Choco Latte: 9
Title: Choco Latte: 9
Author: mistake_arrest
Pairing: Belldom
Rating: R(-ish)
Warnings: Language, sexual content
Summary: AU. A new resident shakes up a narrow-minded small town - and a certain chocolatier.
Disclaimer: I do not own Muse - no matter how much I would love to - and this is pure fiction. Original characters and the storyline are mine. No profit is being made.
Note: I guess I have to apologize again for the huge delay... sorry! Supermassive thanks to ms_belle10 for beta reading and general encouragement!
Previous Chapters: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 |
Dominic stood on his tiptoes early the next morning, adding finishing touches to the decorations by hanging some paintings on the walls. It had taken him hours to pick the ones that he liked the most and now the only thing he was worried about was whether they fit in with the rest of the place or not.
He took a few steps back and admired the paintings, his hands on his hips and head slightly tilted to the side.
Two arms wrapped around his waist from behind and a kiss was pressed against the side of his neck, Matthew's short stubble tickling his skin.
"You're so cute when you pout like that, Dom. Something particular on your mind?"
Dominic relaxed his body and let his neck be kissed by Matthew's soft lips for a while. He hummed and leaned his body against the brunet, placing his hands on top of Matthew's on his stomach. He felt the butterflies again, just like he always did when this gorgeous man was so close to him. Matthew had that kind of an effect and Dominic wasn't even sure if the brunet truly understood how fond he'd grown of him in such a short time.
"What do you think of these?" he asked, shivering involuntarily when Matthew's right hand sneaked to the waistband of his red skinny jeans. Matthew lifted the hem of Dominic’s black button-down shirt to lazily caress the soft skin there with his long fingertips.
"The paintings?" Matthew asked casually, breathing hot air into Dominic's right ear. The blond nodded. "They look good to me. Where'd you get them?"
"I just had them lying around." Dominic reluctantly disentangled himself from Matthew's standing cuddle and walked to the nearest painting. "See the signature?" he asked, grinning widely while Matthew squinted at the bottom right corner of the canvas.
The painting itself was simple, yet beautiful, a beach view with the sun going down behind a purple horizon and two people walking towards the sunset with surfboards in their hands. The messy signature written on the canvas wasn't one that Matthew had ever seen, but Dominic's initials D. J. H. struck a chord in his head immediately.
He took in a quick breath and ran his fingers over the signature, his eyes widening in disbelief.
"Are you kidding me? Did you paint this?" Dominic laughed at Matthew's incredulous expression and nodded. "All of these?" Matthew asked, pointing at the two other paintings hanging on other walls.
"Yeah. And there are more, but I didn't want the place to be full of them."
"You've mentioned you like to paint but I had no idea you're this good!" Matthew stared at the other two paintings. One of them had a couple sitting on a bench in the middle of a crowded street, cups of coffee in their hands. The third was a painting of a puppy and a kitten jogging along a sandy country road side by side.
"You really like them?"
"Are you fucking kidding me? They fit this place like a glove." Matthew stepped to the blond and leaned in, pressing his lips to Dominic's quickly. The blond giggled softly at Matthew’s enthusiasm before reciprocating the kiss. "Any other hidden talents you haven't told me about?"
Dominic squeezed Matthew's hip suggestively and winked. "You'll have to find out later."
”Later tonight?”
”If you want to. Do you?”
“Why do you even ask? Of course I do.” Matthew kissed Dominic again and pulled him into a tight embrace. “But aren’t you tired? We didn’t really get a lot of sleep last night…”
---
“Hey, what happened to wanting to sleep?” Matthew murmured into Dominic’s ear when he felt the blond stir next to him and a curious hand starting to wander on his exposed belly. It had been too hot to be buried under the blankets, and with their small bodies pressed so tightly together, creating even more heat, the couple had pulled the covers away completely, leaving them lying stark naked in the bed.
“Can’t,” came the quiet, raspy answer. Dominic’s fingers skimmed over Matthew’s belly button and moved towards his chest. “I’m too anxious about tomorrow.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah.” Dominic kissed Matthew’s shoulder and blew warm air where his lips left the porcelain skin. He rubbed his crotch against Matthew’s upper thigh. “And so fucking horny…”
“Again?” Matthew asked in the darkness but didn’t really protest when Dominic climbed on top of him, muffling his words with a breathtaking kiss.
