by Jenny Siegel
“No.”
“I bet you do.” I tilt my head to the side.
He shakes his head, dead serious. “I’m not fucking you outside of this truck.”
“Ah-ha, so you’ll fuck me inside this truck.” I bounce gently in his lap making him groan, and he tips his head back against the headrest.
Finally, he cracks a smile. His whole face relaxes as he begins to laugh and shakes his head.
“No.” He replies quickly.
Undeterred, I run my hand up his jaw, rubbing my palm against the stubble on his chin. He closes his eyes and leans into my touch. My thumb glides over his bottom lip, his breath hitches and his dick starts to harden underneath me.
“Come on.” I press a kiss to his lips and drag my teeth over his bottom lip. “You know you want to.” My hand dips under his t-shirt to run up his stomach to his chest and back down.
A rumble of laughter works its way through his body. “Charlie,” he warns, but it is laced with humor. I’m making progress.
Just like the other night, I know we haven’t totally resolved our argument. Maybe I shouldn’t be using sex as a distraction, but I need him. I need to know that things are okay with us and that I’m not losing him. All this stuff with his dad is fucked up and it bothers him more than he’ll admit. It’s been worse since the wedding, maybe because he’s had to confront it and not sweep it under the rug as an out of sight out of mind type of thing.
Closing his eyes he tips his head back against the headrest; I use this to my advantage and pull my shirt over my head. When he opens his eyes, they flare with lust at sitting in my pink bra with blue trim.
“What are you doing?” His eyes smolder and he gives a little chuckle.
“Trying to change your mind.” I tilt my head, in an attempt to look a picture of innocence, but we both know I’m not, Undeterred, I start to push his t-shirt up his body and with a sigh of defeat he pulls his t-shirt over his head. I smile with satisfaction at the sight of his naked torso, and I run my hands along his broad shoulders and down his chest.
Leaning forward, I press a long, lingering kiss to his lips and his hands skim down the bare skin of my back to grasp my ass tightly.
“In the back,” I murmur against his lips and break our kiss.
“What?” His eyes widen, but I’m already climbing off him and into the back seat.
“You heard me. Backseat now.”
“Charlie,” he groans
“Don’t Charlie me.” I kick off my flats, and then pull apart the buttons on my jeans and shimmy them down while Dominic stares at me as if I’ve lost my mind. Seeing that he’s not going to get his way with this one, he growls and jumps out the driver’s door before climbing into the back beside me.
In my bra and panties, I lean over to unbutton his jeans, and slide the zipper down. He tilts his ass up to slide his jeans down to his knees along with his boxer briefs. He can’t be that opposed to having sex in the backseat of his truck if his raging hard on is anything to go by. Before he can object any further, I dip my head to slide my mouth over him, swirling my tongue around the top of his dick.
“Charlie,” he groans as his fingers delve into my hair. I draw him in further before I release him with a pop and straighten, shifting to straddle him. Although we are in the shadows, I can still make out the sparkle in his eyes when I look down. Finally getting into the spirit of things, his fingers unhook my bra and slide it down my arms. Capturing one breast in his mouth, he draws my nipple into his mouth and it is my turn to moan. His skilful fingers curl around the side of my panties dipping inside me and out again, to drag over my sensitive flesh. Taking one side of panties in one hand, he tears them at the seams and then repeats the action on the other side and pulls them out of the way. Shocked at what he’s done, my lips curve into a smile against his and I kiss him with a ferocity that surprises me. I want to hold on to him, hold on to this moment, and never let it go.
Reaching between us to take hold of the base of his dick, I ease myself down, covering every inch of him. A hissing noise passes through his teeth and his head tilts back, eyes closed as I slide over him. Totally in control, with him at my mercy. I kiss up from his collarbone to his neck, gliding my tongue over his skin along with my lips. The faint taste of salt from sweat on his skin, which sounds gross, but to me, it is a total turn-on. I continue to rock over him and his hands find my hips, pressing into my flesh as he guides me toward my orgasm. The suspension on the truck is good because it doesn’t rock too much and the only indication that something is going on is the steamy windows.
