There is nothing in the world like the physical release of sex with someone you desperately crave, and I find that her energy matches mine when my lips claim hers again.
"Now, do you believe me when I say you're mine?" I ask her, and between kisses, she responds.
"I still hate you…" But she's smiling as she says it.
20
TATIANA
The sound of water running pulls me from sleep. I reach across the bed and find empty sheets still warm from where Dimitri was lying. The shower's running in the bathroom and steam drifts through the open door.
Last night comes back in pieces—the pizza, our conversation about protecting Arseniy and my mother. The way he kissed me and everything that followed. We stayed up until almost two in the morning talking about everything and nothing at all, and my God, I think I've never felt so energized before in my life. There's something magical about this connection I have with Dimitri that I never experienced before.
I push the blanket off and get out of bed. My clothes are scattered across the floor and I leave them there as I walk toward the bathroom. The mirror's completely fogged. I can barely see Dimitri's form through the shower glass, but what I see is enough. His body is a work of art—chiseled muscle decorated in dark ink that celebrates everything he is and loves about life along with scars that tell the story of the lives he's lived.
I stand there watching him for a moment, and he doesn't seem to know I'm here yet. It feels sort of sacred, like I'm seeing parts of him that he doesn’t usually let people see. It's how I felt when he opened up last night and told me stories about growing up with Yuri as an older brother, knowing he would one day have to follow his orders. But not once did Dimitri sound bitter or cynical about being "less than" his brother. I think that respect is what makes me like him that much more.
Then he opens the shower door and looks directly at me. "Are you gonna stand there all morning looking beautiful or do you want to join me?"
The compliment puts a smile on my face, and I walk over and step into the shower before he can change his mind. He's lathered up, covered in suds and droplets of water, but it does nothing but add to the sight.
His chest is corded muscle, his thighs thick as tree trunks. And I'm one hell of a lucky woman that he's turned his sights on me, though it's taken me a long, bumpy road to finally come to this conclusion.
"Sleep well?" he asks, and I nod and lean into him, letting the spray roll over my skin and warm me.
"Did you?" I mumble, pressing kisses to his chest.
"The whole three hours I got. Yuri called and woke me up when he heard about my ordering men to the hospital. I called on a few guys we have a bit closer to your mother. They're on a plane now, and they'll be with your mother in a matter of hours." He kisses the top of my damp hair and says, "And we'll explain everything to her in a way that helps her not fear."
I can't even respond to him because I'm too in awe of the power and resources he has. It makes me feel foolish for not trusting him from the beginning. All this time and if I had gone to him and not the police, he could’ve kept me out of it entirely. I lay my head on his chest and listen to his heart beating and let the gratitude bring a smile to my face.
But the water is hot and the steam makes it hard to breathe. Dimitri picks up the soap and turns me around without asking. His hands wash my shoulders, then my arms, then down my back. When he's done with my body, he picks up the shampoo and works it through my hair.
"Why are you doing this?" I close my eyes as his fingers massage my scalp. It feels almost as good as a salon, though I haven't been able to afford a salon trip in ages.
"Doing what?" He rinses the shampoo out carefully.
"This…" The water runs down my face, over my chest and downward to the drain, and Dimitri's hands follow the flow, finding every nook and cranny and touching it sensitively.
"Lovers wash each other in the shower." He says it matter-of-factly. "This is what people do when they care about each other."
"No." I turn around to face him, half missing the fact that he said he cares about me. But I make a mental note to return to that comment later. "I mean why are you protecting me?" The lingering thought that Dimitri isn't above arranging this whole thing to force me into his arms has occurred to me a few times, and I need to know if he'd go that far. "Did you set me up?"
His hands are still on my shoulders. "Set you up?"
"The murder." I turn and search his face. He looks upset with me or accused. "Did you plan it knowing I'd be there hoping I'd run right to your arms in fear so you could 'protect' me?" I watch the muscle in his jaw work as he clenches his teeth and flares his nostrils.
"You think I'd kill someone just to get you into my bed?" Dimitri's voice is nothing but a growl, though I didn't mean to anger him. It makes me feel guilty instantly.
"I don't know," I say quietly as I bob one shoulder and avoid his eyes. "You've wanted me for months and I kept saying no. Now suddenly, I'm here, completely dependent on you."
Dimitri doesn't waste a second cupping both my cheeks and making me look up at him, and the tender man I know exists under that rough exterior is back in a flash.
"Since the moment I laid eyes on you, I've wanted you in my bed." His thumbs brush across my cheekbones. "That part is true. But I had nothing to do with Yakov's murder. The Kozlovs killed him to send a message. Your being there was terrible timing."
"How do I know you're telling the truth?" I watch his eyes because I need to know if he's lying.
"Because if I planned it, I would've done a better job of protecting you." His voice drops. "I wouldn't have let them break into your apartment to assault your roommate or hurt your cousin. I would've kept you safe from the beginning."