“Okay then.”
---
“Well, I’d love to promise that I won’t be tired, but you may be right… but will you still stay tonight?” Dominic gave Matthew the best puppy-eyes impression he could do, receiving a wide grin from the brunet.
“How could I ever say no to that?” Matthew asked, running his hands across Dominic’s lower back, his fingers dipping into the tempting warmness under the blond’s shirt again.
They both flinched when they heard a knock on the side of the door frame. Quickly disentangling themselves from each other, they turned to look at whoever had interrupted them.
“Sorry,” Chris chuckled and walked in, carrying a basket covered with a white cloth. “Well, actually, I’m not even sorry for interrupting. I was supposed to be here at this time, right? Good morning to you two.”
“Oh, yeah, of course. Morning!” Dominic smoothed his clothes and rushed to take Chris’ offered basket, placing it on one of the tables. “What do you have here? Smells fucking delicious…”
“Just something Kelly made yesterday. I haven’t looked but I think there are cookies in there. Something to give your visitors on the first day! It’s all about first impressions, isn’t it?”
“Oh my… wow, thank you so much!” Dominic peeked under the cloth, a wide smile spreading across his face. “You know, I think my mum used to make these exact same cookies when I was a kid. Smells just the same.”
Matthew had meanwhile walked behind Dominic and he craned his neck so that he, too, could see what was in the basket. Instinctively, he wrapped his arm around Dominic’s waist, making Chris smile.
“Aww. You two are quite adorable, did you know that?”
Both Matthew and Dominic blushed but stayed close together, locking their eyes for a second before they both turned to look back at Chris.
“It’s…” Matthew started, not really knowing how to respond. He was in a completely new situation and although he was okay with Chris knowing - and to be honest, he couldn’t possibly keep a secret like that from his best friend - he wasn’t sure how everyone else would react if they knew. “Thanks. I guess,” he added with a chuckle.
Dominic put his hand around Matthew’s waist and pecked him on the cheek. Nodding to Chris, he grabbed the basket and walked towards his kitchen to find something to put the cookies in.
“I’d better get the rest of the things done over here. I don’t have any time to waste, especially when I slept in already,” he said and glanced at Matthew, biting his lip before disappearing out of sight.
---
“Mmmh.”
Dominic smacked his lips together and turned onto his other side when he felt a pointy finger poke him in the ribs.
“Wakey wakey, Dominic!”
“Pfft,” the blond mumbled and curled his body, one arm reaching out to seek the warm blanket to pull over himself. He didn’t find a blanket; instead, his wrist was grabbed by a gentle grip and a warm body pressed against his back.
“Dom… come on, your alarm went off ten minutes ago. You don’t want to be late, do you?”
“Uh.”
“You aren’t even awake…” Matthew let go of Dominic’s wrist and gripped the blond’s hips, his fingers squeezing the soft flesh. “Sleeping beauty,” he whispered into Dominic’s ear before licking the lobe. Dominic didn’t even stir.
“You know, I’m awfully horny this early in the morning…” Matthew put on his most seductive voice, grinding his half hard cock against Dominic’s backside. The blond moved, his arse wiggling a bit, before he snorted, half asleep, and grabbed the blanket tossed aside earlier that night. He pulled the blanket over himself and sighed, his bum pressed tightly against Matthew’s crotch.
“You’re not serious, Dom.”
The situation clearly called for desperate measures. Matthew slid his hand from Dominic’s hip to his front, across his stomach and onto his right nipple. He circled the hard bud and…
“FUCK! What the fuck?!”
…pinched it.
Quickly, Dominic turned around, grey eyes looking wildly at Matthew. “What was that for?”
“You’re this close to sleeping in, Dominic,” Matthew said and giggled.
He leaned in to give the blond a good morning peck on the lips but stopped and yelped when Dominic’s hands suddenly sneaked onto his stomach and sides, prodding and tickling.
