Page 60 of Devil's Kiss

The guileless eyes Jordan aimed at him didn’t fool Derek for a second. The guy was certifiable. They hadn’t seen each other in years, yet the second Jordan flashed the right look his way, Derek felt himself wanting to fall back under his spell. Jordan was his fucking kryptonite.

“You paid that much money to tell me I look good in a suit? You shouldn’t have bothered. My roommate told me for free.”

Jordan’s eyes narrowed and he shrugged. “Hotis what I believe I said. And I don’t care who told you. They’re not me. And we both know you like hearing it from my lips best.”

Derek close to growled with frustration because,fuck, Jordan was right. Then, for the first time in three years, Jordan reached out and touched him. His fingertip grazed the line of his jaw, and before he could remove it, Derek captured Jordan’s wrist and held it in place.

“Why?” he demanded again. “Why are you here?”

“I told you, it was a coincidence.”

“One you couldn’t let pass by. You justhadto make sure that I saw you up close, huh? Is it a thrill to know that after all these years you still make my dick hard?”

Jordan shook his head. “No. I mean, it is a thrill. But you’re wrong. It was the other way around. I wanted to seeyouup close. It’s been so long, Derek. You don’t call me anymore. And I never see you.”

“So you paid two thousand dollars for the privilege? Jordan, I’m pretty easy to find for free.”

“Yes, but you made it clear by staying away that you didn’t want to be found.”

“Did I?”

“Yes.”

“Yeah, whatever…” Derek muttered.

“I just thought it would be nice to catch up. I don’t know. We were friends too at one point, weren’t we?”

Derek laughed, but the sound lacked any kind of joy. “Is that what you want now?” he asked, his voice lowering several octaves. “To be my friend?”

Jordan grimaced, and Derek wondered if the thought of being “just” friends felt as wrong to Jordan as it did to him.

“Has something changed that I don’t know about?” Derek asked. “Because I’m sorry, I don’t want to be your friend. And the last conversation we had, you told me that you had no desire to date anyone.”

As the words left his mouth, Derek saw Jordan’s cheeks flame, and he shifted his feet as though he were uncomfortable. The silence that then fell between them was like a dead weight, and as if a light bulb switched on inside of Derek’s head, he shoved off the wall and pointed at Jordan.

“You’re seeing someone,” he said, and Jordan took a step back. Not surprising, considering any idiot could see Derek’s temper had just been flipped the fuck on.

He advanced on Jordan, who retreated, and for the first time in their ever-changing relationship, Jordan looked nervous.

“I’m right, aren’t I?”

Jordan tilted his chin up, defiant as always, and finally answered, “Maybe. I mean. Yes. Kind of.”

When Jordan’s back met the wall, Derek kept coming until he had him pinned against it and was now caging him in with a palm on either side of his head. Even after all this time, and with no real claim on the guy, the thought of someone other than himself with Jordan made Derek close to homicidal.

It should’ve been me,he thought, as he fumed down at Jordan.But it never fucking is.

“Did you really just pay that much money to tell me you’re dating someone else?” Derek was aware that he sounded beyond pissed, but his tolerance for bullshit and etiquette had just run out.

“No, I just wanted to?—“

Derek took Jordan’s chin in his hand, effectively stopping his words, then he brushed their lips together and whispered, “Don’t lie to me. You have never lied to me. Not even when it fucking hurt.”

Jordan brought a hand up and encircled his wrist, and the expression that flashed in his eyes made Derek’s breath get lodged in his throat. He looked torn.

“I paid that much money on impulse because I saw you and wanted to touch you. That’s the truth. It’s as simple as that.”

“But you’re dating someone else?” Derek asked one last time, and Jordan closed his eyes and nodded.