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“Will you tell me about when you were younger? You wanted to be a teacher?”
I notice the way his eyes darken a bit at my questions. He doesn’t pull away physically, but he pulls away a bit all the same.
“Another time, Belova,” he says. “I will tell you everything, but I do not want to think about those things right now. Tonight has been too good a night to spoil with bad memories.”
I smile and rest my head back on his chest, giving him another kiss.
“Will you read to me?”
“In English?” he asks.
“No, I want you to read it to me in Russian. I love the sound of your voice. I want it to be the last thing I hear before I fall asleep.”
I cuddle into him even more, smiling when he pulls the covers up, being careful to make sure I’m warm enough and all tucked in. I’m still amazed that this giant of a man can be so sweet and gentle.
“I love you, Dima,” I tell him, before shutting my eyes and relaxing into him.
“I love you too, Gina,” he says, giving my head another kiss. “Go to sleep. I will be here when you wake up.”
His arm is wrapped tightly around me while the other one holds the book that’s propped up against his chest. His fingers dance along my arm as he starts to read aloud. I let the sound of his voice lull me to sleep, and I’ve never felt so loved and protected.
I feel like I’ve only just closed my eyes when the sound of his deep laughter wakes me up the next morning. I let out a groggy moan and drape my arm over my face, trying to block the sun from my eyes.
When he laughs again, I manage to say, “What’s so funny?”
“You peed outside my building like animal,” he says in between deep bouts of laughter.
I’m suddenly covering my face for a whole different reason. I grab the sheet and pull it over my head.
“Oh my God, how in the hell do you know that?”
He pulls the sheet down and holds up his iPad. “I have security cameras, beautiful.” His eyes are shining with amusement. He gives me a big grin and holds out the iPad to me. “You want to see?”
I let out an embarrassed groan and shoo his hand away. “Stop laughing at me, Dima! You have no idea how badly I had to pee!”
“Like you were marking your territory,” he says, still laughing. “Is kind of sexy.” He’s still watching the video when he says, “I mean, I would call police on anyone else and get a restraining order, but is sexy when you do it.”
He gives me a wink and yanks the sheet completely off me, letting his eyes run over my body. Letting out a deep groan, he says, “Time to get up, sleepyhead. Did you bring any workout clothes?”
It takes a second for my sleepy brain to catch up. “Huh? Workout clothes?”
He gives me a wink and leans over to give my knee a kiss. “Hurry up, beautiful. This is the first time in years that I have missed my morning run. We can still go and hit the bag for a bit, though.”
“Hit the bag?” I say, realizing that he’s including me in this plan.
He laughs and gets out of bed. The snarky comment I was going to make dies on my tongue as my eyes land on his perfectly toned ass. My eyes follow him, watching as he disappears inch by inch on his way down the stairs.
“Stop staring at my ass and get up, Belova,” he shouts over his shoulder, and I can hear the amusement in his voice.
Counting myself lucky for at least getting out of an early morning run, I get out of bed and follow him down the stairs. He’s already pulled on a pair of workout shorts by the time I get down there, and he gives my ass a not-so-gentle smack when I grab my backpack and walk past him into the bathroom.
I didn’t pack a sports bra because even though I knew I’d be getting a serious workout, I hadn’t planned on actually working out. Making do with what I have, I put on a bra and a pink T-shirt I’d brought along with a pair of shorts. Good enough, I think, grabbing my toothbrush and walking to the sink.
While I brush, I look around at the bathroom and am pleasantly surprised by how clean it is. There’s a huge shower that could easily fit the both of us as well as a clawfoot tub along the opposite wall. The towels are in masculine shades of dark grey and blue, and I smile at seeing this domestic side of Dmitri.
It’s hard to imagine him cleaning a bathroom, but I’m learning that he’s full of surprises and not quite what I first thought he was. Yes, he’s the brooding, sexy man that I first imagined him to be, but he’s also so much more. I remind myself of his promise last night to tell me about his past. I can’t wait to learn more about him, but first it looks like I’m going to be working up another sweat, and not the fun kind.
When I step out of the bathroom, I let out a startled yelp when he grabs me and presses his body against mine, pinning me against the wall. His chest is bare, and I let out a soft moan at the feel of him. Bringing his lips to mine, he kisses me slowly, taking his time. He tastes of minty toothpaste and beneath that is his own unique, intoxicating taste, and I can’t get enough of it.