“Dom! Dom, it wasn’t my fault,” Matthew shrieked between bouts of laughter, Dominic’s hand mercilessly tickled the brunet until he was bouncing uncontrollably on the mattress and begging for mercy.
“Dom…” Matthew said when things quieted down. He scratched Dominic’s scalp lazily, the blond lying half on top of him and catching his breath. “That was fun but you really need to get up, right? It’s an exciting day!”
“Mmmh.” Dominic yawned against the skin of Matthew’s flushed chest. “I guess you’re right…”
Matthew sniffed the blond hair on the top of Dominic’s head. “Shower?”
They both got up in record time to dash into the bathroom for a shared shower.
---
“You look very happy today,” Chris interrupted Matthew’s memories of that morning.
Matthew merely hummed and kept organizing cups and plates into shelves behind the cash desk. Dominic had given him exact instructions about where to put everything and Matthew had to admit that it was all very well planned.
“So, I guess you had a good time with Dom last night?” Chris tried again, making Matthew blush this time. “Oh, come on, don’t be so mysterious. Since when have you kept anything like this from me?”
Matthew straightened up and leaned against the counter, looking mildly uncomfortable.
“I guess since I became involved with a guy.”
Chris’ dark eyebrows shot up at this.
“I mean,” Matthew continued, “I’m involved with a guy like this for the first time ever. Like… in a way that could possibly evolve into something serious. How do you feel about that?”
Chris cleared his throat. “Why should I have any say in any of this? It’s your life.”
“What do you think of him?”
“He seems like a good guy. And you like him, yeah?” Matthew smiled with a little nod of his head. Chris stepped closer and placed his hand on the smaller man’s shoulder, squeezing there affectionately. “That’s all I want to know then. If he makes you happy then go for it.”
“I wish everyone else thought that way.”
“You shouldn’t think about that just yet, Matt. Just see where it goes with Dom. You have so many people here who like you that I’m sure when they see how happy you are they don’t care if you’re with a woman or a man or a donkey.”
“Donkey, eh? That’s a bit lame, even from you.” Matthew couldn’t help but giggle at Chris’ attempt at a joke despite his lingering worry that maybe what his friend was trying to say wasn’t completely true. People did care, and the people of this town were nosy as hell and would find out sooner rather than later.
But Chris was right nonetheless: he shouldn’t worry about it at this point. He and Dom weren’t even together yet, were they? Anything could happen, but Matthew was definitely excited to see where it all would lead him.
As if on cue, the blond in question walked in, carrying trays of freshly-baked goods in his hands.
“Could I get a bit of help with these, please?” he asked, craning his neck to look at Matthew from behind the trays he was holding.
“Yeah, of course,” Matthew said, casting a meaningful look at Chris, who smiled in response and left the couple alone so they could get everything ready on time.
~*~*~
“People are absolutely loving these,” Matthew said with a blissful expression on his face as he stuffed a cookie into his mouth. Dominic chuckled next to him, wiping his hands on an apron after arranging a load of cakes on a tray, ready to be sold.
Dominic had taken a small break when Kelly showed up and shushed both him and Matthew into the kitchen so they could breathe for a while. Dominic already couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have become friends with who seemed to be the loveliest bunch of people in the whole town.
“Kelly makes some wonderful cookies, it seems…” Dominic’s voice drifted and he pulled the apron over his head, hanging it beside the kitchen counter. “She’s a great woman. And… well, everyone’s so helpful that I don’t know how I’m ever going to pay you guys back.”
“She’s amazing, yeah. Chris is a lucky man.” Matthew walked up to the blond and tilted his head slightly, brushing his hand against Dominic’s arm. “But hey, you don’t have to worry about paying anything back. I’m sure Chris and Kelly think the same. We’re all friends here, eh?”
“Yeah, but…”
“No ‘buts’, Dom. Besides,” he said and lowered his voice, leaning closer so that his mouth was almost touching Dominic’s ear. “If you really want to pay me back you are welcome to do it, but not in money…”
“Oh?” Dominic asked. There was a beat of silence before he understood. “Oh.”
