Almost Perfect

by Jenny Siegel

  “Why don’t you take Charlotte and show her around?” he suggests, so he can get peace and quiet to watch the rest of the game. Dominic does as suggested and pulls on my hand leading me through a door on the other side of the hallway.

  Pushing open the door, to another family room but set up with a sofa, pool table, and games consoles. This is more like a room for Todd and Dominic to hang out with their friends. Dominic crosses over to the large comfortable looking sofa and flops down. He beckons me over, patting his thighs to indicate exactly where he wants me to sit. With a knowing smirk, I straddle his lap, but because my denim skirt is tight, it ends up around my waist. As I sink down onto him and his hands run up the outside of my legs.

  Strong hands grip the top of my thighs, thumbs venturing dangerously close to my crotch.

  “Your parents are across the hall” I point out as his thumbs sweep over my skin again.

  “It doesn’t need to stop us.” He leans forward, his hands change position, and he pulls my shirt away from my neck allowing his lips to trace along my collarbone. My heart flutters with longing.

  “Dominic,” I warn, but he chuckles at me warning him for a change. Then his warm palms glide up the side of my body, under my skirt, and I gasp at the electric charge that surges through me. Like every time he touches me. I tip my head to the side as he watches me, green eyes brimming with desire.

  “Well, if we’re going to do this…” I shift on his lap, feeling his erection pressing through his jeans.

  One hand slides into my hair and his grip tightens. The hand on my hip rocks me over his dick. Desire shoots through me and hits low down with a painful jolt as my hands hurriedly push his t-shirt up his chest to rest on his muscled chest. I map every ripple of abdominal muscle with my fingers while he watches me with dark eyes, hooded with lust. With a growl, he leans forward to claim my lips in a brutally sensual kiss. Our tongues fight with each other as his hands hold me in place.

  My fingers find the buckle of his belt, and I have just started on the fastening of his jeans when the door bursts open.

  “Whoa, sorry little brother. Didn’t think you’d be in here doing that.” Todd says, unable to keep the amusement out of his voice. Dominic groans loudly and drops his head onto the back of the sofa.

  “Perfect fucking timing,” he says while laughing.

  “As always.” Todd winks at us and I climb off Dominic’s lap to sit beside him, hastily arranging my skirt and top. Dominic buckles his belt and fixes his t-shirt. I take the seat beside him on the sofa and he drapes an arm over my shoulder.

  Still in the doorway, Todd turns as Mia rushes in. Her eyes sparkle as she heads straight into her husband's arms. He dips his head to kiss her, which inturn becomes heated.

  “Erm, herm.” Dominic clears his throat loudly and Mia pulls away abruptly. Her eyes widen at the realization they have an audience. I nudge Dominic in his side, but his grin only widens.

  “You’re a dick.” Todd laughs at his brother, unoffended, Dominic shrugs.

  “I didn’t realize you were here.” Dropping her arms from around Todd, her expression sours. “I’ll go see if your mom needs any help.” Without waiting for a reply, she walks out the door leaving us staring after her. Dominic and Todd share a ‘what the fuck’ look. It’s obvious she has a problem with me, but I haven’t done a fucking thing to her. I’ve done nothing to warrant all the snide looks and walking out of a room because I’m there.

  “I’ll be back.” Determined to have it out with her, I push off the sofa and go in search of Mia.

  It’s time Mia and I had a talk, cleared the air, whatever. But I’m sick of her attitude. There is no sign of her in the living room or the kitchen but the door to the back yard is open and when I stick my head outside she is sitting on the bench staring into space.

  “Mia,” I call out, not wanting to scare her half to death by creeping up on her. Surprise mingles with her ever present scowl as she turns to look at me. Her scowl deepens and without saying a word she looks out into the yard. Good thing I’m in the mood to cut straight to the chase.

  “What’s your problem with me, Mia?” She blanches at my bluntness, but I’m not in the mood to sugar coat it. She has a problem with me; there’s no point in her pretending. “We don’t have to be friends, but we need to tolerate each other and actually manage to be in the same room as each other.”

  I stand with my arms folded over my chest and she shifts uneasily under my glare as she weighs her options. Seeing that I’m not going to let this drop, she heaves a sigh and sits up a little straighter.

