Page 129 of The Blame Game

He was the reason Dom’s life was going so badly right now.

Well, Shea wasn’t responsible for Dom’s back issues.

But otherwise, if they had never gotten involved or if Shea had done a better job protecting Dom from being spotted the night of the fire, they never would have been in this mess.

Instead of doing what he was supposed to, he’d erased those lines, let everything become messy and blurry.

Messy, blurry boundaries had become a messy, blurry situation.

Now their privacy and job security were on the line and Shea had dragged Audra into it as well.

What in the hell had he been thinking?

Shea was tempted to admit his feelings for Dom, but it felt so selfish. It would add more stress and pressure to Dom’s life when he was already dealing with so much. A part of Shea held out hope that maybe after Dom was retired, after he was out of the spotlight, he’d be more willing to openly be in a relationship with a man.

But Shea had no idea what Dom’s plans were for after retirement. Hell, he wasn’t sure Dom knew what his plans were. What if he took a job with the organization? What if he continued to be in the public eye?

How long could Shea wait?

And the moment he told Dom he wanted to be together, the pressure would mount.

Audra had been right.

Shea could be patient, for a while. A few more years, maybe.

But forever?

He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t spend the rest of his life in a hidden relationship.

Marriage wasn’t huge on his list of things he felt like he needed, but he did need a partner who was proud to be with him.

Privacy from the media, from the general public, from the trashy gossip sites … that was fine. Shea certainly didn’t need to splash his relationship all over social media for validation.

But Shea wanted to be with someone who was comfortable acknowledging what they meant to each other in front of their family and friends.

And honestly, Shea wasn’t sure if Dom would ever be ready for that.

The thought made him sad, not only for himself, but for Dom.

Shea’s phone buzzed on the nightstand and, with a sigh, he grabbed it and unlocked it. He froze when he saw the number of notifications.

Phone calls, texts, every chat app and social media site he used.

Oh shit, that was a bad sign.

He immediately went for the app he used to chat with Dom and found several messages waiting, his stomach growing queasier with each one he read.

Are you awake?

Fuck! Pick up your damn phone. I need to talk to you. It’s urgent.

Numbly, Shea sat up, reading the next one.

JockGossip is insinuating you’re an escort.

With shaking hands, Shea typed out a response. I’m sorry. I just woke up and saw this. What do you want me to do?

Kate’s already here to discuss strategy. I’ll call a car for you. Bring Audra if you can.

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