Page 38 of The Healing Touch (Manwhore #3)

CHAPTER TWENTY

The breeze felt wonderful against Becca’s hot skin.

The sand she was squishing her toes in was still warm from the sun that baked it earlier in the day, even though the night had cooled.

The beach was beautiful at night, but it was even more glorious in the daytime with the water sparkling beneath a cloudless sky.

That didn’t mean she liked it enough to want to stay here, though.

Los Angeles was loud, dirty, and hot. Not that Chicago didn’t get its fair share of heat waves, but it was never this muggy. Dimitri’s condo afforded them some privacy at night when she ventured out to the sand. His neighbors were nosier than hers, though, and that was saying something.

She knew he was going to ask her to stay. And she probably would. She might hate the city, but she loved the man.

After everything that went down in Charleston, LA was a safe haven.

Dimitri’s ex had been taken to the hospital, screaming she was going to file charges and sue Becca.

Something she wasn’t worried about. The woman had attacked her, after all.

She’d been booked for assault and battery.

Even if she somehow managed to get out of those charges, she was still facing a bench warrant in Philadelphia, where they had her dead to rights on embezzlement.

And thanks to her jumping bond, she was currently being held without bail.

She wouldn’t be seeing the outside of a prison cell any time soon.

The signing was something she’d remembered only after she’d woken up the next day.

Sara Jane had taken care of everything. She’d left a note on Dimitri’s table telling readers to pick his pre-orders up at her table, and her assistant packed up his things for him.

He’d collected them later that day and arranged for UPS to ship them.

Sheila, the event coordinator, had been very understanding, as had his readers.

Becca still had people talking about how she deserved it for breaking up the crazy ex’s relationship with Dimitri, but they could keep on hating.

There would always be those who wanted nothing more than to believe the worst and gossip about it.

Her true friends had shown themselves in their defense of her.

That was all a person could really ask for.

Since she’d been here in LA, her anxiety had calmed down quite a bit.

She still had attacks, but they were shorter, and she was able to get a handle on them a little quicker.

It could be because Dimitri had been right beside her the entire time.

He never lost his patience, never got angry, and doted on her.

He pushed her too. He made her go out, took her to the movies during the matinee when it wasn’t so crowded, or took her to find new places to eat.

They’d been to three restaurants featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives already.

She’d gotten him hooked on the show. For a man with a finicky stomach, he loved food.

“Hey, you.” Dimitri slipped his arms around her, and she leaned into his chest, loving how safe he made her feel. “You’ve been out here a while. Are you cold?”

“Not anymore.”

“What are you thinking about?” He leaned down and lightly kissed her neck.

“Not what you’re thinking about.” She giggled. Yes, giggled.

“Witch, you tempt me then deny me.” He bit her ear, but ever so gently.

She turned in his arms and grinned. “No, the Thai food tempted you straight to the bathroom.”

He grimaced. “We shall not speak of that ever again.”

Becca had ordered Thai takeout, and Dimitri settled on a sub from his favorite sandwich shop last night. Not her fault her food smelled divine and he’d filched a little of it. She told him not to, but he never listened. Poor guy had spent all night in the bathroom and a good portion of today.

“Are you feeling better?”

“I haven’t had an attack in over three hours, so I think the worst of it’s past.”

“I really should make a meme out of that photo I took of you running for the bathroom.”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

“Try me.” She laughed and leaned in so she could breathe in his scent.

He smelled like the ocean, having taken his dog out in the waves to play with the big chocolate lab.

Dimitri grouched the dog liked her better, since he refused to leave her side from the moment he’d met her. Called him a traitor on a daily basis.

“You are a mean, mean woman.” His hands wandered down her backside until he gripped both of her ass cheeks, squeezing them.

“I can be just as mean, though. How about I take you inside, tie you to the bed, and keep you right on the edge for the next few hours. I think that is a proper punishment for threatening memes.”

“You know the rules. No sex for two weeks, and you don’t get to tie me up until you let me tie you up first.”

“It’s been ten days.” He pulled back, forcing her to look up at him. One arm came up, and he traced the deepest of the cuts on her face. Dimitri insisted on having a plastic surgeon look at it. She was glad he had. The wound hadn’t been sutured to salvage her face, but for efficiency.

