14. Dominic
Dominic
“We’re going to have to set some ground rules.” I shift my gaze toward the stairs, where the sleeping beauty rests in our spare bedroom.
I got home a couple of hours ago from doing recon with Hayes to find out that Bryant brought June to our house, with the intention of allowing her to stay here.
Whether that is temporary or permanent is lost on me.
It was short notice, but I did what I could to get a few things for her to make her time a little more comfortable.
This new arrangement is a mixture of good and bad with the way this situation is unfolding.
On one hand, having June in our home means that we can keep an eye on her, and do what we can to maintain her safety.
But on the other, it will confirm to all our enemies that she is our weakness, the thing that could potentially be our downfall.
Something we all agreed we would not permit.
And here we are, each of us experiencing romantic feelings for the same woman.
There is a minimal chance that this will end well for any of us.
Even if we manage to win this war, then what? The three of us will start another over her.
“Toilet seats need to be put down.” Bryant is the first to chime in.
I rub my temple. “That wasn’t what I meant.”
He plucks a grape from the bowl sitting in front of him and pops it into his mouth. “What’s wrong with manners?”
“Nothing. Nothing is wrong with that. But I’m referring to more serious matters.
” Like where she’ll be sleeping, the distance we should keep regarding our personal and professional lives, and a general rule of keeping it in our pants.
It won’t bode well if there is any temptation, and if we establish that boundary now, the better off we’ll be.
June appears around the corner, rubbing her eyes but somehow appearing more beautiful than ever.
Something about that just woken up look makes me want to cross the space between us and pick her up and take her back to bed.
But I don’t. I remain stone-faced and still, not moving an inch in her direction.
“You guys talking about me?” She walks barefoot down the steps and into the kitchen with us.
Hayes unglues himself from his phone and plants his gaze on her. A side of him I’ve never known before. Not much can distract that man from his work.
Bryant meets June halfway, putting his arm around her shoulders and tugging her toward him. “You hungry?”
She shakes her head. “Not really. Do you happen to have an extra toothbrush I could use?”
“Your bathroom has been stocked,” I tell her. “Bryant mentioned you didn’t have your toiletries, so I sent for them.”
“You sent for them?”
“Yes. If you find they are not suited for your taste, I will replace them with whatever you wish.” Although I can’t imagine she’ll have many complaints as I had our driver get the best of what was available.
“I took the liberty of having your clothes washed. They’re hanging in your closet with a few other items.”
“Um, thank you. I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.”
“Not necessary,” all three of us guys say at once.
I clear my throat. “You should eat something though. What would you like?” I walk over to the fridge and look inside.
The doorbell rings and I shift my attention toward it.
Bryant exits without a word, and a minute later, he arrives with a bag of food in his grasp.
“Seriously?” I glare at him, wishing I could somehow shake some sense into his empty skull. “That’s it. Last one. No more.”
“Forever?” He pouts like I kicked his puppy.
“Until this is done.”
“Until what’s done? Me? I can leave.” June folds her arms and takes a cautious step back.
“No, not you,” I weakly reassure her. How can I make her understand the severity of our situation without telling her the truth? That would only put her more in danger, and I’m not willing to do that to her.
Bryant pulls container after container out of the takeout bag.
Chinese. He’s risking our lives over Chinese.
“Then what?” June’s gaze pierces through me.
“It’s complicated.”
Bryant pulls the plates from the cupboard and reaches in to grab some silverware. “What he’s trying to say is…”
Hayes smacks Bryant when he walks by him. “Bryant, keep your mouth shut.”
“Leave it to you to be okay with leaving me in the dark.” June glares at Hayes and I’m grateful that the attention has shifted from me.
I don’t want to withhold from her, but it’s the only thing I can think of to prioritize her safety.
“Can we eat, in peace, for once?” Bryant opens the first container, revealing fried rice.
“I’m not hungry,” June says again.
Hayes approaches the selection of food. Plopping some of the rice, General Tso’s, and an eggroll onto a plate. He reaches into the fridge and pulls out one of his Dr. Peppers and strolls over to our dining room table. Dragging the chair back, he turns to June. “Eat.”