Giggling, Matthew ran his fingers up the blond’s arm and onto his neck. He blushed a bit, tracing a pattern with his fingers over Dominic’s neck before cupping his jaw. A look was shared between the two, a look that was a mix of enthusiasm about all the things in their lives that were new and exciting, and pure lust in anticipation of things to come.
“I think that can be arranged,” Dominic murmured before letting the gorgeous brunet kiss him with such tender passion that it almost made his knees buckle. Dominic circled Matthew’s small waist with his arms and gave in to the bubbling feeling inside his stomach.
He’d promised himself a while ago that he wouldn’t let someone steal his heart as quickly and as completely as Nic had done before. Dominic was well over his previous relationship, but he still had his doubts about getting seriously involved with someone and about letting his guard down for someone again. Then Matthew had appeared out of nowhere just after he’d settled down in a new place.
It felt so different with Matthew. It was just the two of them, no kids or previous wives involved like with Nic. He felt terrible that he even went as far as to compare the two, but the more he thought about it, the more he felt like Matthew could be worth it all. It had been just passion with Nic, he wanted to remind himself.
Matthew was different.
Right?
“Um,” a voice interrupted them, deeper than they’d expected. It wasn’t Kelly.
“There’s someone who wants to see you, Dominic.”
It was Mrs. Griffith, Charlotte’s grandmother and the woman who accommodated Dominic for the first few nights when he’d arrived in town. She was mostly harmless but did like to engage in the social gatherings in local pubs, thus being likely to spread rumours about potential new romances.
Dominic and Matthew pulled apart, both looking flushed and all kinds of guilty, knowing that even though Mrs. Griffith was a nice lady, she could cause harm if she wanted to.
Dominic looked behind his shoulder, meeting Mrs. Griffith’s surprised eyes.
“Who is it?” he asked casting a glance at Matthew whose face was unreadable.
“It’s your mother, Dominic,” Mrs. Griffith announced dramatically, making Dominic's eyes widen from suprise. He hadn't expected his mum to travel all the way from London. "She demands to see her son."
"I'll be there in a minute, Mrs. Griffith," Dominic said, smoothing his hair with one hand and waving the old lady out of the kitchen with the other.
Author: mistake_arrest
Pairing: Belldom
Rating: R(-ish)
Warnings: Language, sexual content
Summary: AU. A new resident shakes up a narrow-minded small town - and a certain chocolatier.
Disclaimer: I do not own Muse - no matter how much I would love to - and this is pure fiction. Original characters and the storyline are mine. No profit is being made.
Note: I guess I have to apologize again for the huge delay... sorry! Supermassive thanks to ms_belle10 for beta reading and general encouragement!
Previous Chapters: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 |
Dominic stood on his tiptoes early the next morning, adding finishing touches to the decorations by hanging some paintings on the walls. It had taken him hours to pick the ones that he liked the most and now the only thing he was worried about was whether they fit in with the rest of the place or not.
He took a few steps back and admired the paintings, his hands on his hips and head slightly tilted to the side.
Two arms wrapped around his waist from behind and a kiss was pressed against the side of his neck, Matthew's short stubble tickling his skin.
"You're so cute when you pout like that, Dom. Something particular on your mind?"
Dominic relaxed his body and let his neck be kissed by Matthew's soft lips for a while. He hummed and leaned his body against the brunet, placing his hands on top of Matthew's on his stomach. He felt the butterflies again, just like he always did when this gorgeous man was so close to him. Matthew had that kind of an effect and Dominic wasn't even sure if the brunet truly understood how fond he'd grown of him in such a short time.
"What do you think of these?" he asked, shivering involuntarily when Matthew's right hand sneaked to the waistband of his red skinny jeans. Matthew lifted the hem of Dominic’s black button-down shirt to lazily caress the soft skin there with his long fingertips.
"The paintings?" Matthew asked casually, breathing hot air into Dominic's right ear. The blond nodded. "They look good to me. Where'd you get them?"
"I just had them lying around." Dominic reluctantly disentangled himself from Matthew's standing cuddle and walked to the nearest painting. "See the signature?" he asked, grinning widely while Matthew squinted at the bottom right corner of the canvas.
