Page 12

Chapter

Twelve

DIMITRI

E ntering the restaurant full of women would normally be my dream, but right now, it’s my nightmare.

Tons of Bratva woman who are desperate for gossip about my sudden marriage, why I didn’t choose Tatiana, and everything else in between.

I fix my cufflinks and then enter into the room. Heads swivel my way. Women stop and look. I spy a few older women who I just know are salivating for information.

“Dimitri,” calls out one of those women. Vera, if I remember her name. “We were just talking with your new wife earlier.”

“That’s great.” I try walking past her, but Vera asks: “Why did you marry Evie exactly? She’s a lovely girl, but it’s clear she’s not a Bratva daughter.”

I don’t have time for this. Katya called me, telling me there was an emergency, and I need to help her and Evie. I’m not sure what I’ll be walking into, but I do know I don’t have time for polite chit-chat.

So, I answer Vera honestly. “She’s beautiful and smart, and I like her.” I flash Vera my most charming smile, and she melts a little under my gaze. Even older woman can’t resist me.

“Why are you here? Men rarely step foot into this place. Too feminine for them.”

“I’m not worried about my masculinity, Vera. I love women.” I wink then walk away as she fans herself. That’s an old trick I used to use. Flatter a woman, make her flustered, then walk away before she can say anything else. It came in handy with women I didn’t want to speak to. Granted, there weren’t that many women I wouldn’t have slept with in the past, but there were a few bad apples I didn’t want to be around.

Too bad I didn’t think of Tatiana as a bad apple before I fucked her and put myself and Evie and Katya in danger.

I reach the restroom door and knock. “It’s me, Dimitri.”

I wait as someone unlocks the door, and then Katya ushers me inside.

The sight of Tatiana on the floor with blood surrounding her is not what I expected to see today.

Katya quickly shuts the door again and locks it. “She’s dead.”

“I can see that.”

“We can’t exactly get her body out of here without arousing suspicion. And we can’t just leave her here. Even for the Bratva, it would cause too many problems.” Katya paces back and forth. I’ve never seen her look so worried before—not even when Abram came to our house to shoot it up.

I look over at Evie, who’s frozen solid. Her eyes are looking out blankly at nothing. She looks more like a doll than a real woman right now.

“Evie?” I ask gently. She still doesn’t move. “What’s wrong with her?”

Katya sighs. “Shock. She’s, uh, the one who pushed Tatiana away from me. Tatiana tripped on her heels and then …”

I lift an eyebrow. “Died?”

“Pretty much.”

“So, Evie feels responsible. ”

“I’m not sure what she feels. I just know she’s the one who technically did it. But Tatiana didn’t die right away, and … I didn’t call for help. I told Evie we should call you instead.”

“Smart. That was for the best. I can handle this.”

“How? There’s a whole restaurant filled with nosy Bratva women just outside. How are you going to handle this?”

“I have my ways.” I call the number of my cleanup crew and tell them to make their way over to the restaurant. Once that’s done, I call one of my guards to come inside and pull the fire alarm.

“Won’t that make someone come check on us in here?” Katya asks.

“It will. But my cleanup crew will be here by then to hide Tatiana’s body. I told my guy to wait until I text him to pull the fire alarm. That will force everyone out and in the commotion, we can move her body.”

Katya slumps against the counter. “Thank god. How did you get so good at this?”

“I learned from our father.” I turn to Evie, who still hasn’t moved a muscle. “Evie?” I slowly approach her and lay my hand on her arm.

That wakes her up. She gasps and jerks away from me, backing against the wall. Before I can even do anything, she crumples to the floor and begins crying. Then panicking. Then crying and panicking at the same time.

I have no fucking clue what to do. When I decided to marry Evie, I thought she was sexy and smart. I thought it would all be fun. But then Abram happened. Dima. Tatiana. They’ve all gone after Evie and made her life hell.

Tatiana is dead, and she’s still making Evie’s life hell.

