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He made himself walk to the door.
He’d just gotten into the lobby area when the door to the outside opened, and Mitch and Domi came in.
Brian frowned.
“What were you two doing out there?” he asked. He could have sworn they were in the club earlier. Was he losing it? Maybe he really did need more sleep if he was imagining things so vividly.
“Walking Rae to her car. She decided to make it an early night.” Mitch eyed him with suspicion. “You, too, huh?”
It took Brian a moment to realize what Mitch suspected, then he had to laugh because it was so far from the truth.
“I’m just going home to bed. Alone.” He said firmly, aware that Tracey—the subbie working the front desk this evening—was listening avidly to every word being said. He had no doubt it was going to do the gossip rounds along with everything else. “It’s a coincidence.”
Mitch nodded his head, though he didn’t seem convinced. Brian was aware that his friend was regarding him with a lot of concern.
“Trust me,” he said with a snort. “I’ve learned my lesson. There’s nothing between me and Rae.”
Giving them a wave, he headed out the door, too distracted and tired to notice the way Domi was watching him as he went.
29
Rae
I’ve learned my lesson.
“What does it mean?” Rae muttered. It didn’t sound good.
“I don’t know,” Domi admitted, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back against her chair. “I’ll be honest, I thought I’d find him here with you this morning.”
“Is that why you brought so much food?” Rae couldn’t help but be amused. Domi had shown up on her doorstep about twenty minutes ago with a bag full of takeout breakfast and a dangerous gleam in her eye. She’d barely paused before barging past Rae and running around the house, looking in every room. Bemused, Rae had just watched her until Domi was done and ready to explain what the fuck she was doing.
That was when she’d found out that Brian had left Stronghold right after her, and her first thought was, ‘I wish he’d been coming to secretly meet me.’
Then she’d immediately realized that wasn’t true.
She didn’t want him to secretly meet her at all.
Had running around and secretly hooking up on Hideaway Island been fun? Absolutely. But it wasn’t what she wanted. Not here at home. She didn’t want to be sneaking around. She didn’t want to have to pretend they weren’t together.
She wanted… him.
If he’d have her. If he could accept a compromise on the whole ‘Daddy’ thing.
If she could be brave enough to ask.
The fact he’d said he’d ‘learned his lesson’ when it came to her did not inspire hope.
For all that she liked to think she was a strong, confident woman who always went after what she wanted, she’d quickly started to realize when it came to matters of the heart, she was far more used to waving the white flag. Asking for a raise at work? No problem. Making herself vulnerable to Brian? I want to hide.
“I was kind of hoping he’d be here.” Domi sighed. “Even with what Mitch said. I think you guys would be really good together. I think you just need to convince him to give you another chance.”
“What makes you think he’d want to give me one?” Rae’s heart clenched as she sat down at the table across from Domi. “You heard what Mitch said about him giving chances. And it’s not exactly like I’m able to go and offer him everything he ever wanted.” She sighed. It really did sound hopeless.
Domi made a face and began to unpack the food, sliding some of the containers in front of Rae.
“What if you’re everything he ever wanted?”
“He’s always wanted to be a Daddy Dom. That’s something I can’t do for him,” she argued. She popped a piece of cantaloupe into her mouth, using some of the sweetness of the fruit to wash away the bitterness of the truth. If she couldn’t offer him everything he wanted, why would he say yes?
