Two Can Play (Celeste and Dominic) novel Chapter 134

Chapter 134

When we arrived at Helix, Hold him we were there and began to reach for the door handle. But he pulled my hand back, gently but firmly, and before I could react he enveloped me in a warm hug, his arms wrapping around my body, pulling me against his chest. I froze for a moment, caught off guard by the sudden intimacy of it, and then I melted into him, my arms finding their way around his back, my face pressing into the curve of his neck.

He held me tightly, his breath warm against my hair, his fingers prèssing into my back like he was trying to memorize the feel of me. I hugged him back just as tightly and told myself that this was probably him saying goodbye, that this embrace was his way of closing the chapter without having to say the words out loud.

When he eventually pulled away, my eyes felt glassy, my vision blurring at the edges, but I refused to let him see it. I blinked rapidly, forcing the tears back, and leaned in to kiss his cheek, quick and light.

“Goodnight, Dominic,” I whispered.

Before he could respond, I was out the door, my heels clicking against the pavement as I hurried toward the entrance of Helix. I did not look back. I could not look back. If I looked back, I would have seen the expression on his face and I would have read something into it that was not there. So I kept walking, my pace quick and determined, until I was safely inside the building, the glass doors sliding shut behind me.

I made it to my room, closed the door, and leaned against it, my eyes squeezed shut, my breath coming in short ragged gasps. And then my phone buzzed.

I pulled it out and saw his name on the screen. A text message.

I opened the message.

“I have assigned two bodyguards to you for your safety. You may not need them. But I will only feel at ease knowing you are being protected.”

I read the message three times, each word sinking deeper into my chest, and a tear escaped from my eye, sliding down my cheek before I could catch it. I leaned my head back against the door and whispered his name into the empty room.

I rolled over and buried my face in the pillow.

I thought about tomorrow morning and rolled my eyes. I wished I could skip it, wished I could fast forward through the inevitable confrontation and land on the other side where everything was already resolved. But it was a situation I had to face head on and get it over with.

I set my alarm and fell asleep faster than I expected.

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