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“It’s just like last time,” he whispered against my neck. “My other apartment, finding Fawn there. Only this is something that happened to me.”
“You don’t have to live here, Dom. We can pack your belongings and you can move into the fortress.” It wasn’t the first time I’d brought it up, but I didn’t push it before. Now, being here, seeing how afraid he was to go inside, I wasn’t sure he could get past it.
Dominic didn’t seem to have any difficulty leaving my house, or the penthouse. He was fine at the club. We had gone to visit Dexen since everything happened. Though I was certain if I tried to bring Dominic to JJ’s shop, he’d react much like he was now, if not worse.
“I don’t want you to ask me to move in with you out of pity,” he muttered.
Leaning back, I placed my palms on his cheeks and lifted his face so I could look into his beautiful eyes. “I don’t pity you, vixen. I love you. I wouldn’t ask you to move in with us if I didn’t truly want you there. I know Perry does as well. You were still sleeping this morning when he left, but you should have seen him. He didn’t want to go to work for fear he wouldn’t see you again until the end of the week. He wants you there, with us. I want you there. Every day, every night. Although I won’t force you. It’s your decision.”
“What if another bad thing happens at your home or Perry’s? This is the second time I’ve had something take place where I lived. Maybe I’m bad luck.”
“Is it bad luck that you got to Fawn in time? That we got to you? No. Those were both awful things for you to deal with, but you got through them. Fawn is doing amazing with Josh, and Perry and I are so in love with you it’s beyond reason.”
Tears pooled in his eyes. “Really?”
“Listen to me when I say I love you, Dominic Summit. Perry loves you. Fuck, even Greer loves you but not in that way or I’d have to kick his ass. You belong with Perry and me.”
He gave me a watery smile. “Can we try going inside to see how I feel?”
“Anything you want.”
I held my arm around his waist while he unlocked the door. We didn’t stop touching when we went over the threshold. Everything in the apartment was just how it was the last time I came here to get more of his clothes. The forced air heat kept the air from being stagnant. Dust motes floated in front of the window in the kitchen where the sun was shining in.
Dominic pressed tighter to me; his breath came faster. “I don’t want to need anyone, Pey. I’ve prided myself on my independence. Fought so hard to make something of myself after I left my parents’ house. But I can’t… I can’t stay here. All I see is Emerald pointing a gun at me. I should have fought him. I should have done anything I could to get away.”
“You did what you had to, so you’d stay alive. Sometimes fighting back means not fighting at all. You didn’t have a gun. You didn’t have a weapon of your own. You weren’t trained to handle the situation. You did what you had to, Dom. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“I’m learning to fight.”
“You are.”
Greer and I had taken Dominic into our home gym and shown him some moves. Easy ones that didn’t harm his still healing body. I’d reached out to X about Dominic potentially going to his gym and learning from him. There was no one better to help Dominic. Plus, X wouldn’t hold back like Greer or I would. X was the best teacher. They were scheduled to start working together next month.
“I don’t want to take away your independence, Dom.” I pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I want to provide you with love and safety. You don’t even have to sleep in bed with Perry and me. You can have your own room, your own space. Whatever you need at whatever pace you need to go at.”
He peered over at me. “Do you think I could be in the same house as you two and not want to touch you both at all times?”
“I’m just offering.”
“This is crazy,” he muttered, more to himself than me. “We haven’t been together long and we’re jumping in with both feet. Then again, we’ve known each other for years. It’s not like we’re strangers.”
“All valid points.”
“Are you sure you want me there with you two permanently?” When he looked at me again, there was so much vulnerability in his eyes. I’d do whatever it took to make him happy and whole. Make him feel safe again.
“We do.”
“Okay,” he said, looking at the living room. “Okay, I’ll move in with you.”
With his decision made, we grabbed what he needed to go to work this week plus other items he wanted. I told him we’d come back over the weekend and pack the rest of his belongings. He said there was a secondhand shop he loved to get clothes from who would take his furniture, find it a new home. We’d get it handled.
When we stepped outside after locking his place up, it was like Dominic could breathe again. He took in a deep lungful of air and closed his eyes, simply inhaling the fresh, crisp air. When he opened them again, he said, “I need to go to therapy. I can’t keep running from my past. Yes, I can leave this place. I don’t think any amount of talking will make me comfortable living here, but at least I can work through what’s happened to me from when I was a child through now.”
“That’s a smart, brave decision. Perry and I will support you in whatever you need.”
“Thank you, Pey.” He wrapped his arms around me and pressed his lips to mine in the sweetest kiss known to man. I cherished every second of it, every second of having him in my life.
Dominic wanted to head right into work after being here. We had to get moving if he was going to be on time. Breaking the kiss was torture, but I knew I’d get another one later. Dominic was on the dinner shift. Perry and Greer were meeting us at the club tonight. I was planning on staying there through Dominic’s entire shift, even if he told me to go home, which he would. Secretly, he’d love me being there. He’d told us before when he knew we were watching, he danced just for us.
