Chapter Ten
Dallas
A bullet to the brain would have been more fuckin’ fun than what I was dealing with. I was standing in the third house we’d looked at for Tiny with Julian next to me oohing and ahhing all over the goddamn place. I rubbed at my temples again. My head was killin’ me.
“This place is it. I have that feeling, He-Man.”
“You said that about the last one,” I gritted.
“Yes, but that one didn’t have the open fireplace. I know my girl has always wanted one of those and the wall colouring… what is that?” he asked the realtor, only he didn’t give the woman a chance to reply. “Doesn’t matter what it is actually, it’s divine. OMG, look, Luke Cage, this kitchen is bigger, and it has a walk-in pantry.” He stepped inside and I contemplated locking him in there and leaving him to rot. Then again, Tiny would have my arse if she decided it was this house she wanted and found her friend dead in there.
So I let him go on and on about whatever the fuck he was, I think it had something to do with the taps, and turned from the kitchen to go back into the living area. The room was big. I liked it being that way since I was a big guy myself. The place was the better one we’d seen and what made it even more so was the fact it was closer than the others to the compound. To me.
Could I see myself living in that house?
Sure.
Only I knew it wouldn’t happen for a while. I’d let Tiny move into it and visit—every fuckin’ night—then eventually she’d find out I’d slowly moved all I owned in. I didn’t have a place of my own. I had a heap of money saved, but I never wanted a place to call my own. I liked living in the compound. My brothers were there. The club sluts were there when I needed to wet my dick, and my work was right there. Everything I needed.
Until Tiny.
Now all I could imagine was having our own place, going from work to a house my woman would be in.
Fuck. That shit freaked me the hell out. I was starting to sweat. I wasn’t a one-woman man. I didn’t see the point to gettin’ to know a woman when all I needed from them was a tight hole to place my cock and get off.
However, Tiny was more.
So much fuckin’ more I couldn’t even put it down to one thing about her. It was all of her I wanted to keep in my life. I wanted to see every day.
Scary as fuck.
Especially when I knew that feeling late at night—or even when my mind wandered to what she was doing—was me missing her.
I couldn’t understand how she made such an impact on me to where I was now dating her, but she had and…. Christ, I knew why my brothers settled for the one.
I wasn’t saying she was gonna be it, but everything was pointing that way.
My brothers were as shocked at me as I was with myself. The club sluts more so when they tried shit with me, and I told them to fuck off, I had a woman.
Bloody hell.
I had a woman.
One of my own.
Did that mean she’d put out for me whenever I wanted?
I palmed my forehead at the thought of her denying me between her legs. If that shit happened, I didn’t know how I’d feel about it.
Still, I’d learn.
I was fuckin’ learning already.
Shit, I was suddenly a giver also. Explained why I was stuck with the gay dude for the day lookin’ at houses.
As I walked down the hall, I took in the structure, tapping the fuck outta the wall. It was good. Wouldn’t fall and crush her small body. A pain slashed through my chest. Crap, was that fear for my woman? I had to check the electricity; the wiring could be faulty and shock her to death. Hell, and the gas. I didn’t want her fallin’ asleep one night not to wake up the next because of a gas leak.
Motherfucker. How did my brothers put up with the worry for their women?
Idiots, the lot of them, yet I was now one as well.
Would I want it another way?
Would I want to tell Tiny to fuck off and never see her again?
Damn, the thought of not hearin’ her, seein’ her, and feelin’ her in any way was a panic attack waiting to happen. I rubbed at my chest.
Yeah. She was it, and I was a goddamn pansy.
Sighing, I looked at the ceiling. The fan on the roof seemed uneven. I’d want that checked in case it suddenly fell and cut off her head.
Groaning, I looked to the floor. I was gonna have to gut the place if she bought it and redo everything myself. At least then I’d know it’d be safe.
“Hey, big man, what you doing in here? Oh, wow. She will love that window seat.” Julian rushed in and over to sit on the window seat and gazed out at the garden.
“If she buys it, I’m doing all the renovations. I don’t trust those builder fuckers for rippin’ her off and doin’ it a dodge way to get it done faster.”
“I’m sure she won’t—”
“There’re so many things that could go wrong. If they didn’t take care and let something slip by and she was harmed by it… I’d have to kill them. I don’t mind killin’ people, but—”
“Hey,” Julian snapped and came to stand beside me. “Keep the talk about killing to a minimum, or like… at all. The realtor could hear you.”
Clenching my jaw, I clipped, “This is serious shit, Julian. If this is the house for her, I want everything checked. The gas, electricity, a pest inspection. I want to know if the house is weak and would likely fall on her head when she sleeps. She won’t know. She’ll be sound asleep and… fuck.”
My heart was rapid in my chest from all the crazy thoughts.
