Page 55 of King of Malice

My brows lift. He leans down and kisses me. “What are we talking about now?”

“I love you too. You are my future, Ava Tantor.”

“Oh,” I flush, my hands resting on his chest. “That’s lovely.”

He leans down and kisses me then. “I want to marry you.”

“Oh,” I repeat. “That’s fast.”

He chuckles, before his eyes grow more serious, narrowing. “Don’t worry. You’ve got plenty of time to consider. I’ve got a few issues to work through as well while you do.”

“You’ve got issues?” From my perspective, he’s got careful control of both his life and his feelings.

“My father doesn’t allow me access to my sisters. They are trapped in a prison of his cruelty.”

“That’s awful,” I gasp out, my hands lightly massaging his neck.

“I’m forcing his hand, which means I’m poking a very large bear. I know you need time, and so do I. As soon as I’ve rescued my sisters, we can discuss the future again.”

I push up on tiptoe and kiss his lips. It doesn’t surprise me he’s trying to rescue more women. Dimitri is a man who cares for the women he loves, body, mind, and soul.

I pull back a few inches, meeting his gaze again. “Can you tell me more?”

Holding my face, he kisses me again. “I’ll tell you all of it. But for today, let’s just focus on you. Tomorrow, we can discuss my messed-up family and my narcissistic and sadistic father.”

I wince on his behalf. Because we have this in common. Really messed-up pasts. No wonder he understands me.

And for the first time since I met him, Cadence is no longer between us. I’m free to just enjoy him.

Which makes my stomach twist in fear.

If life has taught me one thing, it’s that moments like these carry a very heavy cost. At least for people like me, the second I relax, something terrible is about to happen…

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Ava

Gertrude arrives at five.The meet and greet with Dimitri goes well enough. He’s polite, welcoming.

Gertrude still gives him the side eye.

She’s a crusty old lady, and I could blame her standoffishness on that. But the way she eyes the tattoos on his hands, it’s clear that she’s skeptical about what kind of man she’s moving in with.

I wonder how she’s going to react when she realizes I’m also part-time living here, even after she moves in.

I wince, trying to remember the HR policy for finding nannies for friends and family. I shake my head. It’s a problem for tomorrow.

Tonight, it’s my job to get Gertrude settled and to help Anna adjust. It’s been a lot of changes for her, and I don’t want her to be upset.

Dimitri leaves in the evening for work. Just before he goes, he kisses me goodbye. “Tonight, I’ll be late.”

We make dinner, play, watch her favorite show, before I walk Gertrude through the bedtime routine.

Sitting on the couch, Gertrude works on her knitting while I fire up my laptop, intent upon finding Gertrude’s permanent replacement for Anna’s nanny. No more dragging my feet.

I’ve set up a few interviews for next week, but I need to get a few more scheduled. And then there are the pile of new requests I’ve been ignoring.

I sigh, as I open my email, and start sifting through all the unanswered correspondence. It’s going to take me weeks to catch up.