Wicked Liar by Faith Summers

Chapter Twelve

Candace

Shit.

This is all I need now.

Please God, don’t let me be stuck inside here with him.

Not him and not this.

I squirm out of Dominic’s arms like I can’t get away quick enough while he moves to the panel and presses the button to talk to the maintenance department.

“Sorry, we’ll be a few minutes. There was a power cut in the engine room,” a male voice says.

I don’t even know who’s talking. I’m just grateful for the assurance of being held up for only a few minutes. Then again, a few minutes could be enough to make me crazy around this man.

I kneel, grab my bag and start picking up my things. Along with my phone and keyring, I have a bunch of pens, makeup, and mini notepads. Dominic lowers and starts helping me too.

“It’s okay, I got it.”

“There’s no harm in helping you pick up your pens, Candace,” he replies, but he doesn’t look at me.

As he continues gathering my pens, I feel embarrassed I have so many. I have almost one of every color known to man, and highlighters. There are more pens and miniature notebooks than makeup, making me look like the nerd I was back in high school. Intelligence is great, he has it, but a nerd is a whole other species.

An unwelcomed blush sweeps over me when he spots the little origami angel he made sitting by a larger notebook. I vaguely remember putting it in my bag. Now I curse myself for doing so because it looks like I'm carrying it around with me, which I technically am.

Dominic reaches for it, and his brows lift in surprise when his eyes link with mine. My cheeks burn so I look away and focus on gathering the last of my pens.

He gets up, straightens his shoulders, and I stand too. He’s still holding the angel, and it’s clear from the uncanny look in his eyes he wants me to ask for it.

It sends a shiver of annoyance through me because he can see I want the angel back.

My heart beats out of cadence when he reaches forward and takes my bag from me. I only release the breath I’m holding on to when he drops the angel inside and hands the bag back.

“There you go, Angel,” he says, and I grit my teeth at the nickname.

We stare at each other for what seems like forever and I wait for the elevator to move or the doors to open so I can flee. This tension is too much for me.

Dominic breaks the stare first by dipping his head for a second, but he doesn’t look away or resume leaning against the wall like he was when I first stepped in. Instead, his eyes become hard, flat and emotionless and I have a feeling I’m about to have that conversation he wanted to have last night.

“Is this really how we’re going to be?” he asks raising his palms. My heart grips when a flicker of sadness flashes in his eyes. "Candace, you and I are seriously going to be these people who can barely say two words to each other?”

“I guess it is what it is,” I answer, maintaining my stance.

Now he looks pissed. “What is it? What the fuck does that mean?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Well, we’re stuck here so we might as well talk. Tell me what you mean by it is what it is.” He searches my eyes and I feel my guard slipping.

The thing is I want to get the shit off my chest, I just don’t want to talk to him about it.

“It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing.”

“Yes, it is. Candace what do you want me to do?”

“You don’t have to do anything Dominic, that’s the point of it being nothing.” I throw back. God, I really don’t want to do this today.

“Okay…answer the original question then… is this how we’re going to be? If this is what you want, then I’ll leave you the fuck alone.”

Numbness fills my mind because I don’t want this. Of course, I don’t, I’m so hurt I can’t see past what I feel.

“Answer me,” he demands.

“That’s not fair.”

“It’s a simple question. Do you want me to leave you alone? God knows there’s every reason why you should. It was me who nearly killed you.” Shame fills his face.

“I forgave you.”

“You did, but nearly killing you is not exactly something that can be easily forgiven, and I don’t deserve forgiveness for what I did.”

“I still did it and you knew that before you left.”

He presses his lips together. “So, let’s talk about the other problem then. The thing you can’t forgive me for. There are so many things it could be I don’t know which one it is. So tell me.”

“You left,” I choke out, hating the thick emotion infused in my voice. “It’s the fact that you just left. I forgave you for the worse thing you could do to me and you left me.”

His eyes darken. “Baby…I had to leave.”

