Eleven
The next few months passed in a haze of happiness for Kylie and Dom. He was determined to give her every experience her step-father had denied her over the years. They had gone to the beach for the day and he had taken her into the ocean, holding her close because she was frightened from the times her step-father had held her head under water in the bath tub.
They had attended an Anaheim Ducks hockey game which she had, surprisingly, loved. He had taken her to a murder mystery dinner theatre and the ballet. They had gone to the movies several times enjoying Snow Dogs, A Walk to Remember and Collateral Damage. Next week they were going to go see Return to Never Land, which was going to require renting a copy of Peter Pan. They'd rented several movies each weekend; many of them were children's movies Kylie had never seen. Dom had taken a bit of ribbing from the guys, but for his girl, it was worth it.
They'd also gone bike riding, horseback riding and go-carting. He'd taken her to a few museums, the horse races and dancing at a few clubs. She had great rhythm, but was very timid. Dom loved slow dancing with her, whispering in her ear how sexy she was and all the things he was going to do to her when he got her home. She would blush, but snuggle closer in his arms.
He planned to take her away to the mountains for a weekend and to camp out, to go fishing and hiking, and to roast marshmallows. He also planned to sleep out and make love to her under the stars.
He'd taken her to Disneyland for her birthday. It was a day neither would ever forget. Watching Kylie discover the magic of Disney, Dom had fallen in love with her all over again. Kylie had been so overwhelmed with the rides, the characters, the whole experience, and she loved Dom even more for giving it to her. He'd even worn Mickey ears, and had his picture taken with Tigger and Pooh.
Kylie blossomed more with each experience, and she began to relax more with the other members of the Team. She felt safe with them, knowing that none of them would intentionally hurt her. She pulled pranks on the others with Rome, learned to cook with Mia and allowed Rachel to play with her hair and do her nails. Surprisingly, she found herself drawn to Vince. She realized his gruffness was just a cover and often played video games with him and Jesse. Overall, the Team had accepted her as one of them, and each was very protective of her.
Most of all, she felt secure in her relationship with Dom. Everyone in the Street Racing Scene knew Kylie was Dom's girl. Even the Racer Chasers began to steer clear of Dom, knowing it was a waste of time trying to get him away from Kylie, she wasn't Letty, and he wasn't interested in cheating with any of them.
The only real bone of contention in their relationship was Kylie's wanting to learn to drive. Kylie hated being dependent on Dom and the others for rides whenever she wanted or need to go somewhere. Plus, she wanted to know what all the fuss was about. After all, in order to race, you needed to drive.
Dom, however, enjoyed driving Kylie around. He liked going places with her, sharing her day. He also liked that she wasn't out alone. After all, she was new to L.A. and didn't know all the areas a pretty girl should avoid. Plus, there was always the threat of her parents hanging over their heads. If they decided to try and find her, and did while she was alone, it would be real bad.
Then in late March, something unexpected happened. They had arrived at the air strip for an evening of races, Mia snagged Kylie and Angel to go to the ladies' room, and he was going to talk to Hector when he heard a familiar voice call out to him.
"Hey, Dom."
Turning, Dom found himself looking into the dark brown eyes of the first woman he'd loved. She was, also, the only woman to tear his heart out and toss it to the ground. Letty.
"Letty," he returned her greeting with an almost imperceptible nod, his voice hard.
She stepped closer, smiling. "You look good, Dom, real good."
"Yeah?" Dom asked. "You look good, too. I guess Mexico agreed with you." He was determined to be polite, even though he really couldn't care less about her anymore.
"Just like being single has agreed with you," Letty replied, stepping into his space and running a finger up his chest.
Dom was disgusted. He took a step back from her, his eyes hard. When he spoke his voice conveyed his anger and disgust.
"Wrong, Letty. I haven't been single for months."
"Really?" Letty challenged. "Where's your girl then?" She made a show of looking around, as if to call him out for lying.
Before Dom could respond a bunch of the team walked over.
"Letty?" Jesse called out in excitement.
"Hey, Jesse, how you doin' boy?" Letty replied smiling. The two hugged with Leon next in line. Vince hung back with Rome and Brian, his arm around Rachel. He hadn't forgiven Letty for cutting out on them.
