Almost Perfect

by Doyle, Dawn

  “Sure,” she said finally, and sucked her bottom lip into her mouth.

  I blew out a long breath, relief flowing through me as the mini-stroke I thought I was about to have, dissipated. I discreetly rubbed my chest, making sure the coronary was going, too, but my heart was still pounding just as hard as before.

  What in the actual fuck is happening to me?

  The front door opened up just as I retrieved Kaia’s case from the truck, and Willow shot out of the house. Instead of running to me, she headed to Kaia, her ponytail flying behind her with her speed, and threw her arms around her.

  “Oh, God,” Kaia choked as Willow almost took her off her feet.

  Willow pulled back, excitement written all over her face, and gripped Kaia’s arms before releasing her. She lifted her hands and signed frantically while I tried to keep up.

  “Oh, my God, you fixed it, thank you. I never expected to see you so soon, so you must’ve done a good job,” I said, translating, wondering what Will was talking about. “And now that you’re here, you can try a new coconut and caramel swirl, a strawberry mousse, and…” I trailed off, and then replied back to Willow, making sure not to speak.

  ‘Whoa, I’m not saying that to Kaia.’

  ‘Ha, I thought I’d catch you off guard, but you’re too quick. It would’ve been funny for you to tell her that she can make good on her promise.’

  “Uh, I don’t mean to be rude, but what’s going on?” Kaia asked, looking between us, with her cheeks rosy.

  “My sister thinks she’s funny,” I replied, signing it to Willow. “Let’s just say it involves you and a misinterpreted sign.” I didn’t sign that part to Will.

  Kaia’s face blazed. “Oh, God.” She rubbed her forehead. “Again, that was not my intention.”

  “And, what did you fix?” I asked. Willow chuckled behind her hand, and I shot her a glare. “Have you two been talking?”

  Kaia’s fixed smile spoke volumes. “Just a text.” She glanced to my happy as fuck little sister, then back to me with wide eyes. “She was worried about you, but it’s all better now.”

  Willow patted my arm and signed. ‘See? All better, like she said. She’s here with you, that’s all you need to know.’

  I grumbled and grabbed both cases, then followed my sister as she led Kaia into the house.

  Kaia

  I paused in the foyer and looked straight up at the high ceiling of the open area. A long, swirling crystal drop light hung all the way down from the second floor, with the dark staircase in the center that led to the landing with a matching balcony rail, overlooking the entrance.

  Everywhere was bright white, with the sparse spattering of silver flecks in the granite floor tiles, to the black curved patterns in the iron railing of the wooden stairs.

  The scent of baking wafted toward me through the doorway right ahead, and Willow took off, leaving me standing there, watching her pink gypsy-style dress retreating.

  “I’ll put these away, and then you can try Willow’s cooking.” Maddoc said, coming up beside me. “This way to the kitchen.”

  He led me through the large doorway, under a scalloped arch, and my attention was drawn to where Willow was taking something out of an industrial looking oven.

  The kitchen was a chef’s dream. Chrome appliances, six-burner stove with a massive extractor hood above, dual ovens, and worktop space that surrounded the cooking area. A detachable faucet arched over the double sink set in the granite center island, the same top as the rest of the glossy, light-gray counters. Willow turned and opened a large matching door, showing the hidden refrigerator that was packed with food and containers.

  Maddoc put one of the cases down, and lifted his hand. He cupped my face, his palm covering my cheek, and dipped his head. My eyes closed automatically as he neared, then his lips were on mine. Just once, but long enough to take my breath away.

  I slowly opened my lids when he pulled back, and looked into his green pools. “I don’t have to eat right now.”

  His lips quirked in the corners, his eyes flashing with humor, and my insides danced. “Are you sure? We have a trail to blaze, cupcake.”

  “It can wait,” I rushed out, the hike the last thing I was interested in.

  “Okay then.” He tucked one case under his arm, his bicep bunching under his red, Adidas T-shirt and picked the other up in the carry handle, then took my hand. “I’ll show you around the pool house.” He led me through the room, toward dark-gray bi-fold doors that spanned the entire length of the rear wall, then out onto the expansive decking, and down the steps.

