Page 9 of Dominate
I nod woodenly, knowing that’s for the best. “My agent will keep this under the radar,” I reply, dropping my head back on my pillow. “This is a private hospital, so stuff doesn’t get leaked like it does elsewhere. He’ll take care of it, and I’ll do everything I can to keep you out of the papers.”
Sloan runs her hand down my arm in a soothing manner. “Stop worrying about me, Gareth. Whatever happens, happens. I’m just grateful we’re both okay.”
I take a big breath just as my dad walks back into the room with my brothers and Vi. They are deep in conversation when I interrupt them to say, “The police said I can’t return home until they’ve cleared the crime scene, so can one of you book me a hotel room?”
Vi nods and pulls her mobile out of her handbag. “I’m on it.”
“Then you guys should all go home. They are going to run some tests on me anyway. No sense in everyone sitting around here all night.”
Vi’s tired eyes look at me sharply. “Gareth, I’m not leaving you. I’ll book a room for myself as well.”
Sloan’s voice interrupts Vi’s dialing when she says, “Or you can stay at my house.”
I turn my eyes to her and feel an intense pressure in my chest that has nothing to do with my injuries and everything to do with Sloan.
She blushes from everyone’s attention on her and adds, “There’s room for whomever wants to stay. Of course, I understand if you’re more comfortable at a hotel.”
My dad begins voicing excuses for why a hotel would be better, but I cut him off and reply to Sloan, “I’ll stay with you.”
The corners of her mouth lift into a wobbly smile as she avoids eye contact with me. She’s nervous. The truth is, so am I. Sloan is opening up her home to me. Her life. Hell, maybe even her child? Am I ready for this? I bloody well better be. I told her I want more. No more boundaries. No more secrets. I may be injured, but my feelings for Sloan are still as strong as they’ve always been. Maybe even stronger after all of this.
If she’s going to offer me this olive branch, I’m going to take it and more.
WHEN IT COMES TOHARRISsiblings, it’s hard to do anything significant without each other. When one is honoured, we all celebrate with them. When one hurts, we all feel the pain alongside them. The support and the bond that we formed at a very young age is intense because of our upbringing. We were parentless, so it was necessary to band together or we all would have turned out as complete head cases.
Well, more than we already are I should say.
So it takes a lot of convincing to get my brothers to go back to London. I know they have football schedules that don’t allow them to be away, and I don’t want anyone missing matches just to watch me. I tried to push Vi to go back with them for Rocky because Christmas is only a few days away, but she seems adamant on staying. Probably to ensure Dad and I don’t kill each other.
After the CT scan, Dr. Howard said I needed to stay overnight for observation, but Sloan was released since her injuries are less severe. I hated seeing her go, but she seemed to want to prepare her house for my arrival tomorrow, so I let the boys take her back to her house when they left. The urgency I have to protect her is strong and not something I’ve ever experienced with anyone outside of my family. It’s an unnerving feeling, so I ended up having my agent organise a security officer to watch over her house. Sloan wasn’t happy about it at first, but I think the fact that I’m lying in a hospital bed made her less inclined to argue with me.
After a fitful night’s sleep with Vi and Dad sitting in chairs beside me all night, I’m finally released the next day. We file into the car Dad rented and head toward Sloan’s address. Her neighbourhood is similar to my father’s in Chigwell, which I notice seems to soothe him somehow. That aggravates me further. He was harsh on Sloan last night and I don’t fucking know why. But my head isn’t in the right place to deal with his belated, overprotective bullshit right now.
A few minutes later, we pull up behind the security car in front of Sloan’s home. The last time I was here wasn’t an overly positive experience, so my nerves are on edge.
Sloan rushes out her front door, obviously having been watching out the window for our arrival. I struggle a bit to get out of the car as nausea and dizziness overwhelm me. Dad has his arm around me in an instant, but I pull away from him in frustration.
“I’m fine. Just give me a minute,” I state, refusing his offer of an arm while leaning on the open car door.
“The doctor said you’d be dizzy, Gareth,” Dad’s gruff voice retorts. “Stop being stubborn and let me help. You don’t want to injure yourself further.”
“I just need a minute,” I snap harshly just as Sloan reaches us.
She offers a tight smile to my father, then holds her hand out to me. “Allow me?” she asks and tucks herself under my arm and wraps her arm around my waist. She feels good. Warm and soft, yet her touch is firm on me.
She whispers under her breath so only I can hear, “Don’t backtalk me, Harris. You may be injured, but I’m not opposed to spanking some sense into you.”
A surprising chuckle rolls through my body, and I can’t help but relish in it for a moment. I’ve had so very little to feel good about in the last twenty-four hours, so Sloan speaking to me like normal is refreshing. I wrap my arm around her shoulders and lean on her as she walks me toward the front door. Dad and Vi come in behind me with a couple bags of clothes that Vi went out and bought for us all last night.
We step inside and the smell of food permeates my nose instantly. I do a quick survey of the space and note that Sloan’s house is so very Sloan. It’s bright and cheerful. It looks lived in.
Beside the front door is a clothing rack full of garment bags. To the left is a formal dining room with a table that’s covered in fabric and a couple of official-looking sewing machines stationed on either side.
“You have a beautiful home, Sloan,” Vi states excitedly, then points to the dining room table. “Is that where the magic happens?”
“My colleague, Freya, does most of the magic,” Sloan replies and her cheeks flush with embarrassment. “I don’t do a lot of designing. My business consists of personal shopping, merchandising, and tailoring, which Freya is amazing at.”
Suddenly, the sound of a door slams down the hallway. All of our heads snap toward the noise as I instinctively push Sloan back behind me, my entire body stiffening with alert.