  “I don’t have a problem with you.” She throws her arms wide. “That night at Dominic’s.” She winces as she remembers but carries on. “I went there to tell him about Todd and me and how we were engaged. But then I saw you there and…it threw me. I panicked and instead of telling him, I made it sound like I wanted one last fling. Even though I didn’t. I couldn’t think up another reason for me being there.” Her head drops into her hands.

  “But surely you knew he would find out about the two of you?”

  “I know,” she wails. “I chickened out. Todd sent the invitation and a note.” She stares out at nothing again. “When you both turned up at the wedding, I realized that you were more than a casual hookup to him. That’s why I’ve been acting like such a bitch. I was terrified that one of you would say something to Todd about that night.”

  I sit down beside her and stare at her in shock. It all makes sense now, why she always looked so miserable and why she would be worried.

  “It never crossed my mind to do that. Dominic would never hurt his brother in that way.” Relief flashes across her face, softening her features. It all clicks into place, her reaction to me at the wedding and when I danced with Todd, she was scared I would say something.

  “I’m sorry I was such a bitch.” She turns to look at me, sincerity written all over her face. I can empathize, I know how long I kept my secret from Dominic—and the more I fell for him, the more I worried about telling him.

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got a thick skin.”

  “Every time one of their friends told a story about Dominic and me, I would cringe. I didn’t want Todd being reminded I used to date his brother.”

  “Yeah, tell me about it. Those stories were painful.” I give her a wry smile and to my relief she returns it.

  “I even kept trying to include Todd in the stories, so it wouldn’t feel so awkward.” She gives a small laugh and shakes her head. “Dominic loves you, you know.”

  “I know.” I don’t say it to be smug, but I do know he loves me. The events of the past couple of weeks have proved that.

  “In a way he never loved me but Todd loves me that way. It all worked out.” She shrugs, making it all sound so simple.

  “You’re right.” I pat her on the shoulder, awkwardly. It wouldn’t feel right to hug her. We’re not there yet, but maybe one day we will be.

  “I heard what happened with your mom.” She flashes me a sympathetic smile. “I’m glad you’re all right. Todd said Dominic was furious and worried all rolled into one.”

  “It gave him a fright,” I admit, but that’s putting it mildly. He has barely let me out of his sight since it happened. He collects the mail as soon as he gets up in case there are any more photographs, even though he knows there is no way Simon would be able to send anything even if he wanted to.

  The tension between us has disappeared now that we’ve cleared the air. Whether we can truly be friends remains to be seen but I’m not going to make things awkward for her by saying anything to Todd and she’s apologized for the way she acted toward me. I still don’t want to dwell on the fact that she is Dominic’s ex-girlfriend and because of Todd I don’t imagine I’ll get any reminders from her.

  “We should go and put them out of their misery. They might think we’ve had a cat fight and are pulling each other’s hair.” I chuckle at the thought of it. I'm surprised Dominic’s not been out to check
on me already, given how overprotective he’s been lately. Todd seems much calmer, and is probably restraining him as we speak.

  Todd and Dominic are playing an Xbox game when we walk back into the family room. They barely look away from the screen when we enter. So much for worrying if we’d fought or not.

  “Everything okay?” Dominic asks, giving me a quick glance before focusing on the screen in front of him and the driving game they are playing. The break in concentration is enough to make him lose control of the car and crash, and throws his control down on his lap with disgust.

  “You suck at these games,” I joke. “I worry about letting you drive my car.” His mouth drops open, but at my wink his eyes darken.

  “I’ll show you one game I don’t suck at.” He growls, and with no warning, leans forward to kiss me.

  “Enough. You make me want to barf,” Todd chimes in, his attention still focused on the car he is racing.

  “You’re just jealous ‘cause you two are an old married couple,” Dominic fires back, and I bite down on my lip to stifle my laughter.

  “Less of the old, thank you,” Mia retorts, but she is smiling, too. I think this is the first time I’ve seen her smile genuinely. It makes her look prettier.

  “Lunch is ready,” Mrs. Hudson calls from the door. Todd stops the game but turns to Dominic.