  “This is just your space?” I asked when he released my hand to unlock the doors. Slim blinds were down on either door, but the vertical slats were open, slightly concealing the interior, the same on the panel glazed windows at the side.

  “Yep,” he replied, then walked inside. He opened the solid white door he’d been through the last time I was there, “so don’t worry about anybody coming in here—only I have the keys.”

  I gripped the hem of my dark-blue shirt, twisting it in my fingers. This was private, away from the main house, and it wasn’t overlooked. The thick trees surrounding the garden made sure of that as well as the fact the next house couldn’t be seen from here.

  I walked around the room and spotted the piano again. I ran my finger over the cold surface of the lid, and stopped when I felt I was being watched. I turned my head to see Maddoc leaning against the doorway.

  “You play piano?” I asked, gesturing to it.

  Maddoc smiled sheepishly, and he almost looked embarrassed when he shoved his hands into his pockets. “A little, yeah.” He pushed away from the frame and walked over to me. “Do you?”

  I shook my head. “No, I wouldn’t have the first idea how to, but I love listening to piano music.” I looked up at him as he stood on the other side of the seat tucked underneath. “Will you play something for me?”

  His eyes widened. “Uh, you want to hear me play?” he asked, his brows dipping, fear hinting in his expression as he paled.

  “Of course,” I replied with a short laugh. “Why wouldn’t I?”

  His crooked smile wavered, and the Maddoc that had stood in the kitchen a few minutes before, the confident smart ass, looked anything but. “Okay.” He took a deep breath and pulled out the chair. After sitting, he lifted the cover and patted the seat next to him. When I straddled the end of the seat, he pressed the power button, then unplugged a jack, placing a pair of headphones on top. He touched the iPad and the screen lit up with sheet music already displayed. “Here goes.”

  He laced his fingers together and stretched outward, then shook his large hands out. I held my breath, anticipating what Maddoc was going to do.

  He pressed down, his fingers spread out, and a soft tune came out as his hands moved over the white and black keys. My hand flew to my mouth in surprise, my jaw dropping as Maddoc played the melody on the screen.

  “Wow, that’s incredible,” I whispered as I watched his hands work effortlessly over the keys, his fingers moving quickly, and his feet working the pedals underneath. “I had no idea you were so talented.”

  Maddoc’s cheeks flushed, and he smiled. He turned to me, his playing not faltering once. “I’m not, but thanks for saying that.” The sad tone to his words hit me hard.

  “Are you kidding?” I gestured to his hands while he continued to watch me. “Maddoc, that’s amazing. When did you learn to play?”

  He shrugged. “When I was a kid. My mom had me take lessons, thinking I’d take after my dad and want a career in music, but I didn’t.” He glanced to the keys, then back to me, his eyes focusing on something else, even though he was playing flawlessly. “He was a composer for years, but took up songwriting before I was born.”

  “Is that why you’re good at poetry?” I asked, raising my brow. “Which you still need to help me with, by the way.”

  Maddoc chuckled, then looked down at his hands as they flew over the keys, the melody changing
to something else. “Maybe.” He lifted his head and focused on the iPad, but as I stared, he seemed to be looking through it, rather than reading the notes scattered over the lines. “There’s a lot of poetry that sounds like random shit thrown together, but, like song lyrics, I guess you have to read between the lines to decipher it.” He focused on me, then glanced to my mouth. “Here’s something you might recognize.”

  The first few notes were light, then he played more, and my heart shot up to my throat, cutting off my air supply, choking me. I tried to swallow it back down, but each note had me struggling more and more, the pressure inside suffocating me.

  “That’s,” I choked, holding my shaking hand over my mouth. “How did you…?” I continued to listen to the song, the once dancy pop tune now made into a heart-wrenching ballad by the instrument under his hands. The notes were soft, the strength increasing then decreasing at the perfect points that matched one of my favorite songs in the whole world. I never thought Straight Through My Heart would sound like that, but the way Maddoc played, it was as though the tune was telling a story that I had yet to understand.

