Elijah is losing his damn mind.
Every time he tries to avoid Dominic, the man finds him.
Every time he convinces himself he feels nothing, Dominic does something infuriatingly hot that sends his pulse into overdrive.
And now?
Now, Dominic is toying with him.
And Elijah refuses to let him win.
---
Dominic's Little Game
Elijah is in the lounge, stretched out on the couch, pretending to read a book.
The key word? Pretending.
Because he's not focused on the book.
He's focused on the fact that Dominic is across the room, leaning against the bar, casually sipping whiskey while watching him.
Not subtly.
Not even a little bit.
Elijah grits his teeth. "Do you mind?"
Dominic takes another sip. "Not at all."
Elijah slams his book shut. "Can you stop staring at me like I'm your next meal?"
Dominic smirks. "Why? Does it make you nervous, Eli?"
Elijah's eye twitches.
He hates that nickname.
…No, he doesn't.
Fuck.
---
Elijah Fights Back
Fine. Two can play this game.
Elijah leans back, stretching lazily, letting his shirt ride up just enough to test Dominic.
He catches the slight tightening of Dominic's jaw.
Got him.
Elijah smirks. "Something wrong, Moretti?"
Dominic downs the rest of his drink in one go.
Then, suddenly, he's moving—
Closing the distance in three slow steps.
Elijah barely has time to react before Dominic is right there, towering over him, bracing a hand on the back of the couch.
Elijah's breath catches.
Dominic leans down, voice a low murmur.
"Careful, sweetheart. You're playing with fire."
Elijah's heart slams against his ribs.
Shit. Shit. SHIT.
---
The Interruption
Right before things can go too far—
Vincent walks in.
He stops. Blinks.
"…Am I interrupting something?"
Elijah shoves Dominic away. "NO."
Dominic chuckles, stepping back.
Vincent raises an eyebrow. "Yeah, okay."
Then he smirks. "Elijah, your face is red."
Elijah grabs a pillow and throws it at him.
---
Dominic's Victory
As Elijah storms off in frustration, Dominic watches him go, amused.
Vincent crosses his arms. "You're having way too much fun with this."
Dominic smirks. "Of course I am."
Vincent shakes his head. "You're dangerous, man."
Dominic lifts his glass. "That's the fun part."
And when he takes a sip, all he can think about is Elijah's burning face.
Checkmate.