Exposed Exposed (Dom Nation #1) - E. Davies Page 0,58

yet, I tingled with arousal because I wanted so badly to be the man he was speaking to—and I had no doubt, somehow, it was a man.

The only doubt was who… oh, and why, but that seemed of secondary importance. I was disappointed that there was a who to ask about.

And the jealousy was red-hot, lodged in a tender place in my chest. A knife twisted in my belly, but this time, it wasn’t picking through my nerves to find the very best to light up.

Instead, a cold realization set in.

I’d given him everything of me, and what a dumbass that made me. I shouldn’t jump to conclusions and assume he was talking to some other boy—the very thought made me bare my teeth. But at the same time, it was far from the only secret Rex was keeping.

That needed to end, if this was going anywhere. Rex wasn’t going to become Isaac 2.0. However kind and gentle he was, withholding information was Isaac’s game, too.

I needed to know more about him, now.

I’d gone too far, given him too much when we hadn’t talked about half the shit we should have. It felt like I knew him body and soul because we’d shared orgasms, a first kiss, our very deepest and most shameful desires…

What would it take to get him to call me a cocksucker in that voice, too?

Fuck. Even faced with all the mysteries of Rex’s life, that was still my biggest concern? Finding a fresh new way for him to humiliate me until I spilled my unworthy seed under his unyielding gaze?

I pinched the bridge of my nose and leaned down to scoop up the pajamas, padding down the smooth steps to the bed so I could slip into them.

I was so screwed-up that there was nothing Rex could say that would scare me. I’d worried over the past day—how the hell could I convince him of that without scaring him off first? Well, that wouldn’t stop me anymore. This had gone further and faster than I ever intended. If it wasn’t too late to save my heart, I could at least save a few scraps of my dignity.

I couldn’t let Rex steer me away yet again from asking him who he was—and I didn’t just mean in the sense of why do you live in an apartment fit for a king.

One way or another, I needed answers, and I couldn’t wait one more night.

10

Rex

The bedroom door slid closed, and I leaned heavily on the kitchen counter, my heart thudding against my throat like it was trying to bust out. My corset was the only thing holding me together—messy feelings threatened to spill everywhere.

Fuck. My brain was sluggish like molasses. Right here in the no-man’s-land between my kitchen and living room, I’d lost the battle of wills.

Is he your boy or not?

Seb had asked me that just tonight. But it felt like weeks ago. As if Slate and I had unlocked a secret extra life hidden between the seconds of the ordinary life that I’d been trapped in before meeting him.

Well, fuck. I had my answer at last.

Slate was my boy.

It wasn’t even like I needed evidence. My gut just knew. But the evidence was there anyway: he’d never once flinched at the things I did or said. He lapped it up, and came so hard he’d seen stars. He’d taken it all and then some, and for a brief moment, I’d let myself feel like it could all be okay. I’d let down my guard.

Because my heart had told me to.

Duh, you idiot, I told myself. Sex wasn’t even the beginning. I’d already invited him to every part of my life: my home, my bed, my shop. He was here, like it or not, and I had to figure out how I felt about it.

I leaned on the counter with both hands, bowing my head over it and pushing my spine straight as I took deep breaths. Slate was there, in my bedroom, waiting for me with those innocent wide eyes and that trusting soul that needed me as much as I needed him.

That wasn’t even the scary part.

Tonight was just a hint of what we both needed, and I was pretty sure we both knew it. But pushing Slate further meant pushing myself further. Sticking my neck out. Letting the sharp parts out of the pit where I’d locked them away. Taking the risk of having Slate look at me like the monster I feared I