Two Can Play (Celeste and Dominic) novel Chapter 196

Chapter 196

CELESTE

I was leaning against my car, the metal cool against my back through the fabric of my dress, my eyes sweeping over the row of luxury vehicles lined up near the parking garage of Dominic’s mansion. Each one probably cost more than everything I owned combined, but my mind was not on the cars. Not really.

I kept replaying last night in my head like a song I could not stop humming. Dominic’s confession. The way he had looked at me when he said those words.

1 HAVE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH YOU.

Was it real? Was any of this real? I kept waiting for the moment I would wake up and find myself back in Julian’s house, back in a life where the only excitement I had was planning revenge. But no. I was here. Standing outside Dominic Ford’s inansion. Waiting for him to come out so we could start the day together.

His grandmother’s face flickered through my mind and I frowned. That old woman. The only family Dominic cared about. And she disapproved of me so thoroughly that I could still feel the chill of her gaze from yesterday. I told myself it did not matter. Dominic loved me. I loved him. That should be enough. But a small voice in the back of my head whispered that it was not that simple, that families had a way of complicating things, that I was now a woman caught between a husband I was divorcing and a grandmother who wanted me gone.

I shook my head and chuckled under my breath. Here I was, worrying about boyfriend’s parents like a teenager who had just started dating. Me. Celeste Fisher. A married woman in the middle of a divorce, worrying about whether my new man’s grandmother approved of me. It would be funny if it was not so absurd.

The door opened and I looked up.

Dominic stepped out of the house, dressed in a simple shirt and dark pants, his hair still slightly damp from the shower. He stood by the door for a moment, staring at me, and then a smile spread across his face, slow and warm, the kind of smile that reached his eyes and crinkled the corners. I felt my own lips curve in response, a giddy flutter in my chest that I could not control. He began to walk toward me and I thought, This man is mine. He belongs to me now.

But when he got closer, the smile on his face faded, replaced by a furrow in his brow that I did not like.

“What happened to your face?” he asked.

“My face?” I reached up, my fingers brushing against my cheek. “What could it be?”

His hand came up and his thumb traced across my cheekbone, gentle, careful, his eyes searching my skin with an intensity that made me hold my breath. “How come I did not see this yesterday? Is it because we are outside that I am only noticing it now?”

I bit my lip. Of course. I had covered it with makeup yesterday, layered foundation over the red handprint until it disappeared. And after the sting had faded, I had completely forgotten about it. This morning I had not even bothered to check my reflection. I had just grabbed my purse and hurried out, my mind too full of him to think about anything else. I could not tell him it was Felix. I did not know how he would react. My brother was being a fool right now, believing every lie Seraphine ted him, but he was still my brother. I could not give up on him completely.

“Maybe I am reacting to a product I used,” I said, forcing a smile. “I am not sure. I did not even know I had that on my face”

“Okay. And what happens when I get to Helix?”

“It is simple. I will say goodbye to you and get out of the car. Someone will pick me up. Do not worry about it.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Really? You are okay with people seeing you coming out of my car this morning in front of Helix?”

He shrugged, the gesture so casual it made me want to laugh. “Well, am I doing anything wrong? Or are you afraid of letting people see me with you?”

“Far from it. I do not want people to say anything bad about you. But we have both agreed to be together, right? What else matters? If you feel comfortable letting everyone see you with me in front of Helix, then I really do not mind. So let us go.”

I smiled, something warm and bright spreading through my chest, as I unlocked the car. We got in together, the scent of his cologne filling the small space, and I started the engine.

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