Chapter 10
“I’m fine,” Dominic insisted.
Austin glowered at him. Dominic had never had the tough guy act turned on him, he realized. At least, not properly. If Dominic didn’t see through him so easily, he might actually be intimidated.
Like the ER nurse. Dominic’s injury was far from life-threatening, but they’d been shuffled through after Austin glared at them enough.
Although Dominic was thinking that was mostly because they were fans.
Or possibly because of the money he caught Austin slipping them.
Either way, Dominic was getting stitched up in record time.
“I could have done this myself,” Dominic told him as the nurse put the final stitch into his chest. “It’s not even that deep.”
“Oh, it’s not even that deep,” Austin said, his voice low and dangerous in a way it rarely got with Dominic. “You got stabbed, Dominic.”
“Lightly stabbed,” Dominic corrected.
Austin scoffed, throwing out his arms. The nurse’s office was so small his hands nearly hit the narrow walls.
“Oh, lightly! Who gives a shit, then? Slap a Band-Aid on it and walk out of here!”
“It’s fine,” Dominic said again. “It didn’t even need that many stitches. Right, ma’am?”
“Right,” the nurse said sweetly. She clipped the surgical thread at the end of his stitches—which, yes, were much better than Dominic could have done at home with a spool of floss and a curved needle—and taped a bandage in place over it.
“There,” the nurse said with a bright smile. “All done! It sounds like you had an exciting night, Mr. Wayne.”
“He got all the excitement,” Austin grumbled.
The nurse giggled. She was flushed, which Dominic sorely hoped was because she was flustered because of a crush and not because she was sick.
He didn’t have time to get sick right now.
He never did, but he needed to be on duty while this mess got cleared up.
Austin needed him. Tonight proved that. He was going to chew Brent out as soon as he saw him again.
Austin could have died because Brent was busy eating shrimp.
“Did she really try to stab you with a champagne flute?” the nurse asked eagerly. “That’s what everybody online is saying.”
“What?” Austin said, dragging his hand down his face. “Yeah. Champagne flute.”
The nurse nodded, her enthusiasm unwavering despite Austin’s obvious lack of it. “Wow. I can’t believe she thought a glass could hurt you. You’re so tough!”
Austin laughed hollowly. “Not that tough. No idea how this would’ve gone if Superman here hadn’t stepped in.”
He leaned over, clapping Dominic on the back.
It was a manly, friendly pat, the kind of touch Dominic had received from several clients after he protected them.
But Austin’s hand lingered, his fingertips pressing into Dominic’s back like he wanted to do so much more.
Dominic had to stop himself from reaching over and taking his hand as it slipped away.
“So,” the nurse said as she placed her supplies back into their respective drawers. “Is she going to jail?”
“That’s out of our hands,” Dominic said.
“I fucking hope so,” Austin said over him. “But she has this rich aunt who keeps paying bail—and paying for lawyers. Slippery little bitch. Sorry,” he added.
The nurse waved him away. “Aw, don’t worry about it. I’ve seen your movies, I know what you’re like.”
Austin’s face twisted. But only for a moment. Then it fell into the same dull disappointment that cropped up whenever someone assumed they knew who he was because of the characters he played.
“Before you go,” the nurse said, twisting her hands together. “Do you think you could maybe—?”
She didn’t have to finish. Austin was already pulling a pen out of his pocket.
Austin drove them home. No driver, just Austin white-knuckling the steering wheel as he drove along the winding roads that led to his mansion.
“You’re staying here tonight,” Austin said as he pulled up outside. “After that shit you said about sewing it yourself, I do not want to see what you call proper wound care.”
“I practice proper wound care,” Dominic said.
“On others? Sure. On yourself?” Austin gave him a look so withering that Dominic couldn’t help but laugh.
“I might be a little more lax about it,” Dominic admitted. “But there really isn’t much to do other than keep it clean. I can replace my own bandages.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Austin said. “Get out of the car.”
Dominic thought about reminding him who gave the orders nowadays. But he was exhausted, and anyway, it sounded less like an order and more like Austin wanted tonight to be over with.
He got out of the car and followed Austin inside.
