Part of the Family

by Cristina Grenier

  Instead, he merely gave her a slow, searing once over that spoke volumes of what he actually wanted to do with her. Kayla felt her cheeks burning as the heat of arousal sent all her carefully constructed plans out of the window. What she had been planning to say delicately came spilling from her in a deluge – and once she started, she couldn’t stop.

  “My parents…they beat me. When I was younger, that is. There was a lot of physical violence and I didn’t get out of the house until I was seventeen so I’m not really used to…um…people touching me. I mean, I had a boyfriend, once…he wasn’t very happy about it either, but I eventually got used to him. And Melody, I don’t mind her. But when it comes to new people, I…I need an adjustment period, and I wasn’t prepared that night when you did it, so that’s what happened. I didn’t mean to offend you, but I didn’t want you to think I was messed up or anything either-”

  “Whoa.” Dominic held up a hand for silence, and her mouth immediately snapped shut as she stared down at him nervously. “Calm down, Kayla. Breathe.”

  She did as he said, taking a deep breath before exhaling slowly. Dominic sat up straight on the couch, his gaze never leaving hers as he pat the seat next to him in invitation. “Come here.”

  She did so as if she were being pulled by invisible strings, making her way to the plush leather couch to sink down beside him. “There.” He murmured, once she was seated, “Now…you don’t like people touching you.”

  Slowly, she shook her head as her cheeks burned. When he frowned at her answer, her heart leapt into her throat. He was going to ask her to leave – to demand that she get out. “Why didn’t you tell me this before you came here?”

  The young woman drew a shuddering breath. “I…didn’t want it to make or break the deal. And I thought…I mean, I still think…I think I could get used to touching you. Or you touching me. Whatever.”

  Dominic expelled a long breath, running a hand through his dark hair. A day or two’s worth of stubble darkened his jaw, giving him a decidedly more rugged appearance; and despite how she felt about being physical with people, Kayla was beset with the overwhelming urge to run her fingers over his jaw and neck to feel the roughness there. “Look, Kayla…we find ourselves with a problem here. I don’t want to tell you that you have to touch me – especially knowing what I know now. But, you have to understand, this isn’t fooling anyone. People can see how much you want to get away from me.” He smirked in bitter amusement. “Which isn’t good for either of us. So I need you to tell me what you want to do. I won’t force anything.”

  He wanted her to tell him what to do?

  Meaning she could back out and go home right now?

  The moment the thought entered her mind, however, Kayla knew it wasn’t an option. She was invested in this. She was attending Columbia, she loved her classes, and she could already see her graduation in her mind’s eye. Was she really going to give that up because she couldn’t let go of a past that seemed to follow her wherever she went?

  She had sworn that she would let go of her past. Of her parents and that shitty little house in Trembley that had almost ruined her. Yet, here she was, almost a decade later, still suffering. She couldn’t let her reservations get in the way now.

  She wouldn’t.

  Drawing her lower lip between her teeth in trepidation, she steeled herself, raising her gaze to meet Dominic’s once more. He was watching her unflinchingly, as if she were the only thing that existed in the entire world. Slowly, Kayla raised her hand watching herself lean towards him until her fingertips were a hairsbreadth from the stubble on his jaw. Before she could lose her gall, she touched him – felt the roughness there carefully as she ran her palm from his neck up to his ear.

  A thrill of awareness shot through her and she felt her belly tighten as heat suffused it. It was pricklier than she’d imagined – but not in a bad way. Dominic continued to watch her, unmoving, as she raised her other hand to do the same, feeling the opposite side of his face slowly, as if she were committing it to memory. Finally, she had to say something to break the thick silence between them. “You didn’t shave,” she finally managed, her heart hammering against her ribs.

  The corner of his mouth kicked up slightly. “I spent the night in the office – big meeting coming up in a week. Though I probably got more sleep than in my own bed.”

  Kayla flushed in embarrassment. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to throw your schedule off.”

