Chapter 27: Chapter 27
Dominic stared at her for a while. He shut his eyes for a split second, drew in a deep breath, and parted his lips.
"You shouldn’t have drank too much last night," he said changing the topic. "You put yourself at risk last night,"
Celeste nodded. She took another sip from the coffee, and looked around. "Where did you sleep?"
"I have another room,"
"You should have taken me home," Celeste said softly, "You should have saved your bed from me,"
Dominic climbed the bed slowly. Celeste pulled away. Dominic pushed forward, until she was laying trapped between his hands.
"I didn’t let you go because I was incapable of doing that,"
Dominic’s presence was steady, intense, and unwavering. His arms braced on either side of her as he stared down at her, with calm eyes. Celeste’s breathing was uneven, and it wasn’t from the hangover anymore. It was from him.
"I didn’t let you go because I was incapable of doing that," he repeated, his voice lower now, almost a whisper. "Let that sink in,"
Celeste’s eyes widened at the honesty in his tone. She didn’t move. In fact, she couldn’t if she wanted to.
The coffee cup sat forgotten beside her as silence grew between them. The silence was painfully thick and loaded with everything unsaid. Her pulse thumped in her ears. Her tongue darted out to wet her dry lips.
And then she did what she always did when she felt things too deeply. She quickly deflected.
She looked away, her voice low. "This won’t be accepted by anyone, Dominic. Especially your family."
He didn’t flinch. "I don’t care about what people accept. I do what I want."
"You say that now, but you know it’s not that simple. Your father_"
"My father is dead, and his legacy doesn’t control me." He said. "I create my own legacy,"
Celeste swallowed. She couldn’t look at him again, so she looked down at the crumpled sheets between them. "I’m engaged to Landon."
Dominic’s jaw tensed, but he didn’t move away. "Then why did you drink yourself into oblivion last night?" he asked calmly.
That hit a nerve.
She blinked at him. "That’s not fair."
"Isn’t it?"
Celeste sat up slightly, trying to reclaim some space, but he didn’t budge.
She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and sighed. "Why did you send me the bracelet?" she asked quietly.
His eyes softened at that. He leaned back a bit, giving her space but kept his gaze on her face. "It was an apology."
"For what?"
"For how I acted the last night we saw purselves." He stopped, choosing his words more carefully. "The night I made a mistake with you,"
Her brows twitched. "You didn’t do anything wrong."
"I made you feel like you did. That was wrong."
Celeste was quiet for a beat. The memory of that night was still a blur, but her body remembered. The way he had touched her, kissed her, looked at her like he saw straight into her soul. That memory had a weight. It lived under her skin.
She turned her head, finally looking at him fully.
His shirt hung loosely on her shoulders. Her bare legs stretched out over his expensive duvet. She had never felt so vulnerable and so safe at the same time.
The air between them thickened.
"I was going to return the bracelet," she whispered.
"I know," he said. "But you shouldn’t. Please,"
She hesitated. Her lips parted like she wanted to speak again, but nothing came out.
Instead, she leaned forward.
It was small at first. She hesitation. Their breaths entangled, and then, she kissed him.
Her hands moved to his face, gently cupping his cheek. Her lips brushed against his with quiet desperation.
She didn’t know why she was doing it. The only thing she knew was that her body had moved before her thoughts could catch up.
Dominic didn’t move for a second, stunned.
However, he finally responded.
His hands slipped to her waist, pulling her closer, as he deepened the kiss. It wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t polite. It was the kind of kiss that came from nights of overthinking, weeks of tension, and every word they’d swallowed back. His mouth slanted over hers with purpose, as his thumb brushed her jaw. He kissed her like she was the only thing keeping him alive.
Celeste let out a quiet sound in the back of her throat, threading her fingers into his hair. She didn’t stop him. She didn’t want to.
His scent wrapped around her. His shirt was too big, and she felt so small in his hands. Her knees pressed into the bed as she straddled his lap without thinking, needing to feel closer. She needed to understand the ache blooming inside her.
Dominic groaned softly into her mouth, with his hands now gripping her hips now. Her hands reached for his shirt, but then she pulled away.
Breathless, dizzy, and scared, she pulled away quickly.
Her eyes searched his.
"We can’t..." she whispered.
Dominic didn’t speak for a moment. His thumb stroked the corner of her mouth gently. "But you kissed me."
Celeste nodded slowly, her forehead falling against his. "I know."
She was trembling again. Not from fear, but from the sheer weight of it all. She knew she wanted him. Dare her say... she was beginning to love him too.
"I’m scared, Dominic," she admitted softly.
Dominic smiled bitterly. He pulled her closer, and kissed her forehead. "So am I."
Celeste sniffed. She wrapped her hands around him, and hugged him. She rested her head on his chest.
"For what it’s worth, I don’t trust you,"
Dominic ran his fingers through her hair. "Yes, you shouldn’t." he chuckled. "Also, I asked my driver to get you clothes. He’ll be here soon,"
Celeste smiled on his chest. "I want to wear yours all day long," she joked. She raised her face from his chest, and stared at him. "You’ll never notice some of your cloths are missing, would you?"
Dominic smile widened. "I won’t even notice the world is getting burnt if its for you,"