Adaline (The Wallflower Series Book 3)

by Fletcher, R. J.

  Dominic moved slightly in his sleep, his arms reaching above his head, which placed emphasis on the bulging muscles of his arms and shoulders. Adaline had always known he had a sexy body, but she had never realized the extent to which it would affect her. She couldn’t help but compare him to Murphy. And while there was certainly nothing unattractive about her newfound boyfriend, he didn’t elicit the same reaction from her as Dominic did. With Dominic, she felt her fingers itching to touch him. She wanted to feel his lips on her skin once more. And she felt enraged by her moral compass at forcing her to push him away.

  He was simply too attractive for his own good. It was why she couldn’t say no when he pushed her against the refrigerator at Sasha’s home and brought her to orgasm with just his hand. It was that same reason that allowed her to follow him blindly into her room where he then commenced bringing her to new heights of pleasure with just his mouth. At the memories of what happened in the recesses of her darkened room, Adaline’s eyes rested on Dominic’s soft and full lips.

  Her eyes narrowed in determination as she slowly reached over until she was bearing down over him. Placing her hands softly at the sides of his head so as to keep her balance, Adaline slowly bent down until she felt the soft skin press against her own. The spark she never felt with Murphy coursed through her veins the moment they touched. And it took all of her focus and determination to eventually lift her head away and return to her side of the bed.

  As if she hadn’t given in to her own desire and the source was not lying half-naked in her bed, Adaline walked into the bathroom.

  ~~~~

  Dominic shook out the water in his hair as he emerged from the steamy room dressed in casual jeans and a collared shirt.

  “Thank you for coming,” Adaline greeted him. She had woken much earlier and was now fully dressed as well.

  His eyes raked over her in appreciation. She wore a sweater dress that accentuated every curve on her body with knee-length black boots. His mouth quirked unconsciously at the thought of bending her over the dresser and lifting her dress up over her luscious ass.

  “I didn’t mean to grope you in my sleep. Again, I’m sorry about that.”

  She shrugged, obviously not wanting to discuss it.

  “As to your gratitude about coming all the way here…” he shook his head. “Of course, I would come, Addy. No matter what our relationship becomes- whether you decide to stay with Murphy or not- I will always be there for you. Just like you are always there for me.”

  Dominic walked over and bent down in front of her. “Do we need to go to our bench in order for you to feel comfortable telling me everything that happened?”

  Adaline’s mouth broke out into a smile at his teasing. “Of course not, Dominic!”

  He winked at her and continued, “Then tell me what Victoria said to hurt my woman.”

  Adaline ignored the way his words made her heart soar. Her fingers played with the edges of her dress as she explained to him what happened the day before. “Uncle Dean is temporarily blind from the accident.” She nodded her head at the look of shock that came across Dominic’s handsome features. “I had no idea about any of it because I had been ignoring Carla’s calls. I wanted to get as far away from them as possible, to start my own life. But I didn’t realize it would be at the expense of my relationship with my uncle. It really hurt him how I had seemed to just disappear off the face of the earth. And by hurting him, I incurred the ire of my aunt once again. She basically told me she disliked everything about me. Because I remind her too much of my mother.”

  Dominic looked up at her, confused. “Why would that be a bad thing?”

  “Their relationship was absolutely contentious throughout most of my mother’s life. To add insult to injury, Dean was in love with my mother before he ever met Victoria. I think she only took me in after my mother’s death because Dean would have never looked at her the same again if she hadn’t. So, here I am, a constant reminder of her awful relationship with her sister. I expected something else. I hoped that maybe her dislike stemmed from something that I did. Not something I cannot change.”

  Dominic harrumphed and laughed humorlessly. “We are a sad pair, Addy.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He shrugged his shoulders and stood up, taking a step away from her. “Look at us. To this day, we are still being influenced by the whims of our parents or guardians. Do you know why I came here?”

  “Why?”

