Love-Blocked – Charity Parkerson Page 0,28

I honestly believe, without you, we would always know we were missing something but never know that it’s you.”

Kirill glanced his way before quickly focusing on the road again. “Thank you for that. Sometimes I don’t always know what I need to hear, but I needed to hear that.”

Since Derreck had always been uncomfortable with praise, he immediately searched for a change in topic. He eyed the nice car they were in. It was a new Hellcat created to look like an old Charger. “I love this car, by the way. It’s so odd to me that you have this whole life here in California. A gorgeous house and a nice car. It’s like there’re two of you. One here and one back home.”

“Maybe there are two of me,” Kirill said, surprising Derreck. “I just haven’t decided which one to be yet.”

Instead of feeling discouraged by Kirill’s confession, Derreck’s hopes were bolstered. “I think Jett and I can convince you to choose wisely.”

“Maybe so,” Kirill said with a smile as he pulled into the garage. They headed inside hand in hand before parting ways inside the kitchen. Derreck went on the hunt for Jett. He found him the first place he looked. Jett was sound asleep on his stomach on a lounge chair by the pool. Derreck sat sideways on the lounge beside Jett and stared at him in silence. He knew he should wake Jett and get him out of the sun, but Jett looked peaceful. The sight of his perfect spine called to Derreck. Derreck leaned closer and pressed his lips to Jett’s back. Jett startled so hard that Derreck almost felt guilty.

Jett eyed Derreck for a moment, visibly struggling with that first moment of confusion that came with waking up in a strange place.

Derreck smiled. “Hey, sweet angel. Did you enjoy your nap?”

Jett rolled and stretched, giving Derreck’s eyes a feast. “Mhmm. How was the gym?”

“Pretty amazing, actually. It wasn’t a regular gym. They had like climbing walls and whatnot. It was a lot of fun.”

Jett sat up, wincing as if he had slept wrong. “Did Zach find Kirill?”

Derreck’s forehead furrowed. “Who?”

While rearranging his towel to cover his junk, Jett kept his gaze locked on his task. “Zach. He stopped by while you were gone.”

“Did you tell him to go fuck himself?” Kirill said behind Derreck.

Derreck glanced over as Kirill dropped down next to Derreck on the lounge. Kirill handed them ice cold bottles of water while waiting for Jett’s response.

Jett didn’t meet anyone’s gaze as he cracked open the bottle. “Thanks,” he muttered beneath his breath before taking a sip.

Kirill didn’t back down. “You didn’t answer my question.”

Jett’s gaze finally slid Kirill’s way. “I didn’t, but I did practically slam the door in his face after he insinuated that I’m fat and should’ve gone to the gym with you.”

Derreck blinked. He would find this Zach guy and kill him. Not only did Jett not have an ounce of fat on his body, but Jett had also been bullied and beaten his entire life. This Zach guy really needed to die.

“That sounds like Zach.”

The bitter edge to Kirill’s tone had Derreck’s attention. “Who is this guy?”

Jett’s gaze sharpened—like he wanted to know the answer too.

Kirill shrugged. “Just an ex. Definitely no one to worry about. How do you two feel about a trip to the grocery store? We could grab some steaks and fire up the grill tonight.”

It couldn’t have been more obvious Kirill didn’t want to discuss Zach. Derreck’s gaze slid Jett’s way. They shared a look and silent conversation. They would let this drop.

Jett smiled. “That sounds great. Just let me grab a quick shower and we’ll go.”

Derreck and Kirill both stood so fast, they nearly bumped heads as they jumped to their feet. “I’ll join you,” they said simultaneously before sharing a wicked smile.

Jett chuckled as he stood. “I believe we’ve established there’s room for all three of us in Kirill’s gigantic shower.”

Derreck and Kirill shared another lecherous smile as they followed Jett inside. They were sweaty and gross, but they could get clean while getting dirty. Derreck had a feeling this weekend would ruin his ability to ever shower alone again. After all, he had never realized how much he had been missing.

Eight

With only a half day scheduled at work, Kirill couldn’t wait to be done, and alone with his men. His mood was like the relationship equivalent of spring fever. By the time Derreck and Kirill were headed out, Kirill was practically