Page 78 of Savage Little War

A soft ache fills my heart. Dmitri’s always believed in me more than anyone else, and I don’t see that ever changing. He’s the only one who can truly see me for who I am.

Who I can become. Who we are together.

“I love you,” I tell him as I place my hand over his.

Even before I truly knew him, there was a part of me that felt connected to him. I understood his pain. His grief. His anger.

When Dmitri finally lowered his walls and let me know him, we became forever bound to each other. Even when the truth came out about me, it wasn’t enough to push us away from each other.

We’re meant to be together.

“Let’s get out of here,” Dmitri says, not even passing another look at the lifeless bodies next to us. He grabs my hand and leads me out of the room, pausing for a second to talk to his men as they wait for his orders. “Dispose of them and torch their building.”

“Yes, sir,” a chorus of voices replies along with a couple of, “Gladly, sir.”

Dmitri takes me out of the antique shop, blood staining our fingers as they lace together. We don’t let go.

24

Dmitri

With Annika and Artur dealt with, Cara and I refocus on wedding planning.

Our wedding day will be here before we know it.

“What about this?” Cara asks, settled in my lap with her back against my chest, the tablet balanced in her hands.

I look over her shoulder to see a picture of a wedding reception in a large ballroom with dim lighting, white-clothed tables with floral arrangements, and a huge open space for the dance floor in front of a stage.

“I like that,” I tell her as I loosely wrap my arms around her midsection. “I like that it’s moody. A little dark.”

“Doesn’t mean you get to be handsy,” Cara teases, as she flashes me a coy look over her shoulder.

“You sure about that?” I reply as I kiss the back of her shoulder.

Cara laughs and shakes her head at me. “You’ll have to wait until after the reception.”

I let out a lighthearted groan. “You’re killing me, milaya. How am I going to resist you all day?”

“Pure willpower.”

Smirking, I tell her, “You’re putting a lot of faith in me.”

Her eyes meet mine again. “Always.”

I lean forward and press a soft kiss against her lips, my grip on her tightening. It feels good to hold her like this. Like I don’t have to worry about her being snatched away from me at any second.

It could still happen, someone could still try, but with Ferro’s men and the Suyunovs gone, the list of people reckless enough to come for us should be shorter.

Hopefully.

“I’m sorry we can’t do anything outdoors,” I say as she swipes through some more photos on the tablet.

Cara shrugs. “It’s fine. I’d rather not spend my wedding night wondering who’s lining up a shot.”

Maybe one day we won’t ever have to worry about something like that, but we don’t have that privilege right now. All we can do is ensure that our wedding day is as safe and secure as possible so that we can actually enjoy it.

“I like the venue that we chose for the reception, though,” I tell her, my fingertips grazing her stomach.