by Apryl Baker
Becca cracked open blurry eyes, burning up. Had she forgotten to turn the heat down last night? For a cheap apartment, her heating and cooling was better than decent. She preferred the cold to the heat, and it helped to keep her bills down in the winter. She’d better turn it down before the place got so warm she’d be dying later. Even though it was still early May, they’d been having some really warm days in Chicago.
When she tried to move, she became aware of the heat source currently surrounding her. It wasn’t her thermostat. No, it was one Dimitri Kincaid wrapped all around her, his leg thrown over hers and one arm around her stomach, his hand curled right beneath her breasts. What the hell?
“Dimitri!”
He didn’t move. She wiggled and tried to throw his arm off, but he only tightened his hold.
“Dimitri, wake the hell up!”
He muttered something, and instead of moving, his lips found her throat. Warm kisses trailed up until they met her jawline. Becca shivered as the same desire from yesterday rolled back up and parked, her subconscious flipping her off and saying, “Screw you, Becca, we’re content right where we are.”
Dimitri’s hand uncurled, and those long fingers of his flattened against her stomach, inching upward. Asshole. “Dimitri, please…”
“Shh, Krasivaya.” His questing fingers found her breast, and she let out a low moan when he pinched her braless nipple. She twisted, trying to get away, but his other arm, which her head had been resting on, anchored her in place, his leg immovable. “Stop moving.”
The sleepiness in his voice confused her. Was he dreaming? Or did he assume it was one of his other women in his bed? But he’d called her Krasivaya. He had to know it was her. Or he called them all that. It was a new word to her. She didn’t know what it meant. When his fingers left her nipple, she let out of sigh of relief. Only it kept traveling downward. Oh, hell no. She caught his hand in both of hers.
“Wake the fuck up, Dimitri.” She all but screamed it at him, and she felt him go completely still, his fingers already at the top of her underwear.
“Fuck.”
“Fuck is right,” she snarled at him. “Now, let me up.”
He didn’t release her right away, and it only pissed her off further. She dug her fingernails into his arm, and he groaned.
“Don’t do that.” His muscles tensed up under her hands. “That’ll get you good and fucked this morning, Rebecca, so unless you want to end up with my cock inside you, be still.”
“I want to get up.”
Dimitri ignored her, enjoying having her in his arms. God, this felt way too good. She fit him perfectly. He’d gone to sleep, determined to be platonic, but somehow during the night, he must have pulled her close. Or she’d rolled into him. When she’d dug her fingernails into him, it made his dick jump to attention. He loved that sharp bite of pain. It got him sexually aroused faster than almost anything else.
Kade had been shocked when he discovered Nikoli’s bedroom activities. It seemed his little brother had taken after him more than he’d thought. Dimitri loved to be the dominant one in the bedroom. He refused to hurt a woman, but he enjoyed a little pain himself. If his partner did too, all the better, but even then, he’d never cause them harm, not even real pain. That did absolutely nothing for him. If someone asked him to physically hurt them, he ended it then and there. Not a game he would play. It sickened him, but tying his partner up, making sure she was dependent upon him for all her pleasure? It was his high.
Having Becca trapped, unable to move, her fingernails digging into him flipped a switch in him. One that urged him to roll over and take her, but he fought it. He wouldn’t. At least not yet. That switch? It just said, “Fuck friendship.” He wanted her, and he’d have her. He just had to go about it in a way that would convince her to say yes.
She wiggled, and he hissed when her ass rubbed against his very hard, very sore dick. “Be still.”
“Let me up.”
“I don’t want to.”
“I do.”
The anger in her voice teased at the edges of his lust-infused mind, but still he ignored her and let his lips enjoy the soft lobe of her ear. “No, you don’t. You just think you do.”
“I swear to God, Dimitri, if you don’t let me up right this minute, I will kick you in the balls so hard you won’t screw anyone for a good month.”
