Page 6 of My Bodyguard’s The Boss

Austin hummed, leaning back against the closed car door and folding his arms. He was wearing another well-fitting suit, the sleeves rolled up to expose the tattoos that made so many people buy into his tough guy schtick: knives, flames, and skulls dotted around his toned arms, emphasizing the muscle.

“I don’t know,” Austin said lazily. “Kind of loving the breeze out here. It’s really getting warm, huh?”

He stretched, his untucked button-down riding up to expose that flat stomach that Dominic wanted to bite.

Austin caught him looking and grinned. He was being a shit. They both knew it. He was trying to get Dominic to touch him, a fact that Dominic had caught onto pretty damn quick. It was hard not to notice how Austin’s eyes lit up every time he grabbed him to guide him somewhere.

Austin’s pupils swelled as Dominic stepped closer, slipping a hand against his back. It was closer than Dominic usually allowed himself, but he’d only been dancing closer to the line with every month he worked here. One of these days, he would actually have to take Ben’s advice: either quit or fuck Austin.

But until then, he had a job to do. He fought down the sexy admonishment he sorely wanted to say and led Austin toward the door, ignoring the horde of screaming fans behind the barrier who had started snapping photos and calling for autographs.

“Don’t,” Dominic warned as Austin took a step toward them.

Austin rolled his eyes. “I can’t keep ignoring them.”

“You can when you have that stalker who keeps violating her restraining order,” Dominic said. “Keep walking.”

Austin sighed but did. Dominic had to bite his tongue so he didn’t say the words from last night: good boy.

The charity gala was boring, as usual. It only took so long to scope out their surroundings, and nobody came up to Austin to say hello.

“The upsides of being terrifying, I guess,” Austin muttered to Dominic as he downed a glass of wine.

Dominic eyed the glass. It was his second one in half an hour. Austin didn’t usually drink unless he was worried about something.

Austin lowered the glass and smacked his lips. “Saves me from talking to anyone, I guess.”

“Yes, you hate that,” Dominic replied dryly.

Austin snickered. Another thing Dominic had quickly picked up on: Austin could be friendly, but it took him a while. For those first few meetings, he would be too busy playing into that tough guy schtick that made him so famous. People had to work to get his guard down. Even Dominic had to work at it, at first. Then Austin became so open it actually surprised him. He tried to play off all his movie invites as witty banter, but there was something so vulnerable underneath it that Dominic always felt bad turning him down.

Austin was lonely. Dominic didn’t think he realized how lonely he was. He talked to people all the time, but only for work. The only time Austin really let his guard down was when his little brother Levi dropped by, and occasionally when his father flew in.

And with Dominic. Even if Dominic never let him get too close.

“At least I have you,” Austin continued. “You know all the other bodyguards are lined up at the walls, right?”

“I can do,” Dominic offered quietly.

“No, no,” Austin said. “Stick around. You’re more interesting than any of these chucklefucks.”

Austin was smirking, but as always, there was something so true underneath it that made Dominic want to hug him. And he was not a hugger.

Dominic turned away, pretending like he was scoping out the gala. Attendees in their fancy gowns, wait staff carrying trays of wine and picking up empties. There was a woman with terrible bangs who looked vaguely familiar—maybe she worked these venues a lot.

“Aw, don’t be like that,” Austin said. He rocked sideways, bumping their shoulders together. “I know you like me.”

Dominic stilled. The words triggered a memory he’d been trying to suppress for months:

Austin had been stumbling home from yet another one of these charity events. He’d been wasted, which wasn’t typical for him. He’d been slurring and giggling in a way that didn’t suit his persona at all, a fact he kept pointing out as Dominic dragged him through the front door.

Then he’d sat down in the front hall and refused to move.

Your shift is over, he’d said, staring up at Dominic with glazed eyes that suggested maybe he’d taken something stronger than booze on a rare moment when Dominic wasn’t looking. You can go. You’re a bodyguard, not a babysitter.

Dominic had thought about it. But Austin seemed so damn sad that he’d done something he’d done for a few of his army buddies—hell, even his friends in high school—when they had too much: Dominic had taken off his shoes. Then his suit jacket. He’d gotten Austin to drink a glass of water—and, shockingly, brush his teeth—and almost gotten him into bed when Austin dragged him in by his tie.

I know you like me, Austin had whispered, a perfect mirror of what he’d said to Dominic just now. His breath had been heavy with whiskey and his grip was slack, but Dominic couldn’t pull away. Not with what Austin said next.