauve linen shirt, and about four or five beaded necklaces standing between his legs. With his shoulder-length brown hair and dark scruff, the guy bore a striking resemblance to Johnny Depp, and Derek wondered if that’s what he was aiming for. If so, he’d nailed it.
The sound of Derek’s voice had the both of them whipping their heads around in the direction of where he stood. If the situation had been anything other than what it was, Derek might have noticed how lecherous the smile was that stretched across the face of the stranger who was now staring at him. As it was, Derek was far too irritated at the thought of these two going back to Jordan’s room to fuck to notice that—much.
“Hmm. Well, hello. Who do we have here, J?” the man asked, giving Derek his full attention as Jordan flopped back into the couch.
The man stepped over the leg Jordan had flung out in front of himself and took the couple of steps he needed to stop directly in front of Derek. He was tall enough, probably around six foot, but like most, that still put him several inches shorter than Derek.
“That’s Derek,” Jordan slurred, then added, “He-Man.”
Derek’s eyes cut to Jordan.He-Man? Okay…that one’s new,he thought, keeping a discreet eye on his “landlord” as a sensual chuckle came from the unidentified man, whose eyes were surveying every inch of Derek’s naked torso.
“I can certainly see why you call him that.”
“Yes…” Jordan agreed, even though his eyes were shut. “Muscles and, ahh, more muscles. Mhmm.” That velvety purr he gave at the end traveled straight down Derek’s spine to his balls, and was as good as a caress.
Jesus, how much did he drink tonight?Jordan had never come home like this.
“Got it,” Johnny wannabe said. “Butwhois he, J? You haven’t mentioned a He-Man before now. Especially not a live-in one.”