Bondage Buddies (Masters of Marquis Book 1) by Golden Angel (english novels for beginners TXT) 📗

which was tucked under the big bay window next to the front door. She could see Julia, Marcus’ wife, in the passenger seat, and Domi sighed inwardly even as she waved.

“Daddy! Daddy! And Ju-ju!” Ana bounced on the couch in excitement, waving her hand at her dad and stepmom.

It wasn’t that Domi didn’t like Julia. The woman was almost everything she could ask for in a stepmother for Ana. She loved Ana, treated her like she was her own, and was good at knowing when to indulge her and when to be firm. Unfortunately, Julia didn’t like Domi… at all.

Domi couldn’t really blame her.

To say Ana had been unplanned was a vast understatement. Domi had been rebounding hard from a college relationship that hadn’t worked out, thanks to her ex’s super bigoted parents, and Marcus had been having a good time while he and Julia were on a break. No, no, a real break, not a Ross and Rachel from Friends kind of break.

Julia had gone to Europe for a year for work. She and Marcus had been together since high school and decided to take that year to ‘discover themselves.’ They’d planned to reconnect when she got back and see how they both felt, but they didn’t have any contact and considered themselves single.

A few weeks before Julia was scheduled to return home, Domi and Marcus had been at the same party. She’d been angry and heartbroken after being dumped. He’d been missing Julia while simultaneously terrified everything between them would have changed, and Domi had been a good distraction. Both of them had been a little drunk, but they’d been what each other needed that night.

They hadn’t even exchanged phone numbers. Still, ironically, while Marcus had been worried everything between him and Julia would be different after a year apart, it hadn’t been. Not right away.

Julia came home, had her planned meetup with Marcus, and the two of them had been headed straight for happily-ever-after. Then Domi had to hunt him down three months later to let him know she was pregnant, and it was his. Poor Marcus had been torn between the love of his life and “doing the right thing.” Domi had made it clear she didn’t want the latter—at all—but Julia had to live with the knowledge Marcus had considered leaving her for Domi and Ana. It became even worse when they started trying for a child of their own, and it quickly became clear getting pregnant was going to be a struggle for Julia.

She never, not once, took that out on Ana.

But sometimes, she took it out on Domi. Domi tried to be understanding but was only willing to tolerate to a point. She also couldn’t help but roll her eyes every time Marcus came by to pick Ana up and Julia was with him. It was literally a five-minute drive, and Julia had only missed it twice in five years—once when she was on an unavoidable trip for work and once when she was with her mom at the hospital. It was as though she thought if she wasn’t there, Domi would throw herself at Marcus and change his mind about becoming a family.

Watching Marcus get out of the car, Domi could admit he was a good-looking guy. Tall, dark, and handsome with a great smile and broad shoulders, he was a total catch, but he was so vanilla, she’d rocked his world by suggesting doggy style during their night together. Great guy, great dad, but she had absolutely no romantic or sexual desire for him. Maybe one day, Julia would actually believe that.

The woman in question got out of her side of the car, waving at Ana with a smile, but pointedly didn’t look at Domi. Almost as tall as Marcus, curvy—aka, totally stacked—with pale skin and red hair, she looked like a young Christina Hendricks.

Domi was mostly comfortable being short and skinny at this point in her life, but she still struggled to understand how someone who looked like Julia could be insecure over someone who looked like her.

“I’m gonna miss you, Mommy,” Ana said, throwing her arms around Domi’s neck and smacking a kiss against her cheek. Every other week, she said the same thing, and Domi knew it was true, but Ana was also excited to spend time with her Dad and Julia.

“I’ll miss you more,” Domi countered, squeezing her tightly.

Thankfully, Marcus and Julia lived close, so it was easy to split up time between them. Ana went back and forth each week, which meant Domi was only a single mom about half the time. She both dreaded and looked forward to Ana’s weeks away.

The alone time was blissful, the chance to catch up with her friends was wonderful, but she missed her baby girl the whole time she was gone. She was growing up so fast.

“I’ll miss you most!” Ana said, giggling wildly, giving Domi another kiss before jumping off the couch to run and let her father and stepmother in. She was far too big now for Domi to pick up and carry to the door. The thought made Domi’s chest ache a little with nostalgia. Unlike Domi, Marcus was still able to pick up Ana, even if he couldn’t carry her for the distances he used to. She threw her little body at him, squealing with happiness.

“Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, I missed you!”

“I missed you too, baby girl,” he said, giving her a kiss on the forehead as he tucked his arms underneath her.

“I missed you too, Ju-ju!” Ana said, reaching out her hand toward Julia, who laughed and caught the little hand in hers, giving it a kiss.

“And I missed you, Ana-bug.” Julia grinned. “Are you ready to go to the zoo today?”

Ana cheered, wriggling enough Marcus had to put her down so she could jump around in excitement. “I want to see Monkey Island!”

All of them laughed, and Marcus curved his hand over Ana’s brown curls, which were so much like Domi’s. “I think we can make that