The painting itself was simple, yet beautiful, a beach view with the sun going down behind a purple horizon and two people walking towards the sunset with surfboards in their hands. The messy signature written on the canvas wasn't one that Matthew had ever seen, but Dominic's initials D. J. H. struck a chord in his head immediately.
He took in a quick breath and ran his fingers over the signature, his eyes widening in disbelief.
"Are you kidding me? Did you paint this?" Dominic laughed at Matthew's incredulous expression and nodded. "All of these?" Matthew asked, pointing at the two other paintings hanging on other walls.
"Yeah. And there are more, but I didn't want the place to be full of them."
"You've mentioned you like to paint but I had no idea you're this good!" Matthew stared at the other two paintings. One of them had a couple sitting on a bench in the middle of a crowded street, cups of coffee in their hands. The third was a painting of a puppy and a kitten jogging along a sandy country road side by side.
"You really like them?"
"Are you fucking kidding me? They fit this place like a glove." Matthew stepped to the blond and leaned in, pressing his lips to Dominic's quickly. The blond giggled softly at Matthew’s enthusiasm before reciprocating the kiss. "Any other hidden talents you haven't told me about?"
Dominic squeezed Matthew's hip suggestively and winked. "You'll have to find out later."
”Later tonight?”
”If you want to. Do you?”
“Why do you even ask? Of course I do.” Matthew kissed Dominic again and pulled him into a tight embrace. “But aren’t you tired? We didn’t really get a lot of sleep last night…”
---
“Hey, what happened to wanting to sleep?” Matthew murmured into Dominic’s ear when he felt the blond stir next to him and a curious hand starting to wander on his exposed belly. It had been too hot to be buried under the blankets, and with their small bodies pressed so tightly together, creating even more heat, the couple had pulled the covers away completely, leaving them lying stark naked in the bed.
“Can’t,” came the quiet, raspy answer. Dominic’s fingers skimmed over Matthew’s belly button and moved towards his chest. “I’m too anxious about tomorrow.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah.” Dominic kissed Matthew’s shoulder and blew warm air where his lips left the porcelain skin. He rubbed his crotch against Matthew’s upper thigh. “And so fucking horny…”
“Again?” Matthew asked in the darkness but didn’t really protest when Dominic climbed on top of him, muffling his words with a breathtaking kiss.
“Okay then.”
---
“Well, I’d love to promise that I won’t be tired, but you may be right… but will you still stay tonight?” Dominic gave Matthew the best puppy-eyes impression he could do, receiving a wide grin from the brunet.
“How could I ever say no to that?” Matthew asked, running his hands across Dominic’s lower back, his fingers dipping into the tempting warmness under the blond’s shirt again.
They both flinched when they heard a knock on the side of the door frame. Quickly disentangling themselves from each other, they turned to look at whoever had interrupted them.
“Sorry,” Chris chuckled and walked in, carrying a basket covered with a white cloth. “Well, actually, I’m not even sorry for interrupting. I was supposed to be here at this time, right? Good morning to you two.”
“Oh, yeah, of course. Morning!” Dominic smoothed his clothes and rushed to take Chris’ offered basket, placing it on one of the tables. “What do you have here? Smells fucking delicious…”
“Just something Kelly made yesterday. I haven’t looked but I think there are cookies in there. Something to give your visitors on the first day! It’s all about first impressions, isn’t it?”
“Oh my… wow, thank you so much!” Dominic peeked under the cloth, a wide smile spreading across his face. “You know, I think my mum used to make these exact same cookies when I was a kid. Smells just the same.”
Matthew had meanwhile walked behind Dominic and he craned his neck so that he, too, could see what was in the basket. Instinctively, he wrapped his arm around Dominic’s waist, making Chris smile.
“Aww. You two are quite adorable, did you know that?”
Both Matthew and Dominic blushed but stayed close together, locking their eyes for a second before they both turned to look back at Chris.
“It’s…” Matthew started, not really knowing how to respond. He was in a completely new situation and although he was okay with Chris knowing - and to be honest, he couldn’t possibly keep a secret like that from his best friend - he wasn’t sure how everyone else would react if they knew. “Thanks. I guess,” he added with a chuckle.
