Love-Blocked – Charity Parkerson Page 0,9
Bay is considering the offer. The only family he had here in Phoenix was his grandmother and she’s gone. He still has her house to care for, but a management company could do that. We’re discussing it. It’s important to me that he’s happy more than anything.”
Derreck couldn’t stop smiling. “That’s amazing. What’ll it take to convince Bay to take the job? Not that I’m getting my hopes up or anything.”
“Of course,” Antonio said with a laugh. “Honestly, we don’t need the money, so it’s all about the hours. He wants to only work part-time now so I’m not alone as often. If they offer the right schedule, we’ll move. If not, we could end up anywhere. I’d tell him to just quit, but he has a calling. He loves helping people.”
“And you love him,” Derreck finished for him.
“Exactly, but still. The thought of coming back home sounds amazing to me. I guess Vegas is more in my heart than I realized.”
Derreck’s eyes burned. His throat swelled. “I get why you moved, though.” Derreck swallowed. “If I wasn’t such a dumbass...” Derreck didn’t know how to finish that thought. A lot of things might be different in his life if he didn’t fuck up everything he touched.
“You really loved him.” Antonio sounded more thoughtful than anything. “I guess it’s just weird to me that Jett is the one who stole your heart. I can think of at least five people you’ve dated who I thought stood a better chance, but nope.”
“It’s because he’s a survivor. Just like me,” Derreck said, explaining something he had never tried to put into words before. He kicked back and stared at the ceiling, seeing nothing, but lost in the memories of everything. “I guess... I don’t know. He never looked at me and saw the homeless kid I’ll always be. Jett always treated me like I was the savior and not the street trash who needed rescuing.” Derreck realized how he must sound to the man who had saved him from the streets. “It’s hard to explain.” He didn’t want to sound ungrateful or like they had a pity friendship. Jett was just different. Being with Jett was the first time in Derreck’s life he had felt like the hero. “No one needs me.”
“I don’t know. I’ve had to start setting alarms on my phone without you around, pestering me to take my meds.”
A snort escaped Derreck. “You don’t have to try to pander to my feelings. I know I’m a head case. It doesn’t take a therapist to see I have issues. I know I’m like a stray dog that was dropped alongside a country road. It doesn’t matter how many people keep taking me in, I’ll never recover from that first abandonment.” Damn. Derreck had talked himself right into self-discovery. With a sigh, Derreck came back to reality. “I guess I had better get back to work. Even though my boss is currently on a date with the love of my life, I’m certain he has some way of still knowing when I’m slacking.”
“Huh,” Antonio said, sounding thoughtful. “It’s funny. Throughout this entire discussion, you never sounded jealous of Jett being on a date, yet I truly believe you are in love with him. I would kill anyone who thought to touch Bay.”
Derreck paused. He gave Antonio’s claim the thought it deserved. Unexpectedly, a smile curved his lips. “I guess, despite everything, I still don’t believe we’re over.” The way he had felt as Jett arrived at the casino invaded his thoughts. Derreck’s smile grew. “Maybe he hasn’t fully accepted it yet, but in the end, I think he’ll always belong to me.”
It was possible Derreck was just completely insane. There was no reason for him to believe any of the words leaving his lips, but he did. Jett was his. Derreck wasn’t intimidated by a date. He would find a way to win.
Spending time with Kirill was nice. They stayed on the strip. First, walking so close their elbows touched. Then, hand in hand. They found an outdoor cafe and enjoyed a light meal. More than once, Jett caught himself staring at Kirill’s full lips. Kirill had a sexy way of unconsciously licking his bottom lip that had Jett fascinated. He was sexy. Jett got the feeling Kirill knew it too. The way his light blue eyes flashed with wickedness taunted Jett. Jett missed sex.
He didn’t feel on even footing again until it grew late and they found a grassy area