Page 111 of Counterpoint
“If you’d like to. We’d have a lot of details to work out, but I’m serious, Dominic. I’ve been since the beginning. Not a fling. And I’ll take what comes.”
Agony ripped through Dom’s heart. Everything he wanted. All that he could not ask Adrian to give. “I—need to think about that.”
“I figured you might.” There was that soothing tone again. “Trust what I say, though.”
“I will.” He believed Adrian, believed that Adrian believed what he said was true. Knew that it wasn’t. “I should let you go. You have work tomorrow.”
“Okay. But I want you to do something for me.”
Dom pushed out a breath, his pulse kicking up. Wasn’t lust—he was too damn tired and strung out—but that sense that whatever it was that Adrian offered, he would need. “What?”
“Kneel for me.”
He obeyed before he even thought about it, sliding onto the hotel room floor. “Yes.”
“Stay there until you find your center, Dominic.”
A fresh wave of tears threatened. “I might be here a long time.”
“I don’t think so. You’re strong. And I love you.”
Dom leaned against the bed and bit back the words he wanted to say, the ones that would refute all three statements. But his heart and soul had already settled into the work Adrian had laid before him. “All right.”
“Night, babe.”
“Good night.”
When the line went silent, Dom set the phone down on the floor, buried his head in his hands, and finally let the stress and fear and anxiety wring the tears out of him. It didn’t hurt, though, and that surprised him. Felt cleansing. He took a breath, then another.
Maybe, maybe he was strong at his core. Domino was. And, as everyone kept pointing out, hewasDomino Grinder.
So what would Domino do?
He raised his head and sat for a while, letting thoughts tumble through his head until one settled in and stayed. Domino wouldn’t let go of the man of his dreams, so maybe Dom shouldn’t, either.
It was so fucking hard, though. He trusted what Adrian said, but he knew he’d change Adrian’s life for the worst.
Which was better? Fighting or letting go? He still didn’t know.
Slowly, he rose to his feet and shook out his legs—then called room service for a burger and a beer. Tomorrow he’d sit down with the band and their manager and figure out what came next.
Chapter Twenty
The week after the revelation about Dominic both flew by fast and went excruciatingly slowly. Greg had made good on his threat, and a mere two days later, Adrian’s own photo had been splashed across a website, along with the headlineDOMINO GRINDER’S SECRET LOVERand some painfully intimate tidbits about their dinners. He’d wandered over to Poet and Whiskey after work, intent on giving the owner a piece of his mind, and spotted more than a few people following him.
And when he’d gotten to Poet and Whiskey, he’d pretty much killed every conversation by walking into the place. The owner found him first, and apologized profusely for the invasion of privacy. She assured him that Greg had been fired. So he’d stuck around for a beer and been surprised when the staff and patrons closed ranks around him.
The night was pleasant, and he ended up texting Dominic about it.
Not everyone is an asshole.
Dominic had been pleased.Yeah, I know. My new therapist keeps pointing that out, too.
They’d been texting every day, and talking when they both knew each other was alone. It hurt to be apart. Adrian tried to keep the loneliness out of his voice, so not to add to Dominic’s stress. He sounded so tired most days, but the connection helped.
None of this was easy. Watching the news about Twisted Wishes on Twitter and the gossip sites was unnerving. And so were finding people hanging out in front of his house waiting for Adrian to come out each morning.
He’d never kept a huge footprint on the internet, but there was enough public information out there. His address from real estate records. His résumé still lurked on some job-hunt sites. They’d found his gym membership, though no one there had given any reporter the time of day, thank goodness.
