The Pleasure Principle (Sixteen/?)
Title: The Pleasure Principle (Sixteen/?)
Author: millionstar
Pairing: Belldom, AU
Rating: NC 17 overall, to be safe
Warnings: This part: language.
Summary: Our boys are porn stars. Wait, why are you laughing?
Feedback: Makes me happier than Dominic in a shop full of sparkly belts.
Disclaimer: I don't own Muse, no offense intended, this never happened, and no money is being made. 'Tis fiction, after all. Silver Star Studios and its inhabitants, however, are all mine. Big thanks to the TPP team: dolce_piccante, frolicandfall and myz_bee for their beta skills, feedback and general badass-ness. ;-)
Prologue | One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten | Eleven | Twelve | Thirteen | Fourteen-a | Fourteen-b | Fifteen
Mort spots me and waves to me happily, but at the angry look on my face his expression changes to one of worry and he excuses himself from his guests. He walks toward me and meets me in front of the library.
"Hey! Matthew, what's wrong? Love the getup," he smiles.
"I need to talk to you," I say slowly.
He pats me on the back, smiling at me as though I were a five year old. "Later. After the party, I need to mingle a little mor-"
"No," I spit. "Now."
Mort raises one eyebrow at me and beckons me into the library, closing the door behind us.
"I heard you this afternoon, you and Hans."
He stops, turning to me slowly and I can see him swallowing nervously. "Heard what, exactly?"
"Everything."
"Matthew, I-"
"Do you really think that Dominic dosed himself with a male enhancement drug for attention?" I hiss, still incredulous that this man I admire so much is capable of that sort of behavior. "He's lucky his dick's still there! Why the fuck would he go to those extremes?"
"Look, I just-"
I'm on a roll, though, and have no intention of remaining silent now that I've got his attention fully.
"And why don't you want me to work with him? That's not really something for you to decide. If Hans deems it to be a good idea, well, the director's final word is law, or so it usually is. How dare you decide something like that simply because you, for whatever selfish reason, don't want me to work with Dominic."
When he speaks to me the look in his eyes is one that I can safely say I've never seen before. The anger in them is at the same time frightening and impressive. I'm just relieved to see him feeling something for once, instead of merely brushing me off. "How dare you speak to me like this. Have you forgotten how we took you in after your gran passed away?"
"Of course not. I was there, wasn't I?"
"Then maybe you should simply respect me when I tell you that my reasons are valid for keeping this from you, Matthew," he says coldly.
I'm taken aback by the calm anger in his voice, its something that I've never witnessed directly from him. But at the same time he's still talking down to me instead of giving me the answers I asked for repeatedly, and I deserve better from him. I try to remain calm as I answer him.
"I owe you so much, Mort, but dammit, that doesn't give you the right to expect me to not ask questions if I happen to have them. I'm not seventeen anymore." I shout. "And, how dare you, again, for putting conditions on all the things you've done for me."
Mort walks up to me and puts one finger in my face. "Dominic Howard could destroy everything I've worked for all these years. Do you really want that to happen?"
"But HOW?" I scream, throwing my feather duster into the wall. My hands are in my hair as I half-stalk, half-pace around the room. "For fuck's sake, how could he possibly have that power over you? Give me an answer, help me understand!"
"Matthew, please," he grabs me by the shoulders, gazing into my eyes with an increasingly panicked look on his face. "I just want to protect you and my Louie from all this. Okay?"
An eerie calm blankets the two of us at his proclamation and he calmly takes the football helmet off, putting it down on the desk. He sighs, one hand rubbing his neck and the other over his eyes as though he has a sudden headache. The change in his demeanor, though, is unmistakable.
He's scared.
"Oh, Mort," I whisper, "what did you do?"
It was merely a hunch, but judging by the way he can't meet my inquisitive gaze the proverbial nail has been hit on the head. Before my eyes he seems to shrink a few inches, this man who I thought could do no wrong. Seconds pass with no words spoken between us until finally he sits down behind his desk, putting his head in his hands. The man in front of me seems to have aged a few years in only a couple minutes; the transformation is quite frightening.
I try again, choosing my words carefully. "You do realize I'm spending alot of time with him, right?"
Mort nods.
"So," I continue softly, "I have to believe that if he posed a real threat to me you would simply tell me what's going on. But since you can't seem to do that, the only other conclusion I can draw is that this has nothing to do with me at all. This is about you, isn't it?"
