Page 30 of Throw Down

“Okay,” he said agreeably. “Then you tell me.What do you want?”

“I want to be left alone!” Derek’s jaw flexed, and a vein in his temple throbbed.He reached out and grabbed Briar by the biceps, giving him a hard shake.“For once in my goddamn life, I want to go a day without someone else telling me what they want, what they need, what my responsibility is.You can take that word and fucking choke on it.”

He grabbed Briar by the throat, and for a split second, Briar was terrified.But Derek didn’t choke him. He didn’t hurt him.Briar was starting to think he wasn’t the type of man who would ever willingly hurt someone.Instead, he dragged Briar forward and slammed their mouths together.

It was sudden and frightening, but the thought of protest never entered his mind.It felt too good. Derek’s kiss was a searing clash of teeth and tongues.Every ounce of anger, confusion, and longing they felt poured through that single, searing connection.It felt like getting swallowed by a black hole, pulled and twisted by a gravity so powerful he could no longer tell which way was up.

Intense, overwhelming desire flooded straight to his dick, which began to throb painfully.Briar whimpered and wrapped his arms around Derek’s neck.His fingers dug into Derek’s hair, clinging to the sweat-damp locks.If he could have climbed Derek like a tree, he would have.

Check that; he did.

Derek’s hands were at his waist, lifting him, and Briar’s legs wrapped around him like a vise.Derek was strong enough to hold him up just like that, without anything to brace his weight against.It was the sexiest thing Briar had ever experienced.

He was hard. They both were. Derek’s cock pressed directly against the most sensitive place between Briar’s thighs.It felt huge. Deliciously, terrifyingly large, just like the rest of the man.

Briar never had a size kink, but that changed in an instant.He groaned; he couldn’t help himself.

The sound was like a bucket of ice water crashing over them.

Derek ripped their mouths apart with a vicious curse.

“Jesus Christ,” he said raggedly, hot breath gusting across Briar’s temple.

His fingers were clenched around the backs of Briar’s thighs, biting deep into the flesh, and his whole giant body seemed to be trembling.But he didn’t drop him. Instead, Derek wrapped one arm around Briar’s waist and held him while he very deliberately reached back to unlock Briar’s arms from his neck.Then he did the same with his legs.

Briar might have helped, but he still hadn’t regained conscious control of his motor function.He slid down Derek’s body like a limp noodle, forced to lean on him for balance even after his feet touched the ground.

The air was so thick and heavy that he couldn’t catch his breath.

He’d hoped to maybe taunt Derek into another kiss, knowing that it was more likely to end in him getting tossed out on his ass, but he’d never expected this.The sheer intensity between them left him stunned.

When he finally had the strength to lift his head and meet Derek’s gaze, the look in his eyes was so violent Briar flinched.

“Derek,” he began, voice shaking, “I didn’t—I mean, I hoped but—look, I honestly didn’t come here for…whatever that was.I swear. I brought Princess home because I thought it might help.She needs you, but I think you need her more.”

Derek’s expression grew strangely flat and remote.Did he have a shut-off valve inside? It didn’t seem human. Still, he made sure Briar was steady on his feet before stepping back.

“Just take her and go,” he said roughly.

“Why are you like this?” Briar asked, heart sinking.

“Because I have to be.” Derek snapped.“Nothing good ever comes from being selfish.I’m not gay. I won’t be gay. I won’t do that to my family.”

“You…w-what?” Briar sputtered.“Your brother is married to a man!”

“Yeah, he is.” There was something dark in his voice that raised the hair on the back of Briar’sneck.“It was hell on all of us once our mother foundout about him.He never even had to come outofficially.All it took was her catching him with some gay porn—my porn—and she was never the sameagain.She had us all watching over him day and night, making sure he didn’t end up dead in a fieldsomewhere.My folks have been through the wringer oncealready.I won’t do it to ‘emagain.”

“That’s archaic!”

Derek shrugged, unconcerned, as if Briar’s opinion meantnothing.Less than nothing. But Briar couldn’t just give up, not with the taste of Derek still in hismouth.

“You can’t just pretend there’s nothing between us,” he protested,flabbergasted.

“There’s not a damn thing between us,” Derek saidflatly.“Never will be. Now take the dog andleave.”

They stood there, standing off against each other, both too stubborn to breakfirst.Briar was forced to tip his head back to properly glare at him, but it had all the impact of facing off against a brickwall.Derek had retreated behind an impassivefaçade.There was no reaching him. Nottoday.Maybe never. He’d just ripped Briar’s world apart and torched it with a single kiss, and he acted like nothing hadhappened.

Briar drew one long, even breath and let it outslowly.He gave a stiff nod, then bent down and scooped up the leash trailing in the dirt behindPrincess.His shaking limbs barely obeyed him, but at least his knees didn’tbuckle.

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