Page 49 of Devil's Kiss
The kiss that had imprinted itself somewhere on his soul.
“I just want you safe, Derek.”
“I know. I want the same for you. That’s why I left. I took your address off the records at work and left no forwarding one. You should be safe now.”
Jordan swallowed around the words he wanted to say, something along the lines ofI was always safe; no one could get inside my building, but instead he said, “Thank you.” When it appeared neither of them had anything else to say, he added, “If you ever need me…”
“I know. I’ll call. Goodbye, Jordan.”
“Bye, Derek.”
The phone call ended, and Jordan wondered if he’d ever felt such detachment in his life. The answer was simple.No.
Never had he permitted someone to rely on him in such a way. And never had he allowed someone to be the reason for his highs, or, he thought as his gut churned, the reason for this all-time low.
But the question he couldn’t seem to answer was: how did one survive such disconnect? Could they?
Or would he merely crave that same connection over and over until eventually it destroyed the beauty of what drew him in the first place?
Chapter 13
One Year Later
Commencement Ceremony
DEREK CLUTCHED HIS commencement certificate in hand as he walked across the stage and wondered, not for the first time, how the hell he’d managed to get through four years of school and come out on the other side with a degree.
He made his way down the stairs, following behind the line of students who’d filed through in front of him. Today was a day to celebrate, and not even the absence of his father or brother could put a damper on this moment.
As his eyes scanned the crowd, he spotted a somber-looking Finn, whose expression almost had him tripping over his own feet as he continued up the aisle. When he got closer, Derek saluted him with his certificate and tried not to be overly concerned with the lack of response he got.
When he’d called earlier that week, Finn had seemed excited to be invited to the ceremony, and asked Derek if he wanted to come to his, which was to be held later that afternoon. But as Derek moved to retake his seat, he couldn’t help but worry that something had happened. Usually Finn would be the first to flash a grin and cheer him on, but today…today he looked like a zombie.
As he took his seat, his eyes continued to move over the crowd to the faculty members who sat off to the side, and he chided himself for even looking.
There’s no reason for him to be here,he reminded himself, even as he continued to search the faces of his professors.I had him for one semester; he isn’t going to be—But he was. There, standing behind the row of professors and university personnel, was Professor Devaney.
He was dressed more conservatively than Derek ever remembered seeing him, and the fact that he was wearing a light gray suit with a very proper blue tie had Derek grinning. It wasn’t that the look didn’t suit Jordan, because hell, the guy pulled the polished look off to a fucking T. It was that he looked so…proper, so professional, which were two words Derek would never normally think of when he thought of the man who’d danced around a penthouse to Britney Spears.
Jordan’s eyes were locked on the speaker announcing the final names, but Derek wasn’t about to look away from the man until finally, as if Jordan sensed his focus, his gaze shifted and found Derek’s.
He couldn’t help himself, and aimed a wink at Jordan. At first he wondered if Jordan had caught the gesture, but when his eyes widened slightly and he quickly averted his gaze, Derek knew that he had.
Damn, it’d been way too long since he’d seen Jordan, and the man looked fucking great. He’d been secretly hoping that Jordan would turn up today, but he hadn’t wanted to get his hopes up just to have them crushed. There was no reason to expect that he would show at a commencement ceremony he wasn’t one of the teachers for. But Derek had been curious if Jordan would be there for one simple reason—him.
Derek turned back to face the stage with a big, cheesy grin. And as he sat there, not knowing the reason Jordan had showed, the fact that he was there at all meant the world to him.
JORDAN FELTAS though the tie around his neck was going to strangle him, but as he stood behind the row of economics and finance professors, he couldn’t find it in himself to care.
He’d been keeping an eye on Derek’s progress over the past year. His grades, his classes, and yes—to add to my full-on stalker status—the day he would graduate. Jordan had told himself he was doing what any concerned teacher would if they were worried about the safety of their student. But as he stood there willing the heat on his cheeks to subside, he admitted to himself that this was about a hell of a lot more than concern for a student.
He’d come there today with two goals in mind.
To see a student he knew had fought tooth and nail through school finally graduate. And his other reason was much more selfish.
He’d wanted to see Derek. Plain and simple.
Throughout the year, they’d run into each other a couple of times, and it had been cordial and polite, but for the most part Jordan hadn’t seen him in any capacity other than teacher and student—just as they were right now.