I don't get an answer from him; but then again, I don't need one. What I do need, though, is to get away from this, I can't breathe for some reason. My heels click as I cross the room to retrieve my feather duster. As I walk away I speak to him in a hushed voice.
"Just so you know, I'm going to ask Dominic what's going on."
"I understand," he whispers. His next statement stops me in my tracks, though.
"I just hope you don't hate me once you have."
I don't answer him; I merely walk away as fast as I can.
I have to thread my way through the throng of people but finally I find Carson and Tom sitting at the edge of the indoor pool, Dominic nowhere to be seen. My heart begins to pound at that realization just as I see silver tinsel out of the corner of my eye. I follow it and much to my surprise David and Dominic are walking together, coming to a stop outside the sunroom. They sit on the marble bench in front of a lush display of plants and I slip through the crowd to stand amongst them, concealed but still able to hear them.
"What did you want to talk to me about?" Dominic asks quietly.
"I don't mean any disrespect, Dominic, believe me," David replies, "but, it's, well, it's about Matthew."
Dominic seems to be studying his own knee intently. "Oh?"
David nods, his hand fussing at the shamrock on his arm absent-mindedly. "Is he important to you?"
From my vantage point I see Dominic squirm in his chair, possibly from nerves, possibly because those white hot pants of his are giving him a wedgie. Either way, he seems unsure of how to proceed, and when he finally speaks his voice is so low I have to strain to hear it.
"Why do you ask?"
"Because I care for him a great deal," David says softly, "and I want him to be happy."
"I like him very much. There's not much in life that makes me truly happy," Dominic admits, still not looking at David, "but Matthew does. I don't know if he feels the same way about me, though. I hope that he could, one day, perhaps."
My heart nearly bursts from my chest when I hear him say that.
Oh, Dom, if you only knew.
"I'm glad to hear that," David answers with a smile. "Dominic, why won't you look at me?"
His head snaps up suddenly, his halo bobbing frantically as he glances at the other man, finally. "I'm sorry! I just... well, I just always got the impression that you didn't like me very much. Which would be understandable, really, the way I've behaved towards you all."
"No, no, Dominic, please," he actually puts one hand on Dominic's shoulder while speaking to him, "shame on me for not trying to get to know you better."
"Why are you asking me these things..." Dominic's eyes widen as the situation comes full circle. "Do you...? Oh, I had no idea."
With a sad smile, David looks down at the floor. "Yeah. But believe me, he's quite taken with you, it's pretty obvious actually." A genuine smile breaks out on his face as he watches Dominic's cheeks redden violently. "But knowing that you care for him puts him in good hands, and that means everything to me." He stands, reaching for Dominic's hand to help him up too.
"I don't know what to say, David," he admits, "I'm-
"Please," David interrupts, "please don't apologize, yeah? Thank you for talking to me."
"Are you coming back to the pool?" Dominic asks hopefully.
"You go on and I'll catch you later, ok?"
My angel smiles bashfully at David, nodding, just as Carson and Tom come running up to them, both panting.
"We've been looking for you everywhere," Carson exclaims, "how did you two sneak off like that and us not see you?"
David smirks. "With you two snogging nonstop a nuclear bomb could go off and you wouldn't notice it!"
The two of them blushed, Tom rubbing his lips tenderly.
"I think it's kind of cute," Dominic says quietly, smiling.
"Ah, I knew I liked this guy!" Carson beams, pulling a stunned Dominic into a big hug. "Come on, gentlemen, let's see what kind of trouble we can get into. And where's Matthew?"
"You go on ahead," David replies as he walks away, "I need to talk to Mort for a sec. Catch you later."
I wait for them to get out of sight before I extract myself from the plants. The emotions running through my mind right now are all over the place. On the one hand I am over the moon to know that I can make Dominic smile, but on the other hand I find myself still worrying about David. The helplessness I feel in regard to that situation won't be going away anytime soon. Katherine and her date are dressed as Felicity Shagwell and Austin Powers, respectively, and at the sight of me in full costume Kate bursts our laughing.
"Sexy, Bellamy, very sexy!" She introduces me to her date and the young man shakes my hand. We make small talk for a few minutes before he looks up and down my body with a confused look on his face.
"Mate, don't take this the wrong way, but I gotta know, did you shave your legs before putting those stockings on? They look like they're itchy as fuck!"
"I did what was necessary to completely immerse myself in this role, yes," I wink.
