Three brass numbers stood between Dominic and the pizza. Savoring the moments with the best pizza in the world, Dominic reluctantly knocked on the door. The music shut off. The sound of bare feet padding across the hardwood floor neared the door. He expected several people. With a whoosh the door swung open. Almond-shaped eyes widened at the sight of him. Long, lean and slender spilled out from a pair of black stretchy shorts, which hugged her curvy hips. Instead of the bun she wore earlier, a twelve-inch diamond crown was on top of her dark hair.
“Cupcake Girl?”
Chapter 2
“Dominic Crowne?” Waverly breathed the man’s name and hoped to slow down the quickening pulse zipping through her veins. Since she’d seen him last, he’d shed the tailored suit and replaced it with jeans—a pair of well-fitted jeans—and a T-shirt. Tattoos covered his arms. She tried not to stare too hard. He might as well have come with a neon sign that read DANGER. Excitement coursed through her veins.
Dominic leaned against the door frame with a pizza box propped within the crook of his arm and against his hip. A dangerous smile, accompanied with a quick wiggle of his brow, crossed his face. “You’re not Lexi.”
“This is her place,” Waverly explained. “Lexi is letting me crash here for a while.”
“Crash here for a while?” He frowned. “Is your place being painted or something?”
Waverly shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Are you volunteering or something?”
“Maybe the ‘something’ part.” Dominic licked his lips, and Waverly forgot about the howling in her stomach from a few minutes ago before pizza arrived. She stepped backward into the foyer of her apartment and caught a glimpse of her pink-tinted cheeks in the large gold-framed mirror by the door.
Waverly cleared her throat. “So, do you normally walk the halls with pizzas?”
“Oh, my bad.” He shoved the pizza toward her. “You haven’t looked at yours yet, have you?”
“I was about to sit down.”
“Right after the crowning?” Dominic asked and pointed toward the top of her head.
Heat filled her cheeks. She cocked her head to the side, untangled the combs holding her tiara in place and released her unruly hair. “Sorry, I was just...”
Dominic held up his free hand. “It’s okay. You had that second cupcake today—it was worth celebrating, I understand.”
Waverly decided not to expose her greed and tell him she’d eaten a total of three cupcakes today. “Thanks.” She laughed lightly. “You said something about a pizza?”
As if remembering the food in his arms, Dominic blinked and inhaled deeply while he nodded. “The delivery guy mixed up the apartment numbers. My sister lives across the courtyard and she’s going to kill me if I don’t leave her any leftovers. She only bought the one, even though I’m here to do a favor for her.”
With widened eyes, Waverly bobbed her head from side to side. She took a step forward into the hallway and peered into the steaming-hot box for a peek of a double-pepperoni pie. “I wonder what I got. What other pizza could there be?”
“Jesus, now more than ever I need to know your name,” Dominic groaned, pressing his hand against his chest. “At least I need to know your first name. Your last name isn’t necessary.”
She cocked her hand on her hip and laughed. “Why is my last name not necessary?”
“Because it’s about to change to mine.”
“At least let me hyphenate it,” Waverly responded with a laugh. “Waverly Leverve-Crowne.”
“As long as we can eat double pepperoni and cupcakes every day.”
How was she supposed to just take her pizza from him without offering some of hers? Waverly opened her door wider and waved him inside. Taking the cue, Dominic strolled in. His walk was cocky, and he was confidently aware of his sexual prowess. Waverly inhaled deeply and shook her head. Something about this seemed wrong...but when was she ever known to make the right decisions?
“The pizza is in the kitchen,” said Waverly. She walked passed him, bumping her shoulder against his hard biceps. Steam still rose from the cracks of the large square box. Stepping away from the kitchen gave herself the chance to realize she hadn’t been able to smell the spicy pepperoni. Now she caught a whiff of the Alfredo. Chicken Alfredo was good—on a plate of pasta. On a pizza? Waverly frowned. “Does your sister like you?”