His lips find mine in a punishing, all-consuming, hot as hell kiss, and I can feel the pull start low down in my stomach as I ride him harder, hitting the spot that is guaranteed to have me coming any minute now.
The truck starts to shake more as we both get closer and closer. Dominic has long forgotten any reservations he had about fucking me in the back of his truck as he chases his own orgasm.
“Dominic,” I whimper, hanging on by a thread.
“Let go, Charlie.” He thrusts into me and pulls me down and I’m done. My orgasm crashes over me in unrelenting waves of pleasure that keep coming. I tighten around his dick and he comes with a groan. The hands on my hips slow our pace until I slowly rock over him, drawing my orgasm out to the point where I can’t take anymore. My legs quiver and my head dips, buried in the crook of his neck. His hand cradles the back of my head, and we still while he holds me against his gorgeous body, both of us slick with sweat.
We sit like that for a long time, until I shiver, the sweat cooling in the night air. I reach for my t-shirt and use it to clean us up as best I can. Dominic reaches for his hoodie and slips it over my shoulders before gathering me into his arms again. The tension from earlier has gone from his body, I knew this was a good idea.
“So much for you being a good girl. You totally just seduced me into having sex with you in the back of my truck.” He says with a smile.
“Are you complaining?” I arch my eyebrow at him.
He throws his head back and laughs softly. “No, I’m not.” His fingers caress my neck before he pulls back. “Come on. Let’s go home and we can do that all over again.” He brushes his lips over the top of my head.
“Sounds good to me.”
It’s a struggle to get our clothes on in the confines of his backseat. But once I’ve pulled my jeans up and wrestled into my bra, I pull on his hoodie and climb between the seats and into the passenger seat. Dominic jumps out and climbs in through the driver’s door.
“Ready?”
I nod. “Let’s go, Hudson.”
Our argument over whatever it was over and Mia, I definitely remember that bit, is forgotten about when he winks at me and starts up the GMC to drive us home.
Chapter Twelve
For the rest of the weekend, we don’t venture out the door. Instead, we spend the day watching old movies and listening to music. It would appear that everything is back to normal between us, but my initial feeling of relief is short-lived. Deciding to skip class on Monday and stay in bed all day, I get up to get a drink and I collect the mail. As soon as I see my name and address printed on the front of the envelope, I know what’s inside. My heart plummets and I sit down with a thud. Stupid of me to hope that we’d seen the last of them. Apparently, whoever it is hasn’t gotten bored of whatever little game they are playing with me.
I can’t move to even open the envelope, not wanting to see what humiliating photograph it contains this time. Dominic finds me still sitting on the sofa, turning the envelope over in my hands, debating whether to open it or throw it straight in the trash.
“What’s that?” He leans over and kisses the curve of my shoulder. When I don’t answer, he moves around to sit beside me, sliding the envelope out of my hands. His jaw clenches as he stares at it, recognizing it for what it is, and silently hands it back to me.
“You going to open it?” The harshness of his voice makes me flinch, and when I meet his e
yes, they flash with anger, and I suck in a breath. Under the weight of his angry gaze, my fingers shake as I rip open the envelope and let the photograph fall onto the table in front of us. It’s more of the same, me trashed at a party with some guy I don’t remember. Dominic takes one look at it before he pushes up from the sofa.
“Fuck this,” he shouts as he stalks across the apartment and disappears into the bedroom. Stunned at his sudden outburst I stay seated and stare at the contents. These photos are the reason for his bad moods. When Dominic reappears he’s fully dressed and it isn’t until I hear the door slam behind him that I realize he’s left.
“Dominic,” I shout, but it’s too late he’s gone. “Fuck!” I shout to the empty apartment.
This is getting beyond a joke. Perhaps it’s time I went to the police and let them deal with it. Picking up the photograph, because I can’t stand to look at it any longer, I tear it into tiny pieces, put them into a dish, and find some matches. I watch with satisfaction as the flame catches the ripped paper and it burns until just ashes are left. It doesn’t solve the problem though—just postpones it. I have no clue who is doing this, and I just want Dominic to come back.