All I can think to do is sit down next to her and wrap her up in my arms. Evie immediately sinks into me and cries harder.

“I’m not sure this is helping,” I murmur.

“It’s helping,” Katya responds because Evie can’t.

EVIE

Everything is numb. Everything is on fire. Everything is overwhelming .

I killed Tatiana.

There’s no going back from that. I have officially become the dark thing I’ve been running from. I may be different from Abram and Dima, but I still let Tatiana die when I could have helped her. So, how am I any better than those men? How am I any better than Dimitri?

His arms tighten around me. He’s never held me like this before. Dimitri’s hands either held me when we danced or lightly touched my arms to get my attention.

But this hold—this all-encompassing hold that makes me feel safer than anything ever has—is brand new.

For the first time, I can see myself staying in Dimitri’s arms. It’s the only place that has felt like where I belong since I met him and my entire life changed.

“Let’s get you out of here,” he says.

I burrow deeper into his arms. “Don’t bring me back to Juno’s.”

He’s silent for a moment. “You want to come back home with me?”

I know it’s probably foolish. I know I should want to leave Dimitri behind.

But he has a hold over me, and I don’t want to let him go, both literally and figuratively.

“I do,” I whisper.

“I need you to be safe,” he says. “Once Abram finds out Tatiana is dead, none of us will be.”

“I don’t care.” I finally meet his gaze. “I just want to go home with you.”

A determination fills his eyes, and he nods. “Ok. You’re coming back home with me.”

Dimitri helps me stand. My legs still feel like noodles, and I lean against him heavily.

“I can’t carry you,” he says. “It would bring too much attention to us.”

“What are we going to do?” Katya asks.

“We wait.” He pulls out his phone. “The moment my cleanup crew is here, we’ll leave. But we have to wait for the fire alarm first. If people see us coming out of the bathroom, it’ll only look bad for us. ”

I see Tatiana on the floor and avert my eyes. I did that. The blood around her. Her lifeless eyes. That was because of me. I’m a killer.

That’s what the Bratva has turned me into.

It was naive of me to ever think I could leave Dimitri’s world behind. I’m firmly planted into it, and I’m not going anywhere.

“Thank you,” I whisper, staring at the floor. I’m practically burrowing a hole into it. “For saving me again.”

Dimitri’s arms around me tighten in the best way. “Always, Evie.”

Katya makes a sound in the back of her throat. She and Dimitri share a look I don’t understand.

Before I can ask, Dimitri gets a text and pulls away from me. “We’re all good. Here we go.” He sends off a text of his own, and then after a few moments, the fire alarm goes off.

“Come on,” he says, taking my hand. “We have to blend into the crowd.”

The three of us leave the restroom, and just as Dimitri predicated, no one is looking at us. Everyone is heading for the door.

Except for two men dressed as waiters. They head straight for the bathroom. Oh no. They’re going to see Tatiana and arrest us.

“Don’t worry,” Dimitri says for only me to hear. “Those are my men. They’ve come to do their job. Don’t look back.”

I do as Dimitri instructs.

We make it out of the restaurant and onto the street. Vera spots me and rushes over. “Evie, darling. Where did you run off to?”

I freeze. How can I tell her I just accidently killed Tatiana?

“We were powdering our noses,” Katya explains.

“Well, it’s a good thing Dimitri was here,” Vera says, eyeing Dimitri over. “If there’s really a fire, he can protect us.”

Dimitri laughs like he didn’t just help me cover up the woman I killed. “You know that’s very true, Vera. I’m always open to helping women. It’s my favorite pastime.”

“Oh, you,” she says, swiping at his arm. “You’re trouble.”

“Am I?”

His response just makes her laugh even more .

This is good. Dimitri is a natural charmer, and he’s distracting Vera so she doesn’t question anything.

I wait for Dimitri’s cleanup crew to come through those doors, carrying Tatiana’s body, but they never show. I wonder what they’ll do with her body.

And then I realize—I don’t want to know.

“We should get back home,” Dimitri says.

“Do you have to?” Vera asks.

