by Doyle, Dawn
Contents
Title
Disclaimer
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Epilogue
Almost
Perfect
By
D. Doyle
Copyright © 2019 Dawn Doyle
All rights reserved, worldwide, and on any multiverse that is known or unknown. No part of this publication may be reproduced in, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, including electronically or mechanical, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.
This is a work of fiction.
Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner.
Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Published by Dawn Doyle
Edited by Dawn Doyle
Book cover design by Dawn Doyle
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold, given away to other people, or scanned and uploaded to the internet for others to download. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it from Amazon (sole distributor) or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Amazon and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Chapter 1
Kaia
Three years ago.
“The Lions won!” Daria said, her hands in the air. She was on her own, which I was glad about, but the volume of her entry was a little more than I expected.
“Excellent,” I replied, looking back to the papers and books in front of me. “I’m happy your team won.” I reached over to my phone and tapped the volume button, lowering the melodic tune of Don’t Wanna Lose You Now by the Backstreet Boys.
“Wow, thanks for your enthusiasm,” Daria complained as she lowered her hands. “You could show a little emotion in my joy.” Her light-blue, oversized hockey shirt swamped her small frame, the slight V-neck hanging to one side, revealing a freshly tan shoulder.
“I’m sorry, Dar,” I said, curling forward. I hung my head a little, gazing down at my hands, my black long-sleeved tee covering to my knuckles. I focused on my thumbs poking through the stylish holes in the cuffs. “I’m just pre-occupied with this assignment. It’s beating me.” I wasn’t lying. My classes were hard, especially English. It wasn’t so much the language side of the course, but the ability to interpret other peoples’ work and read between the lines.
I hated poetry for that reason. Not that I didn’t like it in general, I just couldn’t answer the question—How did the author feel when writing this? How should I know?
I was going to fail this class for sure, on this one assignment alone, I just knew it.
Math, I could do. I loved working out the intricacies of numbers, formulas, complex calculations that took up an entire sheet of paper, but give me a piece of writing or a poem to decipher, and I drew a blank.
“Hey, you disappeared on me again,” Daria said, her head tilting to meet my eyes. She walked over to the counter and leaned against the solid oak surface. “Where did you go?”
I’d been sitting at the kitchen table for the past two hours while she went to watch our high school team’s game. Though, it wasn’t our team, The Dominoes, she supported, it was the one her cousin played for.
“Just worrying about my finals,” I replied, rubbing my forehead, wishing the stress could be erased. “I’m barely keeping my head above water.”
“Come on,” Daria complained again, her head falling back a little. “You’ve been on that all night. You were studying before I left, and you’re still stuck in those damn books now I’m back, too.”
I lifted my head again and only then did I notice the tiny shorts she was wearing, the same blue as her shirt, together with black heels. Even her long blonde hair looked freshly straightened out and shiny.
“Dar?” My brows drew together as I slowly let my gaze travel to her made-up face. Her cat-style lined eyes widened with excitement.
“Party time!” she squealed, her pink glossed lips stretching to a broad grin. “Chan wants you there, too, so switch your geek off and your freak on, ‘cos it’s party central at his place!”
I let out a groan and dropped my head to the table. I’d heard about Channing’s parties. They meant about half his entire senior year would be there, and his class wasn’t exactly small—not like ours.
“I don’t know,” I said, my tone hesitant. “I’ve got this weekend to—”
“Let your hair down,” Daria cut in, finishing my sentence with the wrong ending. She jutted her chin toward my books. “We’ve finished for the last semester break, so you’ve got an entire week to work on that project. Also, the terrible twins won’t know where you’re going…”
I deadpanned, letting my shoulders sag and my head to fall to the side. “Seriously, Dar?”
Daria nodded quickly, then took a drink from the bottle of water next to me. “I’m asking for one night, Kai,” she replied, shifting impatiently and toying with the lid as she replaced it. “Tonight. Chan’s team scored big against our school.” She put down my bottle and threw her slender arms out to the sides. “He and Cash are joining the NCAA program in college, and could end up playing in the NHL like your brothers.” She lowered her arms, and the wide sleeves dropped down, too. She stepped toward me, bending forward with a hand on her knee, and one coming to rest on my left shoulder. “This is a big night for the guys.” She looked right into my eyes, her deep brown irises searching. “Imagine that, Kai. You could say ‘I knew him way back when’ and ‘I went to one of his last winning parties of high school.”
I took a deep breath and brushed my hand over my dark hair, letting my fingers comb through the top. “You know I don’t care about that.”
Channing Duval was gorgeous, I couldn’t deny it, but that’s where my admiration for him ended. I’d seen him skate only once, and that was all I needed to know he was talented on the ice. I’d first met him at Daria’s sixteenth birthday where we’d hit up the local rink for disco night. Channing had shown off his skills that had every girl under his spell, except for Daria and I. His grace and poise, especially at six-feet and broad, made skating look effortless, while I moved awkwardly around the sides.
