Almost Perfect Read online

  “A watch,” I exclaim and laugh as I look up at her. “Who bought you a watch?”

  “Bryan,” she gives a little squeal and shoves it under my nose so I can examine it more closely.

  “Well done, Bryan.” I tip my head in his direction, and he shrugs. Iris is not known for her time keeping. To be blunt, it sucks. She is always late and rushing in at the last minute. For someone who is so together and on the ball with everything else, I have never understood how she could always be late. Dominic sits down on the sofa beside Pete and I head to the kitchen with Iris to see if Grace needs any help. Although, what help I think I can offer is beyond me.

  The day is spent eating way too much and drinking more than I normally would. Playing silly board games followed by Xbox games, which I suck at and get knocked out early on. It’s a fun day and nice to be surrounded by friends, especially as this is the first Christmas I’ve been away from home and the first without my grandad. By the time we decide to leave, it’s late. And after hugging everyone twice, we finally make it to the car and drive home.

  • • •

  Dominic flops onto the sofa and holds out his arm for me. Willingly, I go to him and curl into his side.

  “Ugh, I’ve eaten too much.” I giggle and Dominic leans down to kiss the top of my head.

  “Or drank too much.” He arches a brow casting me a sideways look.

  “Yeah, that too.” I sigh contentedly and lean further into him. This has to have been one of the best Christmases I’ve had. Even though I miss my granddad and my mom, I’ve spent it with a good friend and Dominic, which makes up for it.

  “Do you want to watch a movie?” Dominic murmurs, dipping his head lower, his lips brush over my neck. With a shiver I nod. That old chestnut. I’ll not see much of the movie, especially as his big-ass tv is still in his bedroom.

  At my nod, Dominic stands and pulls me up with him. “Come on.” He leads me to the bedroom, and I flop on the bed while he flicks through his selection of DVDs until he finds what he is looking for.

  I pull off my boots and shimmy out of my jeans; Dominic turns and raises his eyebrows at me.

  “Just getting comfortable,” I answer his silent question and drop my jeans on the floor at the end of the bed. Dominic is a neat freak, and I’m… well, let’s just say I’m not.

  “You’re doing my job for me.” He winks, sending a flurry of butterflies soaring in my stomach.

  “There’s still plenty of work for you to do.” I stand at the end of the bed in just my blouse and panties. With a growl, he grabs me around the waist and falls onto the bed with me in his arms. His mouth captures mine and laughter dies in my throat as desire builds inside me. He pulls back to tear his shirt over his head before hastily tugging at the bottom of my blouse. Once it’s cleared my head, he tosses it to the ground. Rocking back on his heels he looks down at me lying on the bed, my chest heaving with sudden breathlessness. His eyes darken a deeper shade of green the longer he watches me.

  Reaching down, he runs his fingers down my neck, along my collarbone, and pulls my bra straps down. The fine hairs on my arms stand on end as his fingers continue to glide down. My bra is the next thing to go when he reaches behind me to flick open the fastening.

  Large palms cup the side of my face he looks down at me, a gleam in his eyes, before he kisses me tenderly, his tongue stroking mine. I squeeze my fingers between our bodies to work the buckle on his belt, before moving onto the buttons of his jeans. I push them past his lean hips, over his tight ass and down his muscular thighs, taking his boxers with them.

  Dominic stands to struggle out of his jeans and stops to watch me. The heat in his gaze chases away any insecurities I feel lying here semi-naked. My eyes run down his body, taking in every ripple of lean muscle, paying close attention to the V leading from his hips. I stop at the sight of his thick erection and my stomach clenches with desire.

  The bed dips as Dominic rests one knee on the end. Taking hold of my hips, he tugs me closer to him before he takes my hands and pulls me up to stand. Fingers hook either side of my panties and he pushes them down my thighs until they drop to the floor. Now that he has me naked, what is he going to do with me?

  “Turn round.” He speaks his command softly, and my nipples draw tight at his gravelly voice, sending chills through my body. But I do as he says.