  “I can still beat your ass at Xbox.” He gloats, amid Dominic’s mumbled curses.

  “Even I could beat his ass at Xbox.” I laugh when he glares at me. I’m not that much better than Dominic is, but it is running joke with his friends, computer games are not his forte. Lucky for me his talents lie elsewhere.

  To my surprise, lunch is better than expected. Mia is more relaxed, which helps and isn’t glaring at me all the time. Todd and Dominic laugh and joke about what’s been happening in their lives. Mia and Todd agree to come to one of his gigs and he promises them VIP seats. But I explain to Mia what that actually means is sitting at a table in the front with me and the other girlfriends. They don’t seem to mind, so it could be fun. Mrs. Hudson is ready to burst from happiness because her boys are both there together and everyone is joking with each other. Even Mr. Hudson joins in with witty comebacks. But when he starts telling embarrassing stories, Todd and Dominic mumble something about clearing the table and start taking the plates through to the kitchen.

  “Works every time,” he says under his breath to Mia and me before he returns to watching sports on the tv. We help Mrs. Hudson with the dishes until Dominic takes my hand in his to pull me away.

  “Come on. I want to show you something.” He tugs on my hand, but I hesitate.

  “Off you go, you’ve been a great help, thank you.” Mrs. Hudson takes the dishcloth out my hand, and I follow Dominic out of the kitchen. He leads me back to the family room where we were interrupted earlier and points at the pool table.

  “How about a rematch?” he asks, with a suggestive wink, referring to the night in the pool hall where I had trouble resisting him. At least this time I don’t have to.

  “Why not. Are we betting on anything or is it for fun?” I wander around the table, trailing my hand along the side., until I stop in front of him.

  “What did you have in mind?” he asks, his hands reaching for my hips.

  Chewing my lip as I pretend to think, Dominic’s smoldering eyes focus on my lips. Using his thumb he pulls on my chin and gently frees my lips.

  “You don’t know how much that distracts me,” he mutters.

  Hmm, I didn’t but that’s good to know.

  “How about we play for my car?” I challenge him and a spark of interest flares in his eyes before he frowns.

  “No, I couldn’t take your car.”

  “Hmph.” I stand and cover his hands with my own. “Who’s to say you’ll win.”

  At a loss and not wanting to offend me, he thinks. Even though he is right, there is more chance of him winning. A wicked grin spreads over his mouth. “Let’s do this.” Releasing me, he takes a step backward. While Dominic is busy selecting a cue, I tug at my shirt, pulling it lower so he can see more of my cleavage. Because my pool skills haven’t improved any since the last time we played, I still need every advantage I can.

  “Ready?” He cocks his eyebrow at me and holds out a cue. Taking it, I nod slowly and take a step back from the table.

  Dominic breaks and takes stripes. Damn, this isn't a good omen. Quickly, he moves around the table and sinks another couple of balls before he misses. Actually, I think he did it on purpose. I move around the table and line up my shot. My chest gets in the way, but when I look up Dominic’s lips have parted and his eyes remain fixed on my chest, so I guess he has a clear view of my tits. He is so easily distracted and doesn’t notice when I sink the ball or the next one of the shot after that. The heat in his gaze makes it hard to concentrate. I grow hot and bothered the longer his green eyes burn into me.

  Time for my second distraction technique, this was my downfall last time, but I am adamant it won’t be again. Selecting the ball in front of him, I line up my next shot.

  “Could you move a little, please?” I ask politely, but he shakes his head, fully intending to make it harder for me, he knows what I’m doing. Regardless, I lean over; stretching over the table, but my denim skirt is too tight. Hitching it further up my legs, I expose more of my thigh and lean over again. I’m pretty sure he can see right up my skirt now, but it’s nothing he’s not seen already. When I hear him suck in a breath, I smile to myself. It’s working, but then his body presses against mine, heat from his chest penetrates the thin material of my shirt. I gasp loudly when his hand skates up the inside of my thigh and runs along my panties. A shiver rips through me when his finger slips in the side..

  “Did you not learn your lesson from the last time?” he asks in a low voice behind my ear, his breath dancing over my neck. I squeeze my eyes shut and fight the wave of desire that threatens to engulf me.