The desperation in her voice confirmed his suspicions. She wanted him. “Let’s make a deal.”
“What kind of deal?” Wariness flared in her words.
“A simple thing, really.”
“Nothing’s ever simple with you.” She stopped struggling, and he sent a prayer upward in gratitude.
“If you want up, you have to kiss me.”
“Asshole, I’m not kissing you.”
“It’s just a kiss, Rebecca.”
“But?”
He cackled. Yes, cackled. This seduction of one Rebecca Joyce Rhodes was going to be fun.
“But nothing. If you want up, then kiss me.”
“This isn’t a good idea, Dimitri.”
Yup, there was that desperate tone again. He rubbed his leg up and down hers, causing her even further sexual tension. It was a low blow, and he knew it, but he did it anyway.
“We already talked about this last night. We decided…”
“No, we didn’t decide. I just agreed it was a bad idea.”
“And now you think it’s a good idea?”
“No.” He nuzzled her neck. “It’s a fucking stupid idea, but it doesn’t change the fact I’ve wanted to fuck you since I saw you yesterday morning, all sleepy with that freshly fucked look. Had you just gotten done pleasuring yourself, sweetheart? Is that what had you so flushed, your hair everywhere?”
Holy hell. Becca had no answer to that. Her face was heating up to epic proportions. She could feel the flames licking at her.
“That’s it, wasn’t it?” he purred. “Just think, Krasivaya, what it would feel like if my fingers filled you instead of some sterile piece of plastic. Close your eyes and think of my cock filling up that pretty little pussy of yours.”
She took a deep, steadying breath. This was not happening. She had to be dreaming. She was trapped in a wet dream. That was it. This was all a dream.
His fingers slipped beneath the waistline of her panties, and she pulled at his arm, panic riding up her spine. “Fine, you can kiss me, just stop…this!”
The laugh that rolled through him shook her. “I don’t think you’ll want me to stop soon enough, Krasivaya.” He flipped her faster than she could blink and settled on top of her, his body covering hers.
“You said just a kiss.” His eyes were full of the devil, and she knew it wasn’t going to be just a kiss. He was going to make her remember this.
He nodded and dropped a tiny kiss on her nose. “Relax, sweetheart, it is just a kiss.”
Dimitri propped his weight on his elbows, and the lust in his eyes made her look away, but he was having none of that. “Eyes up, Becca. Look at me. I want those eyes.”
This was a side of him she’d never seen before, this demanding, dominant side. It caused her to tense up, but in places that shouldn’t be tensing. It turned her on, and that was something she’d never admit to him. Best to let him kiss her then beat the shit out of him. She’d sleep in the Jeep tonight if she couldn’t find another room.
When she finally managed to meet his gaze, she wanted to hide from what she saw. They burned with a desire that lit the cooling embers of her own.
“Good girl.” He dipped his head and trailed feather light kisses over her face, teasing her even as she forced herself to stay still, to show no reaction to something she’d dreamed of for years. The reality was so much better than the fantasy. The heaviness of him, his smell invading everything…oh, yeah, definitely better than the fantasy.
His lips finally met hers, but they weren’t hard and demanding like they’d been last night. They were gentle, even hesitant as they learned the feel of
hers. Dimitri took his time, his tongue darting out to trace her lips before sucking her bottom one into his mouth. It was odd. She’d never had someone do that before, but odd good. She liked the sensation.
This time when his tongue slipped into her mouth, she was ready for it. And still, it did her no good. Tingles broke out along her skin, the slow burn that started earlier erupted, and she gasped, her hands automatically going around his neck.
He pulled away, gathered her hands in one of his, and jerked them over her head. “Sweetheart, if you touch me right now, more than a kiss is going to be happening.”
His lips recaptured hers, and he began an assault in earnest. Before, he’d been teasing, playing with her, but now he meant it. He deepened the kiss, his lips mastering hers with ease, and she let him. She’d wanted to resist, but there was no resisting Dimitri. Why she thought she could was beyond her. He had her good and truly trapped, all avenues of escape gone.
