Page 117 of No Longer Mine

Carina wasn’t done with me yet. She leaned forward, her dark eyes gleaming with interest. “And what about Dimitri? Do you think you could fall in love with him?”

Wow, talk about a loaded question. I looked between them all and I chose the easiest way out. “I steal from rich men who want to use me for sex.”

But based on their expressions, I hadn’t chosen the easy way out at all.

Audrey’s eyes sparkled. “You’re a cat burglar?!”

I tilted my head. “Something like that.”

Carina’s eyes lit up while the grannies leaned forward. “Oh, this is good.”

This was very bad.

Chapter Forty-Nine

Dimitri

I adjustedthe cuffs of my jacket, staring out the tinted window as Don navigated through traffic. My mind wasn’t on the city. It wasn’t on my father or the council or the mess we were unraveling.

It was on her.

I’d spent the last week trying to keep my distance, telling myself it was necessary, that it was the smart move. But the moment she texted me back, agreeing to dinner, I knew there was no more pretending.

I was going to have her.

It didn’t matter that this was technically our second date. That I had every intention of taking her apart piece by piece until she was wrecked and boneless beneath me. I’d waited long enough. I rolled my neck, exhaling sharply. “Did she say anything to you today?”

Don huffed a quiet laugh from the driver’s seat. “Other than complaining about her new babysitter? Not much. She’s bored.”

My lips curled into a smirk. After tonight, I hope she never complained about being bored again. I wanted to wine and dine her and then fuck her like there was no tomorrow. I’d given her body enough time to heal, and I’d waited for her to call me. I’dput the ball completely in her court, but when she didn’t come calling… well, I wasn’t going to sit and wait forever.

I couldn’t keep getting off to the thought of her anymore. I needed to be inside of her. I needed to hear her moan and feel her grind against me.

Don glanced at me through the rearview mirror, his smirk knowing. “You look like a man on a mission.”

I didn’t deny it.

Tonight wasn’t just about dinner. It wasn’t just about seeing her, making sure she was okay. It was about staking my claim. About ending this torturous distance between us.

Scarlett had waited long enough, even if she didn’t realize it yet.

I drummed my fingers against my thigh, forcing myself to stay composed as we approached her building. I wouldn’t have said I was nervous but damn, I’d never felt like this before. It didn’t feel like a second date, not after everything we’d talked about after she was shot. It felt like… so much more.

“Don’t scare her off,” Don chuckled to himself, and I scowled at him.

“No chance,” I muttered as I slid out of the SUV. Don was taking us to the restaurant but I was determined to be a gentleman about all of this and go to her door.

The second that door swung open, all rational thought left me.

Scarlett stood there, framed in the golden glow of her penthouse, wearing a dark green dress that made her look like something out of a dream—my dream. The rich fabric clung to every inch of her, the deep emerald color a perfect contrast against the fire of her hair. The neckline dipped just enough to make my mouth dry, and the slits running high up her thighs? I was already fighting the urge to drop to my knees. The heels oneither foot? I wanted to beg. I wanted her to walk all over me in them. I wanted dark and dangerous things…

My fingers flexed at my sides. Get it together, Dimitri.

She arched a brow, her lips curving into something dangerously amused. “You’re staring.”

I swallowed hard, stepping closer. “You’re wearing that on our date?”

Her smirk deepened; she knew exactly what she was doing to me. “Why? You don’t like it?”