Chapter Four
Chapter Four
A melia adjusted the silk of her dress as she stepped into the opulent dining room of Shadowfield Manor. Crystal chandeliers shone on a long mahogany table adorned with silver candelabras and delicate porcelain plates. Heavy velvet drapes framed tall, gothic windows, lending an air of mystery to the space.
“Please, have a seat. I’m so pleased you agreed to join me for dinner.” He pulled out a chair for her, his touch lingering on her shoulder just a moment longer than necessary.
“I was delighted by your invitation,” Amelia replied, and then she sat down and took in the sumptuous feast before her. The aroma of roasted lamb, seasoned with rosemary and garlic, mingled with the mouthwatering whiff of red wine. Her stomach growled in anticipation.
“How did you manage all this?” She smiled, lifting her glass of wine to her lips and taking a sip. The liquid was bold and complex, coating her tongue with notes of dark berries and a hint of oak.
“Henry helped me cook,” Dimitri said, settling across from her. His stare never left hers. “One learns to appreciate the finer things when one has...loads of extra time.”
“Do you ever wish for something different? A life less...cumbersome?”
Dimitri’s gaze grew distant, his fingers outlining the rim of his glass. “It is a fitting description. Isolation, however, is far more accurate. I often find myself longing for simplicity, for normalcy. To not be haunted by shadows of the past.”
Amelia’s heart clenched at the raw emotion in his voice. “I understand that. I’ve spent my life surrounded by people, yet feeling utterly alone. All I want is genuine love, not conditioned by expectations or deceit.”
“To love and be loved truly,” he said, reaching out to take her hand. His touch evoked a whirlpool of desire spiraling in her core. “It seems we share a similar wish.”
“Yes,” she whispered, squeezing his hand gently.
There was a vulnerability in his expression that reflected her own, drawing them closer at the same time.
They ate and enjoyed the food in comfortable silence. After dinner, the atmosphere shifted. The dining room seemed to grow warmer. Dimitri stood and stepped toward her chair, his movements deliberate, carnivorous. Amelia rose to meet him, her breath quickening.
“Amelia,” he breathed, his voice husky with need. “You are...so very beautiful.”
Their eyes locked, and with a magnetic lure, they found themselves entangled in a fervent embrace. In an instant, their lips met with an insatiable hunger, tongues exploring each other’s mouths in an unbridled passion. Hands roamed freely over bodies, tracing sensitive curves and contours, leaving a trail of fire in their wake. Amelia’s fingers roamed over his broad shoulders, feeling the hard muscles beneath his tailored suit. Every touch, every caress, was electric, setting her skin alight.
“You’re driving me mad.” He groaned against her lips, his hands trailing down her back to draw her closer.
“Good.” She gasped, nipping at his lower lip. “Then don’t stop.”
His hands found the curve of her waist, sliding under the fabric of her dress to explore the softness of her skin. Each touch left a trail of fire in its wake, burning away any remaining doubts. Amelia arched into him, her own hands caressing the contours of his chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart against her palm.
“Amelia,” Dimitri moaned a guttural growl. He lifted her effortlessly, guiding her legs around his waist as he pressed her against the wall. Their kisses grew fiercer, more desperate, as if they were trying to consume each other entirely.
“Don’t hold back,” she whispered into his ear.
“Never,” he promised, his teeth grazing the sensitive spot on her neck. “Not with you, lyubimaya.”
Their bodies moved in perfect harmony, each touch, each kiss, building a crescendo of yearning that neither could resist. Amelia’s head spun with the fervor of it all, her senses overwhelmed by the taste, the smell, the feel of him. It was as if the rest of the world had melted away, leaving only the two of them in this moment of pure, unadulterated ardor.
Dimitri took her hand and led them from the room and down several corridors to his bedroom. He picked her up, laying her down on the bed with reverent care. He seemed to drink in the sight of her, his stare heavy-lidded with longing. He slowly undid the buttons of her dress. Amelia lifted her hips to help him slide the garment off, leaving her bare before his gaze.
She should have felt exposed, vulnerable even, but his expression imbued her with warmth. He looked at her as if she were a goddess, worthy of worship and devotion.
“You are breathtaking,” he said, his fingers tracing featherlight patterns over her skin.
