Hearsay (14 page)

"But you think he's still interested?"

Derrick nodded emphatically. "I finally had the chance to ask him why he stopped showing up. He didn't give me details, and it doesn't look like he has any intention of picking things up where we left them, but he admitted lack of interest was never the issue."

"Ergo, you're at a crossroads." Noah leaned forward and covered Derrick's hands with his own. "But you said yourself it doesn't look like he wants to continue what he started, so…" He squeezed Derrick's hand. "No sense in going after him and fucking things up when you're so close to your professional goal."

That was the line Derrick had been waiting for. He'd hoped that having his friend say what Derrick himself had thought hundreds of times would drive home how much he stood to lose.

It hadn't.

"Last night I was all gung-ho about doing whatever it takes in the name of love, but not so this morning…"

"Are you sure it's love?" Noah demanded. "What if it really isn't? What if you're living your own version of a chick flick? What if you're focusing on this so that you can ignore the effect Tyler's mess might have on your life?"

"This morning I decided there has to be a way of getting to Roman without risking my future," Derrick continued without addressing Noah's concern. "I came here because I needed you to stop me from doing something stupid, and I must thank you for saying the things I needed to hear."
 

"Did it work?" Noah asked anxiously.

Derrick took a few seconds to study his friend's wrinkled brow and intense brown gaze before saying, "I'm afraid it might be too late to gain perspective."

"It's never too late," Noah assured him. "Especially when you haven't done anything you may regret just yet."

Derrick shrugged. "I just realized I don't want to be stopped."

Not after hearing the longing in Roman's voice when he admitted that lack of wanting was never the issue.

Not after seeing the naked hunger in Roman's eyes when he looked at Derrick's groin.

Not after seeing up close and personal the sadness and despair he was trying to hide.

"So you're going after him?" Noah clarified.

Derrick nodded once.

"What if he tells you he doesn't reciprocate what you think you feel for him?"

"Then I'll know for sure he doesn't, and I'll be able to stop wondering," Derrick explained, ignoring Noah's attempt to downplay his feelings for Roman.

"And if you get fired?"

Derrick closed his eyes, thinking about how he'd gotten in Roman's face and demanded an explanation from him. His boss hadn't done a thing.

"I'm hoping I won't," Derrick finally said.

"Will you at least sleep on it for a few days?"
 

"I've been sleeping on it for months." He got up and kissed Noah softly on his forehead. "Thank you for the reality check, sweetie. I really appreciate your taking the time to talk to me."

Derrick grabbed his belongings and waved a goodbye on his way out of Noah's office.

The rest of the day was a blur of activity that kept him blissfully busy. Court appearances, meetings, and countless phone calls didn't leave him time to dwell on things, and he was grateful for it.

Around three o'clock he was able to take a break and go on a Starbucks run with Tashana, but he didn't linger. Once he was back in his office, Derrick worked on his strategy for an upcoming custody trial, but the later it got, the harder it became to concentrate. Now that he'd decided to talk to Roman, he didn't see a point in waiting. He wanted to get that conversation out of the way as soon as possible, but he didn't know when and where or how he should start it.

He considered emailing Roman and asking for an appointment, then promptly decided against it. He even got into the elevator and punched the button for the thirtieth floor, only to get off on the twenty-fifth floor because, seriously? Corralling Roman inside his own office probably wasn't the best course of action.

Around four o'clock Derrick had his best idea yet. He called Tyler and asked him for a list of the shelters Robbie Yates had been referred to the times he was turned away from the Coleman Safe House. Once he had it, he contacted all those shelters and asked whether they had any complaints against the kid. Luckily for Tyler and Derrick, they did, and one hour later, Derrick had copies of seven reports, all filed by different shelters. Fax machines were a beautiful thing.
 

Around five-thirty he decided it wouldn't hurt their case if Derrick got some inside information, so he dialed Noah's boyfriend's number.
 

