Just the thought they’d stoop that low makes me sick to my stomach. The terror is holding on firmly, and there’s no end in sight. I don’t know how much longer I can continue like this. Good deeds are meant to be rewarded. That doesn’t seem to be the case with the Cartel. The more you try to better yourself, the harder your competitors work to drag you down.
Just like me, Dimitri can’t even rely on his family. Smith guards his secrets as if his life depends on them, but it doesn’t take a genius to realize Dimitri’s father is being as closely monitored as Dimitri’s enemies. I doubt Rocco would have gone back to New York with Clover to persecute the men who drugged Dimitri if Col’s whereabouts weren’t being constantly scrutinized. The fact Col is far from here is theonlyreason Rocco has riled Dimitri via the speaker above his head instead of in person.
My sly grin doubles when I catch sight of it in the mirror. I shouldn’t like the way Dimitri stirred every time Rocco picked on him, but I did. Only a heartless man fails to respond when teased. Dimitri isn’t one of them. He’s paying for my mother’s rehabilitation out of his own pocket, and he didn’t hold back on the purse strings, either. She’s surrounded by celebrities and beginning to feel as remorseful as me.
I’m honestly unsure where we’ll go from here. Sorrow can’t take back all the horrendous things she’s done, but with how far down the rabbit hole she is, I won’t need to consider the next step for a while.
Once I have my game face back on, I make my way into the main part of the room. “Have you had any word from Rocco this afternoon? His silence is a little off-putting…” My words trail off, gobbled up by the shock roaring through me. Smith isn’t seated behind Dimitri’s desk. Dimitri is. He looks as dark and deadly as ever, but very much alive.
I’ve been accused of being a ditz a handful of times in my life. Today is the first time I’ll agree with their assessment. I don’t stand back and watch in awe that the man who was on his death bed only days ago is standing in front of me, appearing as strong as an ox. I race across the room as fast as my quivering legs will take me before throwing myself into his arms.
“Dimitri.”
He startles from my unexpected affection, but as quickly as his shock arrives, it leaves. With his heart beating as erratically as mine, he pulls me into his chest as he did almost two weeks ago. This time, his shirt doesn’t catch my tears, his tattooed chest does. I hate myself for blubbering like a baby, but boy, it feels good to finally release the hurt that’s been eating me alive the past three days. I wasn’t just upset someone tried to claim Dimitri’s life, I was frustrated I was left alone to deal with feelings I’ve never handled before.
I jumped into the deep end as Rocco suggested, then I was left treading water for over seventy-two hours. Even an Olympic swimmer would struggle in those conditions. Since I was in waters way too deep, I should have drowned days ago. I probably would have if anger wasn’t also keeping me afloat.
I’ve never wanted to hurt and comfort someone as much as I do right now. My emotions honestly don’t know which way to swing. The last time they were this erratic, I fell asleep in Dimitri’s arms, and he didn’t speak to me for days.
I refuse to let that happen again. I don’t care if he punishes me. I’d rather his punishment over another three days of painful silence.
After scrubbing my face to ensure I don’t look like a total wreck, I peel my wet cheek off Dimitri’s pec, then align my eyes with his. I startle when our eyes collide not even a second later. He’s staring straight at me. His watch is heart-stuttering, but it’s without an ounce of malice. His unusual mischievous gawk liberates me from the worry I’m about to overstep the mark. It allows me to talk freely for the first time in a long time. “I was worried you were never coming back. I thought I’d never see you again. Do you have any idea how panicked you made me?”
He’s humored by my worry, but deep down inside, I also believe he appreciates it. “It’ll take more than a little GHB to bring me down.”
When he laughs, it’s the fight of my life not to whack him in the stomach. I wouldn’t hold back if I believed it was the only abuse he’s endured in his life. “It’s not funny. You could have been seriously hurt, then what would happen to Fien?”
That wipes the smile right off his face. He’s as stunned now as he was when I threw myself in his arms. Even staying by his side twenty-four-seven the past three days doesn’t have him believing I’m on his side. In his eyes, I’m still the enemy.
“I held a gun to my mother’s head, then left her with you even on the belief you were going to kill her, yet you still think I’m the enemy. What can I do to prove I’m on your side, Dimitri? Sentence my mother to death for her crimes? Sell my virginity to the highest bidder? Take the place of your daughter? I’ll do anything you want. Anything at all—”
My words are stopped in the most beautifully tormented way. Dimitri doesn’t demand me to be quiet like he did when I went on a rant on how I’m not with him because I have daddy issues or cut me off with a cruel scorn.
He kisses me.
It isn’t an all-encompassing kiss with teeth, lips, and tongues. He holds back a beat, so I have time to react to how I feel about being kissed by him. He isn’t a nice man nor is he gentle, and he wants to ensure I know what I’m signing up for.
Even with his embrace being as innocent as a schoolyard peck, it sends fireworks exploding through me. It’s sweet and blistering, and ten times better than I could have ever imagined.
When I moan into Dimitri’s mouth, my body choosing its own response to the fiery blaze smoldering between us, he weaves his fingers through my hair like he did at Frosty Kinks before he adds a stack of wood to the fire in my gut. He explores my mouth with teasing bites, long licks, and breathy growls that have my temperature rising to a dangerous level.
I’m naked beneath my dressing gown, and Dimitri is only wearing a pair of sweatpants, but within seconds, it seems as if there are too many articles of clothing between us.
After uncinching the cord of my dressing gown, I shimmy my shoulders, aiding the static-loving material’s fall to the floor. The waistband of Dimitri’s pants come away just as easily.
His grunt when I circle my hand around his thick cock is desperate and loud. He wasn’t lying when he said his cock has been waiting for this day for months. The heaviness of his impressive shaft is a sure-fire sign he was telling the truth, much less the sticky droplet of goodness on the tip.
I whine like a child when he pulls back a few seconds later. My fret is unfounded. He isn’t ending our exchange before it truly begins, he’s ensuring he is the sole investigator on if the light in my eyes changes like it did for my mother. He’s keeping this exclusively between us.
He hits a button on the edge of his desk, curls my legs around his waist, then walks us across the room. His lips don’t leave mine until the softness of bedding caresses my curves. After wedging his knee between my thighs that I’m trying in vain not to squeeze together, he drags his eyes up my body in a slow and dedicated sweep. When his eyes land on my face, the earth shifts beneath my feet. Just like his earlier watch, this one doesn’t have an ounce of spite to it either. It’s brimming with way too much yearning ever to be confused with a hatred response.
“Are you sure?”
His chivalry catches me by surprise, but it makes the nod of my head even more convincing. He could have taken what he wanted like he was raised to or tried to profit from me as my father did. Instead, he made it my choice. That makes the claws of his almost deceit nowhere near as painful to my heart.
“It will hurt, Roxanne.” His comment seems to panic him more than me. “You’re tiny—”
I cut him off by pulling him on top of me so I can reattach our lips. I kiss him how I’ve dreamed of kissing him since I saw him standing in the rain outside the alleyway. It’s an urgent, hurried kiss, as impatient as the hand slithering between us to join our bodies in a way that’s both personal and intimate.
