Chapter 42: Longing In the corner
Dominic’s POV
"Yeah, hi," Marceline said with a gentle smile on her face.
I never thought I would see her here. I had only come with Richard to get a business document because I wanted to review it this evening. But seeing her now, standing right in front of me, felt like fate.
"How are you doing?" I asked, my eyes admiring her. She wore casual clothes with sneakers, yet she looked so effortlessly beautiful. I hadn’t seen her for just a day, but I already missed her. Deep inside, I could only thank Richard for not taking the document to the office earlier. If he had, I wouldn’t be here with her right now.
"Very well, and you?" she asked calmly before nodding politely at Celesta. Celesta excused herself, saying she would be back, and followed Richard upstairs.
"I feel good now that I’m seeing you," I said with a smile. She rolled her eyes, clearly not believing me, but it was the truth.
"I missed you," I blurted out before I could stop myself. My heart burned with emotions I couldn’t hide anymore.
Her eyes widened, stunned by my words. I reached out and gently took her palm, lifting it to my nose to breathe in her scent, before placing a soft kiss on it.
She stiffened, staring at me, her eyes locked on mine. My gaze slowly slipped from her eyes to her lips. I swallowed hard, remembering the kiss we shared in my office. That kiss had surprised me because she hadn’t pushed me away. She had kissed me back. It wasn’t the first time we kissed—we had kissed the first night we met—but that one in my office… that one had felt different, special.
"Dom, you’ve made me scatter my study," Richard’s grumbling voice broke the moment, and I quickly let go of her hand, though every part of me wanted to keep holding it.
"Here it is," Richard said, handing me the document. I took it and placed it beside me without even glancing at it.
"Won’t you check it first?" Richard asked, narrowing his eyes.
"I’ll look at it later," I replied casually. Normally, I would have flipped through it immediately, but not today. My thoughts were filled only with Marceline.
"Where’s Celesta?" Marceline asked, noticing her absence.
"She went to check on the kids," Richard replied.
Kids? My brows furrowed. So Marceline came with her son.
"I’ll go meet them," Marceline said with a polite smile before leaving the room. My eyes followed her until she was gone.
"Hey," Richard called my attention. "You both seem to know each other." His eyes squinted with suspicion.
I knew this question was coming. The way I had smiled at her earlier and rushed to sit by her side would never escape Richard’s notice.
"Yes, she’s the representative of Stanmore Global," I replied, leaning back casually on the couch.
He nodded slowly. "Aren’t you leaving? You said you wouldn’t stay for dinner, just pick the document and go."
His words made me frown. Was he chasing me away?
"Don’t look at me like that," Richard said with a shrug. "You were the one who said it."
True. I had said that earlier. But I hadn’t known Marceline would be here. Even so, I couldn’t really stay for dinner because Matthew was waiting for me at home.
"I’ll go meet them outside. Are you coming?" Richard asked as he stood up.
I rose to my feet too, deciding to follow. At least I would get to see her again before I left.
When we got to the garden, I saw Celesta sitting on a swing, but Marceline wasn’t there. My chest tightened. Had she already left? My heart sank in disappointment at the thought that she would walk away without saying anything to me.
Then I saw two kids running toward us, and I blinked when I recognized her son among them. That meant she was still here. Relief washed over me. She would never leave without her child.
My eyes searched the garden again until I found her. She was at the far corner of the building, speaking into her phone.
Quietly, I slipped away from Richard and the others, walking toward her. I stood by her side, waiting patiently for her to finish. She hadn’t noticed me yet.
"Alright, tomorrow then," she said into the phone before ending the call. She turned to leave, but before she could take more than a step, I reached out and gently grabbed her arm, pulling her into a more hidden corner.
She gasped in shock, fear flashing in her eyes, but when she saw it was me, she exhaled in relief.
"Sorry," I whispered, guilt weighing down on me.
"It’s okay," she replied softly, steadying her breath as her eyes blinked at me, waiting for my reason.
"I’m leaving," I told her with a smile. "I just wanted to say goodbye." My hand moved almost on its own, sliding around her waist.
"Oh, yeah… Roman and I will be leaving soon too," she said with a smile, and I nodded. She looked lighter today, happier, unlike the days when she seemed buried under heavy burdens.
We stood staring at each other in silence, neither of us wanting to look away. My heart pounded, my lips aching to taste hers again. Slowly, I leaned in and captured her lips with mine. She kissed me back almost immediately, unlike last time when shock held her still.
My whole body shuddered with the force of my feelings. My hands roamed her body, tracing the curves that tempted me beyond reason.
She’s killing me.
My lips trailed down her neck, leaving burning kisses. My hand slipped higher until it cupped her breast, and she gasped, her breath heavy.
"Wait… Dom," she moaned softly, trying to push me away.
But my mind was already drowning in desire, desperate for more. My hand rushed to unbuckle her shirt.
"We can’t… not here," she stammered, her hands gripping mine tightly.
Her words snapped me back to reality. We were in Richard’s house. Anyone could walk in and see us. I froze, then sighed heavily, dropping my hands from her shirt.
"I’m sorry," I said hoarsely, pressing a small kiss to her cheek, frustration burning inside me.
She nodded, straightening her shirt, her cheeks flushed.
I wanted to ask her if she can come to my house, but I swallowed the thought. She might get angry, and I didn’t want that.
"I’ll be leaving now. Drive carefully when you’re going," I told her gently, brushing a strand of hair from her face.
"I will. You too," she replied softly.
I leaned in and kissed her briefly once more before pulling away. Then I walked back to Richard, told him I was leaving, and finally said my goodbye.
And then I left.