Dominic came around the island bar of her kitchen. He set her box on the counter next to the fraudulent pizza. “Depends on her mood. I’m guessing she doesn’t tonight.”
“What a shame you don’t share things, because I feel so horrible for you not having a normal pizza.” Glad to be in the presence of someone who appreciated a classic pizza, Waverly grinned. She attempted to pull the box closer to her side of the counter, but Dominic held on to one corner with a finger and stopped her.
“Well, hold on now.” His left brow rose and matched the amused smile spreading across his handsome face. “Didn’t I say there were exceptions?”
“No, but I’m guessing one of them is for pizza?”
“For you,” he said with a wink, “I’ll make the exception.”
The line was corny, yet Waverly laughed—not just laughed but giggled. “I feel so honored.”
“Well, it’d be my honor to dine with the queen,” said Dominic, grabbing the tiara from her hand. A shocking overprotective sensation washed over her. This might have been what new mothers felt when someone held their newborn babies. The sparkly band looked so tiny and fragile in Dominic’s large, rough hands.
Waverly touched the crown with her fingers. Having it on top of her head was natural. With it off her head, she felt anxious. Tonight she’d planned on having a date night with herself. “Sorry,” Waverly mumbled and took the crown from his hand. She placed it back on top of her head where it belonged.
“Do you always wear a crown?” Dominic asked. He squinted his light brown eyes at her. “Was I so blinded by your beauty earlier that I didn’t notice?”
“No,” Waverly replied and moved toward the cabinets. She reached for the blue-and-white-patterned plates from the cupboard above the sink. She got up on tiptoe. Warmth oozed down her body when Dominic appeared behind her to help guide a plate down. Dominic took it from her hands and set it on the counter next to the one she had already taken out for herself. “I wasn’t expecting company this evening, and I’d already reserved a table for a pity party of one.”
“Now, what would a woman like you be doing with a table like that?” Dominic leaned against the counter as if he belonged there. And he did, as odd as it sounded. The blue Victorian accents on the cookie, flour and sugar jars in the kitchen made Dominic look like a bull in a china shop.
“If I told you, you’d think I’m crazy.” Waverly chuckled. She motioned for Dominic to have a seat at the counter with her. Dominic opened the large lid to the pizza. Pepperoni-scented steam rose through the air. “Would you care for a beer?”
For a moment Dominic pressed his hands to his bowed head. She wondered if he was religious and praying before his meal. “Dear Lord, thank you for bringing this woman before me. Smart, beautiful, seemingly sane if you don’t count the tiara and drinks beer? Not sure what I’ve done to deserve this, but thank you.”
Waverly shook her head. The left side of her face tightened with her half smile. “You’re crazy.” Quickly she grabbed two bottled beers from the door of the fridge and kicked it closed before returning to her guest. She set the bottles down as Dominic began to serve the pizza.
“Then we’re the perfect pair,” said Dominic. “One slice or two?”
“Are you going to judge me if I put two slices together for a pizza sandwich?” Waverly asked, adjusting her invention. In midserve, Dominic dropped a slice onto the floor, dug his keys from his front pocket and pretended to push himself away from the coun
ter. Was he shocked? Turned off? “Too disgusting?”
“No, not at all.” He laughed. “I’m bringing you in front of the justice of the peace right now.”
“If Jillian wouldn’t have a fit, perhaps.”
“Who is Jillian?” Dominic asked. “Your mom?”
Waverly nodded and took her seat. “Yes.”
“I get it.” Dominic nodded and took a seat, as well. “She’d want to be there at our wedding.”
“Maybe so,” said Waverly. “I think she’d be more pissed off at me ruining my chances to enter the Miss Georgia Pageant next year. A married woman cannot enter.”
Dominic nodded slowly while he fixed two slices together like she did. “Okay, so we’ll hold off our wedding until after you win.”
“No,” said Waverly.
“No?” Dominic repeated with a hint of hurt in his deep voice.
