by Abby Brooks
“It’s really not,” Maya chimes in and tucks her legs up underneath her. “When has Dakota ever colored inside the lines?”
Chelsea laughs. “Never.” She turns to me. “You aren’t a color inside the lines kind of girl.”
“I’m really not. And if I’m honest? That life I described makes me feel like I might curl up and die.”
Chelsea scrunches up her face. “Really? How?”
“Oh come on, Chels.” Maya unfolds herself from my chair and goes to my closet, picking through the stuff hanging there. “Can you really see our little sister enjoying any of that?”
“No. But that doesn’t mean she shouldn’t try.”
I stand up and plant a kiss on Chelsea’s cheek. She’s pouting right now, but by the time we get through the night, I think she’s going to understand. Especially because it looks like I’ve got Maya on my side. For our entire lives, this is how things have worked. Me on one end, Chelsea on the other, and Maya in the middle. Whichever of us has Maya on our side wins.
Maya helps me pack, plucking a wide range of outfits out of my closet and drawers and helping me narrow them down. While Chelsea pouts, we choose jeans and shorts. Tank tops and jackets. All kinds of good mix and match outfits that will be perfect for hiking in the Grand Canyon. I start to fold things up, like any good packer will do, and Maya shoos me off.
“Watch this,” she says and stacks my t-shirts together and rolls them up into one tight little cotton cylinder. “It’s called a ranger roll. Takes up a lot less space so you have room for options.”
“Yeah.” Chelsea pivots on the bed, her face lighting up. “Like better shoes.”
“But I’ve got good shoes,” I say, pointing to the sensible ones I wore the day Dominic and I went hiking.
“And you’re telling me you’re going to wear those things while you’re holed up in one of the hottest new resorts in Vegas?” She makes a face at my sensible shoes. “And nothing but jeans and t-shirts? You’re going to Vegas! You need at least one decent set of shoes.”
Chelsea springs from her place on my bed and pulls a few of my favorite dresses off the hangers. Digs through my shoes and finds a pair that will match them all. Grabs my curling iron and a few essential bits and throws them in. By the time we’re done, the bag closes. Kind of. It’s heavy as all hell, but I think I can manage it.
We head downstairs and I pour everyone drinks and turn on some music. I’m in the mood to celebrate; I’m so excited about finally getting to leave Townsbury. And you know the best way to celebrate anything? By getting my sisters drunk.
“Are you in love with this guy?” asks Maya as she begins on her second lemon drop martini.
“Me? In love with Dominic?” I take a drink of my own and shake my head. “God no. As Chelsea so kindly pointed out, I’ve only known him a week.” But even as I say it, I’m not sure I believe it. And even as I’m not sure I believe it, I’m not sure about that. Because who falls in love in a week? With a complete stranger nonetheless? I don’t know anything about Dominic other than we have a lot of fun together.
“Well at least you’ve got your head on a little straight.” Chelsea smiles at me over her martini and I know for sure I’ve totally won her over. “But do tell. What is it about this guy that makes you want to just pick up and leave with him?”
“Have you seen him?” asks Maya, as if that explains everything.
“There is that.” Chelsea flares her hands. “The guy is definitely easy on the eyes.”
I list all the things about Dominic I love so much. His sense of adventure. The way he sees the world just a little differently. His sense of humor. The sex, dear God the sex.
“It can’t be that good.” Maya crosses her legs and leans back in her chair. “I mean, sex is sex, right?”
“That’s what I thought. But not all sex is alike, dear sister. Some sex is life-changing. Mind-blowing. Eyes rolling back in your head and toes clenching.” I shiver a little. “He has a magic penis.”
Chelsea chokes on her martini. “Dakota!”
“What? He really does!”
We laugh and it feels good. Sitting in my living room, shocking my sisters. We’ve done this, or at least a version of this, for my whole life. Whenever something good happens, we get together. Whenever something bad happens, we get together. They are my rock and I am theirs.
