Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 107687 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107687 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
“I know it’s not true,” I remind him, squeezing his hand. “But I think we should try to keep things on the quiet side.”
“I won’t fucking hide you,” he says, looking over at me. “If someone asks, I’ll admit to it all day.”
“That completely defeats the purpose of everything I just said,” I point out, and he shrugs.
“I just feel like you’re mine and I’m yours, and fuck everyone else.”
“Please tell me how you truly feel.” His jaw clenches, and I bring my brows together. “What?”
“Nothing,” he insists, but I sense something is up. “Are you wanting to hide us?”
“Dimitri, don’t be difficult. It’s not that. I want to protect you. I don’t want people to keep talking and—”
“I won’t hide us,” he announces. “If they’re going to use what I feel for you against me, then it is what it is. I’ll cool it. I won’t touch your butt or kiss you or mess with you when we’re at work, but if anyone asks or anyone tries to flirt with you, I’ll have something to say.”
“I wonder if we should have a sit-down with your parents—” I start, but he shakes his head. “We can sit down with my mom and maybe Katarina if she’s not being a bitch, but not my dad.”
“Dimitri,” I sigh. “He is trying to protect you.”
“He referred to you as just a piece of ass. Fuck that.”
I squeeze his hand. “And we know the truth,” I insist, staring at his profile. “I adore how passionate you are about me, but you have to remember the people in your life are only trying to look out for you, just like I am.”
He doesn’t say anything, just pulls into the parking lot of the apartment. He parks in his spot beside my car and puts the car in park. He throws his seat back then grabs the bag from my hands.
“What are you doing?”
He slaps his thighs and points to me. “Come here.”
The heat in his voice surprises me and thrills me. “Here? There? What?”
“Come here, Janie.”
My eyes don’t leave his as I take off my seat belt and climb into his lap. My knees dig into his thighs, and he doesn’t even flinch as I sit back on my haunches. He takes my ass in his hands as I bring my hands to rest on his shoulders. His fingers dance along my ass as he looks up at me, taking in every single thing about me. It almost makes me want to hide, but I refuse. Not after he demanded I get in his lap. In a gruff voice, I ask, “Can I help you?”
“With all these clothes on, no,” he answers, nipping at my bottom lip. He stops, running his nose along my lips and my jaw, taking in my scent. “I don’t know, Austen.”
I move my hands up the back of his neck, threading my fingers through his hair. “What’s wrong?”
“I…” He pauses, his voice so low. “I know everyone is looking out for me. I know how important it is for me to make the roster, and I’m afraid I won’t. But I’m more scared I’ll lose you.”
My heart sinks in my chest.
“I almost let you get away, and I don’t know what will happen next.”
Tears sting my eyes at his vulnerability, his adoration for me.
“I know we’ve been playing this little game for a month, but fuck,” he says, dropping his face into my chest. “Everything reminds me of you, I miss you when I don’t see you, and I yearn for you, all of you.”
His words are no surprise. He may not have said them quite like that before, but he has said something similar and shows them with his actions. I stroke my fingers along his neck, twirling his hair in my fingers. “Dimitri,” I whisper, taking ahold of his jaw and pushing his head back so I can get lost in those deep depths of his. “We’re going to figure this out together, because I feel you, I feel all that, and more. I don’t want to hide us or even censor who we are together, because I’m excited to see what that is. We’re just on the cusp, and there is so much more to discover about us, to enjoy, and I can’t wait.”
He snakes his arms around me and nods slowly. “I’ll be good at work.”
I grin. “My hero.”
His eyes dance with mine. “Just call me Claudius.”
I snort at that. “I’d rather call you moy lev.”
My lion.
Heat flashes in those depths, his lips curving. “I can’t get over how fluent you are in Russian and how fucking hard you make me every time a syllable leaves those gorgeous lips.”
My goodness, he gives me such power. Such confidence. I lean in, pressing my nose to his as our eyes stay locked. “Moy lev,” I whisper against his lips, feeling all the heat in his shorts.