Page 7 of Devil’s Kiss (Sunset Cove #2)

Two Months Later

It was amazing, really, that for someone as bright and gifted as he apparently was, dressing himself and driving across town to be somewhere at a specific time always seemed to be a monumental effort. One at which he usually failed.

He flipped the visor up and then snatched his leather bag off the passenger seat.

If he hightailed it he should be able to— Ugh, forget it, there’s no way I’m going to make it on time, he thought, and leisurely got out of the car.

Yep. So why bother running and making myself sweat, not to mention mess up my hair?

It was mid-October, and the air was still heavy and humid enough that walking from his car across the lawn would guarantee an uncomfortable first period of dress slacks stuck to his ass and his shirt plastered to his back. Not something he enjoyed in front of a room full of students.

As far as he was concerned, there were only two good reasons to ever be covered in sweat, and neither of them involved as many clothes as he was currently wearing, or the students from his class— with the exception of maybe…one , the devil on his shoulder chimed in.

He was halfway across the lawn when he spotted Professor Brantley Hayes climbing out of his car, and stopped for a second to admire him.

Mhmm, so fine, Jordan thought with a grin as his friend and colleague shut his car door and headed in his direction dressed in— “A vest ? Are you serious? How in God’s name are you wearing a vest today, Hayes?

My balls are sweating, and not in the good it adds to the friction way. ”

“Eloquent as always, Jordan. Good morning.” Brantley laughed as they met up along the path leading toward their respective buildings.

“Morning,” Jordan replied, then brought his venti peppermint mocha to his lips and took a sip. Thank God for caffeine, really. How people functioned without it, he would never know.

“Second month of the semester and you’re still alive. How are you feeling, Professor Devaney?”

“ Old when you call me that. I swear, every time a student raises their hand and addresses me that way, I’m one step closer to a receding hairline and wrinkles around my eyes.”

Brantley shook his head. “You’re ridiculous. You know that, right? You’re barely older than they are, and I’ll be damned if I tell you you’re good looking when it’s clear by the smug smirk on your face that you already know it.”

“Well, that’s just mean-spirited of you. My ego is very fragile,” Jordan protested. “Plus, a boy can never be told too many times how pretty he is.” He batted his lashes and Brantley shoved him in the arm.

Over the last few weeks the two of them had become really good friends.

They’d gone out a few times after work to grab a drink, and ever since, they’d hit it off.

They even had a regular Sunday brunch date at a tiny little hole-in-the-wall café down by the beach.

It was an easy friendship. One he knew they would share for many years to come.

Especially since sex wasn’t in the mix. That was now one hundred percent off the table.

Not only because they worked together but also because Jordan had found out that they shared a positional preference that just wouldn’t work for him.

“I’m sure you have someone on speed dial who can feed your fragile ego, should you ever need it,” Brantley said.

“I have two, if you must know. But neither are as smart or sophisticated as yourself. So you can understand how your opinion would carry more weight.”

“You’re incorrigible,” Brantley said, but grinned as he brought his coffee cup to his lips. He took a sip and then said, “Okay. So be serious for a second. I know you’re capable.”

“’Tis true, but it’s so boring.”

“I’m sure you’ll manage for all of five minutes. I wanted to talk to you about Derek Pearson.”

At the sound of that particular student’s name, Jordan immediately sobered and came to a halt.

He’d been paying a little more attention to Derek than he knew he should.

At first he’d attributed it to their first encounter, but with every passing day the quiet, almost introspective nature of the guy, showed a vulnerability that had peaked Jordan’s interest. “What about him?”

“I heard something pretty disturbing going around about his father yesterday afternoon. I’m not one to pay much heed to gossip, but in a town the size of this one, it’s bound to happen.”

Jordan’s stomach tightened when Brantley wrapped his fingers around the crook of his arm and pulled him over to the side of the path out of the way of other students.

“I won’t keep you long. I just wanted to give you a heads-up. I remember you telling me about that first day and his black eye.”

Jordan fingered the lid of his coffee cup and nodded, hating where this conversation was leading.

“Okay. Well, his father got picked up a couple of nights ago for public intoxication. Apparently one of the law secretaries lives down the street from them. He was brought home in a cop car and was acting belligerent. I heard her say that Derek was the one to smooth things over with the police.” Brantley paused and then said exactly what Jordan was thinking: “I have a sneaking suspicion his eye was courtesy of his dad. So you might want to keep tabs on him.”

