Chapter 12
Dominic hadn’t been in this position for a while.
This position being watching someone while they slept. He’d been hoping he grew out of that in his twenties. But here he was, thirty-six and just as gone as he always got.
For his boss, no less. So much for his attempts to not get close. Austin asked him to stay the night, and he’d caved. How could he not? Austin needed him after last night, and Dominic…
Well, he wasn’t about to say he needed Austin. But it sure as hell felt like it. He’d come so close to walking out of the front door, and every step felt miserable. He didn’t feel right until he was holding Austin’s jaw, watching his face go lax as Dominic told him what to do.
Austin looked so calm in sleep. His hair was too short to get in his eyes, so Dominic had to excuse himself when he brushed a finger down Austin’s face.
Austin stirred. Dominic reluctantly pulled back, looking away before it became obvious what he was doing.
“Hey,” Austin said sleepily. He rubbed his eyes, an unfairly sweet smile spreading across his face as he woke up. “You’re still here.”
“Looks like,” Dominic said as casually as he could muster.
Austin’s face fell. Just the tiniest bit, and Austin was quick to hide it. But Dominic noticed.
“Couldn’t let you get away with your usual breakfast,” Dominic continued, letting some dangerous warmth creep into his tone.
Austin snorted, some of the disappointment draining out of his expression. “A smoothie is a good breakfast.”
“It’s a good snack,” Dominic corrected, sliding out of bed and picking up his boxers off the floor. “I’ll make you a real breakfast. Something with carbs.”
Austin laughed. He looked so happy and relaxed that Dominic couldn’t come up with any reason why he shouldn’t go all-in with this. Then he saw his earpiece on the nightstand and reality came crashing back.
Austin was still his boss. However much Dominic liked him, he needed to remember that.
He pulled on his boxers and paused. “I’m not particularly looking forward to cooking in yesterday’s clothes.”
“I bet not. They have blood on them.” Austin peered over the side of the bed, his nose scrunching up as he saw Dominic’s bloody shirt. “You can borrow one of mine. Clothes are in that drawer over there.”
Dominic followed Austin’s pointing finger over to a chest of drawers. He pulled out the biggest thing he saw—a black band hoodie Austin received after a sponsorship and name-dropping them in a few interviews—and pulled it on, along with a pair of sweatpants from the next drawer down.
They were tight. If the fabric wasn’t so stretchy, it would be uncomfortable. He rubbed his chest, feeling the bandage through the fabric. He should really shower and change the bandage. But if he was that worried about wound care, he wouldn’t have worked up such a sweat last night.
“Hope you like your clothes stretched out,” Dominic said.
Austin said nothing. Dominic turned to find him with one leg off the bed, leaning forward like he was about to get up but something had distracted him. His lips were parted, his eyes half-lidded as he stared at his clothes bulging over Dominic’s muscles.
Dominic fought down a smirk. “My eyes are up here, Austin.”
Austin’s gaze snapped up. “What? Yeah. Hey, do you want me to buy you a new wardrobe? I’ve decided you should wear everything two sizes too small. You have to, I’m your boss.”
He said the last part fast, like he was worried Dominic would take it the wrong way.
Dominic chuckled, coming closer until Austin had to crane his head to look up at him from the bed. “Oh? Are you writing up a new contract?”
“Uh-huh,” said Austin distractedly.
Dominic leaned over him tantalizingly, watching Austin’s pupils swell. “If you’re good, maybe I’ll let you see my ass in these tiny sweatpants again.”
Then he leaned back, running a hand through his floppy hair to tidy it back into place.
“Get dressed,” he said, heading for the stairs as Austin gaped after him.
Austin’s kitchen wasn’t exactly well-stocked. But he did have eggs and bread, even if it was a healthy bread stuffed with so many nuts and seeds it almost stopped being bread. Plus, it had been in the freezer for a while, judging by the freezer burn.
“Huh,” Austin said, sitting on a stool next to the counter to watch Dominic work. “I forgot I had that.”
“I can tell,” Dominic said dryly. He slid four frozen slices into the toaster and turned back to the pan, where the eggs were sizzling. “We’re having these scrambled. Do you do anything with sauces?”
Austin narrowed his eyes. “Sauces?”
“Hot sauce,” Dominic suggested. “Some people do ketchup.”
“God, no. Just salt and pepper, like a normal person.”
Dominic nodded his approval and pushed his spatula around the pan.
It was still sizzling satisfyingly, butter crisping the pile of eggs golden around the edges.
He’d used more butter than usual. Austin needed the fat.
He’d seen Austin input too many healthy requests on Uber Eats.