  “Don’t apologize for being you, Kayla.” He replied, making her eyes widen slightly. “You can’t help it.”

  The young woman swallowed thickly, deciding to change the subject. “Aren’t you…I mean…don’t you want to try touching me too?”

  Her words were enough to make his eyes dilate in obvious desire. “Do you want me to?”

  “Yes.” She answered – with perhaps a bit too much enthusiasm – before she could stop herself. Dominic merely chuckled lowly before raising his hands to encircle her wrists with lithe fingers. The moment he touched her, Kayla inhaled sharply. There was no flinching this time – she’d been expecting it – but there was certainly no small amount of bodily reaction. It was as if every nerve ending in her body was suddenly alive and acutely aware of the man seated not two inches from her.

  Kayla watched with bated breath as Dominic moved his thumbs to slide over her palms gently, back and forth. It had been years – years – since a man had touched her – and her ex had never touched her like this. Slow and soft - almost tentative. “Is this alright?” The words rumbled up from deep in Dominic’s chest, and Kayla had to swallow the whimper that rose to her lips. He was barely touching her, but the sensation of his thumbs sweeping over her sensitive palms was almost enough to bliss her into a coma.

  “Yes…” She breathed, her eyes beginning to slide closed. Within a fraction of a second, however, the young woman realized that, with her eyes closed, she wouldn’t be able to see where Dominic planned to touch her next – and the last thing she needed right now was another freak out when she was doing so well. Her eyes popped open and she watched him, almost hawk-like, as his hands skimmed over her arms – covered by the long sleeves of her sweater, to her shoulders, where they curled in firmly to begin kneading slowly.

  Kayla all but purred in pleasure. When she was ready for it, she found she had little to no problem with him touching her there – perhaps it was because she’d already seen it so many times when she lie in bed next to him with her eyes closed. “And this?” She barely registered him asking her again, softly, if she was alright. She was already relaxing into his touch, wondering if she’d ever felt something so glorious.

  “Mmm…yes.”

  When his hands left her for a moment, she almost found herself protesting, only to inhale sharply when his fingers all but encircled her minute waist. Her gaze snapped to his to find him still watching her carefully, looking for any signs of discomfort. “And here? Here is OK?” She was a little more tentative now, but Kayla would be lying to herself if she didn’t admit that him holding her felt good. Slowly, she nodded.

  Then, Dominic did something completely unexpected. His hands circled around her to the small of her back before dipping lower – to the curve of her behind. Kayla yelped as he scooped her unceremoniously into his lap, her hands impulsively going to his shoulders to steady herself. Honestly, she expected to panic. To push away from him as her heart worked double time and the trembling began.

  But, shockingly, no such thing happened.

  Well, her heart did start doing a sharp staccato against her ribs – but that was only because she realized just how close she was to Dominic.

  She was in his lap – all but pressed against that divine chest of his, with the scent of him enveloping her and his warmth tantalizing her.

  Every part of him was hard – from his thighs to his stomach and beyond – which confirmed her suspicions that it wasn’t just his chest that was mouth-watering. Swallowing thickly, she finally worked up the courage to tear her gaze
from the buttons on his shirt and look up at his face. The man was gazing down at her with such intensity that she had to fight the urge to squirm. Somehow, she didn’t think that would be the best idea in her current position. The imposing man arched a dark brow. “Still alright?” When she was this close, she could feel him speaking as well as she could hear him.

  And it was very, very nice. “Yes,” she managed, her voice small and breathy. “I’m ok.”

  When he brought a hand up to cup her cheek, she jumped slightly – but it was a jump, and not a flinch. She managed to swallow her impulses and allowed him to stroke over her jaw, her brow, and ultimately, her lips. When his thumb slid over the line of her mouth, she found her lips parting slightly, every muscle in her body suddenly taut. “Kayla.” She couldn’t have looked away from him if she wanted to – her gaze was locked on his, body hemmed in by his free arm around her. “Do you want me to kiss you?”

