“You… you mean it?”she whispered.
“Da.” He smoothed back her hair.“How could I not?”
Her lower lip quivered, the tiniest of movements.“Take me to bed.”
He let his forehead drop to rest against hers.“If I do to you what I want to, it will hurt you with your current injuries.”
“Dmitri Romanov, you just told me you love me.If you don’t make love to me to prove it, I’ll never forgive you.”
He found himself smiling, even as his concern for her back dampened his desire.“I won’t hurt you.”
“You’re right.You won’t.You’ll lie on your back and letme decide what hurts me and what doesn’t.”She ran her hands up his chest and kissed him.“I need you, Dima.”
I need you, Dima.
The magic words of his undoing.
He could deny this woman nothing when she wielded them against him.He backed toward the bed, towing her with him.“This wasn’t what I intended.”
“Yeah, you couldn’t be clearer about that.”She shook her head and gave him a little push.He allowed himself to sprawl back on the bed, his mouth going dry as Keira climbed to straddle him.She stroked his cock, her gaze never leaving his face.“You love me.”
“I love you.”It got easier to say it every time.
Her brows pinched together.“You’re not saying that because you think Alethea Eldridge is going to murder us all tomorrow and this is your way of getting some action before the battle, is it?”
“I believe we already established that wasn’t my plan.”He gave her the look that accusation deserved.“As evidenced by the marks all over your back, I don’t need to lie to you to get inside you.”
She gave him a squeeze.“Now, now.Those are fighting words.A girl likes to feel valued and not taken for granted.”
He bent up to kiss her.“You’re not taken for granted,moya koroleva.”
“Good.”She pushed him back to a prone position and guided his cock to her entrance.“Now letmetake advantage of you.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Keira spent most of the next day in a whirlwind of activity that did nothing to distract her from her tangled thoughts.Dmitri said he loved me.She wanted to believe it.She wanted to believe it so much, she practically vibrated from that need.If she were any other woman—if he were any other man—shewouldbelieve it with no qualms.
But she wasn’t any other woman.She was only herself.
Dmitri wasn’t any other man.He was manipulative and ambitious and surprisingly tender, all wrapped up in a complicated package.
So instead of feeling the bliss of the newly in love, she kept deconstructing every moment they’d ever spent together, trying to see it from different angles.Dmitri was so damn smart, so damn calculating, and it wasn’t like he’d suddenlystoppedbeing those things now that he claimed to care about her.
More than anything, she wanted to call someone to talk it out.Charlie was quickly becoming one of her bestfriends, but the woman didn’t exactly have much in the way of relationship experience—aside from Aiden—and her loathing of Dmitri would color any advice.Keira’s sister Carrigan wasn’t much better, but…
No.She had to figure this one out herself.
As Mark had said when she’d ordered him out of the house—she wasn’t an O’Malley anymore.Shehad made that choice.
She took an extra-long shower, wishing she could wash away her confusion as easily.Foolish of her to be so focused on it when they had all hell breaking loose in a few short hours, but she couldn’t stop.
She shut off the water and closed her eyes, letting the cool air chill her.You can do this.Shelve the feelings talk until after you figure out whether you’re all going to die.
“Keira?”
“Just thinking.”Obsessing.She turned to find Dmitri leaning against the corner where the shower met the rest of the bathroom, well out of the way of any potential water.He wore his usual slacks and button-down, so he must have come up from the office.Now was the time to put on the brave face and pretend she wasn’t hopelessly in over her head, but she just couldn’t do it.
“I want a drink.”Keira held up her hand.“I’m not going to have one, but I’m overwhelmed and freaked out, and part of me is so damn sure that if I just drown my sorrows a bit, it will make everything better.”She could almost taste the vodka on her tongue if she concentrated.
