Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 34410 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 172(@200wpm)___ 138(@250wpm)___ 115(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34410 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 172(@200wpm)___ 138(@250wpm)___ 115(@300wpm)
Alix finished before him and sat back in the chair.
“I’m so sorry about your wife,” she said. “I … I know who you are, I know what you are, but I couldn’t imagine living with someone who wanted me dead.”
“It gets easier to live with.”
Alix laughed. “There is no way that’s something easy to live with. You said you faced death every single day. One of your men could even turn on you.”
“That is a fact and I have seen it happen. My own father was shot near the heart when I was a child, by one of his own men, a man he trusted as well … but he’d been easily swayed.” Dmitry took a sip of his wine.
She shook her head. “I’m not like that. I swear my loyalty to you, Dmitry.”
“Don’t do that,” he said. It makes the betrayal so much worse.
“Why?”
“You don’t know what the future holds. You don’t know how you will be pushed.”
She reached out and took his hand. He had already finished his food. “I know who I am, Dmitry. You can question me all you want but I am loyal. I swear to you, you may not think you have someone, but you have me. I know it’s not much. I don’t know how to fight or how to use a gun. But I can watch your back. I can take care of you. You can have someone.”
He stared at her, knowing she was a temptation but one he was going to have to deny himself. There was no way he could give in to her, even though that was all he wanted to do.
Alix laughed. “I know you don’t trust me. I know it doesn’t matter what I say, you won’t believe me. You’re going to need actions more than words. I hope it never comes to it, but if it does, I’ll protect you and I’ll protect Sofia.”
“All I need you to do is protect my daughter. I can take care of myself.”
She chuckled. “We’ll see. As for George, I don’t know what he has done. Other than the divorce, I don’t know where he is. I don’t know what else he owns, or who his friends are. He would say he had a lot of friends in high places. This happened a lot after that party. I don’t know if he was just trying to impress me or what.”
“I’ll find him,” he said.
Alix pulled away and he captured her hand. She didn’t fight him.
“You wanted me to put a label on it last night,” Dmitry said.
“A lot has happened since last night.”
“You are mine, Alix. From tonight, you belong to me. You sleep in my bed. Your body is mine and you take care of my daughter. You are my lover and my nanny.”
Alix took a deep breath. “I … I can’t sleep with you.”
“You will.”
He would give her time to get over her anger at him. Dmitry had fucked up. He knew that. He’d win her over. He didn’t know how at that moment, but he would do it.
The women returned to take back their plates, and then came back into the dining room with dessert.
Alix kept looking toward him.
Dmitry didn’t know what to do next. This was new territory to him. He was used to killing people, not apologizing or making it up to people. Alix hadn’t betrayed him, but part of him knew she would. He’d hurt her or upset her, and she’d want to retaliate. That was how his world worked. Someone might approach her with an offer of money or a position. Either way, he would keep an eye on her, and when that happened, he’d be ready.
There was no way he would fall for this woman, even though he craved her touch almost as much as her smile. He wouldn’t allow her to get too close. Dmitry was a master at keeping people at a distance and spotting those who would hurt him.
After dessert, he walked with Alix back to their room. The clothes she once owned had been ruined. He’d already dealt with the men who took his instructions too far. They were no longer working at his home, but had been sent out onto the streets to deal with the threat directly. Dmitry had told them to do a thorough check, not to damage anything as they did. The idiots.
Alix wore one of his shirts to bed, and as she climbed in, she curled up as far away from him as possible. Dmitry wasn’t having that. She didn’t want his touch, and that was fine, but he wasn’t going to allow her to create a distance between them.
****
Alix didn’t want to forgive Dmitry easily. He had hurt her. But, his confessions about the people were around him, including his wife, had been hard to ignore. She felt for him.