The two of them have a momentary standoff but then she ends up claiming the seat. Maybe she realized it was three against one and her odds of walking out of this room without feeding herself were slim to none.
We might disagree on a lot, but her well-being is one of the few things we have in common.
Bryant slides a full plate across the counter to me. “Here.”
“Thank you.” I nod and take his offering. “But I mean it, this is the last time. You’ll have to put those cooking classes to use.”
June brings her napkin to her mouth, chewing through her bite before speaking. “You took culinary classes?”
Hayes chimes in. “Bryant has taken a course on pretty much everything. Culinary, photography, botany, pottery…pretty much anything that ends in a ‘y’.”
“Jack of all trades.” June opens her drink and takes a sip.
“Master of none.” Bryant slides into the seat next to her.
“Better than a master of one.” She elbows him and smiles.
I hate the jealousy that courses through me at their interaction. I shouldn’t feel that way. She is not mine. She is not theirs. She is no ones. Yet, the envy still slips into my veins at wanting that look of admiration to be at me.
I note the tenseness in Hayes’ jaw, telling me he’s experiencing a similar emotion, too. Which is exactly why we need to amend the house rules to accommodate our newest member.
“How are your wounds?” I ask her.
Bryant informed me that she did not receive proper medical care after what had happened, and that he had our on-call doctor tend to them when they arrived at the house.
I haven’t seen the extent of the damage, but with the visible bruising and discoloration, it would only make sense to have a professional care for them.
“Better.” She flits her gaze at me.
“Good. Are you in any discomfort?” I haven’t had a chance to speak with the doctor about her condition.
“No, he gave me something for the pain and inflammation, and used some fancy antibiotic. Said it would help with healing.”
“You should make it a point to get some rest in the meantime, too,” I add.
“I took a pretty solid nap.” She reaches into her back pocket to pull out her phone. “I need to get to work here in a bit.”
“Work?” Hayes and I speak at the same time.
We really must get out of each other’s heads.
“Yeah, I have to be there at nine. It’s not far, I can walk from here.”
“No,” all three of us blurt out.
“You better be saying no to me walking, and not me going.” June shoves a piece of chicken into her mouth, chewing it and glancing between all of us.
I cool my rising temper. “I think what we meant to say is, you should take the evening off. Spend it in bed, binge-watching television, or whatever it is you enjoy doing. We have a state-of-the-art entertainment room with access to anything you’d like, all at your fingertips.
I can send for whatever food or drink you prefer. ”
“I have to go to work,” June insists.
“No.” I clench my jaw.
“Am I being held captive here? Against my will?” She stares across the table at me.
“Of course not.”
“Then I am going to leave here in twenty minutes and go to work. Either I can walk, or you can have your driver take me.” She uses air quotes to enunciate the word driver.
“This living arrangement, while absolutely appreciated, is completely temporary, and not necessary. As soon as I’m able, I’ll be out of your hair and no longer burdening your lives. ”
Hayes speaks up. “J, you don’t understand, it’s not sa?—.”
“Safe?” She cuts him off. “It’s not safe for me out there?
Guess what Co, I’ve made it this far without you, I’ll be fine on my own.
” June exhales and places her napkin on her plate.
“I’m grateful for your hospitality, I really am.
But I won’t be in your debt because of the shit storm that is wrecking my life.
I’ve never needed anything from anyone, and I don’t plan on starting today. ”
“That’s not what this is about.” Hayes stands when she does. “Don’t blame them for my mistakes.”
“It’s too late for that, Co.” June storms off, up the stairs and out of view.
“Dude, what the fuck did you do to her?” Bryant asks the question rattling my own mind.
Hayes runs his hand through his hair and slumps down into his seat. It’s strange to see him so…disheveled. Especially over a female. Usually, he’s mad about not being able to kill someone or the lack of ammunition at our local supply center.
“You wouldn’t get it.” He leans his head back and sighs. “She’ll never forgive me.”
“Have you tried…” Bryant stretches his arm across the chair June was sitting in.
“Talking to her? Believe it or not, communication is kind of important.” He focuses on me next.
“This whole keeping shit from her isn’t going to go over well for us.
I think it’s best we just be honest about what’s going on. ”
I shake my head. “No.”