Damn. Jordan had had a feeling it was something like that, but having it confirmed made it so much worse than just imagining it. When he remained silent, Brantley asked, “Have there been any more incidents since that day?”

Jordan shook his head and, in a voice much more serious than he was apt to using, said, “No. He’s very quiet for the most part.”

“A bit of a loner, then?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure about loner so much,” he said. “More…private, but that’s understandable now.”

“Yes. I suppose it is.”

Jordan nodded. “I mean, except for his surfer friend. You know, the one with the blond hair.”

“Ahh yes, Daniel Finley.”

Jordan thought he detected something reverent in Brantley’s tone, and couldn’t help but taunt him a little. “Know him well?”

Brantley’s eyes widened, and Jordan couldn’t help but laugh at his friend’s shock.

“No. Why would you ask that?”

“You just sounded impressed by him. That’s all.”

“Well, he’s a good student. Very bright.”

“Very easy on the eyes too,” Jordan teased. It worked, too, because Brantley almost choked on his coffee.

“I hadn’t noticed.”

Jordan placed a hand on Brantley’s arm, schooling his features to those of someone deeply concerned, and asked, “Why? Are you losing your eyesight? You’re not that old.”

“No, smartass. But I’m his professor.”

“Which means…what? That you’re dead? Or worse”—Jordan lowered his voice to a whisper—“impotent? Because they’re the only two reasons you wouldn’t notice that Daniel Finley is sun-kissed and gor geous. Not to mention he lights up any room he walks into.”

“Oh my God. Stop talking. I need to get to class.”

“Mhmm, so do I. First class has a certain Daniel?—”

“I’m leaving now,” Brantley told him as he started walking away.

“Hey? Thanks for telling me about Derek. I’ll keep an eye on him.” Like I really need an excuse.

“No problem. I figured you’d want to know.”

“Yeah, I appreciate it. Oh, by the way. You interested in hitting a club this weekend?” He’d asked Brantley a couple of times now, and each time he’d been turned down.

The man was sexy and single, but from what Jordan could tell he was also a little more reserved than he was when it came to what he did in his free time.

“I think I’ll pass for now.”

“Okay. But one day before we’re old and gray…?”

“Yes, okay, one day soon.”

Jordan saluted him with his coffee cup and then jogged the rest of the way up the path and stairs to the door of his building.

He pulled it open and stepped inside where he was blasted by the cool air offering some relief.

Tugging at the collar of his shirt, he tried to extricate the material from his torso the best he could as he walked farther down the hall.

As he got closer to his classroom, he spotted Derek with his back up against the wall, with none other than Daniel resting against it with one shoulder angled toward his friend.

Jordan kept an eye on the two of them as he moved closer.

Brantley’s words ran around in his head as he observed Derek while remaining unnoticed.

Ever since that first day, Jordan had made it a point to keep his distance from Derek.

He’d known something was off after their original run-in, and having it confirmed merely made him more curious about the student he’d found difficult to push aside.

He would be the first to admit that these two intrigued him more than they should, and he wasn’t quite sure why.

There was something about them. Something that was niggling in the back of his mind, and as he stood there observing them, Jordan watched Daniel place his hand on Derek’s bicep before smoothing it down his arm to squeeze his fingers.

That was when he got it. When the missing piece of the puzzle finally fell into place. These two were extremely comfortable with touching one another. The same way he was with his friend— and yeah, okay, on-again-off-again fuck buddy —August.

It wasn’t in a friendly clap on the back, hey, man, it’s cool kind of way. More like an I’m here for you and always will be way. They shared an intimate connection. It was obvious if you took a second to really watch them, and this little glimpse at a private moment made it abundantly clear.

A couple, maybe? Hmm, they might be, but Jordan would almost place bets they were just friends. Friends with benefits, then? he mused, and wasn’t quite sure why he cared. But he did.

He hadn’t pegged Derek as gay. Daniel either, for that matter, and he was generally very astute when it came to men of the same feathers who liked to flock together. But then he remembered Derek’s departing comment from day one as it came slamming back into his brain.

“I just want you to know, I respect who you are, very much.”