  My chest ached and burned as I held everything in, all of my emotions that this one tiny gesture had caused to whirl inside of me.

  Maddoc’s lips curled up a little. “I heard you singing this in the store,” he said, looking down at the keys for a few seconds, and I froze while he continued as though I wasn’t falling apart right next to him, my vision blurring as tears filled my eyes. “I watched you tipping your head side-to-side and quietly singing along, and thought you looked so cute, even though you were crabby as hell that day.” He laughed quietly. “I’ll never forget your Spider-man attempt at climbing those shelves. I thought they were gonna come falling down.”

  He came to the end of the song, and I sucked in the air so hard that his head whipped to me, his face falling, concern etched in his features. “Cupcake, what’s wrong?” he asked. He slid off the seat, then straddled it, mirroring my position. He cupped my face as more tears rolled down my face. “Was it that bad?”

  I sniffled, and tried to control the tremors in my voice. “It was beautiful,” I squeaked. “Why did you learn that?” I covered his hands as his thumbs stroked over my tears.

  “I couldn’t get it out my head,” he replied, his voice soft. “And it reminds me of you.”

  I gazed at him, my eyes moving side-to-side, studying him. I swallowed hard, the lump finally receding enough for me to think straight, for my body to remove the emotional block I’d held there. “You learned that because of me?” I whispered.

  He beamed, his eyes casting the sunlight in all directions. “Yeah.”

  I crashed my mouth to his without warning, closing my eyes, reaching for him and finding his T-shirt, then gripping it tightly. His hands were soon in my hair, running under my loose braid, over my scalp, sending shivers down my spine.

  His tongue entered my mouth, and it swirled with mine, our lips sucking, and nipping. I lifted my hand to his head, raking my fingers through the longer strands on top, holding him to me as though he could disappear at any minute.

  My heart pounded against my sternum, the loud thump thump echoing inside my head. I was losing my self in the kiss, the room disappearing from around us, and all I could feel was Maddoc’s hands sliding down my back, my body against his, and his lips on mine.

  He continued to stroke down my body, the curve of my spine, and over my ass to my thighs, the effects of his caress pooling deep in my core. His large palms gripped me, lifting my legs over his, and then… He yanked me toward him, our bodies completely flush, my breasts pressed against his chest, and the apex of my thighs brushing over the hard bulge in his jeans. It flinched, making my muscles clench, desire radiating through me like a surge of scorching energy.

  I pressed closer still, trying to close any gaps that were left between us, desperate to feel more of Maddoc against me, over me, wanting him inside me.

  “Fuck, cupcake,” he growled as he moved to my jaw, his breaths hard against my skin as I panted, trying to catch my breath. He kissed underneath, then down my neck, and the breaths I’d begun to take, got lodged in my throat as he suckled on the sensitive skin there.

  “Oh, God,” I moaned, and the second the sound left my lips, Maddoc’s arms banded around me, holding me tighter still.

  The temperature in the room had risen, growing hotter by the second, and the more Maddoc kissed my prickling flesh, the stifling heat intensified, radiating from within me.

  He lifted his head and covered my mouth with his again, tilting to the side, deepening the kiss. He licked his tongue in to my mouth with slow, deliberate strokes, and sucked languorously on my lips every time…

  “Maddoc,” I whispered against his mouth, and he gripped my hips, his fingers digging into my skin, the action pressing his cock against me, and I whimpered as a dull ache took over the pit in my stomach.

  “Yeah?” he asked, still kissing me, not letting go, taking more and more of what I was gladly giving back. “Do you want more, baby?” He took my face in his hand, his thumb across my cheek.

  “Mmm, yeah,” I moaned when the tip of his tongue ran over my bottom lip. I dropped my hands and worked quickly on my shirt, pulling the popper buttons apart as fast as I could, then shrugged it down my arms, allowing it to drop behind me while Maddoc’s eyes dropped to my thin strapped, white tank. The heart-shaped neckline exposed the swells of my breasts, my quick breaths making them rise and fall in quick succession.