  My voice quivers when I am finally able to speak. “I don’t know what you mean?”

  He gives a low chuckle. “I think you do. You forfeited the game last time because you were so turned on.”

  “I wasn’t,” I protest but it comes out as a pant; we both know I was.

  He peppers kisses along my neck making me shiver. Tilting his pelvis toward me, I can feel his erection. He laughs again when I moan. How does he manage to get me worked up by having me bent over a pool table? His free hand reaches under my shirt, cupping my breast while his thumb strums my nipple. Electricity bites through me and I drop my head on the table.

  “I give up,” I whisper, and he moves away, only giving me enough room to turn around. His eyes brim with molten desire when I look into them and I’m drowning. His hands slide to my waist so he can pick me up and set me on the edge of the pool table. He parts my legs, and stepping between them, unable to take my eyes off him when he looks at me through lowered lashes.

  A slow hand runs over my damp panties and then his finger slips inside to slide over my frayed nerves until I gasp and shudder. At the same time, his lips lower to meet mine and he softly pries my mouth open with his tongue. With a groan, he slips two fingers inside me and continues to slide them lazily in and out while his thumb circles around my bundle of nerves. His slow, deliberate touch drives me wild, and I am ready to come with the next stroke of his thumb.

  “I’m not going to take your car, Charlie, if you do one thing for me?” Placing a kiss to the corner of my mouth, he trails kisses along my jaw to my ear, making his way slowly down to the curve of my shoulder.

  “Anything,” I whisper because in that instant I would do anything for him as long as he keeps touching me. He is quiet while his fingers continue teasing me, bringing me closer to my orgasm. He kisses down to my breasts, undoing a couple of more buttons, skilled fingers slide along the inside of my bra. Breaking our kiss, he lowers his head, drawing out a moan when his tongue brushes over my puckered nipples, straining against the lace of my bra. Unable to si
t still, I tilt my pelvis and push against his fingers.

  “Dominic, anything, please,” I pant, need for him has made me breathless.

  Resting his forehead on mine, he looks deep into my eyes. “Marry me?” His thumb presses against me one last time, and I fall apart under his fingers, tightening around them with a moan.

  My trembles weaken, he pulls me close and holds me until my erratic breathing calms. Did he really just ask me to marry him? Dominic tilts my chin upward to look at him.

  “Will you marry me?” His expression is bright and expectant, waiting for my answer.

  I look deep into his green eyes and see all the love he has for me. he loves me exactly as I am regardless of what stupid things I’d done in the past.

  “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

  His face splits into a wide smile before he leans down to kiss me. ”I love you, Charlie.”

  “I love you, too.”

  When he pulls me close to him again, I rest against his chest, his heart races, matching mine beat for beat.

  Looking down at me, he smoothes my hair back from my face. “Is this how you expected things to turn out when you reinvented yourself?”

  “Never in a million years.”

  “You mean you didn’t dream you would meet the hottest member of Supercharged and fall madly in love?”

  “No. I was too busy worrying about earning the same reputation as I had in high school.”

  “You’re definitely a good girl now,” he reassures me.

  “Almost perfect?” I flash him a grin.

  “Definitely perfect for me.”

  Epilogue

  “I do.” Two words I never expected to hear, but they warm me to the core. I smile at Dominic through the tears forming in the corner of my eyes.

  “I now pronounce you man and wife,” the minister announces, and Dominic’s smile widens as he gives me a quick wink.

  Lincoln takes my mom in his arms and dips her for their first kiss as man and wife. A rogue tear slides down my cheek before I manage to swipe it away. Wouldn’t do to ruin our makeup, especially when I assured the girl that I wouldn’t cry because I don’t get emotional at weddings. That was a big fat lie. Ever since my mom's almost wedding a few months ago, things have changed between us. While we have always been close, it was more as friends than mother and daughter, but now it is more like mother and daughter and not only as friends. The downside is she worries about me more, but her mind is at ease because Dominic is there and the fact that Simon is receiving treatment. Today's wedding is much more low-key than the last one was supposed to be. Mom realized that it doesn’t matter to her whether there are many guests or is it a big affair. As long as she and Lincoln get married with their closest family there, that’s all she asks for.