Page 52 of Dominate
Her tone brings me up short. I sit back and take in a few deep breaths to calm my anger. She’s right. I know she’s right. But I hate that she has this whole other part to her life that I don’t have a say in.
I slide across the bench and pull Sloan onto my lap, my hands wrapping around her jaw so she has to look at me. “I’m sorry,” I murmur, pushing her hair back from her face and staring right into her eyes. “I’m not used to this.”
“Used to what?” she asks quietly, staring back at me with sad eyes.
I shrug half-heartedly. “Not controlling conflicts I guess.”
She looks at me with a “come on, be serious”expression, then rolls her eyes with a dramatic sigh. “One night with a little power and it goes straight to your head.”
In one quick shot, I pull her down and assault her sides with my fingers. She squirms and giggles and begs me to stop. The whole feeling of her laughing beneath me is fantastic. She looks young and carefree, as she should.
Once I stop, she sits back up on my lap and I slowly rub my hands on her legs. “In my family, I am in control a lot. I solve problems, I run interference. I’m used to fixing things. This is going to take some getting used to for me.”
Sloan chews her lip thoughtfully for a minute, then says, “I get it. And I’m not going to fight you forever, Gareth. I want to be in a partnership. An equal give and take. I want someone to share my struggles and joys with because I’ve never had that. But we’re still so new and I have to handle this how I see fit. What if this doesn’t work out?”
“It’s going to work out,” I reply, running my hands up and down her arms soothingly. “I’m in love with you, Sloan.”
“You don’t know everything about me. You might hate my quirks.”
“I love your quirks.”
She rolls her eyes and groans, “You don’t even know my quirks.”
My jaw tightens as I shoot her a moody glower. With a deep breath, I state, “I know that you hate tea but love teacups. I know that you snore if you’ve had a really good orgasm before bed. I know that you aren’t fulfilled as a personal stylist, and I’ll do everything in my power to help you see your potential for more because you’re bloody brilliant at making suits. I know you miss the sense of family but not necessarily your family.
“And I know that you’ll never love me more than you love Sophia, and I think it’s incredible that you’re always a mum first. The truth is, I think that’s what drew me to you the second I met you. You have this selflessness about you that I find really fucking attractive.
“And I know why you’re so protective of Sophia and why being in a relationship with me where you had all the control was so necessary. But I think as much as you crave that control, you crave someone who will push back as well. Someone to challenge you on things and teach you how to live a little again.
“But mostly, I know that if I can connect with Sophia someday in a meaningful way, then it will be the moment I know you’re mine forever and I can marry you.”
“What?” Sloan gasps. Her jaw drops and she covers her mouth with her hands. “Gareth, what did you just say?”
I raise my chin. “You heard me, Sloan. I’ve known you for years now, and these aren’t new feelings. These are dormant feelings that I’m tired of holding back.”
“You’re crazy,” she replies, her jaw still dropped.
“I’m crazy about you,” I reply and bring her down to my face. “I’m not rushing you with this Sophia thing. Do what you think is best. But please know that I’m here, Sloan. And I’m all fucking in.”
Suddenly, my mobile vibrates in my jeans pocket. Begrudgingly, I move to pull it out and see that it’s a London area code that I don’t recognise. I shoot Sloan an apologetic look, but she’s still reeling from what I’ve just said, so I don’t imagine she’ll notice I’ve taken a call.
I swipe the green button and answer. “Hello?”
“Harris, this is Gary Austin, the England Football Team manager.”
“Yes, hello, Coach,” I reply quickly and help a mannequin version of Sloan back down onto the seat. “What can I do for you?”
“Look, I’m not going to dance around this because I’m sure it’s no surprise to you considering the media won’t shut up about it,” he grumbles in an annoyed tone. “I’m interested in inviting you and your three brothers to play for England at the World Cup.”
My chest instantly tightens. I’ve received calls like this before for various Euro cups and tournaments, and it’s always an honour. But I thought it was just a rumour that my brothers might all be invited as well. This is next level success for our entire family.
I clear my throat and do my best to sound calm when I reply, “Thank you for your consideration. It’s truly an honour, sir.”
“Right. I haven’t completely made up my mind about who I’m recruiting, but I’ve chosen to announce some early squad members to try to get the press off my bleedin’ back. So I’m inviting you and your brothers to a behind-closed-doors training camp I’m putting on next month at Cobham Training Centre. The National Football Centre grass is getting reworked, so this centre is the best I can do during my limited time slot.”
“Oh, sure, sure, Chelsea’s club training grounds. I can be there, sir,” I reply, recalling the game I played against Chelsea a few months back. Shutting down Vince Sinclair this year was a career highlight for me, so hopefully I can take some of that energy and apply it to this camp.
“There will be a press conference at the end of the camp, announcing who I select for the team. You just recovered from a concussion, yes?”