  “Because I found out what I had known my entire life. My father doesn’t believe in me. The only way to get him to let go of the reigns even a little bit was to bring in my older brother. Dmitri said the same shit I’ve been telling him since day one of this new venture. But it all went over Nikolai’s head until my brother walked in to save the day. Their relationship has been shit for years and still is, but my father still believes in him more than he does me. In fact, I think that’s why he was so manipulative regarding Dmitri’s relationship with Sasha. Because he actually gave a fuck about Dmitri’s future!”

  Adaline raised her hand with a shake of her head, “Dominic! Slow down! I only got about half of that.”

  He took in a deep breath to force himself to relax and sighed, “Essentially what I’m saying is…we’ve been on this rollercoaster for too long, Addy. This is the same stuff we talked about when we were teenagers. We shouldn’t be hurt by it anymore. Our parents are crap. It’s time that we just accept that.”

  Her eyes narrowed at the look of defeat upon him. “I’m not some robot, Dominic. I hurt because I love them.”

  Dominic shook his head and signed back, “I know. You think I don’t love my father?” He turned his back to her for a moment and paced the floor of the hotel room. She watched and waited in anticipation of what he would say next. “I’ve looked up to him since I was a kid, but all I’ve gotten in return is disappointment. There comes a point where I need to stop expecting something different because it’s never going to happen. I can fulfill every dream he has of his fucking legacy, but I will always come up short. It’s time to go off on my own.”

  He returned to his kneeled position before her and took her hands into his. “You did the right thing by leaving, Addy. Don’t you dare let them tell you different. If you hadn’t, we wouldn’t be here right now. We wouldn’t have this…”Dominic leaned forward and pressed a kiss against her neck, right below her jawline. He felt her shiver at his touch but moved away almost immediately.

  “What is this, Dominic? I don’t understand why you’ve suddenly changed your mind.”

  “There’s nothing sudden about it. Do you have any idea what I thought when I first saw you in the wedding ceremony?”

  Adaline shook her head instead of speaking aloud.

  “I was blown away, baby. You are just,” he bit his lip and tried to think of the words that wouldn’t scare her, “you are so beautiful. And it’s not that I didn’t notice when we were younger because there were definitely moments when I had to remind myself that I was with Carla. But it was fear. You weren’t what I expected, you weren’t who I thought I should be with because I was an idiotic, privileged, and spoiled kid.”

  “You still are at least two of those,” she interjected.

  Dominic laughed and nodded his assent. “I won’t argue with you there. Just think about it, Addy. How right did it feel sleeping next to me last night? I know that after meeting with my father, I wanted to talk to you. And not just to complain and rant like I would with a friend. But because at the end of the day, I want to be with you. You encompass everything I could ever dream of having in a woman. You’re smart, you’re not afraid to put me in my place- like you just did- you’re my friend, and good lord, you are so sexy!”

  At that, Adaline looked away and hid her face in embarrassment.

  Dominic tsked. “Oh, no you don’t. You need to hear this so that you finally believe me. I know how long you’ve waited, and I’m sorry I was so slow on the uptake. But I’m not going anywhere. You belong
to me, Addy. We belong together. And I’ll keep saying that until you finally believe me. And then I’ll make love to you because I know both of us want that.”

  “How do I know that this isn’t just because you couldn’t end up with Dina?” She asked softly.

  His eyes stared deeply into hers so that she’d see that his words were genuine. “The way I felt for Dina doesn’t even compare to what I feel for you, Addy. You’re not competing with anyone. I, on the other hand, actually am. If anything, I’m the one who should be feeling insecure,” he joked. “You have no competition when it comes to the way I feel about you, Addy.”

  “I-I’m scared, Dominic.”

  “What are you scared of?”

  There was a pause as she looked down at him. “I’m scared that you’ll hurt me. I’m afraid that this is just a game to you.”

