Chapter 34 Dominic
DOMINIC
A warm breeze blows in from the sea, ruffling the curtains of the open balcony door. Tank lies with his head in the shade, the sun warming his belly as he snores. I chuckle as I look down at him, and he opens his eyes very briefly to huff out a satisfied snort, then goes back to sleep.
My gaze moves to the bed, where Mia is lying on her stomach, naked and peaceful, and definitely the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life. She stirs as the breeze washes over her sun-kissed skin, and I cross the room to lay a cotton blanket over her.
“Mmm.” She lifts her head and gives me a sleepy smile. “I must have fallen asleep.”
“After all that activity it’s hardly a surprise.” I lean down over her and plant a kiss on her shoulder. “Albania certainly does something to you, doesn't it?”
“Being naked in the sun with you all day does something to me,” she says with a laugh, rolling over and pulling me down to her.
We’ve been in this villa for two weeks now, a proper getaway after the hectic end of season and the press tours afterwards.
Mia was ecstatic when presented with the idea of an Albanian getaway, but balked at the suggestion of a resort.
She wanted privacy, she said. Just the two of us, locked away to rest and recover.
So I’d found us this villa, perched on a cliff overlooking the sea, with enormous ancient walls surrounding a peaceful garden.
It was hot and sunny almost every day, and we’d walk hand-in-hand down into town to pick up delicious fresh food.
Tank dashed along the beach and played in the water, napping happily in the sun when we got back to the villa.
The best part of the whole holiday was that Mia had barely worn a scrap of clothing since we’d arrived.
Seeing her in tiny shorts and crop tops when we went into town was tempting enough.
But in the villa, she paraded around only in tiny knickers and the occasional sheer dress or gown.
She’d lie completely naked in the garden in the Albanian sunlight, unafraid of lurking paparazzi, letting her skin brown.
Eating a cunt that’s warmed by the sun is a delicacy I highly recommend.
It’s been two weeks of heaven, and another week still lies before us. I’m determined to enjoy every minute of it before we go back to London, and we head back into training and the new season.
My phone pings on the bedside table, and Mia reaches over sleepily, lifting it over her head.
“If I toss it, will they leave us alone?”
I cross the room with a chuckle and retrieve it from her hand. “Barry will probably send out a search party, or come down here himself.” I perch on the bed beside her, and lower my mouth to her shoulder. “And I definitely don’t want him to see all of this.”
“Mmm, you’re so possessive,” she murmurs through the curtain of her hair with a smile. “I love it.”
I unlock my phone to check the notification, and when I don’t say anything, Mia lifts her head. She sweeps her hair aside and fixes me with a frown.
“Bad news?”
“Not really,” I say with a sigh, handing her the phone.
“Looks like we’re old news now.” She wrinkles her nose as she reads the headline. “Arlington Feud. Can new manager Graves get Martin and Santos into line?” She tosses the phone onto the bed beside me and flops her head back down onto the pillow. “Fucking gossip rags.”
I stare out at the shimmering sea, and after a moment, Mia sits up beside me and takes my hand.
“Hey,” she says gently. “You’re not really worried, are you?”
I sigh and shake my head. “No, not really I suppose. I just don’t like all this drama.”
“Ezra and Ricky are fine.” Mia smiles at me. “Promise. They’ve just got things to work out. The team’s going into this season on a win. That’s amazing.”
“It is. It really is.”
Mia’s frown deepens, and she climbs into my lap.
“Hey. They just need a break from each other.” She sinks her fingers into my hair and presses a kiss to my temple.
“You watch, they’ll come back from the summer refreshed, like new men, and all that on-field tension is going to be gone.
It’s going to be another ripper season, and you down on the field?
Amazing.” She rolls her eyes back in her head dramatically. “Ah-mazing. Promise.”
I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her close, chuckling softly. “You’re right. I know you’re right. And I don’t want this all to ruin our last week here.”
“Certainly not!” She wriggles on my lap, and my hands move to cup her bare arse. “We have far too many fun things to do. But right now…” She catches my mouth with hers, kissing me, long and deep. “I’m starving.”
I groan, my hard cock straining against the fabric of my shorts. “Hungry for what. Miss Brookes?”
“Those prawns you picked up down at the market.” She giggles as I smack her arse.
“You fucking little tease. Look what you’ve done now!” I press her against my erection, and she sighs theatrically.
“Well, alright, let’s relieve that before you feed me.”
I watch Mia as I stand by the stove. She’s concentrating hard, her brow pinched together as she chops up vegetables for a salad. She looks so sweet like this. Cooking is the one thing she still finds mind-bogglingly confronting, but she’s been determined to get better at it since we got here.
Even if her repertoire so far just includes making a salad.
She catches me smiling at her, and her mouth quirks into a crooked grin.
“Don’t you mock me, fella,” she says, waving the knife in my direction. “I’m trying my best over here.”
“And doing a fantastic job.”
“Ey, no pity either, thank you.” With a shake of her head and a wide grin, she goes back to her work. “I will have you know I have perfected the art of a vinaigrette, and I will not have my achievements diminished.”
“No never, your vinaigrette is amazing.” I flip the prawns in the pan, and they’re charring beautifully, sending up an aroma of sea and salt. “I was thinking of buying a house down here.”
Mia’s head pops up. “You were?”
I lean back against the counter and cross my arms over my chest. “Yeah, why not? It’s your family’s ancestry, and it’d be nice to have a place to come back to every year. Even if we just needed a quick break from London.”
Mia’s face breaks into a smile. “I’d love that. Did you have a house in mind?”
I wave a hand and glance at the ceiling. “I mean, I quite like this one.”
Mia’s gaze darts around the room before landing back on me. “Is this place even for sale?”
“Everything has a price.”
She rolls her eyes and throws the knife to the counter. “Of course, I forgot, you’re Dominic Graves and you’re so very used to getting what you want.”
“It’s worked so far.”
“Hasn’t it just?” She gets to her feet and crosses the kitchen, leaning against my chest. “You really want to buy a house here?”
“For you, absolutely.” I glide my fingers through her hair. “I want you to feel like you belong to something, to somewhere.”
“To someone?” She gives me a small smile. “You know, my documents all still say Mia Graves. Be kind of stupid to change them all only to have to change them back.”
I blink at her as her meaning sinks in. “Are you asking me what I think you’re asking me?”
“You’re the one talking about buying houses and having all his junk moved into my flat as we speak.” She smiles up at me, raking her fingernails into the hair at the nape of my neck. “But yes, I suppose I am. Will you marry me, Dom?”
I’ve never had a woman ask me this. I’ve never even considered a woman asking me this, and here, in this quaint tiled kitchen with saltwater air drifting in through the open window as crickets sing loudly, Mia is smiling up at me and asking me to be her husband.
“I didn’t buy a ring, sorry.” Mia leans up to plant a quick peck on my lips. “But I’ll get down on my knees for you later, if that’s alright.”
I sweep her up in my arms so her feet are dangling above the floor, and crush her against me.
“Yes. Fucking yes! Of course I want to marry you.”
“Well, thank goodness for that, had me worried there for a minute.” She pulls back and grins at me. “Now you really will be my fella.”
“For always. I’m your fella for always.”
The crickets sing as I kiss her, and I know that while we’ll have our struggles, our moments, our arguments - after everything we’ve been through, there’s nowhere I want to be more than by her side.
This is where I belong. It just took me a while to realise it.
But I’m here now. And it feels bloody wonderful.