Chapter 15 – One Step Closer
The week went faster than anyone would've imagined and before anyone knew it Christmas was upon them all. Like every year Roman's parent's house was the meeting spot for nearly everyone involved with the family and Matt's restaurant. The house was nice and warm it was in the 40's and the rain was steadily pouring down outside.
Roman couldn't have been more comfortable as he sat on the floor of the den with Kira seated between his legs; leaning back against his chest as they enjoyed the roaring fire his dad had built in the fireplace. Everyone was scattered throughout the house doing their own thing. But they were the only two in the den just enjoying the quiet, the sounds of the roaring fire and the twinkling lights on the Christmas tree.
Roman looked down and could see the content look on Kira's face. She was turned sideways with her right shoulder in the middle of his chest; his knees were bent up and her right hand was absentmindedly drawing patterns on his jean covered thigh. Her left hand was up the side of his navy blue polo and softly caressing his side. If he wasn't careful he could fall for this woman and he would most definitely get a bruise when he landed.
Kira could feel the warmth of Roman's hand on the middle of her back. She sighed in contentment. She'd never been quite this relaxed in all her life. "Do we ever have to leave this spot?" She asked softly.
Roman rumbled out a chuckle. "I think my mother might want us at the dinner table in a bit, but we can come back when were finished."
"Promise..?" Kira requested as she looked up and locked eyes with the giant Samoan who kept stealing pieces of her heart.
Roman nodded. "I promise." Roman leaned down and caught her lips, he was fully prepared to make it just a small chaste kiss, but apparently Kira had other ideas as her left hand left his shirt making him actually whimper at the loss of her flesh on flesh touch; but her hand moved to his tattooed bicep as her fingers wrapped around the ink marred flesh and gripped him gently.
Somehow Seth suckered Melissa into a few games of Call of Duty in the living room and from the sounds of it Melissa was better at the game than Seth had originally thought. Seth would be taking Melissa to his hometown and spending New Years Eve with his family in Davenport Iowa; Roman, Kira, Dean and Elsa would be joining them. But for Christmas he and Dean usually always spent it at Roman's parents; except Dean had promise Elsa he'd go to her family's Christmas. Seth could only hope he made it through.
"Oh my God! My eyes! My corneas have been burned from my sockets." Seth exclaimed; effectively ending Kira and Roman's tongue dancing. Seth walked into the den carrying Melissa piggyback. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders every once in a while her lips softly kissed the side of his neck over his pulse point. If she kept doing that he was going to drop her.
Roman growled softly as he glared at his brother; before pecking Kira's lips one last time. "To be continued."
Kira nodded. "Absolutely…" She agreed whole heartedly.
Roman looked over as Seth dropped down to the spot next to roman and Kira. "What's up bro? I heard you getting your ass kicked in there." Roman winked at Melissa as he held his fist out to her. "Good Job Melz." She was such a mouse of a girl, but she was slowly coming out of her shell; VERY SLOWLY.
Melissa smiled and slightly blushed as she bumped her fist with Roman's. "Thanks."
Seth chuckled as he tightened his arms around Melissa. "What are you blushing for pretty lady? I thought I was getting you out of that shell." Melissa swatted Seth's t-shirt covered chest before he caught her hand and kissed her knuckles softly. "You know I can't resist teasing you babe."
Melissa nodded. "I know. I'm working on it; really I am." She confessed.
Seth leaned over and kissed the shell of her ear. "Don't work too hard on it baby. I like you all sweet and innocent."
Kira shook her head. "She's not that innocent."
Melissa's eyes grew wide. "You swore you'd never tell!"
"I haven't I just thought Seth should know you're not that innocent." Kira stated and laughed when Melissa's cheeks flamed red.
Seth looked down at his mousey girlfriend and watched as she covered her cheeks with her hands. His hands gently wrapped around her wrists and pulled her hands away. "Don't hide pretty lady. You're so beautiful when you blush like that." He chuckled as she blushed even harder and lowered her head. He hooked his index knuckle under her chin and pulled her eyes back to his. "None of that…" Seth leaned down and pecked her lips softly. "Now what is this about the not so innocent accusation?"
Melissa shook her head. "So embarrassing…" Her eyes went to Kira and pleaded for the violet eyed girl to tell them; chewing her bottom lip.
