Page 72 of Hard Bargain

Knox blinked, thrown off by how flat it landed. “That’s it?”

“What did you expect? That I’d be there holding your hand the whole time?” His eyes narrowed. “You’re not a child. And I don’t do that.”

Knox felt something bruise under the surface, but he held his ground. “Then why are you here now? You could have stayed away.”

“You came into my space,” Dominic replied. “That makes it my business.”

“I didn’t realize I needed clearance.”

“You don’t,” Dominic said smoothly. “But don’t pretend you didn’t know where you were coming—or why.”

That landed closer than Knox liked. The truth of it left him tongue-tied, scrambling for a response that wouldn’t reveal any more. But Dominic’s gaze cut deep, reading the silence for exactly what it was.

Knox held his ground. “You vanished,” he said. “After telling me I wasn’t like the others. That’s a hell of a way to invest in longevity.”

Dominic’s eyes flashed at that—at the fact Knox remembered his exact phrasing. “I didn’t vanish,” he replied evenly. “I was busy.”

“For two whole weeks?”

“Yes. Now tell me why you’re here.”

Knox’s pulse ticked harder. “Why should I answer that when you’re not being truthful?”

“I am being truthful.”

“No,” Knox said, shaking his head. “You’re being selective.”

Something darkened in Dominic’s eyes. “You get what I choose to give you.”

“Great,” Knox huffed. “And I’m supposed to just… what? Answer on command?”

“You’re the one who came here,” Dominic said. “If you had nothing to say, you could’ve stayed home.”

“That doesn’t mean I owe you anything.”

“Then don’t answer,” Dominic said. “And we’re done here.”

The dismissal was deliberate. A step back without moving an inch.

Knox’s jaw tightened. “Fine. I’ll answer you. But you go first.”

Dominic’s eyes narrowed. “That’s not how this works.”

“It is now.”

A beat. The music pulsed around them. Neither moved.

Knox held his gaze, searching for a crack and finding none. “You want the truth? Then give me yours first.”

Dominic studied him. Probably measuring cost and calculating outcome. The silence stretched long enough that Knox thought he’d refuse entirely. “One answer,” he said at last.

Knox nodded. “Why did you vanish?”

A flicker of irritation crossed Dominic’s face at the phrasing. Then he exhaled slowly through his nose. “I kept my distance.”

Knox went very still. “Why?”

“Because what happened that night wasn’t strategic,” he said. “And I don’t make decisions based on impulse.”