The day is so close, you can just feel the tingle all the way down there… can’t you? And just in case you need a little boost to get the excitement going. It’s April 1st and this is no fool’s day post!! As promised, the cover reveal for Touching Vida~Vince and a hefty sized teaser!
TOUCHING VIDA~VINCE
The Dominion of Brothers Series book 7
Talon P.S.
Vince sat quietly in the patient room in the rear of the emergency room, waiting for his own x-ray results— and his ride. The flying object that attacked him had turned out to be the door handle from the bathroom stall door breaking off when Darko assaulted it.
Vince’s hand floated up to the fresh bandage covering the stitches just above his brow where it’d hit. He tapped it lightly, but even the cautious touch made him flinch.
He fidgeted on the ER bed, legs dangling over the side, folding his hands together as he worked to keep his emotions in check. No doubt he would crumple when Dane got there, but he had no one to comfort him until then.
They’d wound up here because Darko had needed x-rays on his hand, and because Dane insisted that Vince be checked out as well. But as soon as Darko was medically cleared, Vince convinced him to leave before Dane arrived. Purposely encouraged Darko to head home. There was no intelligence in facing Dane Masters while he was in full rage. Darko had been reluctant, but finally obliged. One fight a night was enough, and so Vince waited alone in the small examining room of the hospital.
There was a soft knock then the door opened. Vince jumped to his feet, half expecting it to be Dane storming in, but he was relieved to find it was only the doctor, his nose down as he either plucked or entered info into the digital pad he carried with him.
“So? Am I going to live?” Vince did his best to lighten his own mood.
The doctor hardly glanced up, but was quickly doing a double take, then froze in mid-step with a slight slack-jaw expression. It was enough to make Vince uncomfortable.
“Didn’t think it would take this long to get my x-ray results, so it must be bad news for me, huh?” Vince joked, growing more self-conscious in front of the doctor staring at him in wonder.
The doctor glanced at his pad, slid his finger over it a few times before responding, “Oh, this does look bad.” The doctor shook his head. “Might have to keep you overnight so I can—” A minute pause, then he rattled his head. “So, we can study you further,” he finished, emphasizing the interjected pronoun correction. It was almost cute.
The correction didn’t go unnoticed and if it weren’t for that, the suggestion might have worried Vince, but he caught the jest and managed a real smile. “That serious, huh?”
The doctor looked at him with a gleam in his eyes, as if he liked what he saw. In fact, Vince could easily have fooled himself into believing the man had affection in his eyes. A nice fantasy to wish for. But surely it was just the joke trying to escape and made the man’s eyes laugh. Hopefully not at him.
The doctor caved and shook his head in disagreement, letting out a mild chuckle. “No. I’m teasing. You’ve a slight bruise, around the cut. As you know, we put five stitches in to close it up with some tape which should hold with minimal scaring. Be sure to leave them in place for at least five to six days to prevent reopening. Your x-rays showed no signs of fracture. And, based on your exam on admission, as well as your ImPACT clinical score, there appears to be no presence of concussion. But I’d prefer you didn’t drive yourself home. Have you a ride?”
Vince grimaced and gave a slight nod. He did, but Dane had been at work at Club Pain when he called and most likely— involved. Vince had also stalled before calling to be sure Darko could be released before the wrath arrived. “Yes, my brother is coming.”
“Doctor?” a nurse called from the nearby station.
The doctor glanced out of the curtain divider, toward the corridor, then back, watching with a deflated expression as Vince sank back down onto the narrow hospital bed. “Excuse me a moment.”
Vince nodded, but his mental state was already running away from him. He pulled his coat tighter around him, feeling chilled, or perhaps just overly conscious. He was, after all, in a dress, and a hospital wasn’t exactly the ideal atmosphere where he knew how to pull the look off. The night had been so perfect, too, then it somehow got upended into a pathetic state of being alone and old, and achy in a cold hospital.
