You can’t fall deeper if you’re already on the bottom, a voice said hesitantly at the back of his mind.
Sam ignored it.
Dominic sighed, looking long-suffering but fond. “Luke Whitford has a type. He seems to have a bit of a weakness for assholes, especially when they’re tall, dark, and older than him. If he really was kidnapped by Roman Demidov, it’s not impossible that he might have developed a bit of a thing for Demidov. The Russian fits Luke’s type to a T.”
So do you, Sam thought unhappily. Aloud he said, “I thought Luke was looking for a serious, committed relationship?”
Dominic looked at him over the rim of his mug. “It’s not exactly rare to think with your dick in the heat of the moment and do things you shouldn’t.”
Their eyes met and held, Dominic’s gaze steady and serious.
Sam’s stomach plummeted.
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “I guess you’re right.”
Seemingly oblivious to his discomfort, Dominic continued, “I actually considered going for the asshole type, but Luke seems to be rational enough to understand that he can’t trust men like that, no matter how attracted to them he might be. Ultimately, I need his trust, so the role of a man he would like to marry is more useful in the long run than the role of a man he would like to fuck.”
Sam scoffed. If Dominic thought that Luke wouldn’t want to sleep with him, he was in for a surprise.
Dominic glanced at his watch and set his mug down. “Shit, I’m running late.” He stood, grabbing his suit jacket off the back of his chair and slipping it up his arms and over his shoulders.
“Good luck with Luke,” Sam forced out.
Dominic paused and looked at him. “Thanks, Sammy,” he said, his deep voice warm and raw. His hand brushed Sam’s shoulder as Dominic passed him on his way to the door.
When the door closed after Dominic, Sam sagged back in his seat, licking his lips. He’d never wanted a goodbye kiss so fucking badly.
Maybe something had changed, after all.
* * *
Sam looked around nervously, half-expecting to be kicked out of the command center any moment. But no one as much as glanced at him, all handlers busy watching over their respective agents and occasionally barking orders at them. He’d never been at the command center before and, strictly speaking, he probably wasn’t supposed to be there, but his clearance hadn’t been revoked yet after the Brylsko mission so he grabbed the chance to watch Dominic’s mission.
As he watched Dominic smile and flirt with Luke Whitford, Sam was beginning to regret it. He tried to remind himself that Dominic was straight and wasn’t interested in Luke, but it was useless. The admiration, the attraction in Dominic’s dark eyes as he looked at Luke seemed absolutely genuine. It turned Sam’s stomach for several different reasons. Luke was so pretty. Sam could totally see even straight men finding Luke attractive. But if Dominic was just pretending to be attracted to him… if Dominic was that good at pretending, how could he be sure that Dominic hadn’t lied to Sam about not pitying him?
The longer he watched Dominic and Luke’s date, the worse Sam felt. Luke seemed like a nice bloke. What Dominic was doing was so cold-hearted and manipulative. Dominic had researched Luke’s past relationships and knew why every single one of them failed. He knew what Luke was looking for in a relationship and had carefully crafted his image into that of the man of Luke’s dreams. It was both ingenious and disgusting.
“Look, I’m going to be blunt with you,” Dominic told Luke, his expression serious. “I don’t want any misunderstandings here. I want to make sure we’re on the same page.” He looked Luke in the eye, his gaze open and calm. “I’m tired of the club scene and casual relationships. At this point I would like a husband and a couple of kids to spoil.” Dominic shrugged. “I really like you, but if a serious relationship isn’t what you’re interested in, you’d better tell me now.”
“You’re taking a huge risk, A11,” Dominic’s handler said, looking agitated. “What are you going to do if he says no?”
Dominic, of course, ignored his handler, perfectly calm and confident that it would work.
It did.
Luke brought his glass to his lips and sipped his drink, clearly taken aback and unsure how to answer.
Dominic smiled, looking amused. “I’m not proposing or anything,” he said, reaching across the table and taking Luke’s free hand. Sam glared at it, hating how good Luke’s small hand looked in Dominic’s. In the meantime, Dominic continued, “I don’t want you to freak out. I’m just saying I like what I see—a smile like yours doesn’t lie—and I’d really like to get to know you better. Would you like to get to know me?”