Page 59 of Loving a Warrior

So why couldn’t he keep from wishing it were?

Chapter Fifteen

“Hey, clown.”

Shane’s gut clenched at the sight of Matt ambling across the parking lot toward him, desire warring with residual anger. God, he should be over it by now, but the depth of his hurt continued to surprise him. Maybe it was just the pure humiliation of waiting so eagerly for someone who couldn’t even be bothered to say he’d changed his mind.

Shane was so fucking done with people who couldn’t be bothered.

“Hey.” He was heartily regretting the impulse that’d led him to ask Matt along on this Derek clusterfuck. The dude tied him up in knots, and that was the last thing he needed tonight. “Hop in.”

They didn’t speak on the way out to El Cajon. Shane followed the directions Derek had given him, surprised when they pulled up in front of a large, elegant house with a well-kept yard. His feelings must have shown on his face, because Matt glanced at him and said drily, “What, were you expecting a run-down crack house with used needles strewn everywhere?”

Annoyed, Shane snapped, “I don’t know what I was expecting, okay? Let’s go.”

He and Matt scuffed up the flagstone walk to the porch, Matt standing to the side as Shane rang the bell and pasted a smile on his face. The door was opened by a pleasant-looking middle-aged couple who greeted them effusively.

“Oh, I can tell you’re Alexis’s brother,” the woman exclaimed. “You look just alike.”

Shane shuffled his feet through the introductions. As they all made awkward small talk, his discomfort grew. He much preferred to imagine Derek as a loser and an asshole, not a guy who lived in a nice house with nice parents. It seemed like an eternity until Derek himself appeared, tall and lanky in jeans and a Padres T-shirt, black hair pulled into a ponytail and threaded through the back of a baseball cap. His eyes were shy, his handshake firm.

At last his dad glanced at his watch. “You boys should get going.” He turned to Derek. “We’ll be waiting up, so if you would, text us when you’re on the way home, son.”

“I will.”

They said their goodbyes and headed for the car. To Shane’s dismay, Matt offered to take the cramped back seat so Derek would be more comfortable in the front. “Short guys always get the back,” he said jokingly. “I’m used to it.”

This time the silence was deafening. After a few minutes Matt kicked the bottom of Shane’s seat hard and made a get-on-with-it gesture, tilting his head toward Derek.

“What?” Shane mouthed at him in the rearview mirror, pretending not to know what he was getting at.

Muttering under his breath, Matt leaned forward between the two front seats.

“So Derek, whaddya do for living?”

Derek turned to him with a grateful smile. “I, uh, work with my dad in his plumbing business.”

“Aww, workin’ for your dad. I’ve been there.”

By the time they arrived at the ballpark, navigated the parking lot and were ambling toward the ticket windows, Matt and Derek were still chattering away. They bought their tickets to go in, where Derek immediately excused himself to use the restroom. While they waited, Matt poked Shane in the ribs. “Someone’s a moody dick tonight.”

Shane couldn’t deny it, but dammit, he resented the hell out of all this.

“I don’t like the guy, okay?”

“Really? Can’t tell.” Matt’s voice was laced with sarcasm. “What I don’t understand is why. You’ve given the dude zero chance and he seems nice enough.”

“I don’t care how nice he seems, he’s not good enough for my sister and I’m not a fan of wasting my time.”

“Jesus, that’s a shitty attitude.” Matt’s face hardened. “You’ve made no effort to get to know him so how can you say he’s not good enough?”

Shane made an incredulous sound. “Don’t you remember what I told you before? He’s a drug addict, Matt.”

“Yeah, I remember. So in your world people don’t get to make mistakes?”

Derek reappeared just then and Shane bit back his angry rejoinder, trailing sullenly behind the other two as they headed down the concourse. They found their section, and before making their way to their seats, Derek turned and gestured toward a nearby concession stand. “I know it’s not much, but can I treat you and Matt to a hot dog, Shane? I really appreciate you guys inviting me out tonight.”

When Shane ignored him, Matt accepted for both of them. “Hey, thanks, Derek. That’d be great.”