Assistant District Attorney Jonathan Keller wasn't amused by Derrick's questions, but after ten minutes of shooting the shit he admitted to some loud noise about formal charges against Tyler Coleman. He also mentioned the District Attorney had taken a personal interest in the case. Derrick wasn't surprised. Putting away child molesters looked good on a politician's record, and DA Lovett was running for Attorney General.

At six-twenty Derrick turned off his computer, grabbed the folder with the reports, and walked slowly to the elevator.

"It's now or never,"
he whispered, pressing the button for the thirtieth floor and breathing deeply.
 

His legs were shaking, but this time around he was determined to make it to his destination.
 

He was met by absolute silence when the elevator doors opened.

Only the three senior partners and their respective assistants worked on this floor. The bosses had the corner offices, and the assistants occupied the desks right outside their doors. Derrick was relieved to find the work stations empty. He wasn't sure if the three assistants were part of ABC's informal communications network, and the last thing he wanted was for his visit to turn into some sordid story.

Derrick raked his fingers through his hair, fixed his onyx cufflinks, and tightened the knot on his tie. Today he had worn the silk kaleidoscope one with burnt orange, gray, navy blue, and white designs. It was one of his best, and whenever he wore it with a nice light gray shirt and his favorite charcoal gray suit, he felt confident and looked hot as hell.

He should've stopped by the restroom before coming to see Roman, though. Comb his thick hair properly, apply some product to keep it in place, and make sure there was no lunch residue in his teeth.

He stopped in the middle of the wide reception area and sniffed himself. That was unnecessary, considering he was obsessed with wearing cologne and deodorant and worked indoors all day, but he needed to make sure he smelled good. And right. He had to smell right. Not too strong, but not so subtle that Roman would have to bury his nose in Derrick's crotch in order to catch a whiff of his cologne.

Then again, there was nothing wrong with getting Roman's face at licking distance from Derrick's genitals.

"Au contraire," he chuckled. "That's one thing I'd highly encourage."
 

He straightened his shoulders and moved toward Roman's office, his quick steps concealed by the plush burgundy carpet.

His office door was wide open. Roman sat at his desk, hunched over a stack of papers.

He looked busy.

Maybe this isn't the right time.

Derrick shook his head, then cleared his throat, and knocked softly on the door before he could change his mind about what he was about to do.

Roman's reaction to his presence was immediate.

Derrick heard his sharp intake of breath and saw Roman's broad shoulders tense noticeably under the soft blue shirt he was wearing. It was the kind of welcome Derrick had been bracing himself for.

"What are you doing here?" Roman boomed. "I didn't ask to see you."

Now
that
Derrick wasn't expecting. He hadn't even thought Roman could be so aggressive, but now that he'd seen it, Derrick quickly reconsidered Noah's words from earlier. Spreading himself on top of Roman's desk and having some angry sex sounded absolutely delish.

"What are you doing in my office?" Roman repeated.

After a quick perusal—during which he almost drooled all over the floor at the sight of strong forearms exposed by Roman's rolled-up sleeves—Derrick stepped inside the office and closed the door behind him without breaking eye contact with Roman.

This is it
, he told himself.
Go for it
.

"I came to ask you to reconsider your decision of taking me off the case."

Chapter Ten

"There's nothing to reconsider," Roman rasped as he fought to breathe.

Being near Derrick was always overwhelming. His pulse skyrocketed, and his knees felt weak. All his senses focused on Derrick, and it only took Roman's brain a few seconds to stop working and give way to his dick.
 

He lowered his gaze and stared blindly at the interrogatories he'd been preparing when Derrick walked into his office. A few seconds later Roman gave in to temptation and peered up at him from under his lashes.

Derrick looked amazing.

The combination of conservative suit with hip tie perfectly showcased Derrick's adventurous nature. It reminded Roman of one of the things he liked most about him: Derrick played by the rules, but he wasn't afraid of taking risks.