  Heat radiates from his body behind me as he moves closer, his dick presses against my ass. Dropping his mouth to my ear, his breath brushes over my earlobe, creating another tremor, as he whispers.

  “On the bed.” Again, I do as I’m told and climb onto the bed on my knees. Dominic kneels behind me, his thighs brushing against the back of mine as he maneuvers me further up the bed. His hands rest on my hips, thumbs drawing back and forth over my skin in a way he knows renders me putty in his hands. Unable to think clearly, my head drops forward as I enjoy the way his lips trace the curve of my neck and along to my shoulder. One hand wraps around my waist as he draws me back against his body. The other hand slides down over my stomach and between my legs. When his finger connects with my sensitive flesh, I bite down on my lip to stifle the moan that is building inside me. Two fingers slide inside me, and I push back against his hand.

  Slowly, he guides my torso lower toward the mattress. Taking hold of my hips, he raises them higher and parts my legs wider with his knee.

  “Is this okay?” he asks once he is nestled behind me.

  I answer with a strangled, “Hmm.” Nodding my head for emphasis, he leans down and presses a kiss to my shoulder before his hand grips one hip and I brace myself.

  In the next second, he eases into me, and I bow my head, pressing it against the mattress, a wave of pleasure washing over me. My hands curl into a fist gripping a handful of bed covers as he pushes in to his hilt.

  A muttered, “Fucking hell,” and both hands grip my hips as he slides in and out of me. His fingers curl tighter into my flesh as he chases his own orgasm while pushing me toward mine.

  “Charlie,” he grinds out and slams into me again. One of his hands lets go and reaches down to brush back and forth over my clit as he drives us closer. My orgasm builds low down in my stomach, growing stronger until my orgasm peaks and I tighten around him. Waves of pleasure roll on and on and he comes with a roar at the same time as I let out a loud moan; my legs give way underneath me shaking from the orgasm that has just ripped through me. Dominic collapses beside me and curves his body around mine, pulling me closer to me.

  Holy fuck, what was that?

  Chapter Three

  For a long time afterward, we lie wrapped in each other’s arms, not speaking, until Dominic shifts and reaches into the drawer of the nightstand. Pulling out a small package, he rolls over to face me and holds it out, his lips curve into a smile that does strange things to my heart. I take the beautifully wrapped package, complete with a ribbon from him. It seems too pretty to rip the paper off of, with extra care I peel it back and reveal a box with a lid. Prying off the lid, I discover a drawstring pouch, I pull apart the strings and out slides a bracelet. There are little charms on it—a car, the letter C, the letter D, a little love heart, and a guitar. I smile up at him and tears start to well in my eyes.

  “It’s beautiful,” I whisper. No one has ever bought me anything like this before.

  “You like it?” he asks, uncertainty showing in his tone, something I’ve not seen in him before.

  I nod and a tear slides down my cheek. His thumb swipes across my cheekbone, brushing it away, and I smile a wobbly smile. My bottom lip trembles and I fight against the wave of emotion that is threatening. This is the first time I’ve gotten a present from a boy; probably because I’ve never had a boyfriend until now. It’s more than the actual gift. It is the thoughtfulness behind it; the time he’s taken to pick out something that special and the charms that mean something to both of us.

  “I love it.” I nod and finger the charms again and then wrap my arms tightly around his neck and kiss him fiercely.<
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  “I’m glad.” He returns my kisses, pulling me back down onto the bed. I press a hand against his bare chest before we get too carried away.

  “I’ve got something for you,” I mumble against his lips.

  “You didn’t have to do that.”

  My brows rise. “Of course, I did.” I slip out of bed and root around in my bag that lies on the floor. Pulling out a box wrapped in colorful Christmas paper and a big red bow, I hand it over.

  Dominic has a hard time fighting the smile that tugs at the corners of his mouth as he plucks off the bow and starts to peel away the tape carefully. I am itching for him to just rip it off, but he takes his time to add to the excitement. The longer he takes, I grow nervous that he is going to be disappointed and think my present is really lame. It was hard for me to buy for him. At one point, I came right out and asked him what he would like because my subtle inquiries were getting me nowhere. He just shrugged, said ‘nothing’, and went back to strumming his guitar.

