Chapter 5 - Nice to Try Me

The noise from the Freshmen Initiation finally faded into a low, exhausted hum across the dusty field. Inside the medical tent, the chaotic rush of the afternoon had vanished, leaving rows of empty folding chairs in its wake. The harsh glare of the late afternoon sun filtered through the canvas roof, casting long shadows across the wooden floorboards. Only Reid, Cassian, and Julian remained behind.

Julian occupied a chair in the dead center of the tent. He sat with pristine, unbothered posture, his pale gaze fixed on his phone screen. He radiated a cool patience, seemingly waiting for a specific event to unfold. Near the tent flap, Reid and Cassian shifted their weight from foot to foot. They stole anxious, darting glances at Julian, their bodies angled toward the exit. They looked ready to bolt at the first sign of trouble.

Heavy, rhythmic footsteps crunched against the dry dirt outside. Dom approached the entrance. The engineering group he had been commanding all day trailed a short distance behind him, their loud voices a stark contrast to his silent, imposing approach. Dom looked exhausted, his broad chest rising and falling beneath his sweat-soaked shirt. He stopped at the edge of the tent.

"Thank you for this day again, Reid." Dom kept his face a blank mask as he spoke.

Reid stiffened. His face twisted with an awkward, poorly concealed panic. He refused to look deeper into the tent.

"You are welcome, Dom. We will go ahead. See you tomorrow." Reid rushed his words out in a breathless string.

Without waiting for a reply, Reid brushed past Dom in a frantic hurry. Cassian practically sprinted behind him, keeping his head down as they escaped into the late afternoon heat.

Dom knotted his brow. He turned his head, his eyes following the two retreating medics. Their sudden panic made no sense. He paused at the entrance, his mind turning the odd behavior over. A subtle shift in the air behind him made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He slowly turned his body around to face the interior of the tent.

His eyes instantly collided with Julian.

The pale guy sat comfortably alone in the middle of the shadows. Julian did not look away. He stared back with an unreadable, piercing intensity. The air in the tent suddenly felt thick and suffocating.

Silence ruled the space between them. Neither man made a move. Neither man made a sound. The distant shouts of the engineering freshmen felt miles away. They just stood there, locked in a heavy, unspoken battle of wills. Dom finally heaved a deep sigh and closed the distance, his heavy boots thudding against the floorboards.

"Reid and Cassian have already left." Dom stopped right in front of him.

Julian offered a casual shrug. He kept his eyes locked on Dom, unflinching and cold.

"You want me." Julian announced.

It was not a question. It was a stark, earnest statement of absolute fact. The words dropped into the quiet space like a heavy stone.

Dom gaped. His jaw slacked as his brain short-circuited. He stared down at the seated figure, his mind racing to find a counterattack to such a blunt declaration. He found nothing.

"You want me that bad. Your eyes are screaming it out loud." Julian smiled. The curve of his lips was calm, yet undeniably challenging.

Dom clenched his jaw tight. A muscle ticked in his cheek.

Julian leaned back slightly, a subtle smirk playing on his flawless features. "I can smell your desire even from afar."

"Who would not?" Dom crossed his muscular arms over his chest. He plastered a sarcastic smirk on his face to mask his internal annoyance. "You are Julian Alistair Blackwood. The epitome of perfection. Everybody's dream guy."

Julian tilted his head, his smile turning teasing. "Really? And you are one of those everybody?"

"Even a statue would desire you. I am just a normal man." Dom ground out through his teeth, frustrated with Julian and even more frustrated with himself.

"You desire me." Julian repeated in a straightforward tone, brushing past the sarcasm.

Dom fell silent. He kept his mouth shut and stared down at the infuriating guy in the chair.

"I do not play your kind of game, Dominic Rhodes." Julian spoke in a soft, commanding voice that demanded absolute attention. "I do not do one-night stands. I do not randomly kiss for a fling. I will never put my lips on some random girl or guy's body. I do not even need someone to satisfy my body's needs."

Dom narrowed his piercing eyes, a mocking edge sharpening his stare. "Everyone knows it. No one has ever caught the attention of the famous, high and mighty Julian Alistair Blackwood. No one in this university has ever met your standards. Everyone is just your spectator. Your silent admirers. You made everyone a dreamer. You are a very far away star, and they keep on dreaming that maybe someday you might take notice of even one of them."

Julian let out a low, breathy chuckle. He stretched his slender body against the back of the chair, looking like a lazy predator in the sun. He slipped his hands casually into his pockets and held Dom's hostile gaze.

"So you dreamed of me, just like anyone else?" Julian asked, his fingers tracing the metal edge of a key inside his pocket.

Dom refused to answer. He locked his jaw and glared. The medical tent fell dead quiet again. Julian seemed perfectly content to sit there and let the silence stretch, wearing that same unbothered, calm smile.

"When was the last time you had a one-night stand?" Julian demanded out of nowhere.

Dom stared at him in sheer incredulity. The abrupt change in topic threw him off balance.

"When did you become interested in my personal affairs?" Dom asked, his eyes squinting with suspicion.

"Just for tonight. As I have said, I do not play your kind of game, so I want to know." Julian dropped the teasing smile. His gaze turned icy and insistent. "I don't care where you previously put that dick. Just tonight, I want to know when was the last time you used that dick?"

Dom stood frozen. He searched Julian's cold eyes, trying desperately to figure out the game plan. The blunt language coming from the untouchable ice prince shattered his composure. He came up empty.

"When?" Julian pressed, his tone stern and persistent.

"Last two weeks ago. Or three, I think." Dom answered in a rush.

Julian raised one elegant eyebrow, letting his doubt show clearly.

Dom felt a sudden, bizarre wave of intimidation wash over him. He found himself standing in the middle of a dusty tent, mentally counting back the days on a calendar, trying to pinpoint the exact weekend of his last hookup for a guy who looked like he could be blown away by a strong gust of wind.

"It was three weeks ago. I got so busy with the freshmen initiation." Dom confirmed with absolute certainty.

A second later, Dom blinked. The realization hit him like a physical blow. He had just let this frail-looking guy order him around and interrogate him about his sex life. Indignation flared hot in his chest. He glared at Julian, his eyes burning with defensive frustration.

Julian simply returned an amused smirk. He nodded with slight satisfaction, clearly enjoying the dynamic shift.

"Acceptable." Julian murmured.

Dom raised a brow, thoroughly disarmed and struggling to catch up with whatever was happening in the pale guy's head.

Julian held his gaze, his smirk deepening into something dangerously inviting.

"So Dominic Rhodes, want to try, a Julian Alistair Blackwood for tonight?"