Kira smiled. "So one night after work we had a couple of drinks; okay so Melz had more than a couple but I was good to drive; I'd only had two beers. I was driving us to her apartment and on the way a suburban load of dudes pulled besides us and were messing with us. It wasn't anything that I had never heard before but senior slushy pants here; wasn't sure if she should be offended or not. The light turned green and we took off after the guy's basically hauled ass. We caught up to what we thought was the same suburban but it wasn't."
Melissa shook her head negatively. "No - no it really wasn't." She could already feel her cheeks heating up and her hands covered her cheeks again.
Seth chuckled as he pulled her hands down. "What happened?"
Roman chuckled. "What did y'all do?"
Kira laughed. "I didn't do anything but drive the car."
Melissa swallowed hard. "I sort of mooned an SUV full – of - umm – holy people."
Kira reached out and took her hand and squeezed it as both men roared with laughter. "I have never been more proud of Melz as I was that night. She was so ready to give those guys hell…It was just too bad it was the wrong vehicle."
Roman got his laughter under control. "Wait! When you say holy people…" He couldn't even finish his thought when laughter over took him once more.
"Nuns…" Melissa turned 15 shades of red. "I mooned a SUV full of nuns. I'm going to hell."
Seth leaned over and kissed the side of Melissa's neck. "Save me a seat babe! I've done enough rotten shit over the years, but at least we'll be together when we finally leave this Earth." He cupped her cheeks and captured her lips to get her mind off of the store they had just shared with them. "It's okay babe. Everyone does embarrassing things." He mumbled against her lips.
Melissa couldn't help finally laughing. "Yea but not to Holy people; people who give their life to God."
"It was a great way to go babe!" Seth teased and received another smack to the chest as he chuckled.
"Hey you four; come join the rest of us at the table – dinner is ready."
Roman looked over his shoulder and saw his mom standing in the doorway as she smiled back at him. "Okay ma, we'll be in there in a few."
Roman stood as he helped Kira to her feet before dropping a kiss on her lips as Seth helped up Melissa and they walked into the dining room to join everyone else.
Elsa smiled softly as her emerald eyes sought out Dean's greyish/blues. She was going to owe him big time for this. For the last two hours they had endured every stupid wrestling question her father had thrown at Dean. Just when she was sure there were no more stupid ones left – her father proved them both wrong.
"Isn't wrestling fake?"
Elsa could see Dean's eyes flare as they went from cool, calm and collected greyish/blue to flaming pissed off blue. Elsa's hand shot out under the table and grabbed Dean's hand and she shivered; she could feel him shaking with anger. "Dean - please…" She whimpered.
Dean gave Elsa a sideways glance. He was biting the inside of his cheek and the side of his tongue as hard as he could to keep his mouth from shooting off at Elsa's stupid father. This middle aged old fuck was really starting to get on his nerves. Every cliché question that could've been asked HAD been asked by this man and now the questions were just getting insulting.
"Umm the matches are scripted for certain outcome and choosing the winners and losers, but the actions in the ring and the physicality of it is very real. I've had my share of breaks, sprains and stitches to close bleeding wounds." Dean answered as cool tempered as he could, but at this point he was on high alert. He wasn't stupid he knew Elsa's father didn't like him and he honestly couldn't care much; it was Elsa he cared about and if her dad couldn't get on board with the fact that he wanted to be with her and care for her than that was tough shit. Dean wasn't going anywhere.
Dean could understand if the guy didn't know anything about the professional world of wrestling, but he ventured to think his daughter filled him in. He really wasn't trying to snap all over his girlfriends father, but if he asked one more stupid question he wouldn't be held responsible for the shit that would spew forth from his mouth.
Elsa's father Taylor sat looking at the latest boyfriend his lovely daughter had decided to bring home. He didn't like this punk one bit. "Wrestling just seems like a job to help you pass time until you either grow up to find a permanent job or a new piece of ass. I've heard about all you guys just screwing with innocent girls; you just screw them and leave them an emotionally scarred mess and leave them for their families to attend too. So how much ass do you get on the road while our daughter is stuck here in some fantasyland waiting for you to come home and make a wife and mother out of her?" Taylor accused verbally.
"Or is she just your flavor of the month until you move onto someone else." Elsa's father spit out across the table. No, if he was being honest with himself he hated this punk sitting at his dinner table, eating his food and yea having sex with his daughter.
"DAD!" Elsa exclaimed.
