The moment the door shut, I whirled on him.
“How could you let her talk about Adele like that?” The words burst out before I could stop them. “Like she’s some kind of—some kind of mistake. A bastard. How could you just sit there and let Selene spread that venom about our daughter?”
Dimitri moved toward me, his expression pained. “Isabella—”
“She called my mother a homewrecker. Called me a liar. Insinuated that Adele might not even be yours.” My voice shook with fury and hurt. “And you waited. You let her keep talking before you finally—”
“I had to let her speak,” he interrupted, his voice firm but gentle. “I had to let everyone see exactly who she is. What she’s capable of. If I’d cut her off immediately, some of these board members would have thought I was trying to silence legitimate concerns.” He took another step closer. “But now they’ve all heard her. They’ve seen her cruelty. Her jealousy. And they know exactly where I stand.”
Some of the anger deflated from my chest, leaving behind a hollow ache.
“I won’t let it happen again,” Dimitri continued, his voice droppinglower. “I promise you, Isabella. No one—not Selene, not the board, not anyone—will be allowed to speak about you or Adele that way again. I will protect you both. With everything I have.”
The sincerity in his voice made my throat tight.
“I just…” I swallowed hard. “She has no right to talk about Adele like that. Adele is innocent. She’s a child. She doesn’t deserve any of this.”
“I know.” Dimitri’s hand came up slowly, giving me time to pull away if I wanted. When I didn’t, his fingers brushed my cheek. “And I swear to you, I will spend every day proving that I choose you. Both of you. Over everything else.”
I should pull away. Should maintain the distance I’d been so carefully keeping between us. But standing here, looking into his eyes, seeing the raw honesty there…my thoughts circled back to the daydreams that have been haunting me since that night on the veranda. And suddenly, I found myself wanting to kiss him.
“Thank you,” I said quietly. “For defending us. For giving Adele a place here. For…” I gestured vaguely at the boardroom. “For all of this.”
“You don’t need to thank me for doing what I should have done five years ago.” His thumb traced the line of my jaw.
The air between us shifted. Charged.
“Isabella,” his voice was almost a whisper now. “I know I don’t deserve another chance. I know I destroyed everything we had. But God help me, I can’t stop wanting you. Can’t stop loving you.”
I shook my head, trying to let logic trump the need rising inside of me. But he continued.
“I see you with Adele, and I see everything I should have had, everything I threw away because I was too much of a coward to fight for what I wanted.” He leaned closer, his forehead almost touching mine. “Let me fight for you now. Let me prove I’ve changed.”
My wolf whined, pressing against my control, urging me closer.
I didn’t move.
But Dimitri did.
He closed the distance, his lips capturing mine in akiss that was both desperate and reverent. His hand slid to the back of my neck, holding me gently but firmly. And God help me, I kissed him back.
Five years of longing poured into that kiss. Five years of denial and anger and love that had never really died. My hands came up to grip his suit jacket, pulling him closer even as my rational mind screamed that this was wrong.
My hand brushed against his, and I felt it. Cool metal against my fingers. His wedding ring.
Reality crashed over me like ice water.
I jerked back, stumbling away from him, my hand flying to my lips.
“Isabella—”
“You’re married, Dimitri.” The words came out harsher than I intended. “You have a wife. And I’ve already been the other woman once. I won’t—” My voice cracked. “I won’t let you break me twice.”
Pain flashed across his face. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get any words out, Edmund walked back into the conference room.
That was my cue to exit.
I whirled around, and without another word, or another glance at Dimitri, I walked out.
