Elijah barely had time to react before he was pulled into the black car waiting outside.
The door slammed shut.
Silence.
Dominic sat beside him, one arm resting against the door, fingers tapping against his knee in slow, measured beats.
Elijah exhaled. "Okay, are we gonna talk about it, or—"
"Do you think this is a fucking joke?"
Elijah froze.
Dominic wasn't yelling. His voice was low, controlled, but the barely restrained fury behind it sent a chill down Elijah's spine.
"You think I don't see what you're doing?" Dominic continued, finally turning to face him. "Flirting with Romano? Letting him touch you? Playing games with me?"
Elijah's jaw tightened. "First of all, I wasn't flirting. And second, I'm not playing games with you, Dominic."
Dominic leaned in, close enough that Elijah could feel his breath.
"Then what the fuck was that?" His fingers brushed Elijah's jaw, but it wasn't gentle. It was possessive, demanding.
Elijah refused to be intimidated. "That was me having a drink with a guy who doesn't act like he owns me."
Dominic's eyes darkened.
For a moment, Elijah thought he was going to snap—to take what he wanted right here in the car, consequences be damned.
But Dominic only exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through his hair. He was trying to control himself.
And for some reason, that made Elijah even more irritated.
"You don't get to be mad at me for talking to someone else," Elijah said, voice quieter now. "You don't own me, Dominic."
Dominic's jaw clenched, his hands curling into fists. "I know."
Elijah blinked, caught off guard by the admission.
"But I want to."
The confession hung between them, heavy and raw.
Elijah swallowed. His heart was pounding.
And for the first time, he didn't have a smartass response.
Because he wasn't sure if he wanted to run… or lean in.
The silence in the car was thick.
Elijah wasn't sure if it was the tension in Dominic's voice, the heat of his gaze, or the fact that for once, the mafia boss wasn't barking orders—he was admitting something.
"But I want to."
That sentence played over in Elijah's head like a broken record, setting off warning bells he tried to ignore.
He should laugh it off. Tease Dominic. Push back.
But instead, all he could do was stare.
Dominic exhaled heavily, dragging a hand through his hair as if frustrated with himself. "Get out of the car, Elijah."
Elijah blinked. "What?"
"We're here."
Elijah turned his head, realizing they had stopped in front of Dominic's estate. He hadn't even noticed.
Elijah hesitated for a moment before stepping out of the car. The second he did, Dominic was behind him, moving too close, too fast.
Before Elijah could react, Dominic grabbed his wrist—not harshly, but with purpose.
Elijah's pulse jumped. "The hell is your problem?"
Dominic didn't answer. Instead, he pushed Elijah against the car, trapping him between the cold metal and his own body.
"Say it again," Dominic murmured, voice dangerously low. "Say I don't own you."
Elijah swallowed. His body reacted before his brain could catch up, his breath coming quicker, his skin heating under Dominic's intense stare.
"I—"
Dominic's fingers brushed along his jaw, tilting his chin up. His touch was deliberate, slow, like he was savoring the moment.
"You push me," Dominic muttered, voice barely above a whisper. "You test me. Do you like seeing me like this, Elijah?"
Elijah opened his mouth to respond, but Dominic didn't give him the chance.
Lips crashed together.
It wasn't soft. It wasn't sweet. It was pure, raw dominance.
Elijah made a muffled noise of protest, but Dominic didn't care. His fingers curled into Elijah's hair, pulling him closer, devouring him.
Elijah should resist. He should shove Dominic away, remind him that he wasn't some possession to be claimed.
But he didn't.
Because for the first time, he wasn't sure if he wanted to fight it.
Elijah's breath was stolen.
The kiss was fierce, demanding, nothing like he'd ever experienced before. Dominic's grip tightened, pulling him impossibly closer, as if he could fuse them together through sheer force of will.
And for a brief, dizzying moment—Elijah let him.
Let himself sink into the heat, the overwhelming intensity.
But then—reality hit.
With a sharp inhale, Elijah shoved against Dominic's chest, breaking the kiss. His heart was racing. His lips tingled from the bruising pressure, but more than anything—he felt overwhelmed.
"What the hell are you doing?" Elijah demanded, breathless.
Dominic didn't move away. His gaze was dark, hungry, but there was something else beneath it—something almost desperate.
"You don't get to do that," Elijah snapped. "You don't get to just—just take what you want like that!"
Dominic's jaw clenched. "Then stop tempting me."
Elijah stared at him, chest rising and falling rapidly. Tempting? As if this was his fault?
"You're insane," Elijah muttered, running a hand through his hair. "I'm not your property, Dominic."
Dominic exhaled sharply, dragging a hand down his face. "I know."
Elijah blinked.
He hadn't expected that.
"I know I don't own you," Dominic said, voice quieter now, almost frustrated. "But it doesn't stop me from wanting to."
Elijah's stomach flipped.
Shit.
Why did that sound so much worse?
Elijah took a slow step back, forcing distance between them. "I'm going inside."
Dominic didn't stop him. He just watched, his expression unreadable, as Elijah turned and walked toward the estate.
But Elijah could feel it the weight of his gaze on his back, the tension between them far from over.
If anything…
It had just begun.