Chapter 45
Chapter
Forty-Five
Dimitri
I drop Ian off at Shae’s house with five LEGO sets, a mouth full of cotton and Novocain, fresh clothes, and a bunch of pain meds. The dad guilt is high, so I threw in one of those round stuffed animal pillow things he swears is a dog but looks like a bear to me. Plus, I got one for Shae since, again, according to Ian, “This is the one she’s been looking for.” I felt like a dick for not getting one for Maria, Olivia, and Drew.
Dad guilt ended up being expensive.
I’m also worried about Uri. He hasn’t come home yet. Instead, I got a text from him saying he was going to his parents' house for the rest of the weekend. I guess his mom and dad are in hyper-protective mode. But I’m glad—he’s been craving love and support from his family, and it’s wonderful he finally has it.
I’m wearing the nicest shirt I own, and I’ve made sure my shoes are easy to kick off if I need a speedy escape. Fixing my sleeves and checking my hair in the elevator button panel, I’m so nervous I feel like my heart is about to jump out of my ribcage and do a little dance. My palms, neck, and back are sweaty, and I feel like my life is a constant loop. But this time it’s different.
The elevator opens and I take a deep breath. This hotel is much nicer than the other ones Katya and I had our romantic encounters in. Waverly’s done an incredible job with the redesign. Every detail has been perfectly planned, from the new trim to the paint. But I’m only noticing it to distract myself until I get to Katya’s door.
I knock once and hear the stamping of feet to the door. She appears like a goddess, wearing a mid-length form-fitting dress that hides nothing, her hair up in some sort of do, and a smile that electrifies my body, and my nether regions.
“Hi,” she says.
I stick out my hand. “Hi, my name is Dimitri. I’m a single dad, and, technically speaking, I’m an undocumented refugee from Russia.”
She laughs under her breath and shakes my hand. “Hi, for a long time I went by Katie, but I prefer the name Katya. I was once married and a spy for the U.S. Government, but now I’m single and a personal protection agent.”
“Cool,” I say. “How was your day?”
“Kind of a roller coaster. One of the worst days of my career but the best day in my personal life. You?” She leans on the doorframe.
“Top three worst days and possibly the best day, but I guess that all depends if you let me in.”
She steps to the side and makes a grand gesture to usher me into her room. Our room. As the door closes on the outside world, she wraps her arms around my neck, and my hands mold around her hips.
“So what’s next?”
“Well, I guess that’s up to you,” I say. “We could talk and figure out where we stand in our relationship, discuss goals, boundaries, and expectations…”
“Or we could fuck,” she says, bringing her body closer to mine, being sure to press her stomach against the bulge in my pants.
Focus.
“Yes. I like the way you think.” She gets on her toes to kiss me, but I pull back, leaving space between us. “Let me counter. We could fuck now, then go out to dinner, and that’s where we could have a conversation about our relationship.”
“Room service will be here in forty-five minutes.” She smiles as her lips brush against my neck. Everything is getting harder to hold together.
“Oh, thank God,” I add. “So, fuck now, food, conversation, and how about I go down on you while you’re watching the Amanda Chase concert?”
She pauses her kisses. “Um, it’s a long concert. I don’t think either one of us could last that long.”
“Agreed. How about after you’re thoroughly satisfied, I regale you with costume changes she’s made over the tour and my favorite theories about the lore?” My hands lace under her ass cheeks as I lift her up. She wraps her legs around my waist, bringing us eye level.
“You became a Chaser?” Her shocked and joyful expression is incredible, and my stomach flips. The loud anxieties I’ve battled are silenced, as the calming acknowledgment that this is all real gives me my first sense of peace since coming to America.
“Well, when the woman I love, my son, and the man who’s been a better brother to me than my own brother are all lifelong Chasers…” I shrug.
“See, this is why we work.” She kisses me. It’s soft and tender, then escalates into a fiery inferno. I step toward the bed and lay her down softly. “Don’t think I didn’t catch that you said you love me.”
I kiss her neck and whisper, “What makes you think I was talking about you?”
She laughs. “Wow, you do have a sense of humor.”
“Told you.”
My hands search her curves and she whispers, “I’m not wearing anything under this dress.”
Pulling her dress over her stomach, before I pull away to lick every drop of wetness she has, I say, “See, that’s why we work.”
“I’ve missed you,” she gasps as my tongue explores between her legs.
“Missed you too.”