  Finally, he has peeled off the layer of paper to reveal another layer underneath. He glances up, emerald green eyes sparkling with amusement.

  “All adds to the anticipation.” Once he pulls the first sheet completely off, something falls in his lap. He picks it up to take a closer look.

  “A guitar pick?” He turns it over in his fingers, stopping when he sees there is something engraved on the back. When I say engraved, I mean I carved it into the plastic with a knife.

  “I love you.” He reads the words out loud, and his face breaks into an even bigger smile as he leans over to kiss me. “I’ll use it every time I play,” he promises and turns his attention back to the second layer.

  It is the last layer, and once he’s unwrapped it, a black box sits in his hand. Carefully, he slides the lid off and pulls out his present.

  “Keys.” A small crease appears on his forehead but disappears when he smiles. “Your Charger.” Looking at me for confirmation, and I nod slowly and his smile grows.

  “It’s not much. You’re really hard to buy for-”

  “I have all I want.” He leans forward to claim my lips in another punishing kiss that makes my stomach flip. He tosses the wrapping paper onto the floor as he pushes me down onto the mattress with his mouth and covers me with his already naked body.

  • • •

  Our choice of Christmas movie is Gremlins, we watch it curled under the duvet. Well, Dominic is watching me watch the movie while he strokes my hair, making me sleepy.

  “We’re playing a gig on New Year’s Eve at Captain’s Cabin. Will you come?”

  “Of course.” I reach up to kiss him on the lips. “As if I would spend New Year’s without you.”

  “You don’t want to go home?” He watches as his finger traces the outline of my mouth.

  “No way. I’m not a fan of New Year’s.”

  “Why?” He props himself up on his elbow to look at me properly.

  “I dunno. I always felt it was a big letdown. You know, like a huge anti-climax.”

  “What did you used to do?” He focuses on stroking my hair, and trying to keep his voice level, while wondering what wild parties I went to and what state I got into or who I ended up sleeping with.

  “I spent it with my grandad,” I confess, and his eyes jerk to meet mine, growing wide with surprise. I flash him a smug smile because he’s got it all wrong. “My mom would always be at some party or with her latest boyfriend, but we would chill in front of the tv watching all the lame programs. We would watch the ball drop and go to bed.”

  “You never went to any parties?”

  “Nope, ever since I was little and my granddad was stuck babysitting me so my mom could go out, we would do this. It was our tradition.” Dominic leans over to place a lingering kiss to my lips. “Are you surprised?” I arch my eyebrow. Running a hand through his hair, he smiles.

  “Yeah, I am. Here was I thinking you would have been out partying.”

  I shake my head. “What about you? How did you spend New Year’s?”

  “Normally, my parents dragged me to a party.” I smirk at the thought of him forced to go to some stuffy, uptight party. No doubt with sour face Mia. He rolls on top of me, bracing his weight on his forearms. My legs part to accommodate him and his cocky smile distracts me. “I think we’ll need to make this your best New Year’s ever.”

  My words get stuck in my throat, and I can only nod as he eases into me and robs me of the power of speech completely.

  • • •

  Only a limited number of tickets are sold for the New Year’s Eve gig, so it won’t seem like any other Friday night. The owner of Captain’s Cabin has gone all out and has transformed the tired, run-down club into something much more special. Our usual table even has a ‘reserved’ sign on it, and because most of the students have gone home for the holidays, it is mainly locals.

  Grace, Bonnie, Maddie, and I sit drinking cocktails that have been created especially for the evening while the band sets up. Iris and Bryan have gone to spend New Year’s with her family, and I’m curious to know how that’s going.

  Grace leans over. “Sooo, what did your boy get you for Christmas?” Her eyes sparkle with mischief. She loves to grill me about our relationship. Probably because I don’t gush about how much I love him, there is no need; it’s pretty obvious. These girls have become good friends, but next to Iris, I’m probably closer to Grace. With a good-natured roll of my eyes in her direction, I thrust out my wrist and give it a little shake, she reaches out to examine the bracelet dangling from it.