  Maddoc stroked his hand from my face, over my collar bone, and down over my chest before cupping a heavy breast. The pressure of his squeeze shot straight to my core, making my muscles contract, my thighs pressing against Maddoc’s, arousal growing stronger and stronger that I was sure I wouldn’t be able to contain myself.

  I gasped when his other hand joined in, kneading my large orbs, my skin extra sensitive without the layer of sweater I had last time.

  Then, Maddoc dipped his head, kissing my neck, his mouth working lower, closer to my chest, his palms lifting. My back arched on its own, and I held my breath as he continued south, until he brushed his lips over the exposed skin, his hot breath fanning over me, tickling my cleavage, and my nipples pinched so tight my lashes fluttered.

  “Kaia,” Maddoc whispered, his voice strained as he continued to kiss from my breasts, then up the side of my neck.

  I relished the sensations his touch elicited in me, feelings I’d never had before, the desperation to be touched more and more, craving it, demanding it…

  “I need more, Maddoc,” I sighed.

  “You do?” he asked, lifting his head. He gazed into my eyes, his pupils dilated, lids hooded, and his lips were swollen from kissing me. “Babe, I’m not expect—” His eyes dropped when I reached for his jeans and began loosening his belt. “Is this what you want?”

  I pressed my lips to his, rocked my hips forward, and he groaned, his eyes closing as though in pain. “Yes,” I whispered, my lips hovering over his, our breaths mingling together. I kissed him again at the same time I popped his button. He ran his thumbs over my hard nipples. I gripped the hem of my tank, and pulled it over my head, satisfaction filling me when his eyes bugged, and he licked his lips hungrily.

  In one swift movement, Maddoc was on his feet, pulling me with him, his hands grabbing at my clothes, and mine tugging at his. His mouth never left mine as he walked us backward through the living room. I unhooked my bra and slid it down my arms as his red T-shirt went flying through the air after he dragged it over his head. The moment it left his skin, I reached for him, my hand stroking over the planes of his hard muscles, every ridge, every curve as they bunched under my touch. I wanted him, more than I ever thought possible. Years of need gathered inside me, begging me to take what I never knew I’d wished for.

  He stepped out of his jeans while I clumsily removed my leggings and panties together, all inhibitions out the window as he turned me around, and gently lowered me to cool sheets, the sur
prising chill making my back arch.

  He loomed over me, leaning on his elbows, his hard body against mine. He studied my face, his hands either side of my jaw. “Are you sure, cupcake?” he asked, his thumbs brushing over my cheeks bones. “Cos there’s no coming back from this.”

  I wrapped my legs around his hips, and dug in my heels. “I’ve never been more certain.” And I hadn’t. I knew what I wanted, and it was him. Only him. Always him.

  His eyes left mine, and he gazed down at me, taking in my bare skin. I didn’t have time to feel self-conscious because he was on me, his mouth attacking my naked flesh, his hot tongue devouring me, and his lips sucking my nipples to the point of pain, and all I could do was writhe below him as he did things to me I’d never felt comfortable enough to do before, but now I was, and there was no doubt lingering; no second guessing.

  “These are magnificent,” he said, then dived back in, massaging, pushing together, licking…

  I couldn’t breathe, the air was trapped in my throat, and just when I thought I was going to pass out, my back arched and a high-pitched cry flew from my mouth. My fingers tangled in his hair, holding him to my chest, then raked down over his hard, wide back.

  “Fuck!” I squealed as my hips undulated, trying to reach him on their own.

  His mouth crashed to mine, and I used the opportunity to run my hands over his torso, again. I moaned in appreciation when I reached around and gripped his ass, his globes toned and so tight.

  Heat pooled between my thighs, getting hotter, pulsating beats increasing in their intensity, and I was hyperaware of an emptiness inside me that only he could fill.

  He brushed my hair away from my face, and took my lips again while he leaned on his elbow, his other hand stroking down my body, over my chest, my stomach, my navel…

  “Holy shit,” I gasped when he reached my short curls, parting them, then his fingers slid between my folds through my slick arousal. I arched my back and sucked in a sharp breath as he circled my clit, my nub already sensitive.