“I’m afraid so. Evie is a little bit scared because of the potential fire, and I have to be her strong husband and care for her.”

If I weren’t so freaked out, I’d roll my eyes over Dimitri’s words. He can lay it on a little thick sometimes.

“You go do that,” Vera says, smiling without a care in the world.

Dimitri leads Katya and me over to his car, and it’s only once we’re in and driving away I let myself break down into tears.

My tears soon turn into a full-blown panic attack. I can’t breathe. I clutch at my chest and try to suck in air, but it’s not coming. “Oh my god,” I gasp, bending forward, putting my head between my legs. That’s supposed to help, but right now, it’s only making things worse. All I can see is Tatiana. All I can see are my hands pushing her back and her tripping and her falling.

And her dying.

“Evie?” Katya asks tentatively.

“Evie, snap out of it,” Dimitri says.

But I can’t. The car’s interior is closing in on me. I’m suffocating.

Dimitri stops the car in front of his house and quickly gets me out, carrying me inside. Katya follows, her high heels clacking. It only reminds me of Tatiana’s heels and how she tripped.

Because I pushed her.

“I got this,” Dimitri says to Katya.

“But—”

“Katya, I got this. Evie is my wife. My responsibility.”

She hesitates then nods. “Ok. Be kind to her.”

Dimitri brings me into his room and sets me down on the bed. “ Evie, I know you’re going to hate this. and I’m sorry, but I need to make you feel better.” He flips me onto my stomach.

And spanks me ass so hard, the shock of it snaps me right out of my panic attack.

Before I can even process what’s happening, Dimitri spanks me again.

And again.

And again.

Each time gets progressively harder.

“Dimitri,” I cry out, clutching the blankets. “Stop! It hurts.”

He eases up and steps back, but I don’t move from my position, I’m suddenly keenly aware that I’m on my stomach with my ass pointing toward him. My dress has ridden up around my thighs.

We both fall silent.

My breath has finally slowed down, and I can think. The pain in my chest recedes. I’m alive. I’m no longer panicking because of Dimitri.

No one has ever been able to clear my head like he has.

No one has ever been able to make my mind feel chaotic like he has either.

The air in the room grows thick with something I don’t understand. It’s tension.

Sexual tension, I realize.

I start to sit up when Dimitri says, “Don’t.” I immediately lie back down. My bare legs are on display. When my knees press together, I become so aware of my skin. I’ve never been so aware of my skin before.

“Dimitri,” I whisper.

“Evie.” His voice is gruff and filled with … desire? “I don’t want you to move.”

“Why not?”

He doesn’t give me a verbal response. For a man as talkative as Dimitri, it’s surreal to not hear his voice. Instead, I can hear him approach me. I can feel the heat radiating off him.

His hands hover over my hips. It’s at this very moment I realize I want him to touch me. I want to know what Dimitri’s hands on my body would feel like.

And then he does it.

I gasp when his hands hold onto my hips. They’re so big and strong. So … masculine.

I press my knees tighter together. A sensation is pooling between my legs. A wetness.

Arousal, I realize.

I’ve felt it before but not with a man. Only alone in my bedroom.

Katya wanted me to live my life more. I guess I’m finally doing that.

His thumbs draw circles into my hips. “The sight of your body …”

“What?” I’m both terrified and excited to hear the answer.

“Fuck, Evie.” I blush at his words. “The things I want to do to you.”

“Like what?”

“Like …” His hands trail down to the backs of my bare thighs. “I want to bring my hand right between your legs and touch your pussy.”

I gasp.

But I don’t move.

“I want to touch you until you come,” he continues. “And then once I’m done, I want to put my mouth on your pussy and show you all the different ways you can have an orgasm. Have you ever had one before?”

I swallow hard. Dimitri still doesn’t know I’m a virgin. I resisted telling him because I didn’t want him to have too much power over me.

But I think all of that has been thrown out the window.

“No,” I admit.

