Love-Blocked – Charity Parkerson Page 0,33
leave? Derreck couldn’t believe this was happening again.
When the elevator doors opened, his dark-haired companion motioned for Derreck to step out first. Derreck glanced around as he moved away from the elevator. When Antonio had lived here, the penthouse looked like a home. Now it looked like a giant office. A shirtless and gorgeous man with huge cut muscles walked by, drying his hair with a towel. He didn’t even look Derreck’s way. Derreck couldn’t stop his eyes from following the guy as he disappeared inside the bedroom.
“That’s my husband, Maverick,” a voice said from behind the desk. Derreck’s gaze swung that way, fighting a blush. He hadn’t meant to ogle Kapra’s husband. Zander Kapra was even sexier, making Derreck wonder if everyone in the Kapra family was beautiful. Derreck had never actually met Zander, but Derreck knew it was him at first sight. His entire demeanor screamed power. His eerily light blue eyes stayed locked on Derreck as Derreck crossed the room.
Deciding to gloss over checking out the man’s husband, Derreck decided to go with the obvious. “Your...” His gaze slid the guard’s way. “... assistant said you needed to see me.”
Zander quickly pulled his shoulder-length blond hair into a messy bun. “Yes, thank you, Pytor,” Zander said absently before focusing on Derreck again. “My driver, Yaro, is on his way to pick up Jett and will meet you at the airstrip.”
Derreck rocked back on his heels and cleared his throat as he tried to decide what in the hell was going on. “Um, okay. Why?”
Zander leaned forward and set his elbows on the desk. His stare was too intense for Derreck to look anywhere else. “Do you love Kirill or this job?”
Derreck froze. He didn’t know how to respond. Zander was the top boss. Kirill and Derreck were both managers. Derreck wasn’t sure what answer Zander expected to hear.
“I assure you I’m not trying to trick you. It’s a simple question.”
Derreck needed this job, but at the end of the day, Kirill mattered more. “If I have to choose, then Kirill.”
Zander nodded. “Good. Now, the time has come to make him see it. Kirill went back to California last night and asked me to promote you to general manager.” Rage had Derreck’s blood pressure shooting through the roof. Kirill had fucking left them. He had left without a word—like everyone Derreck had ever loved. Zander eyed him in silence for a moment. A loud sigh finally escaped Zander. “You really don’t see it, do you?”
At the current moment, Derreck didn’t see anything but his rising temper. “See what?” No matter how he tried to hide it, Derreck’s rage showed in his biting tone.
Zander shook his head. A small smile touched his lips. “I will tell you something no one knows. Kirill isn’t really my cousin. The streets raised us in a country where the streets were beyond cold. We are blood in all the ways that truly matter. He is my cousin by pain and circumstance. You understand this.”
Derreck nodded even as he tried to wade his way through Zander’s non-explanation. He understood loving someone like family because they were there when all family disappeared. What Derreck didn’t understand was what this had to do with Kirill’s disappearance.
Zander didn’t make him dig. “I think you also know, when no one has ever loved you, how easy it is to believe you are unlovable.”
“I do,” Derreck confirmed. The more Zander spoke, the tighter Derreck’s throat became. He understood the gist of things. Kirill had left, thinking he was unloved, while also showing his love by asking for Derreck’s promotion. “When do I leave?”
Zander chuckled. “Now you sound like a man who deserves him. Pytor will take you. Don’t worry about things here. I’ve been running Luna for many, many years. Things will still move smoothly while you are away.”
Derreck had a hard time breathing, but he didn’t let that fact slow him. He didn’t give a fuck about the Luna, but he appreciated Zander. “Thank you. I’ll fix this.”
Zander had obviously already dismissed Derreck. His gaze was locked on his desk. “I know.” With that affirmation hanging between them, Derreck headed for the elevator without waiting to see if Pytor followed. He had a relationship to save. There was no time to waste.
All the way to the airstrip, silence filled the car. Derreck’s mind didn’t exactly race. Neither was it silent. The same words chanted over and over again inside his head. Kirill couldn’t leave. He was one part