Almost Perfect Page 4

  “Charlie,” he groans when my hand closes around his hard dick.

  “Hmm?” He kisses back up the column of my neck.

  “We need to go,” he says with the same disappointment I feel. I nod and release him. My forehead rests on his chest, which rises and falls rapidly, and he presses a kiss to my head. He snags my hand in his and I follow him through to the bedroom, dragging my feet a little because I liked where this was heading.

  Our bags are already packed and I carry them into the living room before checking to see if Dominic is ready. He’s wearing jeans that hug his ass perfectly and a t-shirt that clings to his shoulders and biceps perfectly. When I give a low whistle, he turns around to flash me one of his wicked-as-sin smiles.

  “You look very sexy.” I lean on the doorway and watch him. “I don’t think I’ll be able to keep my hands off you for the drive, never mind the whole weekend.”

  “You don’t have to keep your hands off me all weekend.” He winks and crosses the room to rest his hands on my waist. “You look beautiful.” I shrug self-consciously and he frowns down at me.

  “What’s wrong?” he asks, picking up on my mood immediately.

  I shrug again. “Nothing.”

  “Bullshit, Charlie. Tell me what’s bothering you. Is it the wedding?” He looks me straight in the eye, he can read me like a book.

  “I’m apprehensive about meeting your family and seeing Mia again.”

  “I’ll promise I’ll make it fun.” The glint in his eye gives me a hint of what kind of fun he’s talking about. With a final brush of his lips against my forehead, he leads me out of the bedroom to get our bags, and we hit the road.

  Chapter Six

  Dominic’s hand digs into his jeans pocket as we walk out to the car and produces his keys for Daisy. Shaking them proudly, any worry I had about my present to him being lame disappeared long ago. It’s as if he gets excited all over again. Today is no exception, and when he throws me a sexy grin, it is all I can do not to drag him back upstairs and into bed. Any excuse to put off going to this wedding. I’m so not looking forward to meeting his dad or Mia, especially not Mia. I think his mother and I will hit it off. I haven’t a clue about his brother; he’s not said much about him. All I know is there are a couple of years between them and they were close growing up until Dominic and his dad fell out. I’ve always wondered why he doesn’t visit, regardless of what happened between Dominic and his dad. Now it’s clear it had something to do with Todd and Mia being together.

  It’s just as well that Dominic is driving. I wouldn’t be able to concentrate. I spend most of the journey staring out the window, lost in my thoughts¸ but I can’t pinpoint what is worrying me. Dominic looks over every now and then; he doesn’t say much, but after about an hour, he takes my hand in his and squeezes it gently. When I turn to look at him, his green eyes are full of concern.

  “You’re too quiet.” He rubs my knuckles with his thumb and I watch how easily that simple action soothes my nerves. “Are you still worried about this wedding?”

  With reluctance, I meet his eyes. “Yeah, about meeting your dad and seeing Mia again,” I admit.

  “Don’t be. We’ll be there together.” I nod my head mutely and change the subject.

  “Tell me about your brother,” I ask to take my mind off the drive and what lies at the end of it.

  Dominic shrugs. “He's a couple of years older than me and a bit shorter but not by much. He isn't as dark, more clean cut. We were close growing up, but since this thing with my dad, I don't hear from him, only what my mom tells me. I didn't know he was dating Mia, not that I care. Although it is a little weird for your brother to go out with your ex-girlfriend, but he's known her for as long as I have.”

  “Does he never come and visit you?”

  “No. He works, didn't do the whole college thing. From day one, he knew what he wanted to do, and my dad never gave him a hard time. But I was seen as a screw up so it was drummed into me that I needed to get an education. In the end, I was happy to get away and have some freedom.”

  “I was happy to get away from the small town mentality. I had always been a good student, despite the partying.” I catch his raised eyebrow and make a face at him. “After high school, I saw it as a way to escape and change, and I decided I would reinvent myself.”

  He smiles at me. “I like your reinvention.” He winks, bringing our joined hands up so he can kiss my knuckles.

  “Just as well.” I lean over and kiss him quickly on the cheek.