“Okay, so this guy is adventurous and funny. Sees the world differently.” Maya holds up fingers counting off the traits I listed. “That doesn’t sound like enough to get me interested in wanting to travel across the country with the guy. It must be the magic penis that has you under its spell.”
We giggle like school girls and I am so grateful for my sisters. “The magic penis is a definite plus. But there’s more to it than that. I feel connected to Dominic. Comfortable, but excited all at the same time. I’ve told him more about me than I’ve told anyone and he doesn’t roll his eyes at the stuff I try to hide.” I polish off my martini and pour another. I’m edging past tipsy and am well on my way to drunk at this point.
A thought strikes me and I sit forward. “You know how you said that picture he took of me captured everything there was to know about me?” I ask, pointing at Maya.
“Yeah. It’s a great picture.” She purses her lips together as she nods.
“What picture?” Chelsea sits forward. “I want to see.”
Ignoring Chelsea, I continue on with my thought before I lose it to the haze of lemon drop martini. “Being with Dominic is like that. All the time. Like he’s seeing all there is to see about me. Drawing the parts of me that make me who I am out to the surface. All the crazy, outside the lines stuff? He sees it and he likes it and he encourages it and I feel like the best version of myself around him.”
Maya puts her hand to her heart. Her lips part. “Are you sure you’re not in love with him?”
No. I’m not sure at all.
“Yeah, I’m sure,” I say, trying to hide the surprise I feel at the first thought that entered my head. “Totally.”
Chelsea is looking from my face to Maya’s and back again. Mouth open. Hands flared. “What picture?”
Laughing, I pull out my phone and open up Dominic’s profile on Instagram. I scroll past a million new pictures—a lot of them of me—until I find the one I showed Maya a few days ago and hand the phone to Chelsea. She scrunches up her eyes as she studies it. Holds the phone close.
“Damn,” she says, an odd look settling into her pursed eyebrows. “Maya’s right. This picture is you.”
“Can’t sneak anything past you. That picture is definitely me. So glad to know my sister can recognize me.” I smile at Chelsea who is definitely struggling through her own lemon flavored haze.
“That’s not what I mean, smartass.” She points a finger at me and gives me her patented Big Sister Glare. “It’s like Maya says. Everything that makes you who you are is in this picture.” She starts to scroll through the rest of the pictures, that same odd look settling back onto her face.
“Can I just say, now that I’m drunk enough not to worry about the ‘rightness’ of your decision, that I’m really fucking excited for you?” Maya hits me with a huge grin. “I mean, who doesn’t want to drop everything and go on an impromptu vacation with a hot guy?”
“I’m not complaining. The only real reason I have not to go is work, and that’s not even a worry.” I glance at Chelsea who is still studying my phone.
“I thought you loved working at The Bad Apple,” says Maya. “Are you ready to move on?”
“Nope. The Bad Apple is still a great place to work. But Dominic made sure I’m not at risk of losing my job by taking a few unexpected days off.” I smile and explain what happened with Jeremy and The Fish. How Dominic came in and saved me from the asshole with his hands on me and then saved me again when Big Jake came over to make me feel bad about sitting down.
I’ve got Chelsea’s attention now. “So not only does this guy see you and understand you, makes you happ
y and satisfies your sexual needs, but he also protects you when you’re in trouble?”
I nod. “Yep, that sounds about right.”
“Have you seen these pictures?” She waves the phone at me and Maya.
I shake my head. “Not really. I mean, I saw them as I scrolled through to find the one I showed you, but I haven’t looked at them yet.”
Chelsea comes over to stand next to me. Gestures for Maya to do the same. She scrolls through picture after picture of me, each one somehow more personal than the last. I feel like I’m looking inside myself. Like somehow, the existential question of who I am is answered on the screen. I’ve said it before, but I don’t take good pictures. My smile is always too wide, or my eyes too crazy, or my head is thrown back as I laugh too loud.