His hands slide around to the front of my thighs. Without even realizing it, I arch my hips slightly. “Has no man ever shown you a good time? Has any man touched you before?” His fingers slide against my inner thighs. His legs are on either side of me. The heat coming off him is intoxicating .

This is it. I know the moment I tell Dimitri the truth, there’s no going back.

I can’t live my life with Juno. Missing my dad. Feeling unsatisfied with my life.

Dimitri has shown me more in a few weeks than I’ve ever experienced in my entire life.

It’s like I’m living one of my books out in real life.

“No,” I whisper.

“Evie, are you a virgin?” His fingers are so close to my most intimate area. If he just moved his fingers over an inch …

“Yes.” I release the word on a breath.

Dimitri’s hands tighten on my thighs, making me gasp. “I want to touch you so fucking badly.”

“You are touching me.”

He lets out a short laugh. “I want to touch your pussy.”

“That’s such a … vulgar word.”

“Well get used to it. Because when I’m touching you with my hands or my mouth or my cock, you’ll be hearing the word.”

“Dimitri,” I gasp. My face is on fire.

“You’re so innocent, it’s cute. And sexy. I want you to be mine, Evie.”

“You already made me yours when you married me.” I still wear the ring he got me. I never took it off.

“I want to make you mine in other ways. Will you let me?”

“You’re asking for my permission?”

“I’m not a savage, Evie. I want your consent. I don’t find pleasure in taking a woman against her will.”

“Except in marriage.” I can’t help it. I still have to give him a hard time about it.

I can hear the smile in his voice as he responds. “Except in marriage.” His fingers skim along my inner thighs, causing goosebumps to break out on my skin. “Let me touch you, Evie. Let me make you feel better.”

I do want to feel better. Tatiana’s death is the scariest thing I’ve ever been through. Not even Dima or Abram scared me as much .

I was a passive prisoner to them, but with Tatiana, I was an active participant.

Dimitri is asking me to be an active participant now. All I have to do is tell him yes.

The word is on the tip of my tongue.

“Yes.”

He finally places his fingers right between my legs.

My hips buck up from the unexpected pleasure of it. I’ve tried touching myself before in the privacy of my bedroom after reading some spicy books, but my own touch was nothing compared to Dimitri’s.

His fingers are rough and soft at the same time. He begins rubbing me over my underwear. I gasp and arch my back. My face is so hot that it’s uncomfortable.

He increases the pressure on my body, rubbing me more firmly. Every motion of his fingers sends a spike of pleasure through me.

“I’ve wanted to do this since I first saw you.”

“Charmer,” I gasp out.

“You know it.”

His finger slips into the waistband of my underwear and skims my lower stomach. I gasp loudly, and I’m expecting Katya to hear, which would just be embarrassing.

“I want these out of the way,” he growls, grabbing my panties and ripping them down my legs. The cool air hits my lower body. I’ve never been on display like this.

It’s exhilarating.

Dimitri pushes my dress up around my hips and brings his hand back down between my legs. Without my underwear in the way, I can feel everything he’s doing much more intensely.

His fingers roll my clit around. I gasp as spike after spike of pleasure shoots through me.

I grind my lower body against his hand, seeking more friction. It helps that I don’t have to look him in the eye. With my face against the mattress, I can close my eyes and just feel .

No one has ever made me feel safer yet more alive than Dimitri .

I never meant to get sucked into his orbit, but here I am. I don’t think I could get out if I wanted to.

I know. I tried. And it didn’t last long.

“Evie,” he growls, bringing me back to the present. His hand cups the entire space between my legs while his thumb rubs against my clit. The palm of his hand presses farther down my vulva, closer to my opening. This new sensation leaves me panting and gasping for air.

This time it’s not a panic attack. It’s pure pleasure.

His other hand grips my thigh. Knowing he’s right behind me, leaning over me, and could do anything to me, makes my arousal soar to new heights.

I want to be consumed by this man, and that’s terrifying.

But I don’t think there’s any stopping it.

