But she wanted to know about his childhood, and it was something he didn’t talk about much.
“You don’t have to tell me.” She leaned back in the seat. “It’s okay.”
“No, I want to.” In his rush to answer, his voice came out loud and gruff. He tried again. “I want you to know. I just . . . I don’t think about it a lot. I try to forget it, you know?”
“Dimitri, you don’t have to—”
“I do.” He took a deep breath and thumped the wheel with both hands. “You know how adults talk about politics in front of kids, thinking they won’t understand? As the government was collapsing, my parents and aunts and uncles did their best to keep us from worrying, but I was older, and I knew something was up. And I can’t lie, it freaked me out.”
She nodded, and now she reached out and placed a hand on his knee, warm and comforting.
“When we moved here from Odessa, we had a slightly easier time of it, because my aunt and uncle and cousins were already here. They helped us get set up, but for a while we all lived in the same house.” He flicked her a glance. “That’s why my cousin Alex and I are so close. We grew up together, and we’re close in age. Nik was still a toddler when all this was going on. He doesn’t remember any of it.”
“Do you think it affects him?” she asked softly.
He shifted in his seat. “I guess it does. Our experiences with the move were different. He can’t stay in one place for long, and me, all I want is for everything to stay settled.”
Her fingers rubbed his leg, and despite the serious conversation, he wanted her bad. He gripped the wheel hard.
“You’re very close to your parents,” she said.
“They were my rock. Stable, even though everything else was in upheaval. I never doubted them.”
Her lips twisted. “Must be nice.”
He dropped one hand to capture hers, bringing it to his lips. The words welled up in him, the need to tell her he could be that for her, that he loved her and would stand by her. But his mother was right. Right now, Tasha didn’t think she deserved love. He had to show her she did.
Her slim fingers moved against his mouth, their soft tips smoothing over his lips. He slipped his tongue out and licked her, rewarded by her surprised giggle. Languid warmth spread through him, and his cock throbbed and grew heavy. He let go of her and stuck his hand in his lap to adjust himself.
Her giggle turned into a full on laugh. “I taste that good, huh?”
“You’re a tease,” he grumbled, secretly pleased they could flirt this way, with no sense of embarrassment. They’d done too much together to be embarrassed about each other’s bodies, and there was no denying the desire that flared between them.
“Just don’t crash.” She turned to look out the window, lips curved in a smile.
It had been days since they’d had sex. Dimitri hadn’t initiated anything, out of concern for her ankle. But she was almost better now, and they were closer than ever. Tonight, he was going to make his move. She was a goddess. A queen. She deserved to be treated as such, and he’d been remiss in his duties. Tonight, he was going to show her how much he loved her, and how much she deserved to be loved.
27
Natasha’s nerves jitterbugged under her skin when Dimitri pulled up in front of the gym.
“I’ll find a spot to park,” he said, and she shook her head quickly.
“No need.” She opened the door and climbed out, awkward because of the crutches. “Stay in the car. I’ll just run in and hand this over, and then I’ll be right back out, real quick.” She waved the folder she carried.
His eyebrows drew together like he knew something was up, but he didn’t say anything as she shut the car door and hobbled into the gym.
At least he hadn’t argued, or insisted on following her.
Natasha greeted the woman at the front desk, exchanged small talk about her ankle and the minor repairs made to the gym’s locker room, then crutched her way toward the classroom where she usually taught.
Before leaving the reception area, she checked over her shoulder once more. Dimitri hadn’t come in. Good. No matter what, he couldnotmeet Renee. Renee would lead to all sorts of questions she wasn’t prepared to answer.
The classroom door was ajar, so Natasha stuck her head in. “Hello?”
Renee sat in the corner on a folding chair, typing on the laptop balanced on her knees. When she looked up, her face brightened. “Tash!”
Natasha eased into the room as Renee set the laptop aside and strolled over to her, navigating around the series of poles set into the floor. Even barefoot, in boy shorts and a camisole, with no makeup on and her wine red hair pulled into a ponytail, Renee walked like she was on a catwalk and every eye was on her.
