Chapter 27 #2
“Celeste…I’m so bad at this but bear with me.” He smiles in spite of himself and takes another fortifying breath. He quickly shuffles his chair around so he’s sitting right beside me instead of across the table, never letting go of my hand.
“I’m not good at this because I haven’t had to do this before.
I haven’t felt these things before, for anyone.
The first moment I saw you walk into the cafe I knew you were meant for my heart.
You radiated sunshine and happiness even before you first spoke to me.
Then you opened your mouth and you were this witty, funny, and crazy smart woman.
While I might not meet every expectation or bullet point on your list, I want to try and be enough.
For you.” He takes a tentative pause, as if trying to read my expression.
I feel ashamed. And regretful. I immediately hate that I ever brought The List up to him or that he thinks he needs to meet an unrealistic expectation. I don’t want him to stop talking though, so I try as hard as I can to keep my face open and free of self-disdain.
“Celeste, I’m so fucking in love with you.”
I can’t stop the small gasp as my whole body reacts to those words. My heart stills in my chest and my brain eddies of all prior thoughts. All I can do is look into his eyes, at his face, at Dominic. This man. Who loves me.
“Everyone wakes when the sun rises but Hoot, you are my sun. My being revolves around your glow, and I bask in your beautiful soul. You have given me a view on life I didn’t have before, and my God, was my world bleak before I met you.
I want to pursue my dreams and cook for you because I know you would support me in that. ”
I give a little nod in agreement, still unable to form words.
“I want to be there for you too, Celeste. I know you already know that you deserve it all, but maybe you don’t realize you don’t need to prove it.
You’re allowed to be abundantly happy without having to explain why you deserve it.
To anyone. Even me. And I want to support you in every goal you have, through medical school, or even finding the right person for you if I’m not what you want.
” Dominic trails off and I suck in oxygen trying to get him to back pedal.
I begin to shake my head no but then blurt out, “I’m in love with you too!”
“W-what?” he asks, looking astonished.
“Dominic, I’m in love with you. The List was stupid and unfair and…” I don’t know how else to explain that I don’t want him to feel pressured to be something that he isn’t.
But I don’t have to. Before I can formulate another sentence Dominic’s hands reach out to hold either side of my face just before his lips crash onto mine.
There’s no hesitancy in his movements, but his lips are soft and tender in their touch.
His tongue finds the seam of my lips and I part for him, our tongues tentatively exploring this newfound heat.
My hand wraps around his shoulder as I weave my other hand through his hair.
We both pull away a moment later, with puffy lips and quick breaths.
I look at him with wide eyes. “Only ever kiss me like that,” I whisper. He chuckles low and deep, sending shivers down my spine.
“That should have been our first kiss,” he says, pulling back to sit fully in his chair, his hand holding mine atop his thigh. I bite my bottom lip, my fingertips straining to explore more of him. The heat in his eyes tells me he wants to explore as badly as I do.
“We have lots of other firsts to cross off our list,” I say, a little giggle escaping me because this reality seems so different to where I expected it to go tonight.
“No!” Dominic barks a laugh. “No more lists, Hoot!” His smile is nothing but perfection. Every crinkle shaping his face into complete joy has my heart exploding inside my chest.
“Tell me again,” I beg, sneaking a small bite of bruschetta because I am nothing if not a foodie, even in the throes of passion.
“The gnocchi recipe? Ah yes, well first you need to find a certain type of flour—”
I give him a small push from the hand still on his thigh and quark an eyebrow at him. He flashes me a feral grin then drags my chair closer so that I’m positioned between his thighs. His other hand comes up to tuck an errant strand of hair behind my ear.
He leans in, his lips hovering near the shell of my ear. “Oh, you mean that I’m ridiculously, absolutely, over the moon in love with you?”
I shiver in response. I tuck my head and lean in for another kiss because I can’t help myself.
I drape my arms over his shoulders as I feel his hands gently land on either side of my waist. This kiss feels like a lazy Sunday afternoon.
We take our time, tongues exploring, slow and sensual.
He’s gentle but in control, tilting my chin up for a deeper angle.
His tongue meets mine again in languid strokes.
