Page 37 of Throw Down

“Peachy,” Briar responded, injecting a manic cheer into his voice that contradicted the pinched look on his face.“Just enjoying a pleasant meal with good ol’ Peter.I should’ve known only a crazy man would drive three hours for a blind date.”

“Peter, huh?” Derek’s gaze shifted, tracking the man as he exited the washroom.

Good ol' Peter was still bricked up beneath the wet spot on his slacks, but he’d shoved his hands in his pockets to disguise the tent.As he picked his way between the tables, he met Derek’s eyes and gave him an aggressive chin-nod.

Derek only smiled.

“Oh, God. Save me,” Briar moaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Derek couldn’t resist rubbing it in a little.“Branching out from your usual tastes?”

“I’m starting to think I don’t even know what my tastes are—except bad for me.”

“Uh-huh.” Derek’s tongue curled around the sound, a touch of mockery in his tone.His eyes lingered on Briar for a moment, dissecting and probing, and then he came to a decision.A devilish urge came over him, and he said brightly, “Well, sorry to interrupt.Y’all enjoy your dinner.”

He’d only just started to turn his back when a panicked Briar grabbed him by the elbow.

“Wait!” Briar yelped desperately.“I’m coming with you.”

Derek waited. Of course, he waited.Even if it was the stupidest thing he’d ever done, he couldn’t leave the kid sitting there, flustered and embarrassed, while half the town watched.

He was acutely aware of the way Briar’s hand never left his elbow as he scrambled for his wallet.Briar stuffed a fistful of bills into Cherilyn’s hand as she passed by.

“For pain and suffering,” Briar said earnestly.His date was closing the gap, so Briar tossed him a wave and shouted, “Sorry!Emergency! I covered the meal—enjoy!”

Derek didn’t begin walking again until he knew Briar was behind him, but he didn’t acknowledge him either.He shortened his stride so the smaller man could keep up, and he didn’t say another word until they reached the sidewalk.

Briar hesitated. He looked at Derek longingly, then sighed and turned in the opposite direction.

Derek unlocked his truck. “Get in.”

“What? No, I—”

Derek didn’t let him finish. He grabbed him by the back of the neck and steered him toward the passenger side.“I said get in. There’s no way in hell you’re walking home after ditching that asshole in the middle of a date.He’s liable to come after you.”

“He’s a pharmaceutical rep from Boise,” Briar protested.“Not Freddy Kreuger.”

But he climbed into the cab of the truck, hopping to make the leap with Derek’s lifted rims.

“You grew up in the city. You can’t be that naïve,” Derek disgustedly.

Briar sniffed and lifted his chin, looking irritable.“I make a conscious choice to think the best of people.”

“Yeah?” Derek asked dryly. “How’s that working out?”

“It’s what I did with you,” Briar shot back.

Derek shut his mouth with a grimace, swallowing hard.He still remembered how hyper-vigilant Briar had been that first night, the way he’d watched him like he was a rabid animal. He hadn’t noticed exactly when Briar began to treat him differently, but he knew he liked it too much.

“Just let me out around the block,” Briar suggested, pointing out the window, as if Derek hadn’t been driving these streets all his life.“I can cut behind the Dairy Queen to get home.”

Derek didn’t know what crazy, self-destructive impulse had him undoing all his hard work pushing Briar away.All he knew was that he didn’t want to let him go.If he did, if he let him go home to a bowl of cereal and an empty apartment, he knew instinctively that he’d never get him back again.He'd shut the door once, but he didn't think he had the strength to do it again.

“Come catfishing with me,” he blurted.

Briar’s face registered surprise, quickly morphing into bemusement.“Like real fish or the internet kind?” he asked.“Because I’ve had enough of that.”

Derek laughed despite himself.“Real fish. Big ones. Night’s the best time to catch ‘em.”

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