“Sorry. It’s a habit for me to say I’m running for Miss Georgia.” Waverly picked up a slice of her pizza and took a bite of the tip. For a moment she closed her eyes and let her tongue savor the spiciness of the pepperoni and the creamy yet salty flavor of the mozzarella cheese. When she opened her eyes, she found Dominic staring at her.
“I can’t eat until you tell me the rest of the story.”
“There’s nothing much to tell,” Waverly said with a shrug. “I was a beauty queen and now I’m...” She hesitated and hated the idea of telling Dominic the whole story—meme and all. “I’m an outcast.”
“Outcast means drama-free.” Dominic raised his beer in the air. “Here’s to being an outcast.”
Waverly lifted her beer in cheer. Their bottles clinked in a toast and they ate for a few minutes in silence. There were a few moans of pleasure here and there from the both of them, each enjoying a true American pastime. Halfway through his first slice, Dominic cleared his throat.
“I’m going to assume it’s safe to say you know about pageants.”
An uncomfortable lull washed over Waverly. She hated having to explain pageant life to people who weren’t familiar with the culture. Irresponsible television documentaries made a mockery of the sport. Most folks ironically judged women who donned bathing suits and ball gowns. Waverly did not want Dominic to get the wrong idea of her. “Are you serious?”
Chewing, Dominic shrugged. Distracted, Waverly wondered how much weight he lifted every day to get his muscles so big. The fabric of his cotton shirt was stretched to the limit against his tattooed arms. She couldn’t make out all the designs but could identify a bird, maybe an eagle or a hawk, a few knives and words written in a foreign language. Clearly he was addicted to the ink. Sweat beaded above her upper lip and she began to perspire under her arms. Waverly knew summers in Southwood brought a whole new meaning to Southern heat, but damn, Dominic Crowne rewrote the definition. She took a swig of her beer.
“I’ve been out of the country,” said Dominic. “I didn’t think I missed so much. What’s up?”
If he hadn’t heard about her embarrassment, it would only be a matter of time. In order to get ahead of the embarrassing meme, she needed to show him now. Waverly pushed away from the counter and retrieved her cell phone. The latest version had been turned into a mock-up video spliced together with images, the work of someone’s overactive imagination. The tiara was turned into a silver keg, and instead of Waverly placing the crown on her replacement’s head, she was knocking her out. Little cartoon blue and yellow birds flew around her replacement’s head.
“Well—” Waverly sighed “—here’s what you’ve missed.” Dread washed over her. How long after he watched the video would it be until he keeled over with laughter?
“Hey,” Dominic said softly, covering the phone in her hand, “whatever you want to show me, I’m sure it is in the past. I’m interested in you today, here in the present.”
“You really need to see this before you get involved with me.”
Dominic winked and washed away her fear with the stroke of his fingers against her wrist. “So you admit you’re interested in me.”
“I don’t see how we can marry tonight without a mutual attraction,” Waverly said with a grin. She pulled her wrist away, hating the immediate withdrawal of his touch. Addicted after one touch?
Dominic wiped his hand against the length of his face. “Attraction is putting it mildly. We eat the same kind of cupcake and pizza, drink the same beer.”
The imaginary neon orange warning sign over his head flashed, but Waverly ignored it. Why bother following the rules now? An unmistakable pull drew her close to him. Her wrist twitched for him to take it again; he did, and let his fingers lace with hers. “What more proof do we need?”
As if to show her, Dominic rose to his feet and brought his face down, close to hers. His lips lingered over her mouth, his breath teasing her with anticipation. Waverly rose on tiptoe, inciting the kiss, fanning the flames of desire boiling between them. Dominic caressed the side of her face with his free hand. His fingers found their way into her hair and tousled the loose strands. His lips covered hers.
His tongue gracefully entered her mouth, introduced itself to Waverly’s and slipped away. Her hand had twitched with withdrawal a few minutes ago, and Waverly’s lips quivered when Dominic pulled away for a moment. Not done with their kiss, Dominic turned his head to the other side and cupped both her cheeks. For the first time in weeks, Waverly forgot about everything else in the world. A rumble rolled through her belly. How fast would it make her if she invited Dominic to her bedroom?
