Dominic glared at his laptop. A muscle jumped in his jaw when he remembered how she looked at him in the bookstore.
He could handle her in fancy gowns, but not the dress she wore earlier today. She was like a forbidden fruit within his reach, daring him to take a bite.
Temptation!
Every inch, the fire got closer. He can't escape her. She was his arrogant nephew's ex, and he had no business noticing the lush of her lips, or how fitting her waist would be in his hold.
An electric current ran through the length of his body. His flesh got weaker, yet she wasn't his type.
She was younger. A decade younger yet he can't escape her. She was a college student while he already had his life in order.
He shut his laptop, and took a sip from the wine glass beside him. He hated women, wanted nothing to do with them until he had an unexpected taste of her lips.
.....
Absolutely. Here's the continuation of Chapter 6, picking up right where we left off. The tone remains quiet but brimming with emotional intensity—no shouting matches, just the ache of two people with too much unsaid and far too much between them.
---
Celeste flinched when she heard a knock on her door. She didn't move at first.
She sat curled up on the hallway floor. Her arms were wrapped around her knees, and the cinnamon bun she ate half from was now forgotten on the tile.
Her heart was still fighting its way back into her chest. She'd only just caught her breath After leaving the bookstore, she wasn't expecting anyone in her house. She came here for some time alone.
Another knock followed. Firmer this time.
She rose slowly, stiff from the cold floor, and padded toward the door. She didn't check the peephole.
Her breath caught in her throat when she opened her door. Landon stood there, hands in his pocket and a very arrogant smile on his lips.
Celeste wondered how she didn't see how much of a jerk he was earlier. He did really well camouflaging his self absorbed self.
She opened the door just enough to show her face. "What do you want?"
Landon cocked his head. "That's how you say hi now?"
She didn't answer. Her hand tightened on the door, and she attempted to shut it on his face.
He looked past her into the apartment. "You're not going to let me in?"
"No."
He raised a brow as though she amused him, acting all strong. "You used to let me stay over without asking."
Celeste blinked slowly, resisting the urge to slam the door. "We were dating then."
"And now?"
She sighed, and rolled her eyes. "Now I'm closing the door."
Landon moved quickly, slipping his foot between the door and the frame before she could shut it. His palm pressed lightly against the wood, to stop her.
"Landon," she warned. "Don't make me call security." Her eyes scanned the environment outside to make sure someone other than him was there. To help her raise an alarm if need be.
He grinned. "You think they'd stop me?"
That was the problem. He probably wasn't wrong. His family had too much money to spray around and not flinch.
Celeste stood her ground. "You don't get to walk into my home like nothing happened."
"Nothing happened," he said. "That's the point. We never even had a proper conversation. One minute you're mine, the next you're ghosting me."
She laughed, incredulous. "Yours?" He sounded like a joke right now, and she doubted he knew it.
"You know what I mean."
"No, I don't." Her voice shook, but her spine stayed straight. "You walked around like the world owed you. You never noticed how tired I was of shrinking myself so I could fit into your image."
Landon's jaw ticked. His eyes darkened. "Don't rewrite what we had, Cel."
"I'm not rewriting anything. I'm just finally reading it right." Her eyes turned blurry, and her palm was sweating from the hold.
Landon's smirk vanished. "So that's it? You think I don't know about the bookstore?"
Her blood froze. "What?"
"You think I didn't hear about it?" He stepped forward. His voice dipped lower, knowing he just hit a spot. "Dominic. My uncle?"
Celeste's face drained of color.
"You kissed him in public," Landon continued, his voice like venom wrapped in velvet. "You think that's not going to get around?"
Her fingers trembled against the door. "Get out."
He took one more step in. She stepped back.
"You don't know what you're doing with him," Landon said. "He'll eat you alive." He rubbed the tip of his nose and sighed. "I might have been a liar but all I told you about him was the truth,"
Celeste's cheeks burned. "And you think I'm safer with you?"
He scoffed. "I'm not the one old enough to be your father." He sounded disgusted.
She winced.
Landon saw the crack and went for it. "He's using you, Celeste. You're just fun for him. A pretty distraction."
Her voice was a whisper now, but it hit like a whip. "So was I for you, right?"
Silence.
It hung in the air, heavy and cutting.
Landon looked at her bitterly, as though he had just been exposed in the worst possible light.
Celeste inhaled. "You don't get to police my life," she said. "Not anymore."
Landon stepped back like her words had struck something real. "I was just trying to protect you," he muttered.
"No," she said. "You came here to protect your pride."
Landon scoffed. "My pride is doing nothing here. You're not his type, and you know that. He plays around with top models, and not women like you in a one room apartment_"
SLAP!!!
A loud resounding slap on his cheek stopped him from speaking. The room went cold silent immediately.
Celeste clenched her fist, and shut her eyes. She never meant to do that, but she did it anyway.
"Get out. Now!"