“Sorry,” Luke said, trying not to show his surprise. It was the first time Dominic was anything but gentle and considerate around him. “I’m asking only because he didn’t seem happy to see me. He looked…a bit threatened.”
Dominic sighed, running a hand over his face. “Sammy is insecure. He thinks I’ll get rid of him when I start my own family.” He looked Luke in the eye. “He’s wrong. He’s not going anywhere, no matter what anyone thinks.”
Hint taken.
Luke forced a smile and wrapped up the conversation, claiming tiredness. He closed Skype and sagged back against his pillows, frowning deeply. He hadn’t just imagined Dominic warning him in no uncertain terms that Sam’s presence in his house was non-negotiable even if they were to get serious. And Roman had implied that things weren’t as innocent as Dominic had made them out to be.
For God’s sake.
Luke groaned, turning onto his stomach and burying his face in his pillow. Why did he trust Roman’s words over Dominic’s? He shouldn’t draw hasty conclusions. If Dominic was protective of the homeless kid he’d given a home to, it was only admirable. Surely it said good things about his character. It showed he would be a great, caring father one day. Dominic was perfect. He was being silly doubting it. As soon as Dominic returned from Japan, which was tomorrow, Luke should say yes: that he would like to enter into a relationship with him. Delaying it was pointless.
Decision made, he closed his eyes and hoped for no more dreams.
But the dreams came.
In his dream, he was sitting cross-legged in Dominic’s charming little garden. A child’s giggling reached his ears. Luke grinned, watching a chubby, dark-haired toddler run toward him with outstretched arms. Luke caught him, laughing, and lifted the adorable little boy above his head. The toddler squealed, his blue eyes lighting up with delight.
* * *
The next day didn’t start well for Luke. He spent most of the morning in his father’s office—he still couldn’t think of it as his own—dealing with things that required his immediate attention and stoically ignoring the condescending and distrusting looks on his older employees’ faces. It wasn’t easy, considering the glaring fact that some things about the way the company was run didn’t make much sense, which probably had a lot to do with the unofficial side of his father’s business. That gave him a headache. Any investigation on his part could open up a whole can of worms Luke wasn’t sure he was equipped to handle right now.
Finally, sick and tired of all the intricate maneuvering and hours of negotiations, Luke left the company’s office in late afternoon and headed for Dominic’s house again. Dominic was supposed to arrive any minute now and Luke wanted to be there when he did.
Luke would have liked to say that he just couldn’t wait to see Dominic, but that wasn’t true. Before committing himself to anything, he wanted to see Dominic interact with Sam. Because, no matter what he told himself, something about the whole thing made him uneasy. Contrary to Roman’s opinion on him, Luke wasn’t a naive boy with his head in the clouds—not anymore. Yes, he still believed in the inherent goodness of people, and he would always be an optimist at heart, but after his fiasco of a relationship with Neville, who had turned out to be married, he would be an idiot to trust so blindly again.
When Luke got out of his car, he found Sam sitting on the porch of Dominic’s house, with a cigarette between his lips.
“Hi,” Luke said, walking over to the boy.
Sam stretched out his long legs in front of him, basically blocking the porch. Emerald green eyes looked at Luke sharply. “Dominic isn’t home yet.”
“I know,” Luke said, studying the boy. “But he should be back within the next half hour.”
“He’ll be exhausted after the long flight,” Sam said.
Luke almost laughed. The kid’s blatant dislike of him was kind of hilarious. And Sam truly was a kid—he might be taller and broader in the shoulders than Luke, but there was no way he was a day older than eighteen, perhaps even younger.
“I feel like I’ve killed your puppy or something,” Luke said mildly, smiling a little. He couldn’t remember the last time anyone had disliked him so much. “What did I do to you?”
Sam took a drag from his cigarette. “I don’t like pretty-faced, rich dickheads who use Dominic and lead him on. He deserves better.”
Luke frowned and cocked his head. “I’m not using him.”
“Please,” Sam said, scoffing. “When I lived on the streets, I saw a lot of stuff, you know. I’ve learned to read people. I’ve seen the pictures of you with Dominic. You never look like you’re attracted to him, like you’re fond of him. There’s something jaded and calculating as fuck about the way you look at him. Obviously you can’t be after his money.” He eyed Luke. “I can’t figure out what you’re after, but I don’t trust you.”