  Dominic had an intake of breath at her words. He released her hands and stood to his full height. Dmitri had thought the same thing. Somehow, they both believed his pursuit of her was a need to restore his pride. Why couldn’t they see how much he yearned for her?

  “I just left one,” he said sternly, referring to the way Dina had toyed with him. “Why would I be looking for another?”

  “Do you really see yourself introducing me to your friends and colleagues? How could we ever have a future together with my disability? Yes, I may be able to speak and I have a cochlear implant but I’ll never be ‘normal’. And I don’t think you really have a clue of what it’ll be like with us together. You have no ides what it is like for people like Murphy and me. You can speak sign language all you want, but it’s not the same.”

  Dominic could feel himself growing more and more angry at every passing second. He felt himself ready to burst with frustration at all of her assumptions. “Are you kidding me?” he asked, his voice thick with sarcasm. “I have no idea what it’s like being Black either, but that doesn’t seem to stop Dmitri and Sasha from being together and happy. Since when did couples have to be the same in order to be compatible? I’m not your family; I’m not going to force you to become something you’re not. I understand wanting to be in an ASL community. I get how important that is for you. But that doesn’t mean you have to completely eradicate everyone else from your life. Quite frankly, that entire reasoning is simply bullshit to hide behind your fears.”

  Immediately, Adaline stood up and pushed him away from her. “You’re being an ass, Dominic!”

  He barely budged by her shove, and he refused to be pushed away figuratively or otherwise. “No, I’m telling you the harsh truth, Addy. You told me you were scared of being hurt but that’s a risk you take with any relationship. What you’re telling me is that you don’t think I’m worth that risk. Is that it?” His voice had softened at his question.

  Adaline’s eyes widened at the painful question. “W-what? No, no! That’s not what I’m saying at all.”

  Dominic didn’t respond.

  Suddenly, Adaline felt in the wrong. She had been so sure of her reasoning for moving on, so certain of their incompatibility that she hadn’t considered the implicit message behind her words and actions. She began to think that maybe he was right. Maybe she was being a coward. Dominic was the bigger risk because she felt so much more for him than she felt for Murphy. He was in her dreams and had been since she was a teenage girl encountering her first crush. There was so much at stake if they didn’t work out; if he hurt her again, she didn’t know if she would survive it.

  “I was a coward too,” Dominic finally spoke. “You were a bigger risk than Audrey and Carla. But you’re worth it, and I believe in what we could have. So I guess you have to ask yourself the same thing. And stop making assumptions that only serve to placate your fears.”

  They stood in the middle of the hotel room, breaths panting and hearts racing. Even as they fought, they both felt the tether pulling them together. The temperature of the room rose with the desire that always seemed to be seeping beneath the surface any time they were near each other.

  “I-If we do this…”she started.

  Immediately, Dominic shook his head to stop her. “There are no guarantees with relationships, Addy. You either want to be with me or you don’t.”

  She removed the space between them, her body feeling compelled to be closer to him like earlier when she had awoken. Slightly above average height, she still had to look up at him. Adaline could tell that despite the bravado and assurance in his words, there was a slight tremor around his lips as he waited for her to respond. It was satisfying to know just how much he wanted her and the nervousness he felt waiting.

  “I do, Dominic. I want to be with you.”

  Within seconds, his lips came down and claimed her mouth. She released a moan as he adamantly and aggressively explored what was now willingly his. Adaline wrapped her arms around his back as he took a possessive hold of her head and waist. Her stomach fluttered erratically as she felt his tongue drag roughly across hers. Playfully, she tried to capture it between her lips but Dominic was too overcome by the moment to give her any control. She liked how he directed her and how the feel of the cochlear implant hiding beneath her wild hair as he cupped her scalp didn’t put him off.