Kate giggles again. "So does that mean you waxed your-"
"Oi!" I yell, "Really, Katherine, asking such a thing of a lady is most unbecoming of you!"
"Sweetheart, you're dressed as a common maid, not as a princess," she drawls. I'm curious to find Dominic and try to enjoy myself but I don't want to be rude either. After a few more minutes of conversation I excuse myself and continue walking across the main hall in search of the pool room. I make it to the entrance and can see Tom, Carson and some of the others from work talking and laughing, drinks in hand. Seeing Dominic joining in with such a big smile on his face is pretty satisfying, considering that he almost chose not to come tonight. He spots me and his eyes light up even more.
Hey, you.
I make my way to him, or I try to, but suddenly I feel a hand on my shoulder and turn to see who it is.
"Matthew," Mort begins, a worried expression on his face.
"What is it?" I ask, irritated.
"I just wanted to ask you... David just asked me if he could take three months' leave effective immediately. Seemed really upset about something. Do you know what's up with him?"
"Three months' leave?"
Oh no.
"And he didn't tell you why?"
"No," Mort answers, unable to meet my eyes, "he just said he needed to get away. I'm worried about him."
"Where is he now?"
"He just left. He's gone."
I look anxiously at Dominic and hold one finger in the air, silently asking him to give me a moment. He nods, the smile leaving his face to be replaced with a look of concern. I turn from Mort and run to the front door, tearing it open in my haste to catch David before he leaves. As begin to run across the front lawn I realize that any woman who can function in high heels on a daily basis is clearly some sort of superhero. I think I've snagged my fishnets too.
I manage to catch up to him just as takes his kelly green colored hat off, his hand on the door of his car.
"David, wait!" I pant.
He turns to look at me. "Matt?"
"Mort just told me that you asked for time off."
"I did. I'm not currently scheduled for any projects and Mort assured me if I needed a break I'd have a job waiting for me when I was ready to come back." He opens his car door, tossing his hat onto the seat.
"But, why three months?"
"I need to get away."
My stomach drops at his words.
He takes a deep breath and turns to me suddenly. "I can't be around you right now, Matt. It," he hangs his head, "it just hurts too much."
I open my mouth to say... well, I don't know what I was gonna say. I'm sorry? I don't want to lose you as a friend? It doesn't matter, though, because he comes closer to me, smiling softly.
"It's okay! Don't look so sad, I'm coming back, silly. This is just something I have to work through on my own."
I can't stop the tear that escapes the corner of my eye. The urge to apologize keeps rising to the surface, even though all I am guilty of is not returning his feelings. Still, I feel like I've caused him this pain and I am at a loss as to how to make it better. To make it worse, he continues speaking to me in a calm, sweet voice.
"Please. Don't do that," he smiles, reaching up to wipe the tear from my face, "you'll smudge your kohl. You know what," he shakes his head with a rueful smile, "Dominic's pretty okay. It's obvious he makes you happy. I don't know how serious the two of you are, but that fact alone makes me smile, honestly."
"But where are you going?"
"It doesn't matter. I just need to clear my head, cause all that's in there right now is you, Matthew."
Impulsively I pull him close, embracing him tightly, David sniffling into my shoulder for a moment before he pulls back. Before I realize what's happening he's released me and is in his car. All I can do is take a few steps back and watch as the engine fires and he drives away from our lives for three months.
The walk back to the mansion takes me longer than normal, at this point my feet are really killing me. I'm surprised, though, to find Dominic waiting for me at the edge of the entrance to the garden. After his conversation with David earlier I can't help but wonder if he just saw what happened and was able to put two and two together. I come to a stop as I reach him.
"Hey, you," I whisper.
"Hi," he whispers back, gifting me with a soft smile. "I hope you don't mind, I was worried. Is he okay?"
I shrug, biting my lip. "I hope so."
"Are you?"
I try to smile but all I can do is continue to shrug. "It's been a hell of a night already and we've only been here for an hour and a half."
"Can I help?" He carefully slides his hand into one of mine, our fingers intertwining of their own accord. It makes me smile and warms my heart to no end.
"You just did."
Dominic squeezes my hand and his smile morphs into a full-on grin. "Let's go back inside, yeah? The cock on the ice statue is melting slowly, and we've placed bets on how long it's going to take before it's completely gone."
I can't help but giggle at his proclamation; that's an offer I can't refuse.