  Her heart leapt at the prospect, even as the young woman reminded herself that things weren’t supposed to go this far. Touching was all well and good, but kissing? Kissing wasn’t in the contract. Kissing would surely complicate things unnecessarily, wouldn’t it?

  On the other hand, however…maybe it would be good for her. She had acclimated herself to Dominic’s touch much faster than anyone else’s. Maybe if she let him kiss her…

  In truth, Kayla didn’t know what excuse she could make for allowing such a thing – all she knew was that she wanted it, and that she wasn’t about to deny him. Not when he was so close, smelled so amazing, and when every fiber of her being was screaming at her to let herself go after a lifetime of being so tightly wound it hurt. “Yes.” The word slipped from her on a whisper, and there was no embarrassment behind it. No trepidation and no fear.

  Dominic made a low, indiscernible sound in his throat before he replied. “Stop me if it’s too much.”

  For a fraction of a second, Kayla had to wonder what he meant – and then his mouth was on hers – hot and demanding, immediately stealing her breath away. Hot, liquid lust immediately slammed through her as his tongue cleaved its way inside her mouth, stroking at hers hotly, teasing it to life. When he nipped at her lower lip before soothing the slight sting with a hungry suck, she shuddered, her hands moving from his shoulders to lace at the back of his neck in an effort to have him closer.

  She had never, ever been kissed like this. Every time her ex had kissed her, it was wet, sloppy and completely unappealing - so much so that Kayla had learned to avoid it at all costs. His affection had been something she had endured rather than anticipated – though he had never known it.

  This…this was on an entirely different level. Dominic licked at her mouth – sucked, teased and bit her lips until she was trembling, clinging to him like a port in a storm. Soon enough, her eager tongue was meeting his stroke for stroke, and she was so hot she felt feverish, need blossoming in her belly as a burning ache settled between her thighs. Kayla moaned softly, her hands threading through his hair as he drew her even closer – so she was all but straddling him as he continued his assault.

  She felt it then – proof of just how much she affected him – hard and insistent against her belly. Instead of driving her away from him, however, it only made her want him more. Kayla found herself rubbing against Dominic slowly - small, incremental pushes of her hips that sent delicious zings of friction racing through her body. This felt good. More than good…it felt fucking amazing.

  Kayla kissed him until her jaw ached with it - until her lungs were tight and she had no choice but to come up for air. When she did, however, Dominic didn’t stop. Quite the contrary.

  The young woman cried out in shock as he merely lowered his mouth to her throat, kissing along the line of her neck until he reached her collarbone. When he nibbled at it before his tongue dipped into the hollow of her throat, she gasped, her fingers tangling tightly in his raven waves. “Dominic…” She gasped, squirming atop him as she fought the haze of lust that was rapidly clouding her vision. “Dominic, wait-” But then his hands were underneath her sweater, moving with deliberate indulgence over her stomach, the small of her back, the sensitive lines of her hip bones. When he gripped her waist tightly to pull her hard against him, she inhaled sharply when his arousal jutted sharply against her. “Dominic…” This time, her moan was almost delirious as he nibbled at her earlobe. This was as terrifying as it was stimulating. Kayla had never wanted something so badly the pain was physical, but the ache between her legs was rapidly rising to a fever pitch. She couldn’t handle this – even if she wanted to…if everything she was needed him to take her to bed and assuage the want that threatened to consume her…”Dominic, please stop!” She finally cried, panting as she pressed vainly at his chest.

  The man immediately withdrew as if burned, pushing her off of him and back onto the couch as he cursed lowly. Kayla flinched reflexively against the leather headrest as he groaned, taking a deep breath. It took him a moment to compose himself, but when he finally did, he looked up at her, his expression apologetic. “Sorry.” His tone was still a dark, low growl that spoke of the want he repressed. “You ok?”

