Or maybe she’s waiting for Kyle to return so she won’t have to be alone with me.
But Kyle isn’t returning anytime soon. I made sure of that. Sylvester is downstairs keeping him occupied for as long as I give the word.
Eventually, Vivian runs out of excuses. She lets her friends step into the elevator, waves them off with a bright smile that flickers the second the doors slide shut.
I move.
Before she can turn around, before she can even take a breath, I’m on her—closing the distance in three strides and pinning her back against the wall. Her gasp hits my throat. My hands cage her in. Her eyes spark wide, furious and breathless at the same time.
Exactly what I came for.
“You look beautiful tonight.” I lower my mouth to her jaw, tracing the line of it with my teeth.
She gasps, her hands pushing weakly against my chest. “Let me go, Dimitri.”
“Who did you dress up for?” I murmur against her skin as I drag my lips down her neck. “Was it me?”
“Of course not!”
“That hurts.” I grab her face, my fingers firm on her cheeks as I angle her head up. I lean in, fast, stopping just before my mouth touches hers. Her eyes go wide—caught, cornered—but she doesn’t pull away. She just goes very, very still.
“You want to play the perfect wife?” I whisper, my breath brushing her lips. “Why don’t you play it for me, hmm?”
I touch her hand to her breast and squeeze slightly. She arches her back and releases a breath into my mouth.
“Dimitri, please….” The smallest crack in her voice gives her away.
And it only makes me want her more.
“Don’t.” My voice drops even lower, the kind of quiet that slices deeper than shouting. “Don’t play games you’re an amateur in.”
Her breath catches, her fingers trembling against my chest.
I let my thumb drag slowly across her lower lip—not gently, just enough to remind her who’s in control. “Don’t test me again, Vivian. You won’t like how I answer.”
For a moment, we’re frozen there: her pinned to the wall, me hovering over her like a storm I’m barely holding back. Then I release her face, step back, and the air between us snaps like a broken wire.
I turn and storm off, not trusting myself to look at her again.
Not trusting myself to leave if I do.
Chapter 8 – Vivian
It’s morning, and I’m sitting across from Dimitri at the dining table, pretending to eat while my pulse behaves like it’s training for a marathon. After what happened last night…how he touched me…how I almost let him go further…I’d be insane not to be hyper-aware of him.
I’m playing a dangerous game. And he warned me to be careful.
We haven’t spoken since breakfast started.
Good. I can’t stand the bastard.
He finishes eating first and sets down his spoon. I see the shift in his posture from the corner of my eye—the slight tension, the way his attention drags to me.
“You didn’t introduce your bodyguard to me….”
I scoff under my breath. Maybe I didn’t. But Kyle told me they already met, and that he introduced himself. Not a big deal.
“You’ve met him already, haven’t you?”