  Dominic pulled her closer to him so that she could feel the growing hardness fighting to be released from its prison. He knew they were not ready, and until she officially broke up with Murphy and was completely his, he would not pressure her into going any further. But Dominic couldn’t help the thoughts that ran through his mind at the feel of her lips and the sound of her gasps for air as he seductively explored her mouth. She tasted so sweet and her lips were like juicy, soft pillows. He couldn’t wait to see them encircling his thickness as she took him down her throat.

  As the image ran through his mind, his body responded of its own accord. The hand at her waist suddenly drifted downward until he was cupping her rounded ass cheeks within his large palm. She whimpered into his mouth in response as he caressed her through the thin material of her dress. The friction between them had brought it up to the point it barely covered her. With her skin so close to his reach, his fingers teased the hem of the material as his tongue played with hers. When she swiped at it before retreating, he released a growl of desire. And suddenly her dress was now at her narrow waist, and he had access to what he had been craving.

  “Dominic!” she gasped with heated breath. She arched her back to allow him the freedom to more deeply explore the treasure between her legs.

  Despite the presence of her silky undergarments, Dominic’s fingers immediately found the sensitive nub and rubbed it gently with the pad of his forefinger. She tore her mouth from him to let out her cries of pleasure and rocked her hips against him.

  With his other hand, he grabbed her chin so that she couldn’t hide. Looking deeply into her eyes, he confessed, “I love watching you cum. I can’t wait to feel how wet and tight you are when I fuck you with my cock, baby. You want that too, don’t you? You want me inside you?”

  Adaline’s hands fisted the material of his shirt. She couldn’t find the words to speak; she could only nod her assent as the pleasure created waves through her body.

  Dominic shoved the silk of her underwear to the side and physically shuddered at the wetness that greeted him. Her skin was so soft as he reached over to explore her more deeply. His thumb burrowed between the plump cheeks of her ass to find her forbidden rosebud. The increasingly louder sounds of her gasps and whimpers were music to his ears as he once again laid claim to his woman. She had yet to reciprocate in their encounters, when they could no longer hold back their desire for one another, but Dominic found just as much pleasure in seeing the look of wander and astonishment upon her beautiful face as she reached her peak.

  Their eyes locked as he gently entered her. Though his expression remained unchanged, his cock wept at the feel of her pussy tugging his finger deeper and sucking greedily at the invader.

  “Damn baby, I don’t know how long I can hold back. Do you like that?�
�� At her silence, he threatened, “Tell me or I’ll take it out.”

  “No!” She burrowed her body closer to him, resentful of the layers of clothing that separated them. “Yes, Dominic! I like it. Please don’t stop!”

  From the quivers of her inner walls, he could tell she was close. “Is this mine, baby?”

  Knowing what he was really asking, Adaline wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and raised herself onto her tiptoes to kiss him. “No,” she revealed against his lips. “I never let him touch me like this.” She lifted her leg up onto his hips to give him greater access to fill her more deeply. “It’s all yours, Dominic. I’ve always been yours!”

  Keeping one cheek open with his left hand, Dominic began to more roughly caress the entrance to her ass as he filled her more deeply with two fingers. He momentarily closed his eyes to take in the sound of her juices as he pumped his fingers in quicker succession. Her hips pumped at him desperately and her arms tightened around his neck as she began to shiver at his ministrations.

  “Yes, baby. Cum on my fingers. Give me that hot, juicy pussy.”

  “Dominic!” Adaline screamed at the top of her lungs. Sporadic spasms ran through her body from the pleasure overtaking her core. Her fingers desperately held onto anything within reach.

  Dominic felt her pulling at his hair and the collar of his shirt as she grinded herself against him. The wetness from her orgasm covered his hands and some had leaked onto his pants. And though he hadn’t come to his own release, Dominic felt a wealth of satisfaction when Adaline’s body finally slumped against his in exhaustion. Ignoring the erection pressing against the material of his pants, Dominic lifted her into his arms and settled her onto the bed gently.

  With a kiss to her parted lips, he allowed her to recover.

  “You know we have yet to have actual sex,” she commented when she finally caught her breath.