Page 43 of No Longer Mine

I let Gavin lead me toward the bedroom, forcing myself to stay in the moment, to keep my focus. His fingers trailed over my skin, his touch eager but not urgent.

The bedroom was just as I expected—minimal, sleek, and designed to impress rather than feel lived-in. The oversized bed took center stage, covered in dark linens, flanked by two nightstands that were probably more expensive than most people’s rent.

I made a show of shivering as I stepped inside, running my hands over my arms. “You really like it cold in here.”

Gavin chuckled, moving behind me, his hands settling on my hips. “I run warm. You won’t be cold for long.”

I swallowed the urge to physically cringe.

His mouth skimmed along my shoulder, and I tilted my head to the side, letting out a soft hum—just enough encouragement to keep his attention where I needed it.

Because I wasn’t just here for him. I was here for his safe. And if it wasn’t in his office, it had to be in here. Or maybe I wasn’t thinking about it from the right angle and it wasn’t in either of these rooms. This apartment was massive with several other doors down the hallway. It could have easily been in another room altogether, and I was just missing the mark. It didn’t matter. I was quick, I would be able to find it on my own when I came back.

I turned in his arms, sliding my hands up his chest, nails barely skimming the fabric of his shirt. His lips curled as his fingers traced down the exposed skin of my back.

“You’re so damn beautiful,” he murmured, his breath warm against my lips.

I gave him a slow smile, then—“Let’s turn the lights off.”

Gavin paused. Not in suspicion, but in something else entirely. “You like the dark?”

I let my lashes lower, feigning something sultry. “I like mystery.”

His grin was instant, his ego practically inflating as he stepped away to turn the dimmer low.

While his back was turned, I scanned the room, my eyes flicking to potential hiding spots.

Nightstand? No. Too obvious.

Under the bed? Possibly, but he didn’t strike me as the type to kneel every time he needed something valuable.

The closet, maybe?

My gaze landed on the floor-to-ceiling closet doors, just as Gavin turned back toward me.

I slipped onto the bed, leaning back against the pillows, letting my fingers trace the hem of my dress. His eyes darkened instantly.

“Now, where were we?”

He prowled toward me, climbing onto the bed, his weight dipping the mattress as his hands skimmed up my thighs.

I let my head fall back slightly, exhaling slowly, even breaths as his lips trailed along my collarbone. My legs fell open as my dress hiked up around my thighs, and he groaned into my skin. It should have done everything to me. When he peeled the tight dress from my body and exhaled a curse, I should have been a mess under him. I could still see Dimitri when I closed my eyes. I hated it. I wanted him and he was ruining my chances of getting an actual good lay, minus the stench of whiskey.

Gavin was patient and attentive to my body, but it didn’t matter. I was miles away in my mind thinking about the way Dimitri and I fought in his home. When Gavin’s fingers traced the outside of my lace panties, I moaned thinking of Dimitri. I hated myself. How had I allowed him to infiltrate my mind so badly?

Gavin smiled down at me, his fingers still teasing, waiting for me to fall apart beneath him. “You like that, baby?”

I swallowed thickly. My skin was burning. My heart pounded.

But not for the right reasons.

This wasn’t about him.

This wasn’t about me, either.

This was about the man who wasn’t here.

My head dropped back onto the pillows, frustration curling hot and sharp inside of me. I needed to snap out of it. Dimitri Cristof had no place in this bed. He had no place in my head.