  • • •

  When we turn into the driveway leading to the hotel, I sit up a little straighter. The grounds are huge, with a lot of trees and greenery, and my stomach plummets as we pull up outside. This is obviously going to be a big, flashy wedding. I follow in a daze as Dominic guides me up the stairs, through the lobby, and checks us in. He had to make all the arrangements because I had other things on my mind. Namely, finding the perfect dress and making sure I look as good as I can in front of his family and his ex. Dominic’s mom has left a message to say that she’ll meet us in The Library Bar at six pm.

  Our room turns out to be a suite, with a separate sitting room leading through to a super king-size bed, which is bigger even than Dominic’s. He drops our bags in the bedroom while I wander around.

  “Do you think it is big enough?” I tease him, and he flops on the bed with a suggestive glint in his eyes. A glint I am very familiar with now. That look has my stomach clenching already as I climb onto the bed beside him to straddle his delicious body. He watches me through hooded eyes as my hand push up his t-shirt to expose the ripple of his stomach muscles.

  “Have you noticed my obsession with this?” I ask him teasingly and prod at his stomach muscles before tracing each ripple with my index finger.

  He sucks in a breath. “No, I thought you liked touching me.”

  “I do like touching you, but you need to keep these.” I bite down on my lip and his eyes flash as he continues to watch me.

  Giving me free rein, I skate my hands over his torso, moving lower until I reach the top of his jeans. I pull the fastenings apart and Dominic moves slightly to allow me to pull them down and take hold of him. He is hot and hard in my grip and I hear the catch in his breathing as he looks down his body, watching me touch him. When he pulls me to the side of him, he kisses me hungrily as his tongue swirls around mine. He undoes the buttons on my shorts and hurriedly pushes them down. They are barely off when he starts to pull at my shirt. I help him by pulling it over my head, and it is barely off before his mouth is on my breasts, pulling them out of the cups of my bra.

  Dominic rolls me onto my back and rocks back on his heels to look down at me; I feel a little self-conscious of his consuming gaze. He parts my legs when his cell phone begins to dance along the nightstand. With a groan of frustration, he grabs it before it falls to the floor.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.” He slides his finger across the screen to answer it.

  “Hey, Mom.” He smiles widely at me and sets the phone back down on the nightstand, placing her on speakerphone.

  “You got here okay?” Her voice sounds tiny over the speaker.

  “Yeah, just arrived.”

  “You settling in? Wait…I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” She sucks in a breath.

  “Well…” He flashes me a wicked grin, and I punch him in the bicep, which makes him laugh harder.

  “Sorry, sorry, I’ll go… eh… I’ll meet you in the Library Bar at six?”

  Still laughing, Dominic agrees. “Sounds good, Mom. See you then.”

  “Bye, Mrs. Hudson,” I shout.

  “See you soon, Charlotte.” And she hangs up. I cover my face with my hand.

  “I can’t believe you.” I flop back on the bed and watch him, mischief sparkling in his eyes.

  “What?” He’s a picture of wide eyed innocence, good thing I know better.

  “I don’t want your mom to get the wrong idea.”

  “It
doesn’t matter if she knows you can’t keep your hands off me.” He winks and lies down beside me.

  “It does, especially ‘cause I’ve not even met her yet.”

  “Come here.” He holds out his arms, and I let him scoop me up, his lips finding mine. Soon, his mom is forgotten as I get caught up in kissing him. We lie wrapped in each other’s arms for a long time. My fingers brush back and forth over his skin, following the outline of his tattoos as he watches me with hooded eyes. It isn’t until a half an hour before we’re due to meet his mom that I spring off the bed.

  Dominic watches me dress while he lies in bed in all his naked glory, not making any move to get up. When I’m ready, I turn to him.

  “Right. Get your sexy butt up and put some clothes on. We need to go down and meet your mom soon. The longer you lie there, the more I want to pounce on you, and we don’t have time.” I stand with my hands on my hips and it elicits a sexier than usual smile from him. Grumbling, he pushes off the bed and walks to the bathroom, but not before grabbing me and kissing me deeply, leaving me flushed and weak-kneed when he lets me go.

