Page 136 of Hard Bargain

His father’s voice surfaced. Disgusting. Filthy fags.

The words made his stomach clench. Tara had never given him a reason to doubt her, but the old fear rose anyway. What if this made Tara look at him differently? What if there was disappointment in her face? What if he lost her?

He was tired of letting the fear decide things for him. “Dominic,” he whispered.

Her whole expression changed, confusion snapping into place, followed by surprise. “Wait. Dominic? You mean—”

“Yeah.” He cut her off before she could say it out loud.

Silence dropped between them.

She leaned back and stared at him. “You’re… you’re sleeping with him?”

“Yeah.”

Tara exhaled and scrubbed a hand down her face. “Holy shit, Knox.”

There was no disgust in her voice, just shock. It still hit him wrong, worry distorting it into something uglier than it was. “Say it.”

She looked at him. “Say what?”

His eyes flicked away before he forced them back to hers. “Whatever you’re thinking. That you think it’s messed up. That it makes you hate me… Just say it.”

Her expression softened immediately. “Knox, no. Of course I don’t hate you. I could never hate you. I’m just surprised,” she admitted.

His vision blurred. He let out a shaky breath and dragged a hand over his face, but it didn’t do much. “I thought—” He swallowed hard. “I thought this would be the thing that messed us up.”

“It’s not,” she said gently. “And yeah, maybe I’m a little hurt too. I came here thinking…” She trailed off. “But that doesn’t change how I feel about you. You’re still you. I still love you.”

He leaned forward and pulled her into him, arms tight around her. “I love you too,” he whispered.

She hugged him back just as hard—familiar and unshakable. Proving that nothing had actually broken at all.

* * *

The TV cast a glow across the room, washing over the couch where Knox sat stretched out, one arm resting along the back. Tara had curled into him at some point during the movie, her head tucked against his shoulder. “Don’t pass out on me,” Knox said, nudging her.

“I’m awake,” she mumbled.

He huffed under his breath and let it go. A minute later her breathing evened out completely.

Yeah. Gone.

A knock at the door cut through the room. Knox frowned. “Who the hell—”

Careful not to jostle her, he eased out from under her and guided her down onto the cushion. She stirred, uttered something unintelligible, and went still.

The knock came again.

“Yeah, I’m coming,” he muttered as he pulled the door open.

Dominic stood there in sweats and a T-shirt, casually dressed but visibly tense. His jaw was set, expression guarded, and eyes locked on Knox. “Come sleep in my bed.”

Knox blinked, thrown off by how direct it was. He leaned against the doorframe, folding his arms. “You always start conversations like that?”

Dominic didn’t react, just watched him.

“Tara’s still here,” Knox added, nodding over his shoulder.