But these pictures are good. Dominic caught the little blips of beauty behind my big moments. The quiet look in my eyes as I study the water. A simple smile that lights up my face. The way I bite my lip and blush when I’m thinking about him.
Chelsea is watching me now. “I take back all I said. If this guy makes you feel like this.” She gestures towards the pictures. “And he’s the kind of guy who steps in when you’re in trouble. And he’s finally going to get you out of Townsbury and let you see the world … well hell, Dakota. I’d be a fool to think he’s anything but perfect for you.”
Chapter Seventeen
“Have you ever been on an airplane before?” Dominic is eyeing me like he doesn’t quite know what to make of me. Normally, I would be a little offended by the whole kinda sorta judgmental thing he has going on—after all, Chelsea totally has a patent on that. But, given the fact that I’m bouncing from foot to foot and keep looking around the airport like an over-caffeinated child and it’s barely four thirty in the morning, I guess I can understand.
“No.” I look over Dominic’s shoulder, my attention pulled by a large family carrying too many bags, the father barking orders at his youngest like some kind of drill sergeant for ducklings. “I’ve always wanted to, but the furthest I’ve ever been from Townsbury is a little place called Farmington a few miles from here.”
Dominic’s face clouds over. His eyes narrow, almost as if he’s in pain. “What brought you there?” He speaks to me from a thousand miles away, his mind clearly on something else.
“I went with a friend when I was in high school. They used to have a carnival there, but I think it’s closed down now.” I shrug, wondering what in the world has his jaw pulsing like that.
Dominic kind of looks through me. “Did you have fun?”
“It wasn’t the safest place ever. As adventuresome as I am, that carnival pushed the limits of what I was comfortable with, that’s for sure. I remember the rides being really sketchy and I was afraid they’d break.”
Dominic opens his mouth like he wants to say something, then just lets it hang open for a few seconds before closing it again. Maybe I’ve been too unfocused and have offended him. I need to reign in my enthusiasm and make sure I’m giving him the attention he deserves. Maybe I misunderstood his question. I replay what he said in my mind and there’s really no reason why he should be upset right now. I start to ask him what’s wrong when they call us for boarding.
Dominic smiles, all traces of darkness and irritation wiped from his face. “Are you ready for this?”
“Hell yeah I’m ready!” I sling my purse over my shoulder and bite my lip. I’ll ask him about whatever was bothering him once we’re on the plane. After all, we’ll have about eight hours and two lay overs to kill. We head down the jet bridge and my nerves are just jingle-jangling with excitement. I can’t believe I’m doing this. Hopping onto a plane with a near stranger to spend a week with him. Who does things like that? Crazy people, that’s who.
But you know what? I need a little crazy in my life right now.
We stow our carry ons and Dominic makes sure I get a window seat. Which, while super cool of him, I probably would have fought him for it if he hadn’t. The take-off is just as exciting as I thought it would be. Dominic takes my hand and we grin at each other as the plane gains speed and as we angle upwards, I do my best not to shriek like a child and embarrass us both.
“Why are you looking at me, silly girl?” Dominic squeezes my hand and then lets go. “The window has a much better view.”
“I doubt that,” I say, but I tear my focus away from him anyway. The view is pretty fan-fucking-tastic, although I bet it will be even better once the sun rises. Right now, it’s just streams of lights, glittering below me. What will it look like when the sun clears the horizon?
As the plane levels off, I look back over to Dominic. He’s watching me, his eyes alight with pleasure. “What?” I ask, self-conscious.
“You.”
“What about me?”
“All kinds of things.”
“Like what?” I run my hand from his knee up his thigh. “I need specifics here, Kane.”
“Well, for one, I’m surprised you decided to come with me.”
“You and me both, buddy.” I shrug as he laughs. “Believe me, my sisters weren’t exactly supportive at first. They almost talked me out of it.”
Dominic frowns. “Really?”
“No, not really. At least not the part about almost getting talked out of coming. But I did have to talk them into why this was a good idea for me.”