  • • •

  At six pm, we find the Library Bar where we’re meeting Dominic’s mom. Thankfully, it’s away from the rest of the wedding circus and, therefore, quieter. Nervous butterflies are flitting about in my stomach. It might not seem like it but this is a big deal to me, first ever time I’ve met someone’s mother. I smooth down my dress as we walk across the tiled floor of the bar. She is sitting at a table on her own with her back to us, but at the sound of my heels clicking on the floor, she turns around.

  Standing to greet us, her face breaks into a wide smile and her eyes glisten with unshed tears as she looks at her youngest son. Dominic gathers his mom into a tight hug and they stand like that for a while as she sobs quietly before pulling back to look at him.

  “I’ve missed you,” she says, a lump in her throat.

  He ducks his head. “Missed you too, Mom.” Dabbing her eyes with a tissue, she turns to me.

  “You must be Charlotte. So glad to meet you.” Then she takes me by surprise and pulls me into a hug. Until recently, I wasn’t much of a hugger and always felt a bit awkward. It took me ages to get used to Iris hugging me all the time. Dominic likes to touch me and hold my hand, which I found strange at first but then quickly realized how much I liked it.

  “I can’t believe Dominic didn’t tell me anything about you. But then he does play his cards close to his chest,” she says cryptically, holding me at arm’s length to study me.

  “You are gorgeous, and I love your dress,” her compliments are genuine and she puts me at ease.

  “Thank you. It’s good to meet you.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me you had a beautiful girlfriend?” she says, releasing me. Dominic smiles and takes my hand in his as we sit down on the small sofa.

  “We live together now,” he blurts out and squeezes my hand tighter.

  “Really? Well, that’s great.” Her eyes tear up, and she reaches for a tissue again.

  “Where’s Dad?” Dominic asks, his voice gruff like there’s something caught in his throat.

  “Still in the room getting ready. He’ll be down soon.” She smiles tightly.

  “Does he know you’re meeting me?”

  She inclines her head. I see a flash of pain in Dominic’s eyes and squeeze his hand again.

  “I just want you all to make up,” she says in a soft voice that cracks at the end.

  “Need to see him about that. He’s the one who’s made it hard,” Dominic grinds out.

  “I know, I know. I was hoping this weekend might be a start. You know, to build bridges.”

  Sighing heavily, Dominic levels his gaze on his mom. “I’ll try.”

  “Thank you.” The relief shows on her face, but it is short lived when Dominic launches into the next thing that’s obviously been bothering him.

  “Why didn’t anybody tell me about Todd and Mia?” He might as well get it all out in the open now.

  “I knew she wasn’t right for you. I could see that you weren’t happy,” his mom starts and Dominic squeezes my hand reassuringly.

  “I don’t understand why Todd couldn’t tell me about them.”

  “To be honest, he was worried about your reaction. He saw what happened, and maybe felt he was betraying you, but he loves her.” Her hands are clasped together tightly in her lap, almost in a silent plea.

  With a shrug, he says, “I guess that’s all that matters.” Throwing an arm round my shoulders he pulls me into his side and kisses the top of my head.

  “Your dad will come around. He misses you. We all do,” Mrs. Hudson says in earnest as she gets up from the chair. “I’d better go and find your dad. I’m so glad to meet you, Charlotte. I’ll see you at dinner, and you can tell me all about yourself.” She gives me and then Dominic a hug before she leaves.

  As soon as his mother leaves, Dominic pulls me onto his lap. We are in a bar so we need to behave, even so the start of his erection presses into my ass.

  “That went well.” He pulls my lips down to meet his. One hand slides up my back and into my hair. “It’s time to go,” he mumbles against my lips, but not in any hurry to pull away, our kiss continues.

  Eventually, we pull apart and I climb off Dominic’s lap and hold out a hand. With a sigh, he takes it and lets me pull him out the sofa. We walk through the bar and stop on the other side of the entrance hall to watch the guests milling around. The bridal party is waiting to greet everyone, and my stomach lurches when they settle on Mia, looking as flawless as ever. Dominic’s grip on my hand tightens and he looks down at me.