We both glance down the driveway one last time before heading back to the mansion.
Author: millionstar
Pairing: Belldom, AU
Rating: NC 17 overall, to be safe
Warnings: This part: language.
Summary: Our boys are porn stars. Wait, why are you laughing?
Feedback: Makes me happier than Dominic in a shop full of sparkly belts.
Disclaimer: I don't own Muse, no offense intended, this never happened, and no money is being made. 'Tis fiction, after all. Silver Star Studios and its inhabitants, however, are all mine. Big thanks to the TPP team: dolce_piccante, frolicandfall and myz_bee for their beta skills, feedback and general badass-ness. ;-)
Prologue | One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten | Eleven | Twelve | Thirteen | Fourteen-a | Fourteen-b | Fifteen
Mort spots me and waves to me happily, but at the angry look on my face his expression changes to one of worry and he excuses himself from his guests. He walks toward me and meets me in front of the library.
"Hey! Matthew, what's wrong? Love the getup," he smiles.
"I need to talk to you," I say slowly.
He pats me on the back, smiling at me as though I were a five year old. "Later. After the party, I need to mingle a little mor-"
"No," I spit. "Now."
Mort raises one eyebrow at me and beckons me into the library, closing the door behind us.
"I heard you this afternoon, you and Hans."
He stops, turning to me slowly and I can see him swallowing nervously. "Heard what, exactly?"
"Everything."
"Matthew, I-"
"Do you really think that Dominic dosed himself with a male enhancement drug for attention?" I hiss, still incredulous that this man I admire so much is capable of that sort of behavior. "He's lucky his dick's still there! Why the fuck would he go to those extremes?"
"Look, I just-"
I'm on a roll, though, and have no intention of remaining silent now that I've got his attention fully.
"And why don't you want me to work with him? That's not really something for you to decide. If Hans deems it to be a good idea, well, the director's final word is law, or so it usually is. How dare you decide something like that simply because you, for whatever selfish reason, don't want me to work with Dominic."
When he speaks to me the look in his eyes is one that I can safely say I've never seen before. The anger in them is at the same time frightening and impressive. I'm just relieved to see him feeling something for once, instead of merely brushing me off. "How dare you speak to me like this. Have you forgotten how we took you in after your gran passed away?"
"Of course not. I was there, wasn't I?"
"Then maybe you should simply respect me when I tell you that my reasons are valid for keeping this from you, Matthew," he says coldly.
I'm taken aback by the calm anger in his voice, its something that I've never witnessed directly from him. But at the same time he's still talking down to me instead of giving me the answers I asked for repeatedly, and I deserve better from him. I try to remain calm as I answer him.
"I owe you so much, Mort, but dammit, that doesn't give you the right to expect me to not ask questions if I happen to have them. I'm not seventeen anymore." I shout. "And, how dare you, again, for putting conditions on all the things you've done for me."
Mort walks up to me and puts one finger in my face. "Dominic Howard could destroy everything I've worked for all these years. Do you really want that to happen?"
"But HOW?" I scream, throwing my feather duster into the wall. My hands are in my hair as I half-stalk, half-pace around the room. "For fuck's sake, how could he possibly have that power over you? Give me an answer, help me understand!"
"Matthew, please," he grabs me by the shoulders, gazing into my eyes with an increasingly panicked look on his face. "I just want to protect you and my Louie from all this. Okay?"
An eerie calm blankets the two of us at his proclamation and he calmly takes the football helmet off, putting it down on the desk. He sighs, one hand rubbing his neck and the other over his eyes as though he has a sudden headache. The change in his demeanor, though, is unmistakable.
He's scared.
"Oh, Mort," I whisper, "what did you do?"
It was merely a hunch, but judging by the way he can't meet my inquisitive gaze the proverbial nail has been hit on the head. Before my eyes he seems to shrink a few inches, this man who I thought could do no wrong. Seconds pass with no words spoken between us until finally he sits down behind his desk, putting his head in his hands. The man in front of me seems to have aged a few years in only a couple minutes; the transformation is quite frightening.
I try again, choosing my words carefully. "You do realize I'm spending alot of time with him, right?"
Mort nods.
"So," I continue softly, "I have to believe that if he posed a real threat to me you would simply tell me what's going on. But since you can't seem to do that, the only other conclusion I can draw is that this has nothing to do with me at all. This is about you, isn't it?"
