Page 65 of Devil's Kiss
“Nope,” Derek said, shaking his head. “There is nobutin the scenario. Brantley sent him away, Finn went, and now they’re just going to have to work it out like big boys.”
Jordan grinned as Derek stroked his fingers down his spine. “Oh? And how do big boys work things out?”
“Like I said before. If you need me to tell you…”
Jordan gasped as Derek got to his feet with him wrapped around his body in an amazing display of strength, and then laughed uproariously when they tumbled onto the bed.
As they rolled across the mattress, mouths met and tongues dueled while Derek grappled with his shirt, pulling it over his head and throwing it to the floor.
It was always like this with them. Fast and furious. They were both extremely busy in their day-to-day lives, but when the night rolled around and they came together, it just worked. Just as they’d always known it would—and right now was no different.
It had been six months since they’d fallen back into Jordan’s bed, and that was pretty much where they ended up whenever they got together. It wasn’t that they’d consciously decided to focus only on the physical aspect of their relationship. It just seemed to be the way things went whenever they were around one another. Neither of them had mentioned labels or changing anything about the present situation, so when Derek lowered his head, locked eyes with him, and said, clearly and without one ounce of subterfuge, “I love you,” Jordan froze like a deer in headlights.
DEREK STARED DOWNinto a face he knew as well as his own, and the panic that flashed into Jordan’s wide eyes had him rearing back and shifting to his knees.
The man lying on his back looking up at him had lost all the joy that had been stamped over his face a second ago, and Derek’s words, hisI love you, had brought a look of alarm forward to take its place.
As Derek knelt there waiting for some kind of response, Jordan remained paralyzed, as though he were in a state of shock, and with every silent second that passed, Derek felt more and more like a fucking idiot.
How could he have been so damn stupid? To think that after all this time Jordan would finally be ready to admit what it was between them. That he would finally realize that what they had was something people searched their entire lives for and never found.
But no, when he’d finally said it, when he’d finally felt the moment was right and told this man he’d known for close to a decade that he loved him, Jordan, the man with an answer for everything, had turned fucking mute.
Derek climbed off the bed and bent down to pick up his shirt. He then straightened and aimed a glare in Jordan’s direction as his embarrassment morphed to anger.
“Nothing to say to that, huh? Really?”
Jordan sat up and opened and shut his mouth as though trying to find words, but when nothing came he clamped his lips together and Derek saw his Adam’s apple move as he swallowed.
Wow.
He grabbed his boots off the floor as Jordan scrambled to stand, but Derek pinned him to the bed with a look that saiddon’t fucking bother, and before Jordan could get dressed and follow, Derek was in the elevator and down to the ground floor.
THE FOLLOWING NIGHT,Jordan climbed out of the Uber he’d taken to Boyz and checked his phone a final time before he shoved it into his front pocket. Still nothing from Derek.
Shit.
He’d been calling him since the night before, and every time he’d gotten his voicemail he’d left yet another “We need to talk” message. He knew he was starting to sound like a robot, but there was no way he was about to have this conversation with a voicemail inbox, where everything he said could be played back on repeat.
So sue him, he didn’t like someone having that much proof over him when he was groveling. And he knew when Derek did finally answer, he would be doing some heavy-duty groveling.
But that would now have to wait until tomorrow. Brantley had called him earlier this morning and wanted to catch up with him for brunch. And after putting on an Academy Award-worthy performance, Jordan had somehow agreed to meet up with him and Daniel tonight at Boyz.
Not exactly what he’d had in mind for the evening. The problem was, if he’d refused, Brantley would’ve wanted to know why, and since he still hadn’t gotten around to telling him that he was sleeping with Derek, he figured he’d keep that little gem to himself until whatever this night at Boyz was was over.
He took a deep breath and shook his hands by his side.Just go inside, dance for a few hours, and then leave,he told himself as he continued down the side of the brick building.
He was all set to plaster a smile on his face and maybe drink a few too many shots when he rounded the corner and right there, directly in front of him, was Derek. And not just Derek standing by himself, which would’ve been awkward enough, considering the circumstances.ButDerek, who was leaning against the wall with some twink draped all over his arm like he was an accessory for the night, and hell, maybe he was.
Unfuckingbelievable. Jordan fumed as his eyes took in the scene in front of him. The man who, just last night, had pressed him into a mattress and told him he loved him was decked out like a fucking sex god in boots, black pants, and a green vest, and Jordan could see every tattoo he’d licked, sucked,and yes, come all over.
He watched as the brunette, who was draped all over Derek, ran a hand up his arm, and Jordan felt his head come close to exploding.
Grinding his teeth together, he stormed over to where Derek was and situated himself so he was directly in his eye line. When the guy stroking Derek’s arm moved slightly to the left and Derek’s eyes found Jordan’s, he had the good grace to look shocked as he pushed off the wall and straightened.
Yeah, busted,Jordan thought as he cut his eyes to the brunette now glaring at him over his shoulder.Oh, honey, don’t even try,he wanted to tell the guy.Your hands might be all over him, but he’s wishing they were mine.
Jordan could feel his annoyance heating his cheeks as he said to the oblivious man between them, “Scram.”