Free Elemental Fear by Ada Frost Page A

“Have you kids set a date for the wedding of the year yet?” His smile spread when Dominic growled. I turned to see Vanessa spring up from her lounged position to fully alert.
    She smiled at Dominic. “Not yet. We were hoping for late May, maybe early June. Then a honeymoon –“
    “I didn’t know you’d accepted ,” I interrupted, almost panicked. I covered my mouth when everyone turned to look at me.
    “I haven’t ,” Dominic said, looking directly at me.
    “He will ,” stated Vanessa, looking at me with serious venom in her eyes. “And we want you to be chief bridesmaid. Don’t worry, you can help pick out your dress. I won’t make you look a fool, although I do think I maybe have better taste in formal wear. ”
    Elliott chuckled . “Under the thumb already, little brother?”
    “Piss off !” snapped Dominic.
    Vanessa curled herself around Dominic like a feline wrapping itself around its owner’s legs. “We love each other, he’s mine and I’m his. It’s bound to happen , and I can wait.” She lifted her leg and wrapped it around his thigh.
    It looked completely suffocating from where I was sitting , not a seductive move at all. I turned my attention toward the TV and asked what film we were watching. I sat staring at the TV as if my life depended on knowing the intricate details of the film. But in truth, I hadn’t a clue what happened. My mind was completely pre-occupied with what Vanessa had said and certainly Dominic’s outburst in the kitchen. What with Elliott acting all Jekyll and Hyde, Vanessa the vixen no man could live without and Dominic acting all bristly and moody, my head was in a tailspin. The film lasted an eternity. Okay, so in reality, it was probably a couple of hours, but it felt like forever.
    From my peripheral vision , I could see Vanessa make sensual movements towards Dominic. Her hands caressed his chest; she kept lifting her face to nuzzle his neck. She even at one point slid her hand up his thigh to cup him through his trousers. I wanted to scream at her to leave him alone and keep her dirty little hands to herself. But what claim did I have? None. I was simply his pathetic best friend with an even more pathetic crush on him. Okay, so a crush at my age was ridiculous.
    My only peak of slight joy was watching Dominic discreetly push her advances away. I turned to glance at Elliott and saw he was fast asleep, head thrown back over the back of the chair, mouth wide open , softly snoring. I knew it wouldn’t be long before the loud house shaking snores would start. Glancing around the room to Dominic, I turned, locking eyes with the very man himself. He watched me, his jaw clenched. I could see the muscle working, twitching with the force of his bite. I offered a small smile, and his jaw relaxed slightly. Then the most amazing sight – he smiled back at me, and everything in my world made sense again.
    At 11.30pm , I decided to call it a night and return home.
    “I’ll walk you home ,” Dominic offered quietly.
    “She lives next door ,” Vanessa said incredulously.
    “It’s still dark.”
    “I'm okay, really.” I nodded and started for the door. Elliott never even stirred, and as suspected, his snores had gotten louder.
    As I reached for the door handle , I felt Dominic close behind me. Feeling his heat was like standing next to a roaring bonfire. His hand pressed gently on the small of my back, exerting slight pressure to propel me forward. As the door closed behind us, he inhaled a deep breath. “I'm sorry for being a dick earlier. I wasn’t mad at you...not really. I just, she won’t stop with the wedding crap, and it’s driving me insane.”
    “She loves you, and like any women would be, she’s getting swept away by the romance and excitement of it all . It’s one of the biggest days of a woman’s life,” I offered quietly.
    He shook his head , walking a little further down the driveway. “Well, I should feel more excited, and that alone tells me