His amber gaze was darker than usual, need and uneasiness reflected in his almond-shaped eyes. His normally swept-back hair was slightly tousled. He had either forgotten to put any product on or had raked his fingers through it all day. Whether it was the former or the latter, the result was the same. Derrick looked as if he'd just rolled out of bed, emphasizing that sexy appearance that never failed to get Roman's blood rushing to his groin.

"I really want to be on the case with you," Derrick said in a gravelly voice that had Roman fighting to remember the drunken decision he'd made at the crack of dawn.
 

Why?
He screamed in his mind, lowering his eyes.
Is it because you want to be close to me or because you want to save the day for your boyfriend?

Roman bit the inside of his cheek and forced himself to relax. "You can't."

"Earlier today, I found out the District Attorney's office is gearing up to file charges against Tyler," Derrick informed in a firm tone, as if he simply hadn't heard him. "I was also able to procure copies of complaints against Robbie Yates filed by other shelters. They will be highly beneficial to us."

Roman agreed, and, under different circumstances, he would've commended Derrick for engaging aggressively with the case and not waiting for the paralegals and investigators to do the legwork. But doing so would only encourage Derrick to continue pleading his own case, and that was exactly what Roman wanted to avoid.

He looked at Derrick with a studied indifference. "Thank you for the information, but there's no
us,
" he contended, trying to convince himself of that fact as much as he was trying to convince Derrick. Clearly pep talks after midnight were highly ineffective.
 

Derrick tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes before asking, "Are you referring to us working together on Tyler's case, or something else?"

"The Coleman case," Roman enunciated. "There is nothing else."

A pained expression crossed Derrick's face at Roman's refusal to acknowledge the sexual tension between them, but he seemed to recover as he strode slowly but determinedly toward Roman's desk.

"I wouldn't call the unfinished business between us
nothing
," Derrick croaked.

Roman jumped out of his chair and walked to the chestnut filing cabinet across his desk. "And I wouldn't go there if I were you," he said through clenched teeth, blindly browsing files he didn't need to read. "Is that all?"

"As a matter of fact, it isn't."

Roman watched Derrick's approach out of the corner of his eye with a mix of dread and anticipation rumbling in his chest.

Derrick was one of the most proactive people Roman had ever met. He analyzed situations from all angles and thought before acting, which was the most likely reason he had respected Roman's boundaries. But he also had a strong gut instinct, took advantage of opportunities, and always rose to the challenge. Roman's behavior during their meetings in the past two days could certainly be perceived as a challenge of sorts, and, albeit unintentionally, he had everything but verbally encouraged Derrick to make a move. It was exhilarating to see Derrick so emboldened, and all of a sudden Roman was scared shitless of not being able to keep his distance, but equally anxious to discover what could happen if he stopped fighting himself.

You can't
, he thought.
Remember, you decided you both needed to move on.

Not even twenty-four hours ago.

But you have no right to make decisions on his behalf
… y
ou have no right.

And this was why they couldn't be in the same room for too long. Seeing the longing in Derrick's eyes made Roman question his decision and made it difficult to remember why he had to give Derrick up.

"Are you going to keep pretending you don't want to be with me?" Derrick asked in a soft voice that rumbled like thunder in Roman's heart.

"Sometimes pretending is safer," he muttered under his breath as he slammed one drawer and opened another. Derrick Swain was the epitome of every relationship dream Roman had in the past three years, even during times when he had no business dreaming of the man. Denying himself the opportunity of exploring a relationship when Derrick obviously wanted the same was one of the hardest things Roman had done in his life. "I'm not pretending," he said in a louder voice.

"Roman,
please
…"

Derrick's pleading murmur seeped through Roman's skin and spread into his nerve endings. The sound of his name from Derrick's mouth made him incredibly horny and stirred all the feelings he was trying his damndest to keep contained.

"Why are you still here?" He glanced over his shoulder, only to be met by an expression so intense, it was bordering on hunger.

"Why don't you want me on the case?" Derrick demanded in a tone that left no room for bullshit. "Why would you even ask me to second chair in the first place if it wasn't because you wanted to be near me?"