Dominic stepped back hurriedly, flushing. Jesus, he didn’t know anymore what was wrong with him where Sammy was concerned.
He knew that he liked coming home to a sleepy-eyed Sammy waiting up for him no matter how late it was. He knew that he liked cooking for two, that he liked teaching Sammy how to cook without burning down the house. He liked buying Sammy things and watching his pretty eyes light up. He liked seeing Sammy in the clothes he’d bought for him. He liked seeing Sammy happy and being the cause for his happiness.
Separately, none of those things were particularly odd. But together, he had to admit they were a bit strange.
Not to mention that wanting to snog Sammy without being asked to was more than just a bit strange, considering the fact that he was straight and Sammy seemed to genuinely want to be just friends. In the past few weeks since they’d had sex, Sammy had been perfectly affectionate and friendly, but there was a barely noticeable distance between them that hadn’t been there before—distance that bothered Dominic more than it should have.
“Something wrong?” Sammy said, cocking his head.
“No,” Dominic said, unclenching his jaw. He glanced at his watch. “Just remembered that I need to pick Luke up.”
Sammy nodded, his expression neutral. “How is it going? You’re still not official?”
Dominic eyed him carefully, but try as he might, he couldn’t see even a hint of jealousy. It seemed Sammy was truly over his little crush, which was… good. It was. “No. We’re just casually dating. He’s been very busy dealing with the fallout of his father’s death. I promised to help him sort through some documents, actually.”
“That’s promising, isn’t it?” Sammy said. “What about Roman Demidov?”
Dominic frowned at the reminder. “He’s still in Switzerland. He hasn’t made any contact with Luke. Maybe Luke has nothing to do with his father’s death, after all.”
Sammy pursed his lips. “Or maybe they know that MI6 is watching them.”
Dominic shrugged, grabbing his keys from the counter. “Don’t forget that you have your classes in two hours.”
Smiling, Sammy rolled his eyes. “Yes, Dad.”
“I’m not your dad,” Dominic said and almost grimaced. His voice had come out much sharper than he had intended.
Sammy raised his eyebrows, eyeing him curiously. “You’ve been weird today. Scratch that, you’ve been a bit weird for weeks. Tense.”
“I have a stressful job, Sam,” Dominic said, shrugging into his jacket.
Sammy chuckled. “Has anyone told you how ingenious your way of lying without lying is? I know you have a stressful job. It isn’t the reason you’ve been weird. And you never call me Sam unless there’s something off.”
Torn between feeling ridiculously proud and feeling dismayed that he was apparently so easy to read, Dominic gave him a lopsided smile. “Sorry. I think I just need to get laid. I get too damn irritable if I don’t.” It was true enough, though he didn’t know why he was telling that to Sammy.
You know why, you slimy bastard.
Dominic ignored the voice at the back of his mind, watching Sammy’s reaction.
Sammy’s eyes widened, his nostrils flaring. “So you haven’t had sex with anyone since we…” He trailed off, flushing, and then shrugged. “It’s been weeks. You should get laid.”
When Sammy didn’t offer to suck his cock, as he’d half-expected, Dominic nodded. “Maybe I should. Don’t wait up for me.”
Sammy was already looking at his iPad. “I won’t,” he muttered distractedly, paying him no attention.
Dominic looked at him for a few moments and then left.
He didn’t slam the door, but it was a close thing.
Chapter 25
Attending remedial courses wasn’t as scary as Sam had expected when Dominic had talked him into it weeks ago. No one laughed at him for being stupid. Everyone attending these classes was in a similar position to him. Sam wasn’t even the oldest kid around, so he didn’t stick out like a sore thumb. He had actually made a few friends his age, Lisa and Andy. Although he didn’t have a lot in common with them, he liked them. They were so… normal. They made him feel normal, too. It was such a novel feeling, considering that he’d gone from being a homeless pickpocket to living in a fancy house in Kensington.
“Want me to drop you off?” Andy said as they walked out of the building.
Sam shook his head. “Thanks, but I’ll take the tube. It’s not dark yet—”
Lisa elbowed him discreetly and mouthed, Shut up.
Sam blinked, confused.
Sighing exasperatedly, Lisa leaned to his ear and hissed, “He likes you, idiot.”
Slowly, Sammy looked from her to Andy, who flushed immediately.
Oh.
Now that Sam thought about it, he couldn’t believe how he had missed it. He wasn’t exactly inexperienced. It was just… He couldn’t imagine being with someone other than Dominic. And that was the crux of the problem, wasn’t it? He’d forgotten that other people could be attracted to him and that he could be attracted to other people. He was too hung up on Dominic.