Page 94 of Counterpoint
“I’m here.” Fingers on his cheeks, and Adrian’s lovely eyes peering into his. “Talk to me, babe.”
Worry threaded through every word. So much concern. So much love. “Can pour me into bed now.”
A smile, like sunshine, like lemon. His Adrian. “Let me finish. Get you cleaned up.” He kissed Dom so softly. “I love you, Dominic.”
Yeah. And Dom loved him, too. “Please stay with me.” He didn’t mean now. He meant longer. Didn’t know how to ask for that.
A flicker in those eyes. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Good. ’Cause I love you, too.” Dom closed his eyes. “Never loved anyone before you.”
Lips against his forehead, then Adrian made good on his promise. The rest of the ropes were undone. The cuffs and the collar removed, and the last thing Dom was aware of was being tucked under those cool sheets he felt so safe in.
Thiswas home.
Chapter Seventeen
Adrian woke slowly, and to a sight he absolutely loved—Dominic sound asleep next to him, face mashed into the pillow, his hair everywhere, and all the worries of the world gone from his body. Beautiful. Real. Whole.
Dominic Bradley was a rock star. He was also a scholar and a history geek and a book nerd. He was Adrian’s, too, and that was a miracle by itself. He knelt for Adrian. Gave over his body to be bound. Loved every second of it.
The aftermath of last night’s dinner had been astounding. Gratifying. Harsh. Loving.
And as much as Adrian adored every single moment he spent with Dominic, he was going to send him home. Because they both needed to recover from the events—all the events—of last night. But right now?
He would watch Dominic sleep, watch those lips that were curved into a gentle smile, and hold on. Hold on untilhefelt safe and secure. Right now, he didn’t. Yes, most of last night was a wild and perfect dream. Dominic’s submission. His declaration of love. The bondage and the sex. Those had been everything Adrian had wanted and more. So much more.
But the revelation about Dominic’s career—this entire public life Adrian knew nothing about—that had thrown Adrian hard. And worse, his anger and Dominic’s fear of discovery had cracked Dominic nearly in two.
Dominic had forgiven the anger, and Adrian believed him. It was the fear that scared Adrian. He certainly wouldn’t tell anyone Dominic’s secret. But he also didn’t necessarily want to be a secret, too. Would he even meet the band? If he suddenly appeared as Domino Grinder’s lover, well, too many people would connect the dots to Dominic.
He’d need to dwell on that. Dive deeper into the internet and see how close they already were. As much as he loved the man, Dominic was haphazard in a lot of ways. How he’d managed to pull off two separate lives for so long, Adrian had no idea. He suspected a lot of it was dumb luck.
And eventually, luck ran out.
He didn’t want luck to run out for Dominic. He wanted him safe and happy. Problem was, Adrian wasn’t sure how he fit into that.
Next to him, Dominic stirred and gave a soft groan, and flicked open his eyes.
“Hey, babe.” Adrian brushed Dominic’s messy hair from his forehead.
His reward was a sleepy smile and a drowsy reply. “Hey.”
“How are you feeling?”
Dominic closed his eyes, smile widening as he stretched. “Really well-fucked.”
Adrian couldn’t help the chuckle, nor the heat that ran through his body.
Dominic opened his eyes again, and this time his gaze was alert—and more serious. “Thank you for last night.”
“Thank you.”
A little frown. “You have that look.”
Confusion made Adrian shift. “What look?”
“The one you get when you’ve thought too much about something.” A few blinks, and Dominic’s frown deepened. “You’re upset.”
