Chapter 88: Chapter 88
Celeste smiled when she stepped out of the building, the cool early-evening air brushed her cheeks.
And there he was, leaning casually against hiz sleek black car parked right at the curb, exactly on the right time as he had promised.
Her lips curved wider without her permission.
Dominic’s gaze caught hers instantly, and that slowly, a deliberate smile spread across his mouth. The world turned blur when he saw her.
He pushed off the car, and apprakched her. Each steps toward her was unhurried, as he took his time to take note of her.
When he reached her, he didn’t speak. He simply took her hand, tugging her forward with an ease that ignored every possible onlooker, and pulled her into his arms.
He hugged her so tight for a minute, and took in her scent. He parted the hug after a while, and held both sides of her face, to capture her expression.
Celeste smiled.
Dominic smiled back, and pressed his lips on hers. The kiss was deep, unyielding, and unapologetic.
The kiss dragged the air right out of her lungs and replaced it with him. The kiss replaced her breath with his scent. That dark spice and faint leather scent wrapped around her until she felt herself drowning willingly.
Her fingers curled into the lapel of his jacket, and she forgot entirely about the glass doors she had just exited.
She didn’t care if people saw, whispered, or gossiped. There was more to life than caring about what people said, or thought of her.
Dominic on his part, kissed her like they were alone. His palm was pressed firmly against her lower back, and his other hand cupped the side of her jaw, tilting her into him.
The kiss miraculously made it impossible for her to remember the morning, and impossible for her to remember that she had sworn to herself she wouldn’t let him get this close around this place.
Just when she was about to break the kiss and take a breath, a close sound interrupted their moment, and helped her break the kiss.
She pulled back slightly, yet remained close enough to feel Dominic’s breath fanning against her lips. She glanced over her shoulder, and her stomach dropped in irritation when she saw who was behind her.
Larry.
His steps faltered mid-stride, his eyes widening before he quickly masked it with something almost sheepish.
However, Celeste saw the flash of unease before he could properly mask it. "Oh, he remembered." She thought.
He remembered exactly what he had said to her in the morning, with his voice sharp, and his tone condescending.
Now he saw her standing in the arms of Dominic, and he wanted to fix his expression? Man got to be kidding.
Dominic’s thumb brushed the curve of her waist, slow, and deliberate. If he noticed Larry, he didn’t acknowledge it.
His hold didn’t loosen. If anything, his hand resting low on her waist dipped an inch lower. The intimate action made heat rise to her cheeks.
Celeste turned fully toward Larry, keeping her smile sweet, and steady, without an ounce of strain. "Larry," she greeted, her voice light as though nothing between them had been tense mere hours ago.
Larry’s throat bobbed in a quick swallow. "Celeste... I—" His gaze flicked to Dominic. "Mr. Cross," he added, tone shifting instantly to become softer, and more deferential. "I didn’t realize..."
"Clearly," Dominic cut in, his voice smooth but edged with that steel that could make even the deaf know he wasn’t in for small conversations. His eyes rested back on Celeste.
Larry chuckled too quickly. The sound was hollow. "Pleasure to see you here. I, uh—didn’t know you two..."
Dominic’s eyes slid to him, wordlessly cutting him off.
Celeste could almost hear the gears spinning in Larry’s head, and the frantic scramble to reposition himself. She watched the polite smile stretch over his face, as if to ingratiate, or to soften, or perhaps, to erase this morning’s arrogance.
"You’ll have to join me for lunch sometime, Mr. Cross. My treat. I know a few places—"
"Not interested," Dominic said without looking away from Celeste. His palm on her waist tightened in a quiet claim. He smiled down at her, and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.
Larry’s forced smile wavered. "Well... perhaps another time."
Dominic’s gaze flicked back to him briefly, but sharp enough to make Larry take a literal step back. "Unlikely."
Celeste bit back the smirk tugging at her lips, as she let her fingers rest lightly against Dominic’s chest. Her body angled into him just enough for Larry to notice the easy intimacy between them.
Larry mumbled something about having to make a call and retreated far faster than he had arrived.
Only when he was gone did Dominic lean closer, his lips brushing the shell of her ear.
"Did he say something mean to you?" His voice was velvet and iron all at once.
Celeste blinked, and stared at hom wide eyed. "W– what?"
"Your eyes gave it out when he arrived." Dominic I formed, searching her face. "Did something happen between you two?"
Celeste hesitated, then shook her head lightly, though the corner of her mouth betrayed her. "Nothing worth repeating."
Dominic’s gaze didn’t waver. "Celeste."
Her breath caught. He had a way of saying her name like it was both a warning and a promise.
She rolled her shoulders, feigning nonchalance. "He tried to get under my skin this morning. Didn’t work."
Dominic’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly, but his hand on her waist didn’t move. "What exactly did he say?"
"He said something about me thinking I’m better than my job," she replied, watching his expression closely. "Then said some other random things that didn’t matter."
"I’m not in the habit of letting men speak to you like that," he said simply, like a matter of fact.
Celeste’s pulse gave an unsteady kick. She should have pushed back, and told him she could handle her own battles, but the truth was that she liked this. She loved this quiet, possessive certainty in him. She loved the knowledge that Larry wouldn’t sleep quite as well tonight.