Dominic put his hand around Matthew’s waist and pecked him on the cheek. Nodding to Chris, he grabbed the basket and walked towards his kitchen to find something to put the cookies in.
“I’d better get the rest of the things done over here. I don’t have any time to waste, especially when I slept in already,” he said and glanced at Matthew, biting his lip before disappearing out of sight.
---
“Mmmh.”
Dominic smacked his lips together and turned onto his other side when he felt a pointy finger poke him in the ribs.
“Wakey wakey, Dominic!”
“Pfft,” the blond mumbled and curled his body, one arm reaching out to seek the warm blanket to pull over himself. He didn’t find a blanket; instead, his wrist was grabbed by a gentle grip and a warm body pressed against his back.
“Dom… come on, your alarm went off ten minutes ago. You don’t want to be late, do you?”
“Uh.”
“You aren’t even awake…” Matthew let go of Dominic’s wrist and gripped the blond’s hips, his fingers squeezing the soft flesh. “Sleeping beauty,” he whispered into Dominic’s ear before licking the lobe. Dominic didn’t even stir.
“You know, I’m awfully horny this early in the morning…” Matthew put on his most seductive voice, grinding his half hard cock against Dominic’s backside. The blond moved, his arse wiggling a bit, before he snorted, half asleep, and grabbed the blanket tossed aside earlier that night. He pulled the blanket over himself and sighed, his bum pressed tightly against Matthew’s crotch.
“You’re not serious, Dom.”
The situation clearly called for desperate measures. Matthew slid his hand from Dominic’s hip to his front, across his stomach and onto his right nipple. He circled the hard bud and…
“FUCK! What the fuck?!”
…pinched it.
Quickly, Dominic turned around, grey eyes looking wildly at Matthew. “What was that for?”
“You’re this close to sleeping in, Dominic,” Matthew said and giggled.
He leaned in to give the blond a good morning peck on the lips but stopped and yelped when Dominic’s hands suddenly sneaked onto his stomach and sides, prodding and tickling.
“Dom! Dom, it wasn’t my fault,” Matthew shrieked between bouts of laughter, Dominic’s hand mercilessly tickled the brunet until he was bouncing uncontrollably on the mattress and begging for mercy.
“Dom…” Matthew said when things quieted down. He scratched Dominic’s scalp lazily, the blond lying half on top of him and catching his breath. “That was fun but you really need to get up, right? It’s an exciting day!”
“Mmmh.” Dominic yawned against the skin of Matthew’s flushed chest. “I guess you’re right…”
Matthew sniffed the blond hair on the top of Dominic’s head. “Shower?”
They both got up in record time to dash into the bathroom for a shared shower.
---
“You look very happy today,” Chris interrupted Matthew’s memories of that morning.
Matthew merely hummed and kept organizing cups and plates into shelves behind the cash desk. Dominic had given him exact instructions about where to put everything and Matthew had to admit that it was all very well planned.
“So, I guess you had a good time with Dom last night?” Chris tried again, making Matthew blush this time. “Oh, come on, don’t be so mysterious. Since when have you kept anything like this from me?”
Matthew straightened up and leaned against the counter, looking mildly uncomfortable.
“I guess since I became involved with a guy.”
Chris’ dark eyebrows shot up at this.
“I mean,” Matthew continued, “I’m involved with a guy like this for the first time ever. Like… in a way that could possibly evolve into something serious. How do you feel about that?”
Chris cleared his throat. “Why should I have any say in any of this? It’s your life.”
“What do you think of him?”
“He seems like a good guy. And you like him, yeah?” Matthew smiled with a little nod of his head. Chris stepped closer and placed his hand on the smaller man’s shoulder, squeezing there affectionately. “That’s all I want to know then. If he makes you happy then go for it.”
“I wish everyone else thought that way.”
“You shouldn’t think about that just yet, Matt. Just see where it goes with Dom. You have so many people here who like you that I’m sure when they see how happy you are they don’t care if you’re with a woman or a man or a donkey.”
