Page 114 of Counterpoint
He had no idea what had changed Dominic’s mind, but relief shot through him. “Thank you.” He clicked off his phone, but kept his eyes closed for a little longer. Found the calm, the center, and the control, even if his heart was trying to pound its way from his chest. His stomach was in tatters.
Maybe they would break up. There was always that possibility, even if he hated the thought. But it wouldn’t be because of fear or the public or any of this shit.
He blinked his eyes open and raised his gaze to the door of the building. They fit together. In bed. Outside it. He loved the shy bookworm as much as the over-the-top rock star. Loved everything in between, too. The surrender and the steel. All of the things that made Dominic Bradley utterly himself.
The lobby door opened, and Dominic was there, pushing through the crowd of people. “Excuse me,” Dominic ground out. “Can you all just...get out of my way?”
Dominic was—different—this way. But also the same. A T-shirt clung to his body, exposing his tattoos. He was wearing the faded jeans Adrian was so used to seeing on him, but with sneakers, not his dress shoes. His hair was a mess—more Domino than Dominic, but glasses perched on his nose.
When Dominic finally reached him, he grabbed Adrian by the shoulders and gave a little shake. “What are youdoinghere, Adrian?”
He peered into those wide brown eyes. “Do you remember when you asked me if I liked my job?”
Dominic slid his hands up to Adrian’s neck. They were strangely cool. Soothing. Or he was overheated. “I remember everything about that night,” he said.
“I fucking hate my job. It’s awful. My best friend just quit and I’m going to be stuck in that corporate hell alone.” After that statement blazed across the internet, he’d probably get pushed out. “I’m here because nothing in the world matters more to me than you. Not the job, not my grandparents’ house, not even my library. I’d burn it all down if it meant I could be with you. I love you.”
Dominic’s shoulders dropped. “Fucking hell, Adrian.”
There were tears lurking back in the corner of his eyes and in his mind. He missed family. Missed connections. Jackson had been a lifeline for years. So had Janelle, but they were friends—not this. Dominic was so much more than a friend. He’d become part of Adrian’s life.
“I mean it.”
Those hands rose to cup his face, and Dominic stepped close. Pressed his forehead to Adrian’s. “I know you do. You’re surprisingly, refreshingly truthful about every damn thing in the world.”
Adrian met those lovely brown eyes. “Surely not everything.”
A laugh, then the humor fell away. Thumbs stroked Adrian’s cheeks. “You know, this is the way my life is.” He nodded to the crowd rocking around them, all the people taking photos and videos and no doubt texting and tweeting all of this. “Chaos. No privacy.”
Yes. And no. Adrian mirrored Dominic’s hands, taking that sweet face into his own palms. “Right now, I’ll admit this crowd is pretty fucking terrifying.” He smoothed a thumb over Dominic’s lips. “But we’ve had privacy. We’ll have it again. Not everything is for public consumption.”
A flicker in Dominic’s eyes, and a curve of a smile on his lips.
“The world can have Domino. He’s pretty fucking amazing. But I wantyou, Dominic Bradley. And I’m not willing to give you up without one hell of a fight.”
“I hate fighting.” Dominic’s eyes were shining. “And I love you, too.”
Adrian stepped in, until there was no space left between them at all, and whispered against his lips, “Then fucking kiss me, already.” It came out as an order.
A huff of laughter, then Dominic did, and the world fell away beneath the gentle pressure of his lips and the slip of his tongue. Yes. This was right. This was theirs.
When they broke the kiss, he realized the buzzing in his head was cheers and applause, and his whole body flared with too much heat for a suit during the summer in Manhattan. “Time for you to rescue me before I pass out from the heat.”
Dominic smiled, took his hand, and led him into the building and its air-conditioned splendor. When the doors closed behind them, Adrian shuddered and wrenched off his suit jacket. They headed toward the bank of elevators. “Please don’t ever make me do anything like that again.”
“Declare your love for me in front of the world?” Dominic’s cheeks were red and his eyes a little moist. “I fucking hated that crowd, but that was the most awesome, greatest—”
Adrian grabbed the back of his neck and swallowed the rest of the sentence in a kiss that had them both banging up against an elevator door. When he broke the kiss, he met Dominic’s stare. “No. Don’t you dare make me march across town with my heart in my hand to stop you from breaking up with me over something so foolish as you being a fucking rock star and trying to protect me from your life ever again.”
“Oh.” Dominic breathed out the word. “But it is a lot to deal with. I mean, I hid from it for years.” He swallowed. “You should probably press the up button.”
Adrian jabbed the arrow, but kept Dominic against the elevator door. “And I get why. People prying into your business, your personal life. Following you around. I’m not going to like that part.”
Dominic grabbed his tie, pulled him in, and their mouths met in a tangle of lips and tongue. God, he felt so good, so right in Adrian’s arm. His taste, his fingers digging into his arm.
The elevator dinged and the door to the left—not the one they were making out against—slid open.
With a moan, Adrian broke the kiss. “Our ride is here.”
