CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
NOAH
I really shouldn’t have been surprised that he left me there with my pants down and my wrists bound. Little did he know such a move only made him more appealing. Dom had this unpredictable quality that drew me. Making me ache to know what he would do next.
Watching his car drive away, I awkwardly shoved to my feet, doing my best to jerk my pants up with my hands tied. It wasn’t impossible, just a little difficult. Returning to my car, which was parked around the corner, I was grateful Casper hadn’t realized what was going on outside his building.
Once back in my car, I pulled my switchblade out of my jeans pocket, trying to cut the rope without cutting myself. It wasn’t easy. At least fifteen minutes passed before I was able to cut myself free. Good thing I had the knife handy or I would have had to call Damon for help.
As I drove home, I thought about the fresh bruises on Dominik’s face. Project X had done that to him. Everything about that made me crazy. Nobody had any right to lay hands on him but me. I wanted to see my bruises left behind on his face. How dare they put their hands on him?
The more I thought about it, the more I started to feel sick inside. As soon as he mentioned getting jumped by X, I knew in my gut they were the ones who hired me to take him out. Although I wasn’t sure why. Why only Dom? Why not the other Kings?
I was glad to find Damon home when I arrived. He sat in the living room doom scrolling on his phone while the TV played a hockey game in the background. He glanced up as I descended the stairs into the living room.
“What’s up?” he asked before returning his stare to his phone screen.
“I think we might have a problem.” I sat down on the opposite end of the couch, waiting for him to give me his full attention.
Damon frowned, setting his phone on the coffee table. “What do you mean?”
“I think Project X is who anonymously asked me to take out Dom. He told me tonight that him and Casper were jumped by them. I think they’re up to something. I don’t have a good feeling about this.” I rubbed my sore wrists through my hoodie sleeves.
Scratching his chin, Damon’s brows knit together. He shook his head. “I don’t like the sound of this. Whatever Project X is up to, I don’t want any part of it. Maybe you should tell them that you’re out.”
I completely agreed. Having someone ask me to take out Dom had given me the nudge I needed to make a move. However, if I ended him, I didn’t want it to be for someone like Project X. This was too personal.
“I’ll send a message,” I said. “I’m going to grab a shower.”
As I went upstairs to my bedroom on the top floor, I couldn’t help but worry. What if they simply sent someone else after Dom instead? I couldn’t allow that to happen. Maybe I should tell him. Give him a heads up.
In my bedroom, I stripped down naked, pausing before entering the bathroom. Picking up my burner phone, I messaged the number I’d received the request from. Short and to the point, telling them I wouldn’t be completing the job.
Getting into the shower, I found myself replaying the events of this evening. Having Dom trap me in the back of his car while he jerked me off. I’d never had a hand job that fucking good.
There was something about him. About the way he spoke. The way he moved. His entire vibe. I couldn’t get enough of him.
While shampooing my hair, I thought about texting him. Would he even reply? What would I say? How much further could we take this before it all blew up in our faces?
When I exited the shower, I toweled myself off before wrapping one around my waist. Leaving the steamy bathroom, I returned to the bedroom, noticing a notification on the burner phone. I picked it up to read the return message and my stomach dropped.
Getting out now isn’t an option. Get the job done or you’re next on our list.
What the fuck? I wasn’t anyone’s bitch. Although I knew better than to brush off a threat of any kind, I wouldn’t be forced into doing a job for anyone.
I decided not to reply. Instead, I slipped into a clean T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants before running a comb through my damp hair.
I pulled out my personal phone, thinking about sending a message to Dom.
After staring at the blank screen for an exceptionally long time, I swiped out of the message and tucked my phone in my pocket.
Heading back downstairs, I found Damon just as I’d left him. Only now he had a bag of barbeque chips propped in his lap.
“Bad news,” I said. “They said if I don’t take out Dom, then they’re coming for me. I really fucked up, Damon. I never should’ve accepted that job on the fly like that.”
Damon looked me over, his gaze landing on the rope burns on my wrists. “Care to explain that?”
I glanced down at the red, raw marks. “I may have attacked Dom with a rope in his car. The tables turned, I guess.”
“Jesus Christ, Noah. Are you fucking this guy?” Damon never ceased in shoveling chips into his mouth.
“No. There’s been no fucking.” I sat down on the couch next to him, helping myself to some chips. “Not yet anyway. Dude gives a hell of a hand job though.”
Damon released an annoyed sigh. “For fuck’s sakes. No wonder you don’t want to kill him anymore. In what world do you think this is going to end well? Is this just a physical thing? Is there something more going on that I should know about?”
Since I didn’t have the answer to that question, I brushed him off. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just having fun with him.”
He studied me intently, knowing me so well. “I call bullshit. Don’t get attached to this guy. Noah. He’s the enemy, remember?”
“Yeah yeah, I know. Trust me, he never lets me forget.” I didn’t mean for that to come out sounding so wistful. Oops. Hoping Damon didn’t notice, I averted my attention, staring at the TV instead.
I felt him studying me. Dammit.
“Don’t fuck with me here, man. What’s really going on with you and Dom? Do the Kings know?” When I didn’t immediately respond, he slapped my arm.
“I don’t know what they know. We don’t really talk about that kind of thing.” We didn’t do a whole lot of talking at all. Aside from snarky banter and threats.
Damon wasn’t willing to let it go. “You know that if you fall for this guy, everything changes. I’m not telling you who you can be with. I just think you need to handle this carefully.”
He was right. I knew that. Everything would change. Yet I doubted Dom would be interested in anything other than screwing around the way we already were. He didn’t seem like the type to open up and let someone like me in.
“It’s cool, Damon. Dom and I are just messing around. He’s not the problem right now. If Project X is going to fuck us all over, we need to be focused on that instead.” My gaze dropped to the rope burns on my wrists. Lightly I traced a finger over one, remembering.
Dom and I were in too deep to go back now. I still wanted a piece of him. But I wouldn’t be doing jack shit on behalf of anyone else. Project X could go fuck themselves.