Chapter 12
Talia
“You know what’s stupid?” Dominik asked.
I lifted a brow as I looked over at him, “What’s that?”
“The fact that I own this, you’re here more than we are at your place, and you're paying rent. That’s stupid.”
I shrugged, “Doesn’t matter to me.”
He gaped, “What the fuck do you mean?”
I snickered, “It’s just a roof over my head, Dominik. That’s all.”
He glared, “It’s your dream house.”
I nodded, “Yeah, it is. But I always promised myself that I wouldn’t move in with someone unless I knew it was going to last forever.”
He growled, “I told you; you were my end game.”
I snickered, “Yeah, you did. But your ring isn’t on my finger, Dominik.”
“That’s the only reason?” his voice got super low when he asked.
I nodded.
Then he said, “Don’t move from this spot.”
I glared at him, “I don’t take orders.”
He snorted, “Please.”
At his please, I nodded.
That’s right, big boy.
You say fucking please.
And before I knew what was happening, he had a ring on my finger, and me on my back in less than five minutes.
His cock hovered just at the opening when he said, “Give me my answer.”
I lifted a brow, “Dominik, you can’t fuck me into telling you yes or no.”
He smirked, “Is that right?”
I nodded, “Yeah, that’s right.”
“Challenge fucking accepted,” he growled against my lips.
His hand that wasn’t holding himself up went to my thigh, lifting it to my chest, and then he slammed into me so hard that my back screeched across the floor.
***
It would seem that he definitely could fuck me into giving him my answer.
He stilled inside of me, keeping me from my climax, and since that was the seventh time he did that, I growled, “Yes, you big bastard.”
He smirked, then he proceeded to fuck me mercilessly until we were both a hot and sweaty mess.
I had my head resting on his chest, and he had his lips pressed to the stunning ring on my finger.
“Ma told me to give them to the woman who is able to heal my soul and mend my heart. She also told me that she knew whoever I gave the rings to would adore them and treasure them.”
At his words, I felt tears hit my eyes.
“This was hers?” I asked.
He kissed the top of my head, “Yeah, it was.”
“I’ll treasure it, always.”
***
Curmudgeon Text Thread
Alec – Okay, I’m off on a rotation.
Ethan – Be careful.
Garrick – Stay safe.
Me – Watch your six.
Carter – Shit’s brewing. Stay safe.
Alec – Always.
Daddy-kins & Mommy-kins Text Thread
Mommy-kins – Alec, be careful.
Daddy-kins – Proud of you, son.
Alec – Thanks.
Mommy-kins – Cassie and Krispin are going to stay with us this time. Right?
Alec – Yes.
Alec – They will be over there as soon as my plane takes off.
Ethan – Can I bring Melanie over and spend the night tonight?
Mommy-kins – Yep.
Me – Seriously!
I gaped.
He wasn’t serious.
Ethan – Fucking Jesus Christ. What now, Talia?
I stared at it.
Then I growled.
Me – Pull your fucking head out of your fucking ass.
Ethan – Thought Dom would have fucked that mouth out of you.
Mommy-kins – Talia!
Mommy-kins – Ethan!
Me – Oh, I don’t think so. Am I the only one who knows?
Alec – Umm.
Garrick – We don’t live in your head, T.
Carter – Know what?
Daddy-kins – I’m seriously missing something.
Me – Sometimes I wonder if I wasn’t brought home to the wrong family.
Mommy-kins – Talia!
Me – TODAY IS MELANIE’S BIRTHDAY, ASSHOLES.
Garrick – Fuck.
Alec – Son of a bitch.
Mommy-kins – Oh dear. I’m sorry.
Daddy-kins – Well, shit.
Ethan – I’m a fucking dumbass.
Me – You totally are.
Me – Go see a therapist.
Alec – I agree.
Garrick – Same.
Carter – Oh yeah.
Daddy-kins – Agreed.
I was still seething at Ethan.
Seriously... here lately, what was his fucking deal?
Dominik walked into the house and took in my face, and asked, “Whose ass am I kicking?”
I glared, “Fucking Ethan’s.”
He nodded, then he spun around and headed out of the front door.
I stayed where I was, still seething until I heard his Mustang start up.
Oh. Shit.
I raced out of the house, locking the door, and got in my Tahoe.
I just pulled up behind his Mustang and watched Ethan open the door, and Dominik punched Ethan in the face.
I snickered, then I started laughing so hard I had to hold onto my stomach.
He deserved that. Totally.
Needless to say, I was the only one who didn’t have to go out and frantically shop.
I already had her present.
***
It was the next day, and Mom had called a family meeting.
An intervention of sorts for Ethan.
He didn’t share with us, but he was facing being let go from the school because someone had said that he had been inappropriate with a student.
He hadn’t been.
He had expelled her because she was hitting on the male teachers as well as a bunch of other things.
Thankfully, the day she said it happened was also the day that Ethan had been locked in his office, going over some new material, and it was time-stamped on the video when she also said it happened.
I understood, but it didn’t mean that I liked it.
***
All of my things had been moved into Dominik’s house last week.
And if I thought we bickered a lot before, it was nothing compared to now.
“I don’t want to see that thing every day,” he growled at the fake plant that looked like a dildo.
I snorted, “It was my graduation present from Alec.”
He snorted, “He would get you something fucked up like that.”
Thirty minutes later.
“You need all these fucking shoes?” he asked.
“Do you need all those parts in your garage?” I asked.
He shut up.
“Why are you moving the kitchen around?” he asked.
“Because your way is stupid,” I said.
He glared, “Stupid? It makes fucking sense.”
I looked at the spices that were in a cabinet beside the fridge, on the other side of the kitchen, and away from the stove.
I nodded, “And what do you put spices in?”
He growled, “Talia.”
I snorted, “If you didn’t want me living here, then you shouldn’t have told me to make this house my home. Stop bitching.”
He took on an affronted look, “I ain’t bitching.”
I stared at him with both of my brows raised.
Then he took in a breath and walked out of the house.
***
It was the next day, and he was cooking dinner. “You were right.”
I snorted, “Care to repeat that so I can record it?”
He turned his head, winked, then said, “Fuck no.”
I giggled.
***
I laughed along with the movie Sage had wanted to watch.
Garrick and Tatum needed a date night.
So, we had agreed to watch Sage.
She ended up spending the night because Tatum got a little drunk, and Garrick took advantage.
His smile the next morning... so worth it.
We had also started watching Granger, Lola, Zaden, and Hattie one night a week.
And we picked Krispin up from school on the days that Cassie had to work late.
It was just such an instance that we did that yesterday, and my phone rang just now.
It was Cassie calling.
I answered it and put it on speaker, “Hey.”
“Hey, so I have a question.” She asked.
I nodded, “Shoot.”
I was glad my office door was closed when she said what she did.
“Care to tell me which one of you shouted to get the fuck out of my way, you little pussy?”
I snorted, then I snickered, then I laughed, “Shit.”
“Oh yeah. I was driving us home from the grocery store. A car was going ten under. Krispin said that from the back seat.”
I snickered, “That was Dominik.”
“Payback is going to be a bitch,” she said.
I snorted, “Get him.”
Payback came in the form of Cassie a few days later, throwing pink toilet paper all over Dominik’s Mustang.
Where in the hell she found pink toilet paper, I wouldn’t know.
But there was also a sign on his car that read, ‘Watch your mouth. Here’s your pussy color.’