There is no point in going to classes now because I’ve already missed too much of the day.
I flop down on the sofa with my iPad. There is nothing I can do but wait and hope he comes home soon. I can’t really blame him for storming out, seeing pictures to remind you of what a tramp your girlfriend was in high school isn’t good for anyone’s temper. Hours later, I haven’t moved from my position on the sofa, totally engrossed in Salvation and Secrets. It has grown dark out and I’ve only moved from my position to pull on a jumper and turn on the table lamp. It’s lonely and I wonder when he’ll be home. I will not call him. I will not text him. If he wants to act like a child he can have at it.
5 Seconds of Summer echoes round the silent apartment and I about shit myself. The cell phone continues to vibrate underneath me while I fumble to retrieve it. Dominic’s name flashes in front of me until I swipe my finger across the screen.
“Yeah?” I try to sound bored and keep the quiver of apprehension out my voice. Meanwhile my stomach tenses and unwittingly I hold my breath.
“Hey, it’s me.” He pauses.
“Yeah?” I repeat in the same bored tone.
“Okay, so… uh. We’ve been practising and ah… could you come and pick me up?” I hear the nervousness in his voice and I don’t answer but let the silence drag out. Inside I am warring with myself. Part of me wants to tell him he can forget it. Especially after he stormed out earlier but… if I do, this argument will carry on and I don’t want that. Well the sensible part of me doesn’t. The stubborn part is another matter.
“Fine.” I blow out a harsh breath conveying my reluctance and swing my legs off the sofa. “I’m leaving now.” I ring off without waiting for his reply. Once I find my chucks and pull them on, I grab my keys and lock up behind me.
It’s a short drive to The Captains Cabin where they sometimes practice. The door is unlocked but the bar doesn’t open until late. Mike the barman is restocking the fridges when I enter the dimly lit bar. When he sees me he nods his greeting and I give him a little wave.
The guys are sitting round in a loose circle, Dominic is strumming on his guitar while Pete sings No Rain by Blind Melon. His voice is beautiful and I hang back to listen but my attention is focussed solely on Dominic. With his head bowed, the hair on the top, which is longer, flops forward and I’m rooted to the spot. Mesmerized at how gorgeous he is, my heart speeds up just at the sight of him.
Some of my earlier anger starts to wane. But when he rises out his seat, he sways, unsteady on his feet and grips hold of the back of the seat to gain his balance. Is he drunk? Here I was, worrying about him and how this was affecting him and he’s been hanging out with the guys, playing guitar and drinking. Is that what constitutes as practice? I dig my hands into the front pockets of Dominic’s hoody, which I’ve still got on and wait.
“Charlie,” he mumbles and his arms wrap round my unresponsive body, crushing me to his chest. Tired, I sink into him and let him hold me. But not for long. I break away and wave to the guys as I walk toward the door.
Dominic follows me out and I hear Pete start singing while someone else strums the guitar. Without speaking I unlock the car and we climb into the car. I notice his truck parked in the corner of the lot as I pull out onto the street, he’ll need to come back for it tomorrow. Dominic is silent on the drive home, his head resting against the window with his eyes closed. Because I’m not in the mood to chat I leave him to rest, sleep, whatever.
When I pull up outside the apartment his eyes open and with great effort, it seems, he unfolds himself out the car and trudges behind me, only stumbling a few times. Without looking back I lead the way and let us into the apartment, Dominic shuts the door behind him, the slam echoing in the quiet.
“Charlie.” His voice stops me before I reach the bedroom and I turn with a sigh. He crosses the room but my eyes focus on his chest, only travelling up to meet his when he stands in front of me.
“I’m sorry.” He reaches for me, his fingers entwining with mine. Looking down at our joint fingers, I feel the spark from his touch travel through my body.
He drops a kiss on my forehead, his lips linger. “You’re wearing my hoodie.” He pulls back to look at me, eyes dancing with intrigue, and I offer a small shrug.