Dominic’s frown deepens. “How so?”
Damn it. This is the second time this morning that I’ve upset him somehow. “Maybe I made it sound worse than it is. Chelsea and Maya are very practical. They are planners and doers of things the right way.” I make air quotes around those last two words. “Taking off across the country with a man I barely know, spending money on expensive plane tickets, and landing without a place to stay that includes walls and a roof isn’t exactly their idea of a sensible decision.”
“I don’t think it’s anyone’s idea of a sensible decision.” Dominic is all flirty smiles again. What is with him today? Is he regretting having me along? It’s not like I can do anything about it right now, seeing as how I’m strapped into a plane next to him.
“And maybe, for most people, it’s not. But I think it is for me.” I shrug and keep running my hand along his thigh. “I think I was drowning, staying in one place like that for so long. I don’t think I’m meant to be that still. That ordinary. I think the most sensible thing I could have done for myself is take you up on the adventure you offered me.” I watch his face closely, looking for any more flashes of whatever it is I think I’m seeing.
There’s nothing but that look I love so much, the one that makes me feel understood. The one that I’ve never gotten from anyone else. “You and I are the same, I think. Cut from the same cloth.”
Damn that makes me feel almost giddy. “I think so, too.” I run my hand up his thigh and lean close to him, pulled in by the gravity in his eyes.
“Dakota?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re killin’ me here.” He looks down at my hand, so close to the very visible bulge in his pants.
I think the appropriate reaction is to remove my hand and apologize, but I’m not exactly known for being appropriate. Instead, I slide my hand up even higher and give him a little squeeze. Dominic thrusts his hips forward, pushing his dick against my hand. That little movement, involuntary or not, sets me on fire. Suddenly I’m wet and can’t think of anything other than getting him inside me.
“This flight is too long,” I whisper and hope he can read between the lines.
Dominic looks at my hand, then cranes his neck to look around the plane. “A lot of people are sleeping. Meet me in the bathroom.”
He doesn’t wait for an answer. He doesn’t ask if it’s okay. He just stands up and disappears down the aisle without missing a beat.
I stare after him. Watch his dark head as it bobs away towards the bathroom and sit, frozen in my seat while I wonder if I have it in me to follow him. Sex in a public place? A bathroom? On a plane? Is that really so
mething I want to do? The ache between my legs confirms that it’s definitely something my body wants to do. But what if we get caught? Isn’t it illegal? And what about the germs? Isn’t it totally gross in there? Part of me is sure that Dominic will know how to handle it and the other part of me hopes he doesn’t have the necessary experience to know how to handle it.
I stand without thinking. Walk down the aisle and count sleeping people. Almost everyone has their eyes closed and those that don’t have earbuds in and are glassy eyed and seem mostly asleep anyway. That means all I really have to worry about is the flight attendants. In a moment of inspiration, I grab an airsick bag out of one of the seats and put on a worried face as I near the bathroom door. One knock. Just one. Maybe no one will hear.
Dominic opens the door and I maneuver into the cramped space before he closes us in and slides the lock home. I pivot, a question on my lips silenced when Dominic presses his mouth to mine. There’s heat and urgency in his kiss and I forget all my trepidation in the face of his passion. He puts his hands on my shoulders and spins me around.
“Put your hands on the ceiling,” he says. “Not the door.”
I do as I’m told and he unbuttons my shorts, slides them down to my knees. I hear his zipper and the crinkle of a little foil packet as he pulls out a condom. There’s no grace or foreplay, he presses against my opening and after pushing into me a few times, fucks me hard and fast. It doesn’t matter, I’m so wet and he feels so good, an orgasm comes ripping towards me the moment he begins to move.
He’s got a hand on my clit, rubbing hard, so hard it almost hurts as he thrusts into me again and again, but that zing of pain mixes with pleasure and before I know it I’m biting my lips and holding my breath so I don’t moan.