Austin rolled his sleeves down and sighed. “How is it? Does it hurt a lot?”
“It’s fine,” Dominic said. “She didn’t get me too deep.”
Austin nodded. He looked distracted, rubbing his stubble while he stared at the bandage taped over Dominic’s stitches.
Dominic wanted to go over and console him. To wipe that worry off Austin’s face and take him out of his head. But he couldn’t treat this like any other relationship. Austin was his boss. They had to keep some distance.
“Look,” Dominic began. “Thank you. But I should really get home.”
Austin’s head snapped up. “What? Why?”
“A guy can’t want to go home after a hard day at work?”
Austin scoffed and crossed his arms defensively over his chest. “Bullshit. What, you’ll fuck me, but you won’t sleep over? Is my bed too soft or something?”
Dominic sighed. He could point out that he got stabbed, and he just wanted some time alone. That he didn’t need Austin to take care of him, especially after the wound had already been cleaned, stitched, and bandaged. But he got the feeling Austin would see right through it.
“It’s not that I don’t want to stay over,” Dominic began. “But come on, Austin. You’re my boss.”
Austin’s arms flexed over his chest. It should have looked intimidating, all that toned muscle. But it just made him look more defensive. Like Dominic’s words were something he was trying desperately hard to protect himself from.
“Right,” Austin snapped. “I am the boss. I could order you to—to—”
His face twisted. He squeezed the bridge of his nose, a tic that he’d picked up from a character he’d played across multiple movies. It happened with any character he played for a long time. Pretend to be someone for long enough, and it starts to stick, he told Dominic once.
Dominic thought about politely excusing himself and heading home. It would be the smart thing to do. The kind of thing he’d feel okay telling Ben about on the phone while they worked out. Instead, he found himself crossing the living room floor, watching Austin try to avoid his eyes.
“Order me to what?” Dominic asked. “You gonna make me stay, puppy?”
Austin scoffed again. But it was weak, like he was trying to convince himself more than Dominic.
“I could,” he muttered.
“No,” Dominic said. “You couldn’t.”
His stab wound throbbed under the bandage.
All his self-preservation instincts told him to go home and collapse into bed.
Dominic took a deep breath through his nose and focused on them, rather than the much louder desires screaming at him to take Austin to bed and stay there until Austin stopped looking upset.
“I’m going to go,” Dominic said.
He turned toward the door, telling himself he was making the smart decision. Never mind that it hurt more than the damn stab wound.
Austin darted in front of him. “Wait!”
Dominic stopped. He could have pushed Austin out of the way with little effort. But he was eager for any excuse to stay. Especially when Austin dropped that defensive posture, even if he looked royally pissed about having to do it.
“Shit,” Austin muttered. He rolled his eyes. “I didn’t just bring you here because I’m worried about your giant open wound, okay?”
“Again,” Dominic said. “It’s shallow. And closed. You watched it get stitched up.”
“Yeah, but still.” Austin rubbed his inked chest with a grimace, as if imagining Gail’s broken champagne flute slicing his tattoos open.
Sometimes Austin forgot that most people had never been shot, stabbed, or lacerated in their lives.
Austin’s worst injury was a broken ankle after a stunt gone wrong.
He hadn’t lived like Dominic, who had his share of injuries even before he went into the army.
His skin might be tattooed, but it was luxuriously smooth underneath all that ink.
“You promised me a reward,” Austin said quickly. “If I went to the event. And I know you’re tired. I just— Tonight sucked, and…”
Austin trailed off, his face filling with guilt before he quickly shut the expression down. “Shit. Never mind. You can go. You have better things to do than coddle your fucking boss. Jesus Christ, you got stabbed tonight.”
He waved at the door, avoiding Dominic’s eyes. “You can go. Just—just go. Your shift ended ages ago anyway.”
Dominic didn’t even look at the door this time. He couldn’t tear his gaze away from Austin, all droopy and rejected and trying to look otherwise, his hands tucked angrily into his pockets.
Then Dominic stepped closer, and Austin looked up in surprise.
“You want what?” Dominic asked.
Austin swallowed. Dominic wanted to bite his Adam’s apple. Wanted to feel it shift against his teeth.
