For a brief moment, Dominic’s face crumpled, but he soon recovered. Shaking his head, Dominic replied, “I wish I could tell you, but the secret’s not entirely mine to share.”

“You can tell me. I always make sure to maintain patient-doctor confidentiality.”

“But I don’t want you to be my damn therapist. I want…” Dominic trailed off as he glanced away.

Before he could think better of it, North reached out and grabbed Dominic’s chin. North gently tugged until Dominic looked back at him. Even through the tinted glassed, North could see the despair in Dominic’s blue eyes. Damn if it didn’t tear North apart.

North knew he should move his hand away, but he found himself loathe to give up the pleasure of finally being able to touch Dominic. The Tiger’s skin was just as soft as North hoped. Yet, there was still enough of a scruff there that screamed man and made North want to explore further.

Fanning his thumb over Dominic’s skin, North asked, “You want what?”

“I want to kiss you. To have you kiss me. I want to know what it’s like to be fucked by you and to fuck you. Most of all, I want you to see the real me for once,” Dominic replied in a husky voice.

“I want that, too,” North admitted. “But we can’t go down that road. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Won’t you just give me one tiny kiss?” Dominic moved in closer. “Surely, it can’t cause any harm.”

North wanted to argue, but damned if he could come up with anything. Even when Dominic came around the wall, so there was nothing separating their bodies. Instead, North found himself reaching out to Dominic once again.

This time, North cupped the back of Dominic’s head. While he had a ton of product in his blond hair, it still felt soft. North could easily imagine how it would feel as it slid down his body, right before Dominic sucked him off.

Dominic’s eyes grew dark with passion. He tilted his head back, his lips parted in offering. North started to lean down, then at the last moment, he managed to snap out of his lust haze.

“I’m sorry, but this isn’t possible,” North said.

Even though they were his own words, they still struck him like a physical blow. Never in his life had it been harder to talk. North briefly closed his eyes, as he fought to get his act together. He wasn’t some green kid who’d just started experimenting. Neither was he like just another man, stumbling through life. He was a trained professional, and he should be handling himself like one.

It was hard to keep that stance when hurt flickered through Dominic’s gaze. His bottom lip even trembled a bit, which tore North apart all the more. For while Dominic was always a ball of emotions, they were limited to happy, teasing, sometime serious, and even outraged a few times. Never before had North seen pain or loneliness coming from Dominic.