So, she did the one thing she promised not to—she gave in and kissed him back. His groan matched her own when her tongue started to duel with his. She tried to pull her hands free, needing to touch him, but his hold tightened. Two could play that game. Her leg was wedged between his, and she rubbed it up against his cock. She felt him go completely still before finally pulling his lips from hers.
“Do you want me to fuck you?”
Yes. “No.”
“Then don’t do things that will make me do exactly that.”
“You wouldn’t.” This much she was certain of. A kiss was one thing, but Dimitri would never force himself on her, no matter how aroused he might be. It wasn’t his way.
He dropped his head in the crook of her neck, breathing hard. “This was a bad idea.”
“I told you that already, asshole.”
He pushed himself up off the bed. He didn’t say a word as he walked into the bathroom and shut the door.
Asshole.
Chapter Eight
Dimitri found her organizing books into bags when he came out of the bathroom, one long, cold shower later, finally calm enough to face her. He wouldn’t apologize for kissing her. She’d enjoyed it every bit as much as he had, though he was pretty sure she’d never admit it.
He’d had a come-to-Jesus moment this morning when he’d had her in his arms. He wanted her. The feeling wasn’t going to go away. The longer he spent with her, the worse it was going to get. He’d wanted a few women in his life in a bad, bad way, but never like this, never this intensely. She’d felt perfect in his arms, and it wasn’t something he wanted to lose. He wanted to explore it.
He also knew it might lead to the same place all his women did, and it nearly killed him thinking about how badly he would hurt her. It was the only reason he decided to slow this down. He wasn’t going to ignore this thing between them. He wanted to see where it might go. He’d do his damnedest not to hurt her, but she’d flipped that dominant, possessive gene in him this morning. He knew better than to try to go back from that. It would make things worse.
Becca was not going to come willingly. She’d need to be coaxed into agreeing to discover where this might go. He just hoped he wasn’t about to do something that would cause the biggest regret of his life, but it didn’t feel like that right now. It felt right.
“Are you hungry?”
She didn’t even look at him when she spoke. “Yes.”
He pursed his lips. He could read the anger in the hostile outline of her body. Tough shit, sweetheart. He wasn’t apologizing.
His phone rang, and he grudgingly turned away and found it on the desk. Sara Jane Riley’s image popped up, and a real smile broke out on his face. She was a fellow author and a friend. She’d taken him under her wing when he’d first started writing and had shown him quite a few things and introduced him to all the right bloggers.
“Hey, doll. What’s up?” He saw Becca’s head snap up at his tone and her eyes narrow. She could pretend all day she felt nothing, but the anger in those baby browns of hers? It spoke volumes.
“I see you made it! Where are you? We’re all down at the Japanese place.”
“How do you know I made it down?”
“Your post in the Facebook group, duh!” He could imagine her rolling her eyes.
“Ah, that would be Becca posting on my behalf.”
“The infamous Becca.”
He laughed. “I’m not sure I can make it, honestly. We have a lot of work yet to do…”
“We?” Sara Jane interrupted him. “Who’s with you?”
“Becca came down with me.”
“Oh, we finally get to meet your PA? She’s always the sweetest person when I chat with her.”
If only Sara Jane could see his little spitfire shooting daggers at him right now.
“Yeah, she’s coming over tonight to help me. I have no clue how to set up a table.”
“I’m sure you’re both hungry. Why don’t the two of you come down and meet everyone?”
“Who all’s there?” He shot a sideways glance at Becca, who was stuffing bags with swag. He would not force her into a large group.
“Just us authors.” Sara mumbled something he couldn’t hear.
“How many people are there, Sara?”
“About twenty or so. Why?”
Too many for his girl right now. People would ask questions, and she’d be forced to interact. He’d put her through enough for one day.
“You know, I think we’ll catch up with everyone later tonight. There’s just too much work to do right now.”
