interest in you.”
“We have history and I had something I needed to say. He didn’t want to hear it. That’s not interest. That’s a stalemate.”
“So you don’t want this,” Kirill said, holding up a sheet of paper torn from a Luna notepad.
Derreck’s gaze slid the page’s way. “Am I supposed to know what that is?”
Kirill’s lips lifted in one corner. “Jett’s address and phone number.”
Temptation punched Derreck so hard, his knees weakened. “I’m sure he meant that information for you.”
Kirill shrugged. “He didn’t give it to me. I had a friend find out his information for me.”
That was usually Derreck’s move, gathering information on the sly. Longing clawed at Derreck’s guts. He fought the urge to snatch the paper from Kirill’s hand. Instead, he shook his head. “He’s been done with me for a long time. That’s all you.” Derreck put one foot in front of the other and forced himself to move in the opposite direction of Jett’s address. Some things people couldn’t take back. Derreck kissing Antonio, after promising his heart to Jett, was one of those things.
Two
As hard as Jett tried not thinking about Derreck, he couldn’t stop. Damn, he swore he could still smell Derreck’s cologne lingering on his clothes, even though they hadn’t touched—like it had when they were together. He loved the way Derreck smelled—spicy and sweet. Jett missed burying his face in the crook of Derreck’s neck and inhaling as Derreck’s huge arms closed around him. He could still feel the warmth of Derreck’s chest. No one had hugged him since Derreck. It was such an odd realization to hit from nowhere.
Jett stared at where the corner of his living room met the ceiling while lost in thought. Everything in life had a final time that no one realized was the last. In hindsight, Jett recognized he should have known his relationship with Derreck didn’t have a shot. He should have treated every touch like it would be the last. Hope was funny like that, though. He hadn’t wanted to believe they would end. Now look at him. Forever single. It was for the best.
Jett’s cellphone rang, pulling him from his thoughts. He was off the clock, so he had no idea who would be calling. He didn’t have friends anymore. It was an unknown caller, but the area code was local. With a shrug, Jett answered. If it was a telemarketer, he could block their number.
“Hello?”
“I’m not a stalker,” a voice said quick—like they thought Jett might hang up.
“Well, I mean, I don’t know who you are, so it’s kind of hard to call you a liar, but that does sort of sound like something a stalker would say.”
A smooth-sounding chuckle caressed Jett’s ear. “It’s Kirill.”
“Oh.” Jett didn’t know what else to say. The man magically finding his number did seem a bit stalker-ish.
Thankfully, Kirill cleared the matter up immediately. “It turns out a lot of people know you around here. Did you really used to date the old owner?”
A chuckle slipped from Jett. “Scandal, I know. I dated a very rich man who’s more than twenty years older than me. Surely I must be a gold digger.”
“That’s not at all what I meant,” Kirill said, sounding slightly offended. “Antonio Lombardi is damn sexy. I want to know more.”
Jett shook his head. A smile tugged at his lips. “So who’s the gossip around the casino? They’re giving out my number to random strangers.”
An offended huff sounded through the phone. “Not only am I not a stranger, I also lied. I told the receptionist here that we were friends and I lost all my contacts in my phone. I might have gone on to say we have a date that I’d be late for, and I had no way to contact you to let you know.”
“Wow, and Coral just handed my number to you.”
“It’s a plausible story,” Kirill said, as if Jett’s statement had been Jett questioning his honesty. “And I’m hoping it’s a story I can make somewhat true. Have dinner with me tomorrow night.”
Jett bit his bottom lip, trying to stop the out-of-control smile tugging at his lips. “What happened to me coming to you at Luna when I’m ready for that second date?”
“What can I say? I’m an impatient guy who knows when someone is too good to let get away.”
This one was trouble. Jett couldn’t say he wasn’t into that. “Well, for our first date, I got walked to my car. What did you have in mind for a