Page 71 of Finley
Daniel ran his eyes down Brantley and then indicated that the bartender had stopped behind them. As Brantley turned back to order, Daniel spotted Derek over in the corner where the tables were. He had his back facing them and an arm resting on the tall table as he leaned in to talk to someone, and if Daniel had to guess, he would assume…Posh. Derek stepped to the side, and sure as shit, Jordan was standing there with his arms crossed and his hip jutting out as he glared up at Derek.
So he hadn’t been lying outside. The two of them were most definitely having a heated conversation, if the fulminating look Jordan was firing was any indication.
“So, he did stay. Did you find out what’s going on with that?” Brantley asked as he passed Daniel a drink and gestured with a tilt of his head to the two over in the corner.
Daniel took a sip of his Crown and Coke and then grinned. “Yep. But I’m sworn to secrecy, even from you.”
“Are you serious? He’s my best friend.”
“I know. So weasel it out of him. God knows he likes to gossip, as far as I can tell.”
Brantley frowned as he looked back at the two still arguing with one another. “If you’re about to say they hooked up, forget it. Jordan would’ve told me, and look at them… He wants to kill him.”
Daniel rested his fingers against Brantley’s back and took another sip of his drink. “I’m not about to tell you anything. So…finish your drink and stop trying to be sneaky.”
“They did, didn’t they?”
He licked a drop of alcohol that had fallen onto his thumb and feigned ignorance. “I know nothing.”
“You’re lying.”
“And you’re hot when you’re trying to be all strict with me. That may have worked once upon a time”—he kissed Brantley on the lips—“but that time has since passed.”
They both looked back to the two of their friends just as Derek leaned forward to say something in Jordan’s ear, and with the way Jordan’s eyes became round as saucers, there was no telling what he’d just said. Derek’s mouth was a fucking runaway train on a good day. On a bad day, or when incensed, he was…unpredictable.
“You think we should?—”
Before Brantley could finish his sentence, Jordan shoved past Derek and sauntered off toward the packed dance floor, his face a bright shade of scarlet.
“I’m thinking no. They’re big boys and will work it out if they want to,” Daniel said before he finished his drink and passed it off to a waiter. Then he took Brantley’s hand in his. “Plus, I’m here with you. And I have far better things in mind than to babysit them. So, what do you say, professor? Ready to do a little more dancing?”
“Oh, is that what you call that?”
“Well…I was being polite.”
Brantley’s smile was answer enough as the both of them made their way back onto the dance floor to celebrate. So was the answer he heard behind him, which was like music to his fucking ears.
“Don’t be that, Finn. Don’teverbe that.”
Chapter 21
WITH A TOWEL under his arm and sunglasses perched on his nose, Brantley made his way down the back stairs of his house the following morning and scanned the beach for…Yes, there he is.
Daniel was several feet off to the left and stretched out on his back, taking in the morning sun. It wasn’t yet scorching, and a breeze drifted through the air as Brantley strolled over to the relaxed man.
He’d been grading papers earlier and told Daniel to leave him alone for an hour so he could actually work, and when he’d walked out the door wearing his blue-and-white board shorts, sunglasses, and nothing else, Brantley had been hard-pressed to make himself wait to track him down.
Once he’d reached him, he dropped a book on the towel, and Daniel lazily rolled to his side. He’d slathered some oil over his toned body, so he sure was something to look at.
“About time you joined me,” he said as he pushed his glasses up on top of his head.
“Well, some of us have to work, you know.” Brantley unbuttoned the light cotton shirt he’d worn, and Daniel’s eyes followed his hand movements.
“Hey, I deserve this vacation. Plus,” he said, pointing to the cell phone lying on the towel, “I’measily reached if they need me.”
Brantley bundled his shirt up and placed it at the top of his towel as he went down to his knees. He reached for the sunscreen, but Daniel was right there, snatching it up first.
“Don’t think for one minute you’re going to deprive me of this. You fell asleep when we got home last night, so you are going to turn around,” he instructed, and when Brantley did, Daniel came up behind him and put his hands on his shoulders, making a shudder race down his spine. “And you’re going to let me put my hands all over you.”