Helena
Dominick and Ali remained outside, looking at the bike for some time. Eventually, I went out to join them, and listened to Ali as she impressed Dom with her vast and not-quite-obsessive knowledge about motorcycles. Dom, for his part, listened patiently and added extra info or corrected Ali where needed. To his credit, he was never bored or insincere, at least as far as I could tell.
Of course, I wasn't exactly paying close attention. The revelation that Ali might have her first crush had hit me hard—it wasn't quite the monumentally life-changing news that Dominick himself had been, but it was certainly enough to distract me from him for a little while.
Jason, at least, seemed relatively harmless. He was a fundamentally good kid, as far as I could tell, already holding a job and maintaining good grades in school. He stayed out of trouble for the most part, with his younger sister Laurie giving their parents more trouble than he ever did.
After the three of us finally came back in, I popped a blueberry bagel into the toaster and then slathered it with cream cheese. Ali happily took her half while I took a bite of mine, and Dominick helped himself to another cup of coffee.
"Would you like one?" I asked Dominick, a bit sheepish that I'd already taken a bite of my bagel. He nodded, and I made another for him. As I gave him his half, I realized belatedly that I had no idea what to do with the fourth and final piece.
See? He doesn't fit into our lives at all. Two was so much easier to split than three, I thought to myself cynically.
That is completely ridiculous. You are being ridiculous, I told myself.
"Can I try some of that?" Ali asked, pointing to Dominick's coffee.
Now who's being ridiculous? She's eleven and she wants coffee! the cynical part of my mind fired back.
Dominick didn't answer immediately, instead looking to me for guidance. I shrugged. Most likely Ali would hate the taste, and forbidding her from trying it would only make it more tempting in the future.
Permission granted, Ali took a sip. Immediately she scrunched up her face and ran over to the sink, spitting it out dramatically. "Yuck!" she exclaimed. "Must be a boy thing."
It was too adorable, and I laughed—in unison with Dominick, much to my chagrin. He flashed me a little smile, and I felt myself blushing a little.
No wonder he's always with models and actresses, I thought. His smile went beyond disarming and straight to irresistible. He was a prime example of manhood and masculinity, at his physical peak. Was it any wonder my body responded all on its own?
That some ancient, primal thoughts might come unbidden, a little voice whispering to me about what a fine specimen he was? It was just survival of the fittest, and man was he fit.
Of course, the joke was on me. No part of my biology was programmed to account for fertility clinics or insemination, no way to explain to my lizard-brain that I'd already reproduced with him thanks to the magic of modern science. No, it simply saw him and…wanted.
Stupid biology, I thought bitterly. A moment later, I looked down, and realized that the reaction had gone beyond simple blushing. I'd almost been able to forget that I was in pajamas around Dominick. But now, my nipples seemed more erect than pencil erasers, and the two hard circular imprints that appeared in the thin cloth were taking it too far.
Much, much too far.
An I-just-want-to-crawl-into-a-hole-and-die-now kind of far.
I crossed my arms over my chest again, panicking a little as I cleared my throat.
"Look at the time!" I said awkwardly. "Thank you for coming, Dominick, it's been nice. But, Ali and I were going to visit my father today, and—"
"Mooooommm!" Ali whined. "We can see Grampa any time!"
"We can't take up all of Mr. Henderson's morning, sweetie. Besides, plans are plans. We told him we'd visit. It was your idea originally, remember."
Ali groaned and rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said in a dramatic, defeated tone.
"Can I give you a goodbye kiss?" Ali asked Dominick, giving me a faintly challenging look. I'd told her that kissing him in the diner might've made him uncomfortable, and apparently her takeaway was ask first instead of don't do it.
Well, I had to pick my battles—and right now, getting Dominick out of the house immediately was priority number one.
"Of course you can, Ali," Dominick replied, leaning forward so Ali wouldn't have to climb any furniture this time. Ali giggled, planting a resounding kiss on his cheek.
"You need to shave, Dom! You're all prickly."
"Oh, I do?" he said, running his palm over the cheek where dark stubble grew.
No, of course he doesn't need to shave! He looks amazing like that, part of me screamed.
And that's why you need to kick him out, dummy, another part of me answered.
Dominick gave Ali a hug before turning to me, nodding courteously and then leaning in close.
For a brief, insane half-second I thought he was going to kiss me on the cheek.
For an even briefer, even more insane half-second, I was disappointed when he didn't.
"Don't hesitate to call me if you guys need anything, okay?" he asked, his voice low and throaty.
Low and throaty, oh come on! I could have kicked myself. The man was whispering, for crying out loud. Since when was whispering 'low and throaty?' You're insane, I told myself.
Not that it helped.
I swallowed hard. Not trusting my voice, I nodded in agreement.
Dominick took a step back from me, a gesture that did absolutely nothing to diminish his presence in my mind. In fact, when he smiled at me again a moment later, it felt like he was even closer than he'd been when he was whispering in my ear. My heart was thumping like crazy, and I knew that I needed—needed—for him to leave as soon as humanly possible.
For my own sanity.
I couldn't take my eyes off him as he headed for the door. Part of me imagined I could still feel the touch of his breath against my cheek, even as he turned to say his goodbyes.
The man had an aura at least a mile wide.
Still unable to speak, I waved and gave him a smile that I hoped was neither manic nor deranged. Under the circumstances, it was the best I could do.
Relief should've filled me as he finally stepped out of the door, but it didn't. Instead I just kept staring at him through the window. The battered jeans he wore did nothing to hide his strong, muscular legs, or any other part of him. He straddled the bike, putting on his helmet and revving the engine.
I'd never seen anything sexier.
It wasn't until he disappeared down the street before I finally felt like I could breathe again.
"He's really cool, isn't he?" Ali asked, grinning from ear to ear.
Yes, he was. But I didn't want him to be.
"Yeah," I said quietly. "Very cool."
I didn't want him to be, but the truth was hard to avoid.
He was mad cool.
Exactly the sort of cool I didn't want around.
Or did I?