Daria straightened and folded her arms over her chest. “You’re fucking with my chi,” she said, then stuck out her shiny lower lip. “I told him we’d be there. You’re my bestie, after all.” The corners of her mouth turned up a fraction, giving away her poor attempt at manipulation. “Besides, Cash is already on his way back here.” When her brows lifted in anticipation, I huffed out a frustrated breath.
I rolled my eyes and turned back to my papers, looking over what I’d already done, which wasn’t much.
I have a week, though, right? I could have this one, much-needed night to de-stress, then get right back to studying my ass off.
“I don’t know Channing’s friends,” I countered, my lack of conviction so damn obvious in my soft voice. “Or the rest of the team— we don’t even go to their school.” I’d never been to one of his parties before, so the thought of being
there, fraternizing with the enemy—so to speak—was worrying. “I’ve met him three times in total, so I don’t really know him.”
Daria lifted a hand and countered on her fingers. “One, you know me and Cash, and that’s enough. Two, the rest of the team don’t count, and three, Chan being my cousin cancels out the fact we don’t go to the same school.” She shrugged her exposed shoulder. “And so what that ours was the losing team tonight? I’ve never had loyalty to The Dominoes, you know that. Chan’s family, and Cash is my boyfriend.” She pumped her brows, her lips turning up again. “Also,” she said, then gently bit on her lower lip, showing her straight teeth, and her eyes sparkled with insinuation. “I’m pretty sure there’ll be plenty of hot guys there for you to check out.”
“Tempting,” I said as though considering it. I started gathering up my papers, organizing them neatly and placing them in the pages of one of my books. “But, you know, what? Fuck it. I deserve a night of fun.” I grinned. “And I could do with some eye-candy.”
“Yes!” Daria cheered, pointing at me. “That’s what I’m talking about!”
I held my hands up. “Just… Don’t talk about this in front of the twins,” I said.
“My lips are sealed.”
“Good. They’ll be back in the morning, so it can’t look obvious I’ve been out. You know what they’re like.”
“Yes, I do!” she sing-songed, her brows lifting as though saying, ‘don’t I know it.’ Daria turned toward the hallway, then winked at me from over her shoulder. “Let’s see what you have to wear.”
I chewed nervously on my lip as I thought about going to the winner’s party. I soon stopped when I heard Daria’s footsteps thud across the wooden floor in my bedroom, and I rushed out into the plain white hallway, and up the curved staircase toward my bedroom, clinging to the oak rail as I went.
I headed to my room to my closet, mainly to keep the damage to a minimum. While I loved Daria to pieces; had done since we met in middle school, my organized space did not.
“You look fantastic!” Daria squealed, clapping her hands excitedly. She gestured with her finger in the air, making a circular motion. When I followed her directions, she nodded. “Your ass looks amazing in those jeans.” Her eyes ran all over me, her scrutinizing gaze making me feel uncomfortable. “Just one thing.” Daria reached out to my red sweater, and gently tugged it off my right shoulder, like her T-shirt style hockey shirt. The deep V helped it to fall completely over the curve, exposing my white bra strap, and another thing I shouldn’t expose if I didn’t want my parents to lose their shit with me.
I tried to tug it back up. “Don’t you think that’s too far?” I asked, but she batted my hands away.
“Don’t you dare! We’re eighteen, Kai, we’re not kids. You look fucking hot. Those black jeans are perfect with that sweater, but the long, loose sleeves cover a little too much.” As if proving her point, she gestured up and down my body with her hands. “Now, that’s perfect. You don’t wanna give them an eyeful, I get that, but this is now both sexy and mysterious.” Daria added a smoldering pout and narrowed eyes to emphasize her statement. “Your little tattoo is cute. Have your mom and dad seen it yet?” A slow grin spread across her face, and her thickly lashed brown eyes hooded, which could only mean one thing… Daria was up to no good.
I laughed and shook my head. “No, and I’d like to keep it that way for as long as I can.” I didn’t know what possessed me to get it at all, let alone on my damn shoulder blade where it was on show. Call it rebellion or whatever, but the moment my parents said they hated tattoos, I got one that same weekend. Sean and Daryl had promised to keep their mouths shut, but it wouldn’t have surprised me if they went blabbing to our parents if I annoyed them.
Daria pumped her eyebrows, her wicked smile not faltering as she pointed to the mirror. I groaned, but checked my reflection anyway, the length of the glass allowing me to see all of myself.
Not bad.
I went back into my closet, a wicked smile tugging at my lips. I pulled my own sports jersey off my hanger and held it to my chest. “What about this? Do you think it’ll go down well?”
Daria’s mouth popped open. “You wouldn’t dare,” she rushed out, then we both burst out laughing. “They’d throw a fit if you turned up in that,” she added, her voice still shaking as she chuckled.