“Uh,” Austin said. “Never mind. ‘S stupid.”
Dominic took his chin. He felt wired, like the adrenaline from herding Gail away from Austin had never faded.
“Tell me,” he said simply.
Austin’s lips parted. He glanced down at the bandage sticking out from under Dominic’s shirt, but only for a moment.
“Wanted you to take control,” he mumbled. “Doesn’t matter. You got hurt, you’re tired—”
“Sir.”
Austin blinked. “Huh?”
“You want me in charge, you call me sir,” Dominic said slowly. “Come on, puppy. You know how this works.”
Austin’s eyelids fell to half-mast. It was like a shot of whiskey right into Dominic’s veins. Even though Dominic wasn’t drinking, as per the doctor’s orders. The painkillers still hadn’t worn off.
“Yes, sir,” Austin said.
“Good.” Dominic squeezed his jaw, just enough to feel Austin’s cheeks give under the pressure, the deep satisfaction in knowing Austin would let him do it. Then he stepped back, dropping his hand. “Take off your clothes.”
Austin touched his shirt buttons. Then he faltered, glancing at the stairs that led up to the bedroom.
“No,” Dominic said. “Here. I want to see you.”
Austin huffed a shaky laugh and started undoing his shirt. “Fine, but I’m going to look pretty fucking stupid climbing the stairs with my dick out.”
“Guess I’ll have to carry you,” Dominic said.
Austin fumbled the next shirt button. The next one went even faster, and Dominic watched with growing satisfaction as Austin stripped his shirt off and started on his belt, stepping impatiently out of his shoes. Once both were gone, Austin tucked his thumbs under his boxers and paused.
“All of it?”
Dominic nodded.
There was no hesitation this time. Austin shucked his boxers and kicked them into the growing pile of clothes and then looked up at Dominic, only a hint of nervousness in his expression.
Mostly he looked relieved. It made Dominic fiercely glad he hadn’t walked out that door.
Sure, he didn’t have to take care of Austin off the clock. But god, he wanted to.
Dominic didn’t touch him at first. He just looked him up and down, letting his gaze linger as he walked around Austin’s bare body in the low living room light.
Austin was so beautiful. Underfed, sure, which Dominic would have to do something about. But also smooth and inked and pampered soft.
Dominic wanted to mark him up with something other than tattoos. Cover him with bite marks and bruises in the shape of his fingers around his throat and on his ass.
“You’re perfect,” Dominic said.
Austin snorted quietly and flexed his stomach, showing off his abs. Dominic slid a hand over his belly, feeling Austin’s sharp gasp.
“Don’t pull that shit here,” Dominic said. “No performing. Not for me.”
“Habit,” Austin muttered. But his stomach relaxed beneath Dominic’s palm, letting Dominic feel the thin layer of fat that Dominic wanted to bite.
He kept walking around Austin, admiring him from every angle: his defined calves, the almost-invisible hairs on his arms, how his tattoos rippled with his movements.
“You should have stripped for me if you wanted me so bad,” Dominic told him, dragging his hand slowly around Austin’s hips. “I could never say no.”
“I asked you to fuck me, and you said no,” Austin said breathlessly.
“You were still wearing clothes. I could never say no to this.” Dominic cupped a hand around Austin’s ass cheek, stepping in close until he was pressed all the way down Austin’s back. Austin sucked in a breath and tried to shift against him, only for Dominic to hold him by the hips.
“Stay,” he said.
Austin stilled, but his head swayed back, as if seeking Dominic out. There was something on the back of his neck.
Dominic frowned. It was a speck of blood, right there on the side of Austin’s neck. He hadn’t noticed.
Dominic’s wound throbbed under his bandage. He ignored it, dipping down and pressing a kiss to Austin’s neck, concentrating on the warmth of Austin’s skin. If he focused, he could pretend the salt was just Austin’s sweat.
He should have noticed Gail before she could ever get close to him. But she’d never get the chance again. Not if he had anything to say about it.
But this wasn’t the time for such thoughts. Right now, he needed to fuck Austin until neither of them cared about his stab wound.
“That dildo you used when you were thinking about me fucking you,” Dominic said against Austin’s neck. “Do you still have it?”