It takes longer for us to pull away from each other this time, but when we finally do I feel satiated, for now.
“I have something else to show you,” he says to me, his lips plump from our kisses. He stands and offers me his hand, a gesture that leaves me feeling giddy and to be honest, kind of like a princess.
He leads me around the corner to where the less popular book sections are.
There are candles here too but fewer, leaving us draped in shadows.
He stops more abruptly than I expect and my face collides with his back.
He chuckles and pulls me around his body, my hands using his waist as a point of reference in the low lighting.
“You all right there, Hoot? You seem more like a baby duck,” he mocks me as usual, but this time he brings my hand up and places a kiss on each of my knuckles, his gaze never leaving mine. Little flutters tickle my belly as I watch him in adoration.
“I’m not a baby duck. It’s just very dark, okay?” I say.
“Okay, okay.” He releases my hand to put both of his hands up in feigned surrender. “Let me turn on this one fixture and you’ll see.” He flicks a switch. A museum quality display light beams down on us brightly. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust before they land on what it’s illuminating.
It’s a…ladder? A built-in ladder, with brass wheels that leads to…
My eyes trail up the steps of the shelf to where my favourite section sits perfectly within reach.
I gasp and begin my ascent. Hand over hand I climb the short distance it takes until I reach feminist horror.
Not only is my favourite section now within reach without the use of a questionably wobbly table, but there have been new titles added.
I look down at Dominic whose hands are braced on either side of the ladder, securing me within his grasp if I were to slip.
“You did this?” I ask breathlessly. He shrugs easily, his nonchalance reaching a new peak. “This is incredible. How did you even do this?” I ask incredulously.
“I had a lot of help from Ellora actually,” Dominic says quickly.
“I will tell you anything you want to know but please, come down the ladder. It’s dark and I don’t want you to slip.
” The concern in his voice is adorable. “Plus, your ass looks amazing from this angle and it’s making me question my restraint,” he adds, his voice now laced with lust. I smile smugly, and just to tease him, I wiggle my hips the teeniest amount.
I hear a loud sigh from right below me. I chance a look and see his head bowed, hands clenched around the sides of the ladder.
“You’re killing me,” his voice turns gravelly, full of pent-up restraint.
It’s my turn to chuckle as I carefully step down, rung by rung until my feet are firmly on the ground.
I turn to see Dominic’s arms still tightly gripping either side of the ladder, right at my shoulders.
He’s caged me in and the look in his eyes is absolutely feral.
“I’ve held back for so long Celeste, don’t tempt me with overstepping that boundary now.” His words are cautionary but the small uptick of his lips says he’s hoping that I do tempt him.
My returning grin is positively feline as I wet my lips and tilt my head to the side, exposing my jaw and part of my neck to him. “What if I have no boundaries?” I taunt, biting my lip.
His inhale is ragged, as he draws his gaze from my toes to my eyes.
“Oh, you have boundaries. And I wouldn’t love you the way I do if you weren’t as confident to protect and uphold those boundaries.
This is why I built you this ladder. Not because you need a knight in shining armour to reach those books for you, but someone who will respect you enough to help you reach them yourself.
You are an incredibly strong and independent woman.
But right now? I want to throw all those notions out the fucking window because you’re mine, Celeste.
” He all but pleads my name, making my heart melt and my core heat.
My body leans in closer of its own volition, pulling us inches apart.
My heart races in my chest, this tension shooting adrenaline through my veins.
I feel all the held back emotion settle over me like a warm blanket tucked around my heart. I’m his, and he’s mine.
“Say it again,” I pant, breathless. He pulls back, head tilted in confusion. “My name, say my name again.” This time I’m pleading.
His smirk annoys me and turns me on all at once. His thumb and forefinger tilt my chin so that I meet his eyes. “I’ll say your name like a prayer, Celeste.”
His fingers trail down the column of my throat, between the valley of my breasts, across the fabric of my dress that feels too hot, too tight, before his hands move back to bracing the ladder again.
“You have a wicked tongue, Dominic Miller,” I tease.
“You have no idea what kind of wicked things I will do with my tongue.”