Oil instead of butter, no dressings, grilled chicken instead of fried, blah, blah, blah.
Sometimes a guy just needed to eat fried food.
“It has spinach in it,” Dominic said when he caught Austin eyeing the pan warily. “And you won’t lose your career if you—god forbid—gain a few pounds.”
“Yeah, well.” Austin shrugged, looking uncomfortable. Dominic assumed he’d been in Hollywood so long that this ridiculous body standard was normal, and when actually normal people tried to point out how weird it was, Austin didn’t know what to do with it.
Austin got out his phone and started scrolling. Then he frowned. “Shit.”
“What?”
“It’s my brother,” Austin said. “He wants to know if I’m alive?”
“Because of last night?” Dominic held back a sigh as he thought about all the articles that must already be online. Why couldn’t people think of better things to do than read about celebrities?
“Sort of,” Austin said slowly. “Gail just got out on bail.”
Dominic turned to grab the phone. Austin’s brother Levi had sent him a link to an article with the headline: AUSTIN WAYNE’S STALKER GETS OUT ON BAIL—AGAIN!
He skimmed the article, which didn’t have much information except a photo from this morning, if her bloodied clothes were anything to go by. She was accompanied by her wealthy aunt, who had once again bailed her out and was trying to shield her from the cameras, like always.
“She doesn’t waste any time,” Austin muttered. “Surprised she let her beloved niece rot in jail overnight.”
“She can’t get away with nothing,” Dominic said. “She attacked someone with a deadly weapon. That’s aggravated assault, at least. Combined with the rest of her criminal history, she has to go to jail this time.”
“I don’t know,” Austin said. “Her lawyer is good.”
“It doesn’t matter how good he is. Any judge should be able to see—” Dominic cut himself off with a sigh. He couldn’t do anything about this right now. Not unless Gail tried something with Austin again.
“I’ll update the rest of the security team,” Dominic said.
Austin nodded. He was staring at the table, rubbing his hands together in a way that looked cool and powerful unless you took his expression into account.
Dominic slid his hand around the back of Austin’s neck. Austin looked up, startled.
“We’ll handle it,” Dominic said.
Austin took a second too long to smile.
“And hopefully not get stabbed in the process,” Austin said, and nodded over Dominic’s shoulder. “Eggs are burning.”
“What? Shit!” Dominic whirled back to the stove to find the pan smoking lightly. He wrenched it off the element, shutting it off before he started poking at the eggs. They were dark on the bottom, but not inedible.
Dominic held up a strip of scrambled eggs to show Austin the darkened underside. “Can you handle that?”
Austin looked at it consideringly. Then he leaned forward, sucking it off Dominic’s finger.
“I can handle anything you give me,” he said.
They were almost finished washing the dishes when Dominic’s phone vibrated in his pocket.
Dominic dried his hands and reached into his pocket, thinking of his coworkers or his police contacts. But when he checked the caller ID, it was just Ben.
“One second,” Dominic told Austin, and answered the call. “Ben, hey.”
“I’m at your house,” Ben said. “Knocking away.”
“Right, I know.” Dominic rubbed his bandaged chest. “I forgot to tell you. I can’t work out this morning. I’m busy.”
“Since when?” Ben said. “Only shit you do is work out, shoot the shit with me, and go to work. Has your boss got you working a double, or did you finally fuck him and you’re naked in his bathroom right now?”
“That’s not—” Dominic looked over at Austin, who had stopped washing the dishes to watch him with a shit-eating grin that told him he had definitely heard that.
Dominic turned away from him, holding the phone closer. “Shut it. I’ll talk to you on Thursday, alright? We’re still on for that beach run?”
“You bet,” Ben said.
Dominic hung up and tucked his phone away, giving Austin time to hide his expression before he turned around. But of course, Austin was still grinning, leaning coyly back against the sink.
“So,” Austin said. “You finally fucked me, huh?”
Dominic sighed. “I told you I wanted you.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t know your friends knew about it.” Austin scratched his stubble, looking almost nervous. “Ben’s the army buddy, right?”
“Right,” Dominic said, surprised. He’d mentioned Ben once or twice, but he never expected Austin to remember his name.
“I didn’t tell him much about you,” Dominic continued. “And any small things I’ve said, he wouldn’t tell the press.”
Austin smiled again, but there was something oddly conflicted about it, like he didn’t know whether to be flattered or worried.
“I won’t tell him what happened between us,” Dominic said. “If you don’t want me to.”
“No, it’s fine. You made him sound like a real ‘no comment’ kind of guy.” Austin leaned harder against the counter, his shirt riding up until it showed a thin line of stomach. “I usually work out in the mornings, too.”