Two Can Play (Celeste and Dominic) novel Chapter 178

Chapter 178

I nodded, watching him move “Wow. The aroma is amazing.

“I am so glad you are going to have a taste.” He told me.

I nodded again, not trusting my voice.

“Okay,” he said, wiping his hands on a towel. “I will just rush to the bathroom and take a quick shower. I will be back in no time.

“Of course. Take your time.”

“I will be back soon.”

He left, and I let out a breath I had not realized I was holding. Even a child could see how awkward things were between us. Especially my behavior. I was a mess of nerves and contradictions, a woman who had come here to end things and could barely string two words together in his presence.

I began to open the covered pots and plates on the table, and I was surprised by what I found. Every single dish was my favorite. The pasta, the sauce, the seasoning, even the side dishes were exactly what I would have ordered if I had been given a choice. I wondered how he knew. I had never told him what my favorite foods were. Had he paid attention that closely? Had he remembered the things I mentioned in passing, the offhand comments I made during our conversations?

I turned in the direction he had left and said quietly, “Dominic, why are you messing with my mind like this?”

I closed the pots. And then a thought crept into my head, unwelcome and sharp. He must have cooked for Seraphine too. He had been such a good husband. He definitely did this for her.

I paused. Why was I feeling jealous? Seraphine was his wife. It was only natural for him to have done things for her. It did not mean anything. It did not change why I was here.

“Stop all these unnecessary thoughts, Celeste,” I whispered to myself. “Focus. Focus on why you are here. Tell him why you are here.”

I began to practice what I was going to say, the words running through my head in a loop. “Dominic, the reason I came here is because according to the arrangement we had before, we are supposed to…”

No. That sounded wrong. I shook my head, pressing my palm to my forehead. “Come on, Celeste. Just say it in one go and you are done.”

I took in a deep breath and squared my shoulders. “Dominic. I need to tell you something important…”

“Okay. Go ahead.”

His voice came from behind me and I jumped, spinning around with a hand pressed to my chest.

“Wow. That was a really quick shower you took.” I said breathlessly.

He was standing there in nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist, his chest bare and glistening with water, his hair wet and pushed back from his face. Droplets clung to his shoulders, his collarbone, the hard planes of his chest, and there was something about the way he looked in that moment, raw and unguarded and impossibly attractive, that made my mouth go dry.

I swallowed.

“You said you had something important to tell me,” he said. “So go on. Out with it.”

“Come on, Celeste,” he said, his voice gentle. “What is wrong? It’s me.”

He moved even closer and held both my cheeks in his hands, not realizing that he was making things worse. His palms were warm against my skin, his thumbs brushing gently over my cheekbones, and I was forced to look into his eyes, into those steady eyes that seemed to see straight through every wall I had ever built.

“You can tell me anything,” he said softly. “It is me, Dominic Ford. Why are you so nervous? Come on. You are always so bold. You are not the shy type. What is wrong?”

I forced a smile onto my face. “Yeah. You are right.”

I nodded, my heart raging against my ribs. I had come here with a purpose, with words I had rehearsed and a decision I had made. But standing here, looking into his eyes, feeling his hands on my face, I could not remember a single one of those words.

Pat’s voice rang in my ears, telling me I needed to put an end to this, that it was the only way I could get closure and move on. I knew she was right. I knew it with every rational bone in my body. But rationality had nothing to do with what I felt when I

looked at him.

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