I knew I was being pathetic, but Tiny was worth the risk I was taking by claiming her as mine. I didn’t want anything to happen to her.
“It’s fine. You’re fine, and she’ll be fine. We’ll make sure of it,” he reassured me and slowly rubbed my back.
“I’m being—”
“Don’t. You’re being you. A man who’s gruff and huffs, puffs—”
“I swear if you tell me I’ll blow a house down, I’ll fuckin’ punch you.”
He chuckled. “Aw, you know Three Little Pigs, that’s awesome. I was reading that to—”
“Julian,” I barked low.
He sighed. “Well, I wasn’t going to say that. You’re a man’s man, so you’re not in tune with your feelings. Our Melissa brings them out in you, and you’re still trying to deal with that. Just go with it, and you shouldn’t care what anyone thinks. Except the killing talk can be cut right out.”
Never thought I’d see the day when I’d be gettin’ advice from a gay guy.
“I think Tiny will like this place,” I said, suddenly feeling awkward. I stepped forward and his hand dropped away.
“It’s okay, big man, we’ll keep this bonding moment to ourselves. At least I know now you won’t kick me out when I visit, right?”
“Until you get on my nerves.”
“Ha!” he yelled and pointed at me. “You just admitted you see yourself here also with Melissa.” I rolled my eyes at him. He went on, “And yes, I can see our girl liking this place the most. Oh, by the way, you may need this back.” He pulled out my wallet from the back pocket of his jeans, opened it and grabbed my ID out. Storming forward, I snatched both off him. He looked up smiling. “Now I can tell Melissa when your birthday is.”
“Fuck.”
“I may be gay, Dallas, but I can be cunning.”
“Let’s get outta here. We givin’ the last one a miss?”
“Yeah,” he agreed and skipped to the door. “At least then we can continue on with our guys’ night. Up next on our bonding trip is booze. I would say boobs and boinking, but I’m not one for boobs, and I think our partners would be upset if we boinked.” He winked and left the room after I gave him the finger. Then I cringed and gagged at the sudden thought of Julian naked.
Fuckin’ prick mentioning boinking when I was already supporting a semi most of the time from thinkin’ of my woman was just too fuckin’ much.
I suppose the guy was okay. That was if he didn’t talk, and after spending time with him, I only wanted to run or punch his lights out a few times instead of all the time.
That said something, right?
At least that was what I’d tell Melissa.
Leaving the bedroom, I took one last look around. Yeah, I could see the bed by the wall beside the bathroom. Some drawers on each side of the bed. A dog layin’ on a rug I’d buy for the house at the end of the bed. Not some pansy-arse little dog. I was talking a big boxer dog. One that could add extra protection for my woman.
At least Julian and I were on the same page about the house. Since I could picture Melissa already flittering around the place doing whatever women did, I wanted that image to come true. I wanted to see her cooking, cleaning, and on her laptop while I did my own shit around the place.
Well, look the fuck at me.
I was thinkin’ domesticated thoughts.
Did I need to shoot myself now or go with the flow?
To hell with it. If it kept Tiny at my side, I’d go for it.
Entering the living room, I stopped still. My eyes widened and my fists clenched along with my jaw. All that reaction because the realtor was now sobbing onto Julian’s shoulder.
“What in the fuck happened?” I swear if he screwed anything up for Melissa and the house, I wouldn’t care my woman loved the guy. I’d gut him.
“She’s having a hard time right now with her boyfriend. Men are such arseholes sometimes. There, there. Let it out, honey.” He patted her back and cooed down at her in a mumbled tone.
Run.
It was all I wanted to do.
Not only was I in a goddamn house with a gay guy I could only stand for short spurts of time, but there was also a crying woman.
“This gonna take long?” I asked and got a glare from both of them.
Swear to Christ, Melissa had better appreciate the shit I put up with for her.
My stomach grumbled, telling me missing out on lunch wasn’t a good idea. I glanced at my phone to check the time. “Can we wrap the tears up? I’m starved.”
“Dallas Gan, stop being a douche,” Julian clipped at me, throwing me another glare.
Fuckin’ hell.
“See what my bestie will have to put up with? He must be good in bed if she’s moving here for him. Anyway, I bet your man didn’t mean to say what he did. Why don’t I ring him for you and find out?”
Fuck me.
“I’ve been good. Real good, but I swear, Julian, if you don’t get your arse in the car and let the woman deal with her own problem, you will find my fist shoved down your throat.”
“Oh, all right,” he snapped and gave one last long-arse hug to the realtor before telling her, “You’ll be okay.” He patted her arm and made his way to the front door where I was standing. Over his shoulder, he added, “Oh, and we’ll call you about the house. Later.”
Please, God, Satan, whoever the fuck will listen, give me strength to not kill the man.