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.
Elijah never thought a simple walk home could change his life.
But tonight, it does.
---
A New Face, A New Threat
Elijah had stayed late at the university, finishing up a project. It wasn't unusual, and normally, he wouldn't care about walking home alone.
But tonight, something feels… off.
There's a presence. A shadow trailing him.
His heart pounds. Is it Dominic?
No. It's someone else.
And then—
"I hope I'm not scaring you."
A smooth, deep voice.
Elijah stops and turns.
A man stands under a streetlamp, leaning against a sleek black car.
Tall. Well-dressed. Too handsome to be harmless.
A slow smile spreads across the stranger's face. "I didn't mean to startle you."
Elijah narrows his eyes. "Then why are you following me?"
The man chuckles. "I wasn't. Just a coincidence."
Bullshit.
But before Elijah can snap back, the man steps forward.
"Matteo Romano," he introduces himself, extending a hand.
Elijah doesn't take it. He knows that name.
Matteo smirks. "Ah. So you've heard of me."
Elijah's stomach twists. This is bad.
A Game Begins
Matteo studies him, eyes dark and unreadable. "You're Dominic's, aren't you?"
Elijah tenses. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Matteo hums, tilting his head. "Interesting answer."
He takes a step closer, just enough to make Elijah uncomfortable.
"You know, Dominic and I have a… complicated history." Matteo's tone is light, but there's a dangerous edge underneath. "But I didn't expect him to be so possessive over you."
Elijah keeps his expression neutral. "If you're looking for trouble, find someone else."
Matteo chuckles, clearly entertained. "No trouble. Just a drink."
Elijah hesitates. Everything in him says no.
But Matteo's smirk deepens. "What's wrong? You don't trust me?"
Shit.
Elijah never backs down from a challenge.
So he lifts his chin and says, "Fine. One drink."
Matteo's smile is sharp. Like he just won the first round of a dangerous game.
And Elijah has no idea what he's just walked into.
Dominic Moretti was many things.
A king. A killer. A man who controlled empires with a single word.
But right now?
He was furious.
---
A Dangerous Whisper
Vincent stood in front of him, his expression tense. "Boss, there's something you need to know."
Dominic's jaw tightened. He didn't like Vincent's tone. "Spit it out."
Vincent hesitated. "Elijah was seen with Matteo Romano tonight."
Silence.
The temperature in the room dropped.
Dominic's grip on his whiskey glass tightened. Crack. The glass shattered in his palm, but he didn't even flinch.
Vincent took a step back. He had seen his boss angry before but never like this.
"Where?" Dominic's voice was low, dangerous.
"A bar in the city. Matteo approached him on the street and offered him a drink."
Dominic's breathing was calm—but that made it worse. A storm was brewing inside him, one that could destroy everything in its path.
Matteo Romano had touched what was his.
He didn't care if Elijah didn't realize it yet.
Elijah belonged to him.
And Matteo was about to learn that the hard way.
Meanwhile, At the Bar
Elijah sipped his drink, eyes locked on Matteo.
"So," he said, "you and Dominic hate each other?"
Matteo smiled, swirling his whiskey. "Hate is such a strong word."
Elijah scoffed. "And yet, here you are, talking about him."
Matteo leaned in slightly. "And here you are, drinking with me."
Elijah didn't flinch, but something about Matteo's confidence made his stomach twist. This was dangerous.
Before he could respond, the air in the room shifted.
A presence. A force.
Then
CRASH.
The bar doors swung open violently.
And there he was.
Dominic Moretti.
His cold, lethal eyes found Elijah instantly.
Matteo's smirk widened. "Well, well. Look who decided to join us."
Elijah's heart pounded.
Dominic's rage was silent, suffocating.
Matteo leaned back in his seat, completely unbothered. "We were just having a friendly drink."
Dominic ignored him. His gaze was locked on Elijah.
"Elijah." His voice was low, commanding. "Get up. Now."
Elijah hesitated. He hated being ordered around. "I can leave when I want."
Dominic's jaw clenched. Wrong answer.
In one swift move, Dominic grabbed Elijah's wrist, pulling him up.
"We're leaving."
Matteo chuckled. "So possessive. You should be careful, Moretti. Jealousy is a dangerous thing."
Dominic's grip on Elijah tightened. He wasn't just jealous.
He was ready to kill.
And Matteo?
He was enjoying every second of it.