Page 58 of No Longer Mine (Rags & Riches #2)

Chapter Forty-Nine

Dimitri

I adjusted the 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’d put 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 on either 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?”

I dragged my eyes over her, slow—deliberate—ensuring she felt it. “I like it too much.”

She let out a soft, knowing laugh. “That sounds like a you problem.”

It was. It absolutely was. But she was about to make it our problem.

She grabbed a small clutch from the entryway table and stepped into the hall, pulling the door shut behind her. As she moved, the dress shifted, offering teasing flashes of creamy skin through the slits, and her perfume wrapped around me—dark, sweet, and utterly addictive.

I held out my arm, my voice rougher than I intended. “Let’s go before I change my mind and drag you back inside.”

Her brows lifted, but she slid her hand into the crook of my arm without hesitation. “Promises, promises.”

I exhaled sharply, leading her toward the elevator. If she thought this was a game, she had no idea what she’d just signed up for.

Don was waiting for us on the street. He opened the door for us and bowed his head slightly for my date. “You look absolutely breathtaking.” Scarlett’s cheeks colored as she slid into the car behind me.

The ride to the restaurant was a quick one.

I’d planned it that was so when we were finished with dinner I didn’t have to wait too long to get her out of her dress and on my cock.

It was all I could think about, and now that I saw miles of leg in that dress…

I was surprised I could even walk straight.

I clenched my fists in my lap, forcing myself to focus on the here and now—not on how that dress would look pooled around her ankles later.

Scarlett shifted beside me, crossing one leg over the other, and my jaw ticked. She knew exactly what she was doing.

We pulled up to Restaurant Daniel, I watched as she smiled slightly.

I wanted to impress her so badly, and I knew this would be the place to do it.

The inside was a work of art, as well as the food.

Truth be told, I was already thinking of the third date, and all of the ones that would come after that.

I wanted to see her eyes light up with each place I chose.

I wanted her to know I’d put thought into spending my time with her.

Scarlett’s lips parted slightly as she took in the restaurant, the soft golden light catching the sharp angles of her cheekbones. She turned to me, something unreadable flickering in her gaze. “This looks really nice.”

I smirked, stepping out of the car before the valet could reach my door.

Rounding the vehicle, I extended a hand, helping her out with a steady grip.

“You deserve the best.” The words slipped out without hesitation—without calculation.

A simple truth that she would come to realize when she noticed I’d paid for an entire private experience.

The chances of us being seen by anyone my family knew would be slim to none.

But she didn’t need to know that. All I cared about was that she felt special, adored, and cherished.

She hesitated for the briefest of moments, then let her fingers tighten around mine. “We’ll see if you still think that by the end of the night.”

My smirk deepened as I led her toward the entrance. “Oh, I’m counting on it.”

Inside, the restaurant was bathed in soft candlelight, the air thick with the scent of rich sauces and expensive wine. The hostess greeted us warmly, barely sparing me a glance as her eyes lingered on Scarlett.

I couldn’t blame her. Scarlett commanded attention without trying.

As we followed the hostess to our private room, through a series of hallways, I leaned in, lowering my voice just for her. “For the record, that dress should be illegal.”

Scarlett hummed, barely turning her head. “The girls said the same thing.”

“Cleo?” I asked, confused.

Scarlett slid into her chair and picked up her menu. She didn’t offer me another glance as she spoke. “Audrey and Carina.”

I choked. “Excuse me?”

Scarlett smiled softly, finally lifting her eyes to meet mine over the rim of her menu. “Oh, didn’t I mention? Your grandmothers and your brother’s women paid me a little visit.”

If Audrey and Carina had their way, Scarlett would be ingrained in their little circle, and my grandmothers… well, they’d already decided she was theirs to keep. I leaned forward, my fingers curling around the edge of the table. “When?”

“Last night, as soon as Vance was gone.” She flicked her gaze back to the menu, as if she hadn’t just detonated a bomb in the middle of our dinner. “They brought wine. Lots of wine.”

I exhaled through my nose, shaking my head. Of course they did. I should’ve known the second I let my guard down that those meddling women would take matters into their own hands. “And?” I prompted. “How bad was it?”

Scarlett’s lips curled. “Depends on your definition of bad. They seem to think we’re inevitable.”

I groaned, rubbing a hand down my face. “Christ.”

She laughed, and it did something to my insides. “It was… interesting.”

“Interesting?” I couldn’t even bear a glance at my menu now. I needed to know every last detail.

“Well,” She wouldn’t look at me again, and I knew it was bad. “They asked how we met.”

My stomach bottomed out. “You lied, right?”

Her smile was big and uncomfortable. “Oh yeah.”

“Oh no.” I groaned.

She shrugged. “They were all over me like flies. I had to tell them something interesting or they would have never left.”

“So you told them the truth?”

“I couldn’t think of an interesting lie,” she squeaked. It was then that I realized I had my commanding voice on.

My shoulders relaxed, and I let out a breath. “Nothing can prepare you for those four, I’m just happy you made it out alive.”

Her cheeks colored under my gaze as she finally looked back up at me. “Don’t worry, I left out the part where I broke back into your apartment and you hate fingered me.”

The waiter appeared at our table, cutting the conversation short, and I ordered a bottle of wine without looking at the menu.

I already knew what I wanted; it had nothing to do with food.

Now that she mentioned my fingers inside of her, it was all I could think about.

I thought about excusing myself to the bathroom to hopefully adjust myself, but I didn’t want to be too obvious. She was killing me.

The waiter left, and I felt Scarlett level me with a stare. Like she hadn’t just dropped an entire bomb. She was about to drop another.

“So now that you know all of my secrets, I think it’s high time I learn a few of yours.”

The color drained from my face. First, the grannies and my sisters, and now she wanted to rummage in my past? This was not at all what I had planned for a second date.