Chapter 4 – Midnight Mischief
The private lounge felt smaller than it had moments ago. Or maybe it was just the way Dom's presence filled every inch of the space, making the air heavy with anticipation. Liam stood near the low velvet couch, pretending to study the abstract artwork on the wall, though he was painfully aware of Dom's gaze burning into him.
"You look uncomfortable," Dom said, his tone unreadable.
"I'm not," Liam replied quickly, then frowned. "Okay, maybe a little. You have a way of staring that feels… invasive."
Dom's lips curved faintly. "And you have a way of pretending you don't enjoy it."
Liam turned to face him. "You're very full of yourself."
"I've earned it."
Liam snorted. "That's debatable."
For a moment, it felt like they were about to argue. Then Dom stepped closer. Not aggressively. Not gently. Just close enough to blur the line between irritation and desire.
"You challenge me," Dom said quietly. "Most people don't."
"Most people bore me," Liam shot back. "You don't."
Silence stretched between them, thick and charged.
Dom reached past Liam, grabbing a glass of whiskey from the side table and handing it to him. Their fingers brushed. It was brief, accidental… and yet neither of them pulled away immediately.
Liam's breath hitched.
Dom noticed. Of course he did.
"You're nervous," Dom murmured.
"About you?" Liam scoffed. "Please."
Dom leaned in slightly. "Then why is your pulse racing?"
Liam's eyes widened. "You can't possibly know that."
Dom's thumb brushed lightly against Liam's wrist. Not enough to be intimate. Not enough to be innocent either.
"I can feel it."
Liam swallowed. "You're playing games."
Dom's gaze darkened. "So are you."
The music from somewhere deeper in the building throbbed softly, a slow, sensual rhythm that seemed to sink into Liam's bones.
"You bring chaos with you," Dom said.
Liam smirked. "You like chaos."
"I control chaos."
"Good luck controlling me."
For the first time, Dom actually laughed. A low, genuine sound that startled Liam more than anything else.
"You're impossible," Dom said.
"And yet you haven't told me to leave."
Dom stepped even closer, their chests almost touching. "Maybe I'm testing my self-control."
Liam tilted his head. "And?"
Dom's eyes lingered on Liam's lips for half a second. Just long enough to make Liam's stomach twist.
"And I'm losing."
The admission hung between them. Dangerous. Honest.
Liam felt boldness surge through him. "Then maybe you should stop pretending you don't want this."
Dom's jaw tightened. "Wanting something doesn't mean it's good for me."
"Since when do you strike me as the type who avoids bad ideas?"
A slow exhale left Dom's lips. "You're trouble."
Liam smiled. "You knew that from the start."
Across the city, in a dimly lit booth at another corner of the building, Liam's friends were having their own versions of trouble.
Ethan was deep in sarcastic banter with Rafael, each trying to outwit the other.
Noah sat quietly beside Leo, tension simmering in the silence between them, neither willing to break it first.
Aiden and Sebastian were laughing, leaning a little too close, their knees brushing more than once.
None of them realized it yet, but they were all slipping into their own midnight temptations.
Back in the lounge, Dom stepped away first, raking a hand through his hair.
"This ends here tonight," he said.
Liam raised an eyebrow. "Scared?"
Dom met his gaze. "Cautious."
"Same thing," Liam teased.
Dom shook his head. "Go home, Liam."
Liam hesitated, then grabbed his jacket. At the door, he glanced back.
"You can pretend all you want," Liam said softly. "But you're already in this."
Dom didn't reply.
But he didn't deny it either.