“Vida?”
Vince snapped alert, surprised the doctor had returned, standing over him, his face blushing with some unexpected expression.
Dr. Pavle Laszkovi wondered if he’d said something wrong, considering the way the slender man snapped around as he did. “It is Vida, isn’t it? That’s what is in your medical file.” He pointed to the tablet in his hand for emphasis. The face, worried over with emotions still didn’t diminish the angelic allure. Because Pavle remembered that face when it was flourishing under the heavy adoration of a brother. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
“Yes,” Vince interrupted, “well, used to—” He paused a moment, looking uncertain. “Yes. That’s me.” He shivered.
Pavle could see he wasn’t comfortable, and he fumbled for anything to say. “Are you cold?”
“A little, I guess.”
“Well, you’re free to go.” Though the curt suggestion didn’t seem to make the worry go away, and he felt as though he was part of the cause. He also didn’t want him to go right then. “If your ride isn’t here yet, maybe I could offer you something to help warm you up.”
“Excuse me?” A tired face blinked at him.
“I wanted to offer—” Pavle fidgeted. “I, uh, I make a pretty good tea— helps calm the nerves. I wanted to offer— I mean—” he stalled, wiping across his lips as if trying to erase all the stuttering thoughts he was about to spit out and try again. He set the tablet down on the counter, then stuffed his hands into his pockets, unable to tuck away the sheepish smile that came over him. “This is embarrassing,” Pavle admitted. He shook his head and immediately made the correction. “I wanted to offer—” He shifted on his feet. He almost had to laugh at himself over it, because the androgynous man made him feel like a ridiculous insecure school kid attempting to ask for his first date. “What I mean to say is— I make a pretty good tea. It helps calm the nerves— my nerves especially,” he joked. “It might also help warm you up. I mean—” He shifted again, the embarrassment still apparent, unshakable. “Would you join me for some tea? I’m overdue for a break. I’d like your company.” He fidgeted some more because now he’d just worded it in a way that could be misconstrued as unprofessional conduct. Great, but there was no refuting he had a crush on this allusive angel. “While we wait for your brother, that is,” he quickly added, if for no other reason but to assure Vida he meant no funny business. Because no fool would risk misplaced ideas when there was a brother on the way, right? Good God, he couldn’t remember being this foolish, even in high school. But then again, he had still been living in Serbia at the time, and he wasn’t allowed to pursue any crushes as a boy in their home country.
He was certain Vida was going to laugh at him. It was nuts, he knew. But he couldn’t take his eyes off him.
“I would love some tea.”
Just then, one of the staff assistants poked her head into the room. “Miss Masters, your ride is here.”
“Oh, okay, thank you,” Vince replied then blushed before the doctor. “Thank you for the offer, maybe another time.” He tried to offer an apologetic smile, but he was so tired he was certain he failed at it. And he really did want to go home.
The doctor smiled at him and nodded. “Of course. Remember to rest for a few days, and no twirling, ballroom dancing for at least a week. Doctor’s orders.”
“Thank you.”
As Vince slipped out of the emergency room, he couldn’t help but chance a glimpse over his shoulder, and there the doctor was— watching as he left as though sorry to see him go. I wonder what his hands feel like?
*NOTE: for those who are wondering where Vince’s story starts and ends: It picks up right behind where Becoming His Slave ended, and spans over the entire series so far, tying up what some readers may have perceived as opened-ended stray parts and/or sets these issues up for further inclusion of the series. It then ends directly in the same shooting scene as Right One 4 Diesel ended.
Marcus Scriven’s book, Seducing His Thief book 8, picks up in the same scene where these two left you , and goes forward. We’re hoping to have Marcus’s book ready for release by the end of this year, but his book has also shown its going to be larger than expected. (upward around the size of Right One 4 Diesel), so it’s gonna be a doozy and well worth this long wait. ❤
TPS PUBLISHING 