Chapter 2 #2
Austin’s pupils swelled as Dominic stepped closer, slipping a hand against his back.
It was closer than Dominic usually allowed himself, but he’d only been dancing closer to the line with every month he worked here.
One of these days, he would actually have to take Ben’s advice: either quit or fuck Austin.
But until then, he had a job to do. He fought down the sexy admonishment he sorely wanted to say and led Austin toward the door, ignoring the horde of screaming fans behind the barrier who had started snapping photos and calling for autographs.
“Don’t,” Dominic warned as Austin took a step toward them.
Austin rolled his eyes. “I can’t keep ignoring them.”
“You can when you have that stalker who keeps violating her restraining order,” Dominic said. “Keep walking.”
Austin sighed but did. Dominic had to bite his tongue so he didn’t say the words from last night: good boy.
The charity gala was boring, as usual. It only took so long to scope out their surroundings, and nobody came up to Austin to say hello.
“The upsides of being terrifying, I guess,” Austin muttered to Dominic as he downed a glass of wine.
Dominic eyed the glass. It was his second one in half an hour. Austin didn’t usually drink unless he was worried about something.
Austin lowered the glass and smacked his lips. “Saves me from talking to anyone, I guess.”
“Yes, you hate that,” Dominic replied dryly.
Austin snickered. Another thing Dominic had quickly picked up on: Austin could be friendly, but it took him a while.
For those first few meetings, he would be too busy playing into that tough guy schtick that made him so famous.
People had to work to get his guard down.
Even Dominic had to work at it, at first. Then Austin became so open it actually surprised him.
He tried to play off all his movie invites as witty banter, but there was something so vulnerable underneath it that Dominic always felt bad turning him down.
Austin was lonely. Dominic didn’t think he realized how lonely he was. He talked to people all the time, but only for work. The only time Austin really let his guard down was when his little brother Levi dropped by, and occasionally when his father flew in.
And with Dominic. Even if Dominic never let him get too close.
“At least I have you,” Austin continued. “You know all the other bodyguards are lined up at the walls, right?”
“I can do,” Dominic offered quietly.
“No, no,” Austin said. “Stick around. You’re more interesting than any of these chucklefucks.”
Austin was smirking, but as always, there was something so true underneath it that made Dominic want to hug him. And he was not a hugger.
Dominic turned away, pretending like he was scoping out the gala. Attendees in their fancy gowns, wait staff carrying trays of wine and picking up empties. There was a woman with terrible bangs who looked vaguely familiar—maybe she worked these venues a lot.
“Aw, don’t be like that,” Austin said. He rocked sideways, bumping their shoulders together. “I know you like me.”
Dominic stilled. The words triggered a memory he’d been trying to suppress for months:
Austin had been stumbling home from yet another one of these charity events. He’d been wasted, which wasn’t typical for him. He’d been slurring and giggling in a way that didn’t suit his persona at all, a fact he kept pointing out as Dominic dragged him through the front door.
Then he’d sat down in the front hall and refused to move.
Your shift is over, he’d said, staring up at Dominic with glazed eyes that suggested maybe he’d taken something stronger than booze on a rare moment when Dominic wasn’t looking. You can go. You’re a bodyguard, not a babysitter.
Dominic had thought about it. But Austin seemed so damn sad that he’d done something he’d done for a few of his army buddies—hell, even his friends in high school—when they had too much: Dominic had taken off his shoes.
Then his suit jacket. He’d gotten Austin to drink a glass of water—and, shockingly, brush his teeth—and almost gotten him into bed when Austin dragged him in by his tie.
I know you like me, Austin had whispered, a perfect mirror of what he’d said to Dominic just now. His breath had been heavy with whiskey and his grip was slack, but Dominic couldn’t pull away. Not with what Austin said next.
I’d let you fuck me, he had said. I’d let you do whatever you want to me. Hold me down. Fold me in half. Anything you want, as long as you don’t want me to be in control.
Dominic hadn’t considered it. Not seriously. Austin couldn’t even stand up without wobbling. But later—after he left Austin sad and alone in bed, curling into himself in a way that made Dominic feel like dirt—he let himself think on it.
He’d thought about it a lot since that night. He wasn’t even sure Austin remembered it. But now, watching Austin bite his lip, he suspected he might.
The gala was still in full swing. People were everywhere. Dominic should have been paying attention. But he couldn’t focus on anything that wasn’t Austin standing there with his tough guy mask slipping into something shy and vulnerable.
Dominic swallowed. Quit or fuck him.
He didn’t even know which one he had decided on when he opened his mouth.
“Austin,” he started.
A shot rang out.
Dominic moved before he had a chance to think, grabbing Austin and hurrying him toward the exit. Several other bodyguards were following suit, shoving through the crowd to get to their charge.
“Okay, that was a gun,” Austin said sharply. “Dominic?”
Dominic shushed him, mind whirring. It sounded like a handgun. It was muffled, definitely nothing from this room. With all these people here, the chances that they were aiming for Austin were low, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t get caught in the chaos.
Dominic pushed Austin toward the other guy in his security team, Brent, who was jogging toward them.
“Get him in the car,” he ordered. He turned toward the rest of the room, where several of the venue security guys were heading toward the source of the noise to secure the situation. He had to know what they were dealing with.
Austin caught his arm. “Dominic! Going toward the gunshot? What happened to protecting your charge? I’m right here.”
“You have Brent with you,” Dominic said, ignoring every instinct screaming at him to follow Austin into the car and not let anyone else touch him.
Austin frowned. “But—”
Dominic stepped in close and took his chin. It was more than he’d ever let himself touch Austin before, but it worked. Austin stuttered to a stop, his mouth going slack as he stared up at Dominic.
“Go with Brent,” Dominic said slowly. “Get in the car. If there’s any more commotion, tell the driver to take you out of here.”
Austin’s eyelashes fluttered. He looked like he would jump off a building if Dominic told him to. Every inch of his tough guy persona was gone, the real Austin in its place: a sweet, uncertain guy who wanted someone to tell him what to do.
“Okay,” Austin said, dazed.
Dominic barely resisted the urge to squeeze his face. He leaned in, making sure his voice was so low Brent wouldn’t hear it.
“Good boy,” he murmured.
Then he strode off, forcing himself fully into security mode. Even as he pushed any thoughts of Austin’s slack mouth from his mind, he knew he had made his decision.
And he sure as hell wasn’t going to quit.