Love-Blocked – Charity Parkerson Page 0,1
earlier stared at Derreck with cold eyes—like Derreck wasn’t twice his size.
“You should mind your business.”
The new arrival obviously had no fear. He didn’t back down. “And you obviously can’t hear. When a man says, ‘excuse me,’ you move.”
While the pair were focused on each other, Jett scurried around Derreck and out the door. Unfortunately, he had lost the man he needed to follow. Jett pulled out his phone and searched for the guy’s address. He would cruise by and see if he spotted anything. If the guy wasn’t home, then now was the perfect time to get some exterior shots of his house. Steep stairs and whatnot.
“Are you okay?” Jett spun as the words washed over him. His heart raced into his throat. His savior from inside stood with his hands clasped behind his back and keeping his distance. He eyed the way Jett patted his chest, trying to slow his racing heart. “Apologies. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
A nervous chuckle escaped Jett. “No. It’s fine. I was lost in thought and didn’t hear you coming.” He tried to return some normalcy to the moment. “Thank you for your help earlier. I’m Jett, by the way.”
The man’s sexy, full lips quirked in one corner. “Kirill.” There was a definite Russian accent that made an appearance as Kirill gave his name.
Jett’s smile grew. “I hear that accent you’ve either grown out of or you’re trying to hide.”
Kirill’s half smile exploded into a full grin. “Not hiding. Just Americanized after so many years on this soil. But Mother Russia will always be home,” he tacked on with an extremely thick accent and a smile.
Wow. He really was pretty hot, and he had stood up for Jett when Derreck had materialized from nowhere. Derreck. Damn. He still looked beautiful too. Jett forced himself to shut down that line of thought. He glanced at his phone. The address he had been searching was over an hour’s drive away. He checked the time before focusing on Kirill again. “As I said earlier, I don’t drink, but maybe I could buy you one. If you’re not busy, that is. As a way of thanking you for your help.” His gaze slid past Kirill to the bar where he had left Derreck behind. “And maybe not here.”
“I will keep you safe if you’d like to stay.”
Jett tried for a smile. “My physical safety isn’t in any danger. That was my ex.”
Kirill’s eyebrows rose. “Oh. Well, that certainly explains his rage. I can’t say I wouldn’t be beating my chest too, if I lost someone like you.”
A laugh burst from Jett. Charming men had always been his weakness. Unfortunately, charmer usually equaled cheater. Seduction was a game some men couldn’t stop playing. No matter who it hurt.
Kirill nodded toward the Luna across the street. “If you’d like, we could head to the Luna instead.”
Jett did his best not to flinch. It was like there was no escaping Derreck today. “A hotel? I think I’ll pass. I’m not that easy.”
Laughter swam in Kirill’s eyes. “If only I was that bold. How about this? How about I walk you to your car and kiss your cheek? I’ll flatter you along the way by telling you how incredibly handsome you are. We can part ways with both of us feeling like we had a charming first date.”
Seriously, Jett couldn’t stop smiling. This guy was something else. “First date, huh?”
Kirill nodded. “When you’re ready for our second date, come to either Luna location, and ask for me. I’m the general manager. They’ll know how to find me.”
The urge to burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter nearly felled Jett. It seemed he had a thing for attracting Derreck’s bosses. Instead of humiliating himself, Jett motioned toward his car. It was a silver Camry that looked like a million others. Jett needed to blend in while following people. “I’m right here. If you’d like, we can walk slow. I’d hate for you to feel our date was rushed.”
The humor etched in Kirill’s features made Jett glad he hadn’t refused to speak to the man. He looked nice. Jett imagined he could and did have anyone he wanted. Despite Kirill’s many qualities, Jett didn’t plan to seek out that second date. He was better single. There was no one out there worth giving up his peace. Jett would know. He had looked.
“Did you really come here to beg Nino to take you back after sleeping with me?”
Jett didn’t look the least bit