“No, you didn’t.” I shoot back. “You’re seriously telling me that was the only thing you could think of doing? Leaving? And for so long? Without a word?”

“Candace, I was worse than what you saw. I had to leave.”

“And where did you go? To some magical place where they fixed you?”

“I did rehab.”

“Dominic, we have some of the best doctors in L.A. Everything you did could have been done here. But you left, you left me when I needed you. All I wanted was for you to stay. I hoped you’d stay because we were together. I hoped it would be enough for you, but it wasn’t. I wasn’t enough, just like the past.”

His lips part and shock registers on his face. When tears sting my eyes, I know I don’t have any more strength left in me.

“That’s not true.” He shakes his head.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It does.”

I try to turn away but one strong hand clamps around my arm holding me in place. He catches my face with the other. The caress of his fingers over my cheek whispers memories of his touch making me crave what we were, and what we could have been.

I can’t seem to break away from his riveting stare, or the sexual magnetism that charges the air with passion I’ve only ever felt with him. The memory of the feeling makes my lungs squeeze in anticipation, my body eager for more.

The energy that passes between us grows into something hot, carnal,... raw. It compels me to move to him too when he lowers to my lips.

His full soft lips brush over mine and like that first kiss we shared it feels like he’s tasting me from the way he lingers there, motionless. It’s the opposite for me. The wild crackle of desire ignites my soul, awakening everything I ever felt for him.

It takes seconds for all those emotions to combust into a craving so ravenous it weakens me. So, when he slips his hand behind my head and deepens the kiss I already know there’s nothing I can do besides kiss him back. His tongue sweeps over mine and the wild but sweet thrill of kissing him makes my body bow to the sensation. I can’t help but melt into the granite walls of his chest when he pulls me flush against him, closing the space between us. The hardness of his body against my curves sends a thrill of electricity through me. Arousal claws through my body with the same vicious force making my traitorous pussy clench with desperation for this man to be inside me.

His fingers run through my hair, while mine tug at his shirt and run up the peaks of muscle lining his abs. Something greedy then takes over, turning greed to hunger and he shoves me up against the wall. He takes hold of my waist to push my dress to my hips.

In that moment I hear something in the background of reality, but I can’t quite identify the sound. Then a voice makes us jump apart.

“That should be fixed now,” the voice from the intercom says and the elevator doors ding open.

A flush of heat races across my skin and I look at Dominic not quite knowing what to say or do. We were just kissing.

“Candace--”

“I have to go,” I say stepping away from him. “I have to.”

I’m about to rush away when he grabs my arm. “We have to talk.”

Talk? I can’t talk when I don’t know what to talk about.

“No. I can’t talk to you.”

“Why the hell not?”

“You told me not to wait,” I retort and wrench my arm free from his grasp. “You told me I shouldn’t.”

Before he can say anything else, I walk out of the elevator and rush away from him. When I hear the elevator doors close taking him away from me my knees wobble.

I just kissed Dominic, and it wasn’t any old kiss either. It was everything, but what the hell am I supposed to do now?

I'm supposed to be moving on, but my damn body is still alive with the fire from his lips and the craving for him to fuck me. I can barely breathe or focus.

My heels click against the marble flooring as I take the corner. The sound isn't supposed to be loud but with my body sensitized from Dominic's touch, all my senses feel amplified a hundredfold.

God...

I stop short in the passageway and bring my hand to my heart. I clutch at the edge of my blouse and make a fist as the truth hits me with a problem I don't know if I can ignore.

I still want him.

I still want Dominic.

What is wrong with me?

What the hell is wrong with me?

It isn't like my reasons to be angry with him aren't valid. They are. Things between us are a fucking mess. But if I'm to cut past the shit and talk basics, the answer is I want him.

It was foolish of me to think I could move on. Hard reality hits me when I realize I’m not sure I can and that complicates things on so many levels.

How can I carry out this plan of mine with Jacques when I feel this way?