"Jesus Christ Taylor what is wrong with you?" Elsa's mother asked in a shocked tone.
Dean placed his napkin on the table; stood up with narrowed icy blues pointed towards Elsa's father. "You know something I'm not one to ruin someone's Christmas or be an asshole in a house that I'm a guest in, but I'm officially done. I don't promise to be the perfect boyfriend to your daughter, but I don't cheat and I don't look for ass when I'm on the road working for a living. You can sit here and spout all your bullshit theories and stupid asinine questions, but until you've led the life I have you've not got shit to say to me."
Dean could feel Elsa's hand on his forearm as he looked over at her and noticed she was standing next to him. He covered her hand before he moved it down his forearm and laced her fingers with his. "I care about your daughter and it's because I care for her so much that I'm going to leave this house; without punching you in the face like I REALLY want to and probably never come back. And if we ever get married – do us both a favor and don't come to the wedding; that can be your gift to us. No one wants a cynical know it all asshole at their wedding."
Dean looked down and could see Elsa's emerald eyes filled with unshed tears. "You ready to get out of here?" He asked in a low gritty voice. The minute those tears breached her eyelids they were going to be the death of him.
"Please…" Elsa whimpered trying to keep the tears at bay; she'd never been so vulnerable in front of Dean.
Dean could tell her resolve was about to break; he brought her hand up and kissed the back of it as he looked at her mother. "Thank you for having me ma'am." Then stepped away from the table and led Elsa to the front door as he wrapped his black leather jacket around her shoulders and they walked out to her car; she handed him the keys for her Emerald green convertible Ford Mustang. Dean opened the passenger door for her and helped her in as he jogged around the back of the car and got in. The rain was still steadily coming down and they'd managed to stay somewhat dry.
Half way down the block Elsa's dam broke and her resolve gave way to a wave of emotions. Dean pulled the car to the side and put it in park; he reached over and undid her belt before he lifted her and placed her on his lap with her back against the driver door. "Don't beautiful; don't let his words bother you."
"T-They bothered y-y-you." Elsa sobbed out as she left Dean's arms wrap around her and bring her to his chest. She buried her face in the side of his neck as he stroked her hair and back softly.
Dean shook his head. "Babe, I said what I had to say because I'll be damned if I'm going to let someone be disrespectful to me or you. You're dad should feel lucky I didn't let my temper rip. I wanted to put his head through the sliding glass door, but I'm not trying to scare you or your mother with my temper."
"I'm s-s-so sorry I m-m-made you come today." Elsa sobbed into his chest.
"You didn't make me come; I wanted to because it was important to you that I meet your family. I know family is important to most people; it just doesn't happen to be high on my priority list. But you know what is high on my list?" Dean asked as he lifted her chin with his index knuckle; her blood shot eyes and still tear wet cheeks looked at him.
"What?" She asked softly.
Dean wiped her cheeks with his thumb. "You; you're at the top of my list. You and making you happy. That's what is consuming my life right now; just you." Dean sighed heavily before brushing his lips against hers. "So we can either go to Roman's parents or we can go back to your place and spend the day in bed. It's your choice."
"Can I keep your jacket on?" Elsa had to admit she did love his leather jacket.
"Sure as long as you take everything else off." Dean chuckled.
"Deal."
"Your apartment it is." Dean nodded as he put her back in the passenger seat and pulled back onto the road once she was buckled in.
One way or another this was going to be a goof Christmas for her.
Roman smiled down at Kira wrapped in his arms again. This time they were sitting in the corner of the huge overstuffed L shaped couch. Dinner had been wonderful with everyone there and though a few guests had already left; the majority stayed to open gifts in a bit. "So have you decided about the cover up?"
Kira turned and looked up as she chewed her bottom lip. "I want to do the tattoos. The brands are a battle scar they will always remind me of what I survived; tattooing over them will just show I moved onto a new life without the drama."
Roman smiled softly. "Do you know what you want?"
Kira nodded. "Yea, but I'm not telling you." She teased.
Roman chuckled. "Not a problem beautiful. You don't have to tell me. I got some more time off next week for the New Year; I was going to expand my tribal stuff. If you want I can make an appointment for both of us." He watched as she nodded in agreement. He pulled his phone out and sent a text to his tattoo guy letting him know they were both in. A few minutes later he got an approval date and time.
Roman was one step closer to erasing Jackson James from Kira's life.