“Donkey, eh? That’s a bit lame, even from you.” Matthew couldn’t help but giggle at Chris’ attempt at a joke despite his lingering worry that maybe what his friend was trying to say wasn’t completely true. People did care, and the people of this town were nosy as hell and would find out sooner rather than later.
But Chris was right nonetheless: he shouldn’t worry about it at this point. He and Dom weren’t even together yet, were they? Anything could happen, but Matthew was definitely excited to see where it all would lead him.
As if on cue, the blond in question walked in, carrying trays of freshly-baked goods in his hands.
“Could I get a bit of help with these, please?” he asked, craning his neck to look at Matthew from behind the trays he was holding.
“Yeah, of course,” Matthew said, casting a meaningful look at Chris, who smiled in response and left the couple alone so they could get everything ready on time.
~*~*~
“People are absolutely loving these,” Matthew said with a blissful expression on his face as he stuffed a cookie into his mouth. Dominic chuckled next to him, wiping his hands on an apron after arranging a load of cakes on a tray, ready to be sold.
Dominic had taken a small break when Kelly showed up and shushed both him and Matthew into the kitchen so they could breathe for a while. Dominic already couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have become friends with who seemed to be the loveliest bunch of people in the whole town.
“Kelly makes some wonderful cookies, it seems…” Dominic’s voice drifted and he pulled the apron over his head, hanging it beside the kitchen counter. “She’s a great woman. And… well, everyone’s so helpful that I don’t know how I’m ever going to pay you guys back.”
“She’s amazing, yeah. Chris is a lucky man.” Matthew walked up to the blond and tilted his head slightly, brushing his hand against Dominic’s arm. “But hey, you don’t have to worry about paying anything back. I’m sure Chris and Kelly think the same. We’re all friends here, eh?”
“Yeah, but…”
“No ‘buts’, Dom. Besides,” he said and lowered his voice, leaning closer so that his mouth was almost touching Dominic’s ear. “If you really want to pay me back you are welcome to do it, but not in money…”
“Oh?” Dominic asked. There was a beat of silence before he understood. “Oh.”
Giggling, Matthew ran his fingers up the blond’s arm and onto his neck. He blushed a bit, tracing a pattern with his fingers over Dominic’s neck before cupping his jaw. A look was shared between the two, a look that was a mix of enthusiasm about all the things in their lives that were new and exciting, and pure lust in anticipation of things to come.
“I think that can be arranged,” Dominic murmured before letting the gorgeous brunet kiss him with such tender passion that it almost made his knees buckle. Dominic circled Matthew’s small waist with his arms and gave in to the bubbling feeling inside his stomach.
He’d promised himself a while ago that he wouldn’t let someone steal his heart as quickly and as completely as Nic had done before. Dominic was well over his previous relationship, but he still had his doubts about getting seriously involved with someone and about letting his guard down for someone again. Then Matthew had appeared out of nowhere just after he’d settled down in a new place.
It felt so different with Matthew. It was just the two of them, no kids or previous wives involved like with Nic. He felt terrible that he even went as far as to compare the two, but the more he thought about it, the more he felt like Matthew could be worth it all. It had been just passion with Nic, he wanted to remind himself.
Matthew was different.
Right?
“Um,” a voice interrupted them, deeper than they’d expected. It wasn’t Kelly.
“There’s someone who wants to see you, Dominic.”
It was Mrs. Griffith, Charlotte’s grandmother and the woman who accommodated Dominic for the first few nights when he’d arrived in town. She was mostly harmless but did like to engage in the social gatherings in local pubs, thus being likely to spread rumours about potential new romances.
Dominic and Matthew pulled apart, both looking flushed and all kinds of guilty, knowing that even though Mrs. Griffith was a nice lady, she could cause harm if she wanted to.
Dominic looked behind his shoulder, meeting Mrs. Griffith’s surprised eyes.
“Who is it?” he asked casting a glance at Matthew whose face was unreadable.
“It’s your mother, Dominic,” Mrs. Griffith announced dramatically, making Dominic's eyes widen from suprise. He hadn't expected his mum to travel all the way from London. "She demands to see her son."
"I'll be there in a minute, Mrs. Griffith," Dominic said, smoothing his hair with one hand and waving the old lady out of the kitchen with the other.