Page 48 of Hard Bargain

Knox shot to his feet. “You think I won’t hate you for this?”

The anger in his voice hit Dominic like a spark to gasoline. He stood too, the distance between them gone before thought could intervene. Suddenly they were almost chest to chest, the argument alive in the space between them.

Dominic’s jaw flexed. “Hate me all you want. I’m not here to make you feel better.”

“I’ve watched five men die since I met you,” Knox shot back. “Five! Do you even hear how insane that sounds?”

He was looking at Dominic like he was the worst kind of monster. Yes, five was excessive. Messy. Far from the norm, even in Dominic’s world. But regret was pointless. Every one of those deaths had served a purpose.

“It’s not normal,” Dominic said evenly. “And it’s not how things usually go. You showed up at the wrong time.”

Knox let out a bitter sound. “Yeah. Guess I’m just unlucky.”

“Or maybe,” Dominic said, “you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.”

That landed heavier than he intended. Neither of them moved. Fury was radiating off Knox in waves, his breathing rough and uneven. Dominic became aware of everything at once. The heat of Knox’s body. The intoxicating scent of him. The way his eyes burned with something wild and utterly alive. And with a jolt of disbelief, he felt the unmistakable tension low in his body.

Jesus fuckin Christ.

Why the hell is my dick paying attention?

As if things weren’t already fucked enough.

Knox stood too close, practically vibrating with anger, and Dominic’s body had chosen this moment to become interested.

His hands curled into fists to keep from doing something stupid. The urge that hit him was deeply unhelpful and pointed in two equally bad directions—shoving Knox away to reclaim some breathing room, or dragging him closer and seeing exactly what happened if all that fire got redirected somewhere else.

“You want to keep acting like you don’t want this?” His eyes dragged over Knox, daring him to flinch. “You’re not fooling anyone.”

Knox glared back, shoulders rigid. “You don’t know shit about what I want.”

“No?” Dominic stepped closer, crowding him deliberately, forcing Knox to yield or stand his ground. “Then enlighten me.”

Knox stayed exactly where he was.

Dominic leaned in, his mouth close enough to Knox’s ear that the next words were little more than a whisper. “If you hate this so much… walk away.”

His own pulse was hammering, every instinct in him telling him he was pushing this too far and not nearly far enough. He didn’t know what he wanted—for Knox to storm out and end this, or to stay and shatter everything that was supposed to make sense.

Knox didn’t move.

Not an inch.

Dominic’s breath caught, control slipping through his fingers. His voice came out dark, stripped of everything but intent. “If you stay, you follow orders.”

Knox just stared at him, a war raging behind his eyes. Then he gave the smallest nod, a wordless surrender.

He wasn’t running.

He was choosing.

That was it. Dominic’s heart slammed against his ribs. He was hard—really fucking hard. His body making its interest brutally clear.

Fuck.

That’s when Knox’s gaze dropped to the unmistakable bulge pressing hard against Dominic’s pants, and he froze. Dominic saw the realization flash across his face. He watched the effect ripple through him: the flush crawling up his neck, the shaky inhale, the way his lips parted like he might say something before closing them again.

When Knox dragged his eyes back up, his pupils were blown, dark and hungry. That look sent a jolt through Dominic so fast it almost hurt.