“I was cold and I missed you.” I feel a wave of emotion threatening and mild panic because I feel like I’m trying desperately to hold on to something that is slowly slipping away from me. I swallow hard, hating that I feel this way.
“I love you.” His mouth seals over mine, the taste of JD on his tongue as it delves deep into my mouth, stroking along my tongue.
Dropping my hands, he takes a step closer, feeling for the bottom of the hoody before his hands slip underneath to rest on the bare skin of my waist and glide upwards to my ribs. A chill spreads through me and I shiver. Cupping my breasts in his hands, his thumbs run over my peaked nipples. With a groan he angles my head backwards to deepen our kiss. His pelvis tilts towards mine but when the bulge in his jeans brush against my thigh I take a step back. Hurt and confusion registers on his face as his hands fall away from my body.
“Don’t Dominic,” I mutter because I can’t let him distract me this time with his kisses and gorgeous body. Although I don’t necessarily blame him for storming off, I still want an explanation as to why, especially as he told me we would both get through this together and nothing could touch us.
“I shouldn’t have stormed off.” He rests his forehead against mine. At the sincere look in his eyes, I bite my tongue, which is a first for me. I don’t want to fight with him. Instead, I want to bury my head in the sand and for him to bury himself inside me. To forget all about that damn photo and the growing distance between us.
“You said this wouldn’t come between us, but it feels like they’re going to destroy us,” I whisper
“I’m sorry I… well…” He scratches the back of his head, seemingly at a loss to explain why he stormed out. I plow on.
“It’s one thing to know what a slut I was but a different thing to see the proof. I get it. Believe me I do.”
“You’re not a slut,” he says in a hard voice, arms reach for me as we continue to stand there, neither of us speaking. A mixture of emotions all fight at once inside me as I let him hold me. Part of me is ready to forget today ever happened, but another part of me can’t let go of the feeling of being let down. Of still being angry that he left me when I needed him. I know this must be hard on him, but it’s not exactly a laugh a minute for me. The distance between us is increasing, and I don’t know what to do about it.
After a while, I drop my arms and mumble something about a shower. By the time I come out of the bathroom, dressed in shorts and a tank top but still wearing his hoodie, he is already in bed, so I slide in beside him. Although he wraps his arms around me
and buries his face in the back of my head, we’ve never been further apart. Dominic doesn’t ask what I’ve done with the photo and I’m not about to bring it up and ruin our fragile truce. I’m not ready for another argument; I don’t want to see the anger in his eyes or worse, disgust. My only hope is that we can get through this together before he decides that I’m not worth it.
• • •
The photograph and Dominic’s subsequent walking out hasn’t been discussed further, and it is just added to the growing list of things that are being swept under the rug. Besides, I burned it—out of sight, out of mind.
Our takeout pizza arrives just as my cell rings, a smiling picture of my mom lighting up the screen. Shaking my head with amusement, I swipe my thumb along the screen to answer.
“Hope you’re free this weekend,” are my mom’s opening words. No ‘Hi, how are you?’ or any such greeting.
Right away, I am wary. What is she planning? “Why?”
“I’m having a bachelorette party…” she pauses for added effect, “with you and Iris.” Silence follows as she waits for my reaction.
What the fuck?
But instead I say, “Just the three of us?”
“Of course, why not?”
“I dunno… there’s only three of us?”
“Oh Charlie,” she laughs, not picking up on my lack of excitement, “it will be fun. We’ll have dinner, cocktails, and then dancing. Definitely dancing.”
“Okay, I’ll war- I mean tell Iris.”
“Great, I’ll see you Saturday.”
Shit! So soon.
“That’s not much notice.” I say, sounding like a party pooper.
“Lincoln has business nearby so we’ll stay in a hotel.”
“Sure.” I relent, there is no way I’m getting out of this. “I’ll see you then.”
“Great. Love you, Charlie,” she says, her tone softening
“Love you, too.”
When I end the call, wearing an amused expression, Dominic watches me while he eats his pizza..