Sara was silent for minute. “You sure?”
“Yeah. We’ll see you guys later.”
“Okay, if you’re sure. Talk soon, baby doll.”
He laughed outright at her nickname for him. He always called her doll and she called him baby. Nothing romantic there; she was married. She said he was like a baby learning to walk in the author world. They’d said those words at the same time, and it clicked for her. She forever called him baby doll after that. Not something her husband appreciated. It didn’t sit well with Dimitri when he’d heard the man swearing at her. He may not talk to Sara often, but she was a friend, and he worried about her.
“Bye, hon.” He ended the call and grabbed his wallet. They did need to eat. “Ready to go find some food?”
“Who was that?”
Dimitri suppressed a grin. She was trying so hard not to sound jealous, but he heard it anyway. “Sara Jane. She saw you posted we arrived and invited us to come eat with everyone.”
Her expression softened. “Why don’t you go? I’ll find someplace that does delivery and finish this up.”
“No, babe. There is way too much stuff to do by yourself. I asked you to help me, not do everything for me.”
“The whole point of you coming to these things was to get to know the other authors, D. How are you going to do that if you don’t do some group things?”
“You’re here because of me. I’m not abandoning you in the hotel room to go hang out with everyone. If you came, I have a feeling you’d not eat a thing, and you’d be uncomfortable. So, we’re going to go find some low-key place where we can eat quietly. I heard Charleston has some really great seafood places.”
Becca’s ire started to flee in the wake of his obvious concern. This was why she couldn’t stay mad at him. He might be a jerk who loved to get her riled, but when push came to shove, he put her feelings first. She was still pissed at him over this morning, but she wasn’t so mad she wanted to castrate him anymore.
She started to tell him she wanted some alone time, but he stopped her before she uttered the first word. “This can wait. We’re both hungry, and we need to talk. Do you want to shower before we go?”
She really should, but she knew she’d be dirty later because of all the boxes and sitting on the floor. Two showers in one day was not only bad for the skin, it would wreak havoc on her very unruly hair. Since he wasn’t going to go and leave her alone, she stood. There was no arguing with his mule-headed tendenci
es once he decided on something. It was either give in and eat or stand here arguing with him for next hour…and she’d still lose.
“Fine. Let me change and brush my teeth, then we’ll go.”
She left him plundering through some of the bags. They contained all the books and swag, but he still had to sign the books. She’d only gotten through about twenty books and had a lot to go. It was going to be a long afternoon. They’d both slept until noon, so she was fairly certain they weren’t going to get the pre-orders done before heading over to the event venue. When she got back, she’d finish putting them together and box everything back up.
Once she was done brushing her teeth, she pulled on jean capris and her favorite red Coca-Cola t-shirt. Her hair got a quick brush and its usual ponytail. She kept trying to busy her mind with mundane things and her list of what needed to get done so she wouldn’t think about earlier.
About that kiss.
The kiss she’d wholeheartedly returned.
Her cheeks flamed, and she splashed her face with water, trying to lessen the burn. Dimitri was not going to let her hide from the fact she’d kissed him back and then some.
It was one of the reasons she’d suggested he go out and meet up with the other authors. She needed time to herself, to think and find a way to ignore him. How had he gone from agreeing intimacy between them was a bad idea to openly trying to seduce her? Just a kiss, my ass, she thought darkly. He’d meant to make her all hot and bothered thinking about that kiss all day. Definitely getting her own room today. There would be no more of last night or this morning.
She only had to get through today and tomorrow. Then they could go home, and there wasn’t another event for two weeks. She could escape back to the safe haven of her apartment and away from the temptation of Dimitri. She’d forgotten how much he affected her. How the hell had she been better at hiding it in high school?
Because he’d gotten even sexier with age, that was how.
He banged on the door. “Time’s wasting, sweetheart.”
She shot the door the evilest glare she could summon. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