He doesn’t relent on my body, even as I feel something building within my core. I know exactly what it is even if I’ve never experienced it before.

I gasp and buck my hips back against him as my orgasm washes over me. I tremble and shudder and gasp even more.

Dimitri doesn’t remove his hand from between my legs. “How was that?” His voice is right next to my ear. I can feel his chest pressing against my back.

Except, instead of feeling suffocated, I feel protected.

“That was …”

He laughs—the sound reverberating through his body into my own. “Good for you?”

“Yes,” I admit, my face flushing all over again.

“I can’t believe you’re a virgin. I mean, I’m not surprised, but just knowing that I’ll be the first man to have all your firsts makes me so fucking hard.”

I gasp from his words. “Who said you were getting my firsts?” I’m not sure why I’m testing him. His arrogance drives me crazy. It’s so rude and uncouth.

But it also drives me crazy in other ways.

“Aren’t I?” He rolls me onto my back. I’m hyperaware of my dress around my waist and my underwear on the floor. “I think we’re past the point of no return. I tried to let you go, and I failed spectacularly. I’m not letting you go now.”

“I don’t want you to let me go,” I agree.

“Good. You know, I haven’t given you a proper first kiss yet.”

“Our wedding day.”

“No. That was a peck. This is a kiss.” He brings his lips to mine.

The kiss starts off slow and careful before quickly morphing into something more passionate and seductive. It’s obvious Dimitri is a good kisser. I hope he thinks I’m good, too.

His hands frame my face as he kisses me deeper. When he settles his hips between my legs, I can feel all of him.

All his … hardness.

I want to be consumed by Dimitri, but I know right now isn’t the time. Tatiana’s face flashes behind my eyes, and I pull back from Dimitri and gently push him away.

To his credit, he pulls back immediately. “Evie?”

“It’s too much right now.”

Understanding fills his eyes. “Ok.”

I push my dress down and sit up awkwardly, unsure of what to do.

But Dimitri knows what to do. He always knows.

“Come here,” he says softly. Wrapping his arms around me, he lays us both down and pulls my back to his chest.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m holding you.”

I huff. “No, I mean …”

His hands rest of my stomach, but he doesn’t bring them down farther. He keeps them planted right there. “You’re scared because of what happened. I remember the first time I ever killed someone. My dad expected me to grow up and become a Bratva man, so he gave me a man to kill. That man had tried robbing my father so in my father’s eyes, he deserved to die. I didn’t hesitate. I killed him. I was thirteen.”

“Dimitri,” I gasp.

“But then afterward, I had nightmares. It haunted me for a long time. So, I get it, Evie. And I’m here. Just rest. I got you. ”

It’s a strange realization that the only person who truly understands me is the charming yet scary Bratva man holding me in his arms.

My body slowly relaxes the longer he holds me.

AbrAM

I look down at my other daughter, Maria. She’s ten and still so innocent as she plays with her dolls. Soon, she’ll outgrow them and become like her older sister.

I check my watch. Tatiana was supposed to be home by now.

So, where is she?

Hopefully not fucking another man. I hate to think badly of my little princess, but Tatiana has brought a world of hurt onto me.

My phone rings. It’s a call from one of my men—Vlad. “Yes?”

“Uh, Abram, you need to come down to the docks right away. There’s something you need to see.”

“I’m on my way.” I know not to discuss anything over the phone. Who knows who may be listening?

I leave Maria with my housekeeper and then head down to the docks, where I find Vlad bent over a body.

Someone petite. Not a man, I realize.

He looks up at me, a worried expression on his face. What could have him so worried?

And then I see it—the body isn’t just any body.

It’s Tatiana’s body.

She’s soaking wet and bloated, but I would recognize my daughter anywhere.

“I pulled her body out of the water,” Vlad explains. “Good thing I found her before someone else did.”

“Who did this?” I growl. “Who would kill my Tatiana?”

And that’s when it hits me.

I know exactly who.

Dimitri is asking for an all-out war.

And I’m going to give it to him.