Crushed Affections (Dominic and Bella)

Chapter 448 Want to Stay the Night

After a moment, Dominic finally shifted his gaze away from her chest. He said, "The dinner was pretty boring, so I decided to come home early. I'm tired. I'm going to shower and get some sleep. You should rest early, too."

Bella followed him upstairs. As he headed toward the guest room, she called out, her tone light and teasing, "Do you want to sleep in my room tonight?"

Dominic froze, his body stiffening. His eyes were sharp, his expression a mix of restraint and warning, as if daring her to push him further.

Bella pouted. "I just thought the baby should get to feel some fatherly love every now and then. But if you're not interested, that's fine. You can wait until the baby's born to start bonding."

Dominic suddenly smirked, his lips curling with a hint of mischief. "If it's fatherly love you're after, wouldn't it make more sense for me to go in and 'check on' the baby directly?"

Bella prided herself on her newfound ability to tease him, but his comment turned the tables so effortlessly that it left her speechless. The implications of his words were impossible to ignore. Her face turned scarlet as she stammered, "Y-You're awful," before rushing into her bedroom to hide her embarrassment.

The next morning, Dominic was already gone when Bella woke up.

didn't respond to her texts or calls. The only contact he made was through

Or maybe, now that the media frenzy had died

or Leonard. But knowing how close the three

was the obvious choice. When she called him, he immediately started laughing. "Instead of trying to figure out what he's up to, why

of embarrassment. The old saying about pregnancy making you forgetful suddenly felt

to her room to dress up, intentionally choosing an outfit that made it seem like she was meeting

follow her, Bella deliberately acted

to call him, he texted her "See the hotel across the street? Come to

window. Sure enough, there was a high-end hotel

if there was

of hesitation, she

than thrilled. "Ms. Jones, why are we going to a

the room. I don't need you to