Page 58 of Hell Hath No Fury
He nods. "You do, but I distracted you."
"And that's all the time he needed. If you hadn't stayed…" I break off.
"Don't think about it. It didn't happen. It won't ever happen again if I have anything to do with it."
I squeeze his hand. "Thank you. For being there and for taking care of me. How bad was Shannon?"
Mark turns off the stove and sets the plates of food out. Scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon. Lots of each. "She was pretty wasted, but she said she knew the guy she was leaving with."
I nod. "I saw her with Aaron. They're on again and off again."
"Hmm," Mark says absently. "We've been texting. She went home alone. Levi stayed over. He threatened to come get you if I didn't keep them updated."
I smile. "That's Levi. He's a good guy."
"Boyfriend material?" Alex asks.
I laugh. "Uh, no. Just gay bestie material."
Alex's brows go up. "No shit? He didn't seem the type."
I roll my eyes. "You can't stereotype them all, Alex. That's rude."
"Yeah, Alex," Mark prods.
"Really, Alex," Derrick chides, shaking his head.
He looks at Mark and Derrick. "Oh, fuck you guys. You knew!"
They both laugh.
Derrick takes a sip of his coffee. "Shannon mentioned it."
"Shannon's mentioned a lot of things, hasn't she, Mark?" Alex questions.
Mark nods. "A whole lot of things."
Oh, dear Lord. "What kinds of things?"
Derrick runs his tongue across his white teeth. Damn him. "Oh, you know. Just a little of this, and a little of that."
"I think I might need to hurt her for 'this' and 'that'."
They all grin while they polish off the food. There's a companionable silence, and while they eat, I turn to look at the view behind me. Through the patio doors, I see endless green. Blooming trees freshly cut lawn, and so many different types of flowers. It's beautiful. There's a stone pathway that leads to a gazebo and even further to where I can't see.
"I love your yard, Derrick. It's gorgeous," I praise.
"Thanks. I helped plan and design it, but I have someone who maintains it for me. I definitely do not have a green thumb," he informs me.
"Aha! So there is something Derrick Pierce can’t do. I was beginning to wonder," I announce.
Derrick chuckles. "There are a lot of things I can't do."
"But a whole lot of things you can," I counter.
His eyes get darker, lusty, and I wish I felt better so I could act on the attraction and get him out of my system already. I'm pretty sure all it would take was a night or two. Then I'd know. I'd get dumped and be prepared so I wouldn't end up hating him, and I could move on already. He's ruining my sex life—in that, there hasn't been one since this attraction began.
"So," Mark begins looking at Alex who's grinning, "the plan is to keep you here until you feel better."