  He wasn’t angry with her – thank God. “I’m…alright.” She finally replied, her voice slightly unsteady. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

  “Don’t.” He cut her off with a curt command that silenced her immediately. “Don’t you dare fucking apologize. It was me. I got carried away. I…You let me touch you and I took advantage. That wasn’t my intention.”

  For a moment, silence hung between them, and Kayla found herself twisting her fingers anxiously together. Part of her wanted to tell him that she hadn’t minded so much – that she’d just gotten a little overwhelmed and maybe if she just had a bit more practice… “I…I liked it, Dominic.”

  His gaze shot to hers skeptically and she immediately continued, hell-bent on reassuring him. “I mean…kissing is fine. I don’t mind it…it’s probably better if people see us kissing, right? I just got a little overwhelmed when you started kissing…other parts of me. I didn’t…I mean...Maybe it’s a little naïve of me, but I didn’t know kissing could be like that.”

  Dominic merely continued to stare at her a moment more before finally speaking. “Kayla, are you a virgin?”

  The dark-skinned girl immediately blushed to the very tips of her toes, embarrassment suffusing her. Did she sound like that much of a greenhorn? “For your information,” she retorted, her tone defensive, “I’ve had sex. I’ve had lots of sex.”

  To her frustration, her words only seemed to amuse him. The corner of the man’s mouth rose in a knowing smirk. “Right. Tons. Which explains all that squirming and whimpering when I’ve barely touched you.”

  In reply, Kayla chucked the first thing she could grab at him, which happened to be a cushion from the couch. Dominic caught it one handed, his smile only widening. “You’re just pissed because I don’t want to have sex with you.”

  “Oh, Kayla…You’re fucking adorable.”

  She leapt to her feet, glaring daggers at him as both arousal and ire swirled dangerously in her belly. “You know what, forget it. I don’t want to kiss you. I don’t even want to touch you ever again. I don’t give a rat’s ass what the tabloids think, I’m never so much as coming within three feet of you for the rest of my-” Before she could finish her declaration, Dominic’s hand shot out to encircle her wrist, dragging her back into his personal space a moment before his mouth covered hers once more. This time was far less invasive – instead of sliding his tongue against hers, he merely tugged at her lower lip with his teeth until she shuddered, all resistance leaving her. Within a minute, she was sagging in his arms, clinging to him as he stroked the small of her back absently, druggingly, up and down. By the time he was through, Kayla had forgotten what she was mad at him about. She had forgotten to yell and insult him – and she might have even forgotten her own name.

  “Alright,” Dominic murmured against her mouth with a low chuckle. “Never aga
in. Ever.” He nipped at her lower lip and the young woman whimpered softly, knowing she’d lost. “Now, don’t you have work you need to be doing?”

  She hated him. Hated him.

  But she wanted him even more.

  **

  If sleeping next to Kayla had been a trial before, after kissing her, it was close to impossible. Dominic remembered that he hadn’t meant to kiss her - it had just seemed the natural progression of things after she allowed him to touch her like he did.

  Of course, there had been nothing especially sensual about what he’d done. Massaging her shoulders, holding her close - it was child’s play, to say the very least, compared to some of the raunchier things he’d done. But with her, it felt almost as intimate as making her orgasm.

  Up late one night in his study, Dominic pondered over what the young woman had told him.

  Her parents beat her.

  He supposed that wasn’t the most shocking reason why she might have flinched away from his touch, but it was certainly distressing. He didn’t like to think of a younger, more fragile Kayla suspect to the whims of parents who put too much pressure on her.

  If the way she told him was any indication, there was more to the story. After almost a month of silence, everything had spilled from her at light speed, as if the very words were dirty on her tongue and she couldn’t stand to say them; and the moment she was finished, she clammed up again.

  That, he supposed he didn’t mind so much -especially if they had now overcome a barrier that might have interfered in the contract both of them signed. Slowly but surely, Kayla was opening up to his touches. She didn’t shy away from him when he entered rooms, and when he came to bed, she didn’t scoot to the edge as if the very thought of being near him intimidated her.