Amelia reached for him, jerking him down to capture his lips once more. Their kisses deepened as she worked at the buttons of his shirt, pushing the fabric off his shoulders to reveal the hard planes of his chest. He shuddered under her touch, a low growl rumbling in his throat. The evidence of his arousal strained against the front of his trousers, igniting a fire deep within her core.
“Dimitri, you are so hot.” Her body ached beyond reason and restraint. Every inch of her quivered with need, craving the fullness only he could provide.
With a swiftness that left her dizzy, he shed the remainder of his clothes and positioned himself above her. His looked at her, as if silently asking for permission. She nodded, unable to form the words, but hoping the depths of her need were evident in her gaze. He slid into her in one smooth thrust, stretching and filling her so completely that tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. For a moment, they remained still, two souls joined as one, savoring the profound intimacy of their union.
Then he began to move, slowly at first, but quickly building in tempo and intensity. Amelia moved with him, her nails scoring red lines down his back. With each thrust, they climbed higher and higher, chasing their pleasure and moving toward the edge of oblivion.
“Come for me, Amelia,” Dimitri commanded, his voice a ragged whisper. “Be mine, as I am forever yours.”
His command shattered the last of her composure. Amelia cried out his name, her inner walls clenching around him as wave after wave of ecstasy crashed over her, dragging her under into a world of bliss. Dimitri followed soon after, spilling himself inside her with a shout, his body trembling from the force of his release.
They collapsed onto the bed, limbs entangled and breaths coming in ragged gasps. Amelia nestled against his chest, her heart overflowing with emotion. She didn’t know what the future held, but in this perfect moment, she was his, and he was hers.
Amelia’s breathing gradually steadied, her head resting on Dimitri’s solid chest. The room was quiet save for the crackling fire and their mingled breaths. Their bodies glistened with sweat.
“Lyubimaya,” Dimitri murmured into her hair, his accent thickening with tenderness, “you are like a dream I dared not have.”
Her heart fluttered at his words. She traced lazy circles on his skin, savoring the closeness. “Dimitri,” she whispered, her mood soft yet earnest, “does this mean...are we together now?”
He stiffened. A heavy silence followed her question, a sudden tension clogging the air. Dimitri’s hand stilled on her back, and she heard him sigh deeply.
Had she misread everything? The heat of his body against hers should have been soothing, but now it felt like a prelude to loss.
“Amelia, I am unworthy of you. My past, my very nature—”
“Don’t say that!” She lifted herself up on one elbow to look at his face. “You are more than worthy. You are extraordinary.”
His expression held a bluster of emotions she couldn’t quite decipher—pain, regret, something deeper and darker that made her heart clench. What haunted him so profoundly? Why did he see himself as a monster when all she saw was the man who’d captured her heart?
“ Нет ,” he insisted, shaking his head as if to dispel her kindness. “You deserve someone who can give you a life free of shadows, a future full of sunlight. I...cannot be that man.”
The blow of his rejection struck her hard and her chest ached. “But why?” she asked, her voice breaking. “Why can’t you let us be happy?”
“Because I do not deserve happiness,” he replied in a pained grumble. Then he gently disentangled himself from her embrace and rose from the bed, his movements slow and purposeful.
“Please don’t go,” Amelia pleaded, feeling the sting of tears behind her eyes, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it again. Every step he took away from her felt like another piece of her heart being torn out.
“I must,” he said, his back to her, the firelight forming long, shifting shadows across his sculpted form. “For your sake, lyubimaya.”
How could he think this was for her sake? The very idea twisted like a knife in her heart. Did he not understand that losing him would be the real torment?
“How can you say it’s for my sake when it hurts so much?” Her entire body quivered, raw with emotion.
“Sometimes,” Dimitri said softly, pausing at the doorway, “the greatest act of love is to walk away.” He stepped out of the room, leaving Amelia alone amidst the remnants of their passion.
Tears spilled down her cheeks, each drop fueling her heartbreak. She lay there, staring at the empty space where he had been, a hollow throb settling into her bones. Confusion and hurt seethed within her. Why did caring about him feel like losing him?
She’d always believed love would be enough to conquer any darkness. But now she wondered if some shadows were too profound to ever be fully illuminated by love’s light.