Two Can Play (Celeste and Dominic) novel Chapter 108

Chapter 108

My thoughts drifted from the room to Dominic. I remembered the way his arms felt when they wrapped around my waist, solid and secure. The look in his eyes when he wanted me, dark and focused and hungry. The way he smiled when I said something that caught him off guard, that small curve at the corner of his mouth that made him look younger. The taste of him when we kissed. Soft but firm, patient but demanding, like he had all the time in the world but did not want to waste any of it.

I was smiling at nothing when Pat’s hand appeared in front of my face.

“Celeste.” She waved. “Earth to Celeste.”

I blinked and realized I had been standing there with my eyes fixed on Kingsley Duke while my mind was somewhere else entirely. “Huh?”

Pat laughed. “I said I wanted you to meet someone. Where did you just go?”

Heat crawled up my neck. I could not remember the last time I had zoned out mid-introduction to think about a man. I was fairly certain it had never happened before in my adult life.

“Sorry,” I said, composing myself with more effort than it should have required. “Something crossed my mind. You were saying?”

I turned my attention to the man who was still standing there waiting to be acknowledged. Up close he was even more handsome but it did not matter because whatever flutter I had felt was just my brain. playing tricks on me, recognizing Dominic in the shape of a stranger and reacting accordingly.

“This is Dr. Kingsley Duke,” Pat said, gesturing between us with the barely contained excitement of someone presenting a particularly good acquisition. “An excellent PhD. He has just joined Helix as a senior research associate. His role covers research reports, papers, and grant proposals, and also coordinating with external researchers, universities, and partner organizations.” She paused, clearly building to her point. “Now that Veil Holdings has funded us, other companies and institutions are going to come looking. They will see that Veil Holdings invested and they will want to know why. Having someone of Kingsley’s caliber handling our grant proposals at this stage is exactly what we need.”

I looked at Pat.

She was practically glowing as she spoke and I realized I had never seen her this excited about anyone joining the team. Kingsley must truly be impressive. And with looks like his, I imagined all the female staff would be fighting for his attention. I would be the exception though. You cannot share a bed with a man like Dominic Ford and still feel attracted to someone else. That kind of experience recalibrates your standards permanently. 2

I stepped forward and offered my hand. “Welcome to Helix Laboratory, Dr. Duke. I hope we can achieve great things together.”

He took my hand and shook it with a firm but respectful grip. “Thank you, Dr. Celeste. I look forward to contributing.”

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After he left, Pat immediately launched into how he had come recommended, his publication record, his previous institution, his response rate on proposals, the whole file.

I stopped her with a hand on her arm.

“There is no need,” I told her. “I trust your judgment completely. If you think he is right for us, that is enough for me.”

She looked pleased. I noted that she also looked slightly more flushed than the conversation warranted.

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