“I have my answer,” Dominic whispered. He kissed her lips one last time before he pulled away and stood to his full height. “How about you?”
Waverly pressed her forehead against his chest. The beat of his heart sounded against hers. “What was the question?”
Chuckling, Dominic dropped his hands and stepped backward to hold out her seat for her. “We should stop.”
“We should,” Waverly agreed with a slight shake of her head.
They went back to eating, forgetting how their pizza chilled while the tension between them heated with each bite. Waverly tossed her crust onto the plate. “My God, that was good.”
“The pizza or the kiss?”
“The pizza is fantastic,” Waverly answered with a sly grin. “So tell me, Dominic Crowne, what do you do at this garage of yours?”
After hearing her question out loud, Waverly hated to admit how foolish she sounded. She’d almost taken this man to her bedroom without knowing the first thing about him.
“Well, besides the typical oil changes and routine work on cars,” Dominic said, “I restore old cars and customize them for clients.”
“What’s the last big project you worked on?”
Dominic took a long drink of his beer before answering. “This morning I flew in from Dubai after a two-week trek of bringing my friend Aamir his customized Ferrari.”
“What did you do to it?”
“I put in some speakers and tires and fixed the motor so he can maximize the power when he races.”
Waverly frowned. “And how old is he?”
“Thirty, like me, almost thirty-one.”
“Ah,” Waverly drawled, “so he’s old.”
Dominic nodded. “Oh, you got jokes?”
“I’m known to say something funny a time or two,” Waverly told him with a laugh. “So did it take two weeks to deliver a car?”
“Wait until you meet Aamir at our wedding,” Dominic said. “You’ll understand.”
Waverly’s heart surged again. She knew he was teasing about the marriage, but hearing someone making plans for something other than beauty pageants felt good...human, almost. Speaking of being human, Waverly reached for a third slice of pizza. “How did you end up with friends overseas?”
“College,” he answered. “Stanford, to be exact.�
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“Oh, that’s too interesting.” Waverly bit her bottom lip for a half second. Here she was, barely a full semester under her belt with a tarnished tiara, while he was highly educated and worldly. “I hear those Ivy League schools are stuck-up.”
“Stanford is not Ivy League,” Dominic countered. He held out his muscular arm. “Would a guy tatted like me get into an Ivy League school?”
“How would I know?” Waverly shrugged. “Maybe as a graduation treat, you’d got yourself a few tattoos.”
“I promise you, I had tattoos before I started college.”
Waverly didn’t know why this was an issue. Dominic stood up, reaching for his phone in his back pocket. “Don’t try to show me some Photoshopped version of yourself.”
“What do you know about Photoshopping?” he asked.
A little too much these days, Waverly thought to herself.
“I say we make a wager of this,” Dominic began. “If I can prove you wrong, you have to do something with me.”
Considering what they almost did, sure. Waverly grinned. “Deal.”
“Don’t go back on a promise, now.”
Waverly rolled her eyes and held out her hand. “Man, if you don’t show me this picture...”
Playfully Dominic held the phone in the air and out of her reach. Now would be the great time for her to come up with her part in the wager when Dominic failed to provide the photograph. Wasn’t he the prize, though? Waverly licked her lips in anticipation.
“Bam,” Dominic said after his thumb stopped scrolling across the screen. He shoved the phone close to her face.
Waverly took a step backward to adjust what she saw. There, surrounded by a set of twin preteen boys flexing their nonexistent muscles and a young girl, draped in an oversize green graduation gown, was a young Dominic. His hair was cut in a high top fade, too high for his graduation cap, which he held in one hand. He wore a pair of jeans with holes at the knees and a muscle shirt. Dark tattoos covered his biceps. Considering how buff he was now compared to then, Waverly had to concede.
A Tiara Under the Tree Page 3