After spending a few moments catching up with Jesse and Leon, Letty turned to the cluster of people with Dom.
"Brian, damn boy, didn't think I'd ever see you again," she greeted. "Vince, you ain't gonna say hello?"
Brian and Vince both greeted her with obvious reluctance, introducing Rome, Rachel, Lydia and Lexi. Just then Mia, Angel and Kylie came back from the bathroom.
"Oh my God! Letty!" Mia rushed forward to hug the young woman she'd considered a sister. Then Letty turned to the other two girls.
"So, which one of these ladies is yours, Jesse?" she asked.
Jesse quickly introduced Angel and Letty. Letty turned to Kylie.
"That means you must be Dom's girl," she commented as she studied the younger woman.
Kylie nodded, taking in the animosity in Letty's comment. She felt a shiver run through her, but then Dom was behind her, his arms around her waist.
"That's right. Letty, this is Kylie. Ky, this is Letty, my ex."
Kylie nodded, her eyes remaining on the other woman.
"Jesus, Dom! She is a just a little girl. I can't believe you'd stoop to robbing the cradle," Letty exclaimed.
Kylie felt Dom tense behind her, and she stiffened in his arms. Who the hell does this girl think she is? And just what is she trying to do?
"Say whatever you want, Letty. It really doesn't concern you," Dom replied before the situation got out of hand. He knew Letty was baiting Kylie, he just wasn't sure why.
"Hey," Letty replied, holding up her hands in a surrendering action. "I'm just surprised is all, didn't mean anything by it."
It was obvious to both Dom and Kylie that Letty's apology lacked sincerity, but most of the others seemed to believe she meant it. For the sake of the team, both remained quiet. For the rest of the evening, Dom steered clear of his former girlfriend as much as possible. He noticed Vince was doing the same thing and asked him about it.
"C'mon, Dom! She took off when we needed her, really needed her," Vince replied heatedly. "She never even came to the hospital to tell me or Jesse she was leaving; we had to hear it from you and Mia. She hasn't called any of us, not once the whole time she's been gone. Then she just shows up here tonight and expects us to welcome her back with open arms! No way!"
"Easy," Dom calmed him. "I know what she did. I'm more worried about what she's up to."
"That's easy, Bro," Vince replied, glancing at Kylie. "She wants her crown back."
"Crown?" Rachel asked, confusion marring her pretty face.
"Dom's the King of the Streets," Vince replied, nodding his head to indicate his best friend since third grade. "Letty wants to be the Queen again. She wants you back, Bro."
Dom tightened his hold on Kylie, reassuring her with his actions, followed quickly by his words.
"She can want 'til she's blue, won't do her any good. I got my girl, right here. And I don't plan on switching, ever again," he announced, his voice firm, his eyes locked on Kylie's.
She leaned up on tip-toes, laid her hand on his cheek and lightly pressed her lips to his. "I love you, too."
Dom grinned and cupped her bottom, lifting her up so that her face was closer to his. He crashed his lips to hers in a kiss full of passion and desire. The two forgot the others around them as their world was reduced to their flush bodies, crashing lips, and the sensations caused by both.
They finally pulled apart, both gasping to fill their oxygen starved lungs. Kylie grinned as she looked into Dom's mocha colored eyes. She could feel his erection pressing into her stomach, and she reveled in the power she'd discovered she had over this incredibly handsome, amazingly sexy, self-confident man.
"Hey, Dom, you're up!" Leon yelled from over by the starting line, causing Dom to groan loudly.
For the first time ever, Dom was reluctant to race. He was worried about leaving Kylie.
"I want you to stay with Vince and Rome while I'm racing," he told her. He knew that both men had taken to his girl. They wouldn't let anything happen to her while he was busy. Still, he didn't really want to leave her. Letty's attitude worried him.
Kylie nodded. She knew Dom was worried about her, but she wanted him to focus on the race he was about to participate in. She didn't want him distracted.
"I will, but you need to focus on your driving," She acquiesced, "not worrying about me."
"Deal," Dom replied, pressing a quick kiss to her lips and then leading her over to where Vince, Rome, Rachel and Lexi were waiting to watch the race.