  “He did well,” Grace says with a wink and lifts her cocktail up.

  Smiling at my wrist, I twirl it round, fingering the charms. “Yeah, he did.”

  The house lights dim and the stage lights brighten as Supercharged steps onto the stage amid riotous applause, and someone even wolf whistles. Yeah that would be me. Their first set is amazing, and they play all my favorites. All four of them look gorgeous, and if I weren't already going home with Dominic, I’d be finding a way to make it happen. Before the end of their first set, I make my way to the bar. They are taking a break to see in the New Year, and I want to get us both a drink. I’ve had more cocktails than I should and need a beer.

  Mike, the barman, leans over to take my order and I wait patiently, tapping my fingers along to an invisible beat when I feel a shiver pass through me. All the fine hairs stand on end and I know it’s Dominic before his arm wraps around my waist and tugs me back to collide with his solid chest. The smell of him surrounds me, and it has the same effect on me as it did the first day. His head dips to the curve of my shoulder, pressing a kiss and sucking on my feverish skin. A bolt of lust passes through my body, every nerve ending tingling in response.

  “You are so fucking distracting.” His lips brush against my earlobe, and he turns me in his arms. When I’m facing him, I loop my arms around his neck and draw him closer; our foreheads touch as we stare at each other, looking deep inside. Time stands still and the noise in Captain’s Cabin fades the longer we stand together in our little bubble. Fleeting thoughts of how much has changed, how I can’t believe I’m standing here in his arms, leave me beyond happy. But most importantly how much I love him.

  It isn’t until the music stops and people start to count down that we snap out of it. His smile mirrors mine as we count down to the New Year with everyone else. Our lips inch closer when we reach ‘three’. We whisper ‘two’ between us, and by the time we reach ‘one’, we’ve already molded our lips together. The second his tongue strokes mine, it ignites a desire deep inside me, and fireworks, matching the ones going off outside, explode in my stomach.

  “Happy New Year,” Dominic whispers against my lips and pulls back a fraction.

  “Happy New Year,” I repeat. “I love you.”

  “And I love you.” His lips claim mine, and I hold onto him and this moment for as long as possible, committing every second of it to memory. Being with him, giddy with happiness, I never want thi
s night to end.

  After wishing our friends ‘Happy New Year’ as well as many other random people, Supercharged step onto the stage and start their second set. I sit down with the girls and Maddie orders another round of cocktails. And then we decide to dance, which is totally out of character for any of us. Normally, I watch their gigs from the bar and the other girls are more than happy to sit at a nearby table and watch them. But tonight everyone is in a party mood and Supercharged sound even better, if that were possible. Iris is the only one of us who is always itching to dance. It will gut her that she missed this. Tonight has been a totally different experience—far more relaxed and no dirty looks from the female student body.

  The crows keeps cheering and shouting for more songs, making their set run much longer than usual. Eventually, Pete wishes everyone a Happy New Year.

  “Thanks for coming out to see us, we’ve had a great time, but now I want to get wasted and spend the rest of the night with my girl.” He waves and backs away from the mic as cheers and whistles sound throughout the club. Grace laughs and blushes, but it’s too dark to know for sure. We stumble back to our table laughing about god knows what because we’re finding everything hilarious now. I shouldn’t have drunk as many drinks aptly named the Drunken Sailor.

  Bonnie is in the middle of telling us a hilarious story and my sides are aching from laughing so much when Dominic strides across the stage and stops at our table. My giggles die in my throat at the intense look on his face and the way his eyes burn brightly with desire, want, and need all rolled into one. Lucky for me, I’m sitting on the outside of the booth, making it easier for him to haul me out of my seat, pulling me flush with his tantalizing body. One hand skims up my bare back and his lips capture mine in a brutally passionate kiss, his other hand grips my ass, yanking me closer. When he pulls back, his eyes sparkle dangerously and my rate kicks up a gear.