I don't get an answer from him; but then again, I don't need one. What I do need, though, is to get away from this, I can't breathe for some reason. My heels click as I cross the room to retrieve my feather duster. As I walk away I speak to him in a hushed voice.
"Just so you know, I'm going to ask Dominic what's going on."
"I understand," he whispers. His next statement stops me in my tracks, though.
"I just hope you don't hate me once you have."
I don't answer him; I merely walk away as fast as I can.
I have to thread my way through the throng of people but finally I find Carson and Tom sitting at the edge of the indoor pool, Dominic nowhere to be seen. My heart begins to pound at that realization just as I see silver tinsel out of the corner of my eye. I follow it and much to my surprise David and Dominic are walking together, coming to a stop outside the sunroom. They sit on the marble bench in front of a lush display of plants and I slip through the crowd to stand amongst them, concealed but still able to hear them.
"What did you want to talk to me about?" Dominic asks quietly.
"I don't mean any disrespect, Dominic, believe me," David replies, "but, it's, well, it's about Matthew."
Dominic seems to be studying his own knee intently. "Oh?"
David nods, his hand fussing at the shamrock on his arm absent-mindedly. "Is he important to you?"
From my vantage point I see Dominic squirm in his chair, possibly from nerves, possibly because those white hot pants of his are giving him a wedgie. Either way, he seems unsure of how to proceed, and when he finally speaks his voice is so low I have to strain to hear it.
"Why do you ask?"
"Because I care for him a great deal," David says softly, "and I want him to be happy."
"I like him very much. There's not much in life that makes me truly happy," Dominic admits, still not looking at David, "but Matthew does. I don't know if he feels the same way about me, though. I hope that he could, one day, perhaps."
My heart nearly bursts from my chest when I hear him say that.
Oh, Dom, if you only knew.
"I'm glad to hear that," David answers with a smile. "Dominic, why won't you look at me?"
His head snaps up suddenly, his halo bobbing frantically as he glances at the other man, finally. "I'm sorry! I just... well, I just always got the impression that you didn't like me very much. Which would be understandable, really, the way I've behaved towards you all."
"No, no, Dominic, please," he actually puts one hand on Dominic's shoulder while speaking to him, "shame on me for not trying to get to know you better."
"Why are you asking me these things..." Dominic's eyes widen as the situation comes full circle. "Do you...? Oh, I had no idea."
With a sad smile, David looks down at the floor. "Yeah. But believe me, he's quite taken with you, it's pretty obvious actually." A genuine smile breaks out on his face as he watches Dominic's cheeks redden violently. "But knowing that you care for him puts him in good hands, and that means everything to me." He stands, reaching for Dominic's hand to help him up too.
"I don't know what to say, David," he admits, "I'm-
"Please," David interrupts, "please don't apologize, yeah? Thank you for talking to me."
"Are you coming back to the pool?" Dominic asks hopefully.
"You go on and I'll catch you later, ok?"
My angel smiles bashfully at David, nodding, just as Carson and Tom come running up to them, both panting.
"We've been looking for you everywhere," Carson exclaims, "how did you two sneak off like that and us not see you?"
David smirks. "With you two snogging nonstop a nuclear bomb could go off and you wouldn't notice it!"
The two of them blushed, Tom rubbing his lips tenderly.
"I think it's kind of cute," Dominic says quietly, smiling.
"Ah, I knew I liked this guy!" Carson beams, pulling a stunned Dominic into a big hug. "Come on, gentlemen, let's see what kind of trouble we can get into. And where's Matthew?"
"You go on ahead," David replies as he walks away, "I need to talk to Mort for a sec. Catch you later."
I wait for them to get out of sight before I extract myself from the plants. The emotions running through my mind right now are all over the place. On the one hand I am over the moon to know that I can make Dominic smile, but on the other hand I find myself still worrying about David. The helplessness I feel in regard to that situation won't be going away anytime soon. Katherine and her date are dressed as Felicity Shagwell and Austin Powers, respectively, and at the sight of me in full costume Kate bursts our laughing.
"Sexy, Bellamy, very sexy!" She introduces me to her date and the young man shakes my hand. We make small talk for a few minutes before he looks up and down my body with a confused look on his face.
"Mate, don't take this the wrong way, but I gotta know, did you shave your legs before putting those stockings on? They look like they're itchy as fuck!"
"I did what was necessary to completely immerse myself in this role, yes," I wink.