The surgeon worked his magic, but it meant she still had stitches all along the right side of her eye.

The smaller cuts had healed nicely, and those stitches had been removed yesterday.

The damage to her eye had been worse and required more time to heal.

The eye doctor assured her there would be no permanent damage, but she’d experience blurriness for a while.

All in all, not bad, considering the beating her face had taken.

“Ten days is not two weeks.”

“I have a serious case of blue balls, Becca. I think I may need to be hospitalized before we leave for Texas.”

“You’re a grown man. You can suffer through it.”

He shook his head. “Suffer through it? Do you know how much my dick and my balls hurt when you go prancing around in those damn lace panties of yours?” She kept her face as straight as she could, and he groaned. “Witch. You don’t give a shit how much you’re making me suffer!”

She smiled. “Nope.”

He laughed and hugged her. “God, I love you so much.”

“I love you too.”

They stood there for a while, staring out at the ocean, enjoying the quiet of the night and each other’s arms. It was peaceful and settled Becca’s nerves more than anything else. Dimitri’s next question shattered the quiet little interlude.

“What do you think of LA?” He sounded almost coy, and she knew where this was going. A conversation she’d hoped to put off until after Texas. Especially after that welcome home comment their first night here.

“It’s okay, I guess.”

His arms tightened. “You don’t really like the city, do you?”

“No.” No point in trying to dumb down her dislike. “I’m sorry, but I really don’t.”

“I figured that out on your second day when your nose scrunched up and you complained about the smog and the heat.” He smiled and pulled her toward the closed sliding glass door. “It’s okay, though. I think I’m about done with the city, anyway.”

“What do you mean?” Oliver met them and demanded attention. The dog was a big baby and rolled over to get his belly scratched as soon as Becca dropped to her knees.

Dimitri didn’t answer right away. He just watched his traitor of a dog get the attention he himself wanted. Why wouldn’t she rub his belly like that?

Fuck. He had it bad. He was jealous of the damn dog.

“All my brothers are on the east coast. They’ve been bugging me for months to move to New York. With Mason transferring to NYU, there’s no reason to stay here anymore, especially if my soon-to-be wife hates it.”

“We still haven’t established I’m marrying you.”

Dimitri wanted to demand she marry him and have her obey him, but he knew she had her own mind and wouldn’t be pushed on this. She’d told him more than once she wouldn’t be forced. It was a big decision.

He knew that. Nothing had ever been more important to him.

Sure, he might play the jokester, laugh all the time, and flirt like nobody’s business, but once he realized Becca was his, all that silliness went out the window.

His relationship with her was the one thing he took seriously.

And he’d make her realize that, no matter what it took.

“What made you move out here, anyway? I don’t think I ever asked.”

“It wasn’t cold.” He threw a bag of popcorn in the microwave. “I grew up in Russia where it’s damn cold, then moved to Virginia where the cold wasn’t as severe, but still horrible. I just wanted to stay warm for a change.”

“And you’re willing to give up the sunshine state to be with your brothers?”

“No. I’m willing to give it up for you.”

Which was true. He would have flat out refused, if not for Becca. He loved the sunshine and the warmth, but he’d give it all up and freeze his ass off for his woman.

“I love the cold and the snow.” She gave Oliver one last rub and got to her feet. “It makes for good cuddling weather.”

“Well, since you put it like that, I love the cold and the snow too.” He opened the microwave when it beeped at him and took out the popcorn. “Can you hand me a bowl, please?”

“Movie night?” She found the right cabinet after three tries. He could have told her, but he enjoyed watching her stretch to get the cabinets open then push up on her toes to reach the bowls, causing her shirt to ride up her backside. It afforded him a fantastic view.

“Since it’s so late, I thought we could settle in and watch Game of Thrones . You said you’ve never seen it, so why not introduce you to my fascination for Cersei?”

“Isn’t she the one everyone hates?” Becca held the bowl while he shook the popcorn into it. “Or is it the imp they all hate?”

“Cersei is the evil queen of the show. Everyone loves to hate her. Except me. I think all those evil tendencies she has are hot as fuck.”

“You’re terrible.”