Exposed Exposed (Dom Nation #1) - E. Davies Page 0,39

me to see that he was turning them all down.

I should smile or something. Maybe wink at him. Do something. But rooted to the spot, all I could do was cling to his gaze like a lifeline.

“Well.” Seb’s deep voice made me nearly jump out of my skin. He cast a pointed look between me and Slate, then raised an eyebrow. “Running a home for waifs and strays?”

A defensive flush burned through my cheeks. “He’s new. He needs… guidance.”

Seb smirked knowingly, rubbing a palm over his salt-and-pepper beard, which was just short enough it could still be called scruff. “Needs you, you wanted to say,” he told me as he leaned on the counter with an elbow.

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. There was a lull in customers, and nobody at the tables nearby could hear us. “Fine,” I muttered and folded my arms. “I invited him home last night.”

“So I heard.” Seb’s deep brown eyes glittered with curiosity. “Why? He’s not your boy.”

I gritted my teeth. It was impossible to ignore the pull in me at those words. I hated them, and hated that Seb was right. Did that mean I wanted Slate?

“I let him sleep in my bed,” I hissed, shaking my head. “I must be out of my mind.”

“Love does strange things to a man.” But despite his teasing words, Seb was studying me like an insect pinned to a card.

That trick didn’t usually have any effect. A submissive boy might squirm and blush, but not me. Tonight, though? I turned as red as a maraschino cherry.

“Stop,” I muttered. “Go directly to jail, do not pass Go.”

“Am I wrong?”

“You’re a dick,” I told him, and I earned an easygoing laugh.

“I am,” Seb agreed. “You know that. But am I wrong?”

Ugh, I hated when he pulled this shit. Normally he left me alone to figure out what I needed on my own time. But early on, when I’d been brand-new to DN, he’d pushed me more—forced me to admit what I wanted to do, and it had made me a better Dom.

He was doing the same thing all over again, and we both knew it.

I refused to answer, just looking around the little shop as if I could summon someone to the counter for another cupcake by doing so. But everyone was caught up in conversation or scrolling through Grindr on their phones. Damn it, there was no rescue in sight.

Seb blocked my view by stepping in front of me, making me look at him. “Is he your boy or not? He’s out there hustling for you right now,” he said, his voice stern but quiet—a scolding note in it.

I bristled. “What’s it to you?” He doesn’t have eyes on him, does he? We might have been friends for years, but I’d fight tooth and nail to keep hold of Slate.

Which was exactly the problem. I wasn’t supposed to form attachments like that—not to anyone. Slate deserved someone like Seb in his life, not… me.

The grin spread over Seb’s face. “Wow. You’ve got it bad, X.” His casual use of my nickname soothed my ruffled feathers. He’d had my back over the years—he wasn’t trying to steal my boy.

Crap. No. Not my boy.

Jesus, Rex. Get it together, I thought. Briefly losing my cool, I huffed and pulled my shoulders up in a sharp shrug. “So I want him. So what?”

“You tell me. You’re making him parade around out there—”

“Letting him,” I corrected him sharply. He couldn’t know how Slate had sweet-talked me into it this morning.

“Who’s in charge here?” Seb asked. I blushed, but his tone was gentle. “If he’s not your boy, stop dicking the poor fucker around. And if he is… well, make sure he knows that.”

“Thanks for the unsolicited advice column,” I sighed heavily, drawing circles on the counter as I looked out the glass door again.

“Isaac’s not around, by the way. But I think you knew that, if you left Slate outside by himself.” Seb’s gaze was far too perceptive. I’d made inquiries this evening before Slate arrived, and one of Isaac’s friends had said he wouldn’t be here tonight.

Good. That didn’t absolve the guilt that squirmed in my belly about not telling Brighton or the DMs what was going on. This was the worst kind of secret to keep.

“Oh?” I asked, trying to sound casual.

“He flew into a temper last night after you two left. Tony told him to cool his heels and not come back for a couple of