Kate giggles again. "So does that mean you waxed your-"
"Oi!" I yell, "Really, Katherine, asking such a thing of a lady is most unbecoming of you!"
"Sweetheart, you're dressed as a common maid, not as a princess," she drawls. I'm curious to find Dominic and try to enjoy myself but I don't want to be rude either. After a few more minutes of conversation I excuse myself and continue walking across the main hall in search of the pool room. I make it to the entrance and can see Tom, Carson and some of the others from work talking and laughing, drinks in hand. Seeing Dominic joining in with such a big smile on his face is pretty satisfying, considering that he almost chose not to come tonight. He spots me and his eyes light up even more.
Hey, you.
I make my way to him, or I try to, but suddenly I feel a hand on my shoulder and turn to see who it is.
"Matthew," Mort begins, a worried expression on his face.
"What is it?" I ask, irritated.
"I just wanted to ask you... David just asked me if he could take three months' leave effective immediately. Seemed really upset about something. Do you know what's up with him?"
"Three months' leave?"
Oh no.
"And he didn't tell you why?"
"No," Mort answers, unable to meet my eyes, "he just said he needed to get away. I'm worried about him."
"Where is he now?"
"He just left. He's gone."
I look anxiously at Dominic and hold one finger in the air, silently asking him to give me a moment. He nods, the smile leaving his face to be replaced with a look of concern. I turn from Mort and run to the front door, tearing it open in my haste to catch David before he leaves. As begin to run across the front lawn I realize that any woman who can function in high heels on a daily basis is clearly some sort of superhero. I think I've snagged my fishnets too.
I manage to catch up to him just as takes his kelly green colored hat off, his hand on the door of his car.
"David, wait!" I pant.
He turns to look at me. "Matt?"
"Mort just told me that you asked for time off."
"I did. I'm not currently scheduled for any projects and Mort assured me if I needed a break I'd have a job waiting for me when I was ready to come back." He opens his car door, tossing his hat onto the seat.
"But, why three months?"
"I need to get away."
My stomach drops at his words.
He takes a deep breath and turns to me suddenly. "I can't be around you right now, Matt. It," he hangs his head, "it just hurts too much."
I open my mouth to say... well, I don't know what I was gonna say. I'm sorry? I don't want to lose you as a friend? It doesn't matter, though, because he comes closer to me, smiling softly.
"It's okay! Don't look so sad, I'm coming back, silly. This is just something I have to work through on my own."
I can't stop the tear that escapes the corner of my eye. The urge to apologize keeps rising to the surface, even though all I am guilty of is not returning his feelings. Still, I feel like I've caused him this pain and I am at a loss as to how to make it better. To make it worse, he continues speaking to me in a calm, sweet voice.
"Please. Don't do that," he smiles, reaching up to wipe the tear from my face, "you'll smudge your kohl. You know what," he shakes his head with a rueful smile, "Dominic's pretty okay. It's obvious he makes you happy. I don't know how serious the two of you are, but that fact alone makes me smile, honestly."
"But where are you going?"
"It doesn't matter. I just need to clear my head, cause all that's in there right now is you, Matthew."
Impulsively I pull him close, embracing him tightly, David sniffling into my shoulder for a moment before he pulls back. Before I realize what's happening he's released me and is in his car. All I can do is take a few steps back and watch as the engine fires and he drives away from our lives for three months.
The walk back to the mansion takes me longer than normal, at this point my feet are really killing me. I'm surprised, though, to find Dominic waiting for me at the edge of the entrance to the garden. After his conversation with David earlier I can't help but wonder if he just saw what happened and was able to put two and two together. I come to a stop as I reach him.
"Hey, you," I whisper.
"Hi," he whispers back, gifting me with a soft smile. "I hope you don't mind, I was worried. Is he okay?"
I shrug, biting my lip. "I hope so."
"Are you?"
I try to smile but all I can do is continue to shrug. "It's been a hell of a night already and we've only been here for an hour and a half."
"Can I help?" He carefully slides his hand into one of mine, our fingers intertwining of their own accord. It makes me smile and warms my heart to no end.
"You just did."
Dominic squeezes my hand and his smile morphs into a full-on grin. "Let's go back inside, yeah? The cock on the ice statue is melting slowly, and we've placed bets on how long it's going to take before it's completely gone."
I can't help but giggle at his proclamation; that's an offer I can't refuse.
We both glance down the driveway one last time before heading back to the mansion.