The unworn, black and white Dominoes jersey from our school, the one my older brothers got for me, had never been worn. I hung it back up, then headed over to my small, white vanity unit.
I added a little black mascara to my lashes, and nude gloss to my lips, paying careful attention to the sharp points of my cupid’s bow.
Daria stood behind me, looking over my bare shoulder. “You’re going to turn heads tonight, Kaia Levine,” she whispered, beaming at me. She gripped the clamp in my loosely held-up hair and released it, my dark tresses tumbling down with slight kinks from where it was gathered untidily. After handing over my already heated flat iron, she gripped the hem of her shirt and yanked it over her head, revealing a black skin-tight tank top with spaghetti straps across the upper part of her chest. The hem glanced off of her pierced navel, the jewel matching the Lion’s colors.
“Jeez, Dar, that’s some outfit,” I rushed out, my eyes bulging as she twirled around.
Her slim frame was made for outfits like that—figure hugging, fitted, and could be taken off the rack in the store without a second-thought. My figure, not so much. I had to constantly check the size, the fit, if it rode up my body the second I put it on, which was the norm.
“Cash loves it, and I love that he can’t get enough of me,” Daria gushed. “Today’s our sixth month of dating, and I want to look extra special.”
“You look stunning as usual,” I complimented her, and she deserved it. Daria was a natural beauty. Her light hair and dark eyes contrasted beautifully, especially since her skin seemed to have a year-round-tan that was only made more rich in the hotter months. “Seriously, Dar, Cash is a lucky guy to have you.”
Daria’s cheeks flamed red, almost as fiery as my sweater, and her lips stretched wide into a shy smile. “Thanks, babe. I’m lucky to have him. He’s such a great guy, ya know?” She gently bit on her lower lip, and her eyes sparkled. “Helps that he’s great in—”
“Yeah, I don’t wanna know,” I cut in, throwing my hands up and screwing my eyes closed, defending myself from the sordid details. “You can keep your bedroom antics to yourself, Dar.”
Daria giggled. “Oh, Kai, you’re such a prude sometimes.” She threw her arms around my shoulder and nuzzled my hair like only a best friend could do. “It wouldn’t hurt to put yourself out there, babe. Get some experience, show the guys how hot you are. I don’t mean dropping your panties, just, you know, have some fun instead of stressing out over school.”
I don’t need to prove anything to anybody.
My eyes fell to the floor at my thoughts. I was a little uptight, sure, but a prude? I didn’t think I was that bad, and school was important to me. Getting into Westchester College was my goal, and right now, with the way my studies were going, that wasn’t looking so good. I hadn’t even had any replies from the applications I’d sent out. My brothers weren’t any help, either. While I struggled with the things they excelled at, and they knew I did, they never stopped to help me out. Not once. My hopes for a career as a financial advisor were crashing down before I’d even graduated high school.
“I don’t know,” I worried, chewing the inside of my cheek.
“Well, I do,” Daria replied, guiding me out of my closet and through my pink and white bedroom to my white door, decorated with pink daisies. “We’re graduating soon, Kai, and then we’re off to college where opportunities await and experiences are to be grabbed.” She winked, batting her long lashes, then checked my outfit, adjusting my neckline once more. Her glossy lips stretched side again, and her genuine smile had my shoulders sagging from their place near my ears. A beep came from outside. “Come on, Kai, Cash
is here.”
Chapter 2
Kaia
Music thumped in the air surrounding the grounds, the heavy bass traveling all the way to the motorized gates at the front of the long driveway. Beams of light crossed back and forth, reflecting off of the thin clouds in the dark sky.
God, this is something.
My stomach churned as we got out of Cash’s truck, knots forming deep inside when I saw the amount of cars lining the wide pathway. Channing’s cherry-red Jaguar F-Type was parked in the open garage in full view of his guests, no doubt showing off his taste in flashy cars.
“Come on,” Daria said, tugging me along from where I’d paused to survey the huge house before us.
Three floors of dark brick made the structure, and white-framed, modern rectangular windows sat in neat rows of three-two-three groups, except for the first floor where there was two either side. An enormous red door sat in the center, its appearance daunting, yet extravagant.
My black, heeled ankle boots clicked against the gray brick of the drive in unison with Daria’s. The matching stone steps stood proud, semi-circles one bigger than the other, and too large to make a simple step from one to the next.
Once outside the door, we found it locked so Daria lifted her hand and gripped the silver door-knocker, lifting the curved metal and slamming it down twice to be heard over the steady beats of dance music coming from inside. When nobody replied, she rang the doorbell, the bing-bong drowned out by the din.
She leaned to the side and peered through one of the long rectangular windows either side of the door, leaning over one of the short, pointed conifers in the pot that matched the drive.
The massive door swung inwards, the light from inside blindingly bright. “Hey, Dar!” a guy said, and I lowered my hand from where I was shielding my eyes. “Come on, Chan’s been wondering when you were getting here.” He fist bumped Cash as he entered.