  “You ready?”

  I nod and pull myself straighter. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  Chapter Seven

  Dominic’s mom spots us as we draw closer and hurries over. She takes my hand, the one that I don’t have tightly entwined with Dominic.

  “Come and let me introduce you,” she says, drawing me closer an older man, standing with his hands in his pockets. Dominic’s whole body tenses. I guess this is Mr. Hudson. I’m familiar with the scowl on his face. Dominic gets his smile and his eyes from his mom, but his angry face is identical to his dad. Dominic and his dad shake hands awkwardly, and I wonder what it’s going to take to get them to talk again. Mrs. Hudson is trying to hold back the tears, and I flash her a sympathetic smile.

  “This is Charlotte,” Dominic introduces me, his voice gruff.

  “His girlfriend,” Mrs. Hudson adds.

  “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Hudson.” I extend my hand, biting back the nerves I feel at seeing his stern face.

  “Hello, Charlotte.” He gives me a tight smile, not overly pleased to meet me, but I try not to take it personally.

  Then Mia spots us. Her eyes widen with surprise when she sees Dominic but narrow when they land on me. Her lips purse before she composes herself and plasters a fake smile on her face. Walking over to us, she holds out her hand to Dominic, who shakes it stiffly and gives her a tight smile.

  “Dominic, so glad you came,” she gushes warmly. His arm wraps around my shoulders, and draws me closer to his side.

  “Mia.” He nods. “This is my girlfriend, Charlotte. You saw her briefly at my apartment, I should have introduced you then.” Mia stares at us both before she holds out her hand. It’s cold and damp when I take it, and I resist the urge to wipe it on my dress when she releases it, which would just be rude.

  “Pleased to meet you, Charlotte. My fiancé is around here somewhere.” She turns, searching for Todd. “Ah, here he is.” I look over my shoulder to see a slightly shorter, lighter-hair version of Dominic walking toward us. His eyes brighten when he sees his brother. He takes his place next to Mia and slips an arm around her waist.

  “This is Charlotte,” Mia introduces me, and I hear something in her tone, almost like disapproval.

  “Charlotte.” He shakes my hand and then turns to his brother.

  “Dominic.” He pulls him
into a warm hug. “Really glad you’re here.”

  He shrugs. “Thanks for the invite.” From the way the muscle in his jaw tightens, he’s biting his tongue to keep from asking the obvious question, which is why nobody told him they were together. But this isn’t the time for that discussion.

  “Have you spoken to Dad?” Todd asks, throwing him a meaningful glance.

  “Briefly,” Dominic replies, guarded.

  Todd nods. “Good. We’ll get a chance to catch up later.”

  “Great,” Dominic says, that one word drips with sarcasm but if anyone else notices, they don’t say.

  Wrapping his arm around my shoulder, Dominic leads me away in the direction of the bar.

  “You did say you were bringing a plus one?” I ask when we are out of earshot.

  “Yeah.” He sounds unconcerned as I press him further.

  “Did you say who?”

  “I’m sure I did, why?”

  “No reason. Mia just looked surprised to see me. Maybe she thought her little visit last year might have scared me off.”

  “Charlie, don’t be silly.” He leans down and kisses the top of my head. But I didn’t mistake the look on her face, and for whatever reason, she wasn’t happy to see me.

  It all becomes a blur of faces as Dominic’s mom introduces me to family and friends, I have a hard time retaining any of their names. Dominic keeps a tight grip of my hand and makes small talk with different members of his family. Talking to anyone, I’ve noticed, except his dad, who he’s successfully managed to avoid since their initial gruff ‘Hello.’ Not that his dad is making any effort to talk to his youngest son. It’s going to take a lot to build that particular bridge.

  Once all the family introductions are made, Dominic’s parents mingle and talk to more people. A group of three guys join us, each of them slapping Dominic on the back, exclaiming how it’s been too long since they’ve seen him. Leaving Dominic to make hasty introductions.