Chapter 2
Leah
Dmitri’s car screeches to a halt in the driveway. His door opens.
“Leah!”
I try to raise a hand to wave, but my arm is shaking too much. I tuck it back against my chest. I’m wearing Dmitri’s T-shirt and sweatpants, the same things I left his house in this morning. My teeth are chattering, but I manage to say, “H-hey.”
“What the fuck are you doing?”
His arms are around me in seconds. Instead of lifting me to my feet, he hefts me all the way up.
A memory flashes through my brain.
He held me like this last night, after all that shit with Patrick.
Somehow, he gets his front door open. He carries me inside, then closes and locks the door after us without setting me down.
“You’re shivering. A T-shirt in the rain? Fuck, Leah. Why didn’t you call?”
My bag dangles from my shoulder, with my useless phone tucked inside. “B-b-battery’s dead. S-sorry.”
He rubs his hands up and down my arms while he carries me. “No, baby. Don’t apologize. Come on. Dry clothes. A warm bath, first.”
I don’t have any strength in me to argue, so I let him take me into the bathroom. He finally sets me down so he can start the bath, but he keeps one hand on me at all times, like I’m a topple-prone toddler.
I tap his shoulder. “D-dmitri, you’re overreacting.”
“You were sitting in the rain for god knows how long, and you’re shivering. I still don’t know why you’re here and I’m freaking the fuck out. Taking care of you is the only thing I know how to do right now. Let’s get you out of the wet clothes.”
Together, we start peeling away my clothes—the T-shirt he gave me earlier. The flimsy bra I’d worn beneath the brown dress last night. My skin is clammy and covered in goosebumps.
“Baby.” He rubs my arms, trying to bring heat to them, before helping me work off the sweatpants.
They’re huge. If I hadn’t been so upset, I would’ve been embarrassed to walk through San Esteban like this.
Thankfully, the paparazzi parked outside Gage’s building didn’t notice me.
I probably don’t look anything like the photo that Nicola was waving around in her video.
Thank fuck all my social media is locked down. I keep it private because I work with teenagers.
By the time I’m naked, the water is ready. Dmitri helps me into the tub, his hands hovering protectively around me in case I slip.
“Dmitri. I’m f-fine, really.” I settle into the bathwater. The tub isn’t very big, but I can stretch out my legs when I sit up. The water feels like it’s burning me, but I know that’s because I was so cold.
He gives me a doubtful look. “I’ll be right back.”
I watch him go, swirling my arms through the too-hot water. I’d felt cold all the way through, like my bones had turned to ice. Now I’m starting to thaw.
Dmitri returns with a large plastic cup in his hand. He kneels by the bathtub. “Tilt your head back, baby. Close your eyes.”
I do as he asks. He scoops water from the tub and pours it over my hair. I sigh—it feels so nice.
“Warming up now?” he asks.
“Yeah. Keep doing that.”
He chuckles. “All right.”
The rhythmic scoop of water, followed by the warmth pouring over my head, lulls me into a sense of peace.
Maybe things are falling apart with Gage, maybe my new future is being hounded online by trolls.
Or maybe it’ll all be fine. In this moment with Dmitri, the sounds of water and our breathing filling the quiet bathroom, all that other crap seems inconsequential.
“Lean forward.” Dmitri breaks the silence as he sets down the cup and picks up a washcloth. He squeezes water from the washcloth over my back. “I didn’t give you a good apology last night.”
“It was fine.”
“I still feel like an ass.” His voice is gruff. “You know you can talk to me about anything, right? If Gage is hurting you?—”
“No, Gage didn’t do anything.” I lift my head and push my hair out of my face so I can look Dmitri in the eyes. “He didn’t, I swear. He’d never hurt me, not on purpose.”
“Okay.”
I can’t tell if that okay is really an okay, or an okay of disbelief. “I promise, Dmitri. He didn’t do anything. I just…have you not seen any of it?”
“It?”
“The video Nicola Johnson posted. One of AoG’s actors.
” I can already feel my heart growing heavy, my gut empty with dread.
I don’t want to talk about this, but I force out the words.
“And I guess she dated Gage? She posted this thing saying that she’s still with Gage and he’s cheating on her—with me. ”
“What?” Dmitri drops the washcloth and rests his hand on my back. “You know that’s a lie, right? He can’t be with her. I see him all the goddamn time at the club. She’s never been there. He never goes to LA. I mean, he did for that funeral?—”
“And again to help Claudia with something,” I add.
“Yeah, but no. Nicola Johnson is full of shit.”
“I know she is, but…Dmitri, she also shared my photo. Reporters found my info. They’re blowing up my phone with requests for interviews.
And people are saying horrible, shitty things about me on Nicola’s post.” I pull in a deep, long breath.
I don’t want to cry about this. If I start, I might never stop.
“I’m sorry, Leah.” He smooths my wet hair out of the way and rubs circles over my spine.
“You didn’t know already?”
“No.”
“Danica’s the one who showed me the video.” I pull up my legs and wrap my arms around my knees, holding myself together. “I thought she would’ve told you.”
“Danica didn’t say anything to me—shit. She sort of did. She asked me if you’re okay, said it’s been one thing after another for you. She felt bad. I thought she was talking about Patrick. But she meant this, didn’t she?”
I shrug. “Probably. It doesn’t matter. Now you know.”
“Yeah, and where the fuck is Gage?”
I shrug again. The water is starting to get cold.
Dmitri seems to realize at the same time I do, because he pulls the plug and stands.
He holds out a hand for me to grip as I climb out of the tub, and he grabs a clean, fluffy towel to wrap around me.
He doesn’t leer at my naked body, he doesn’t cop a feel.
I wouldn’t mind if he did, but it’s kind of nice to be cared for without any ulterior motives.
“Warmer now?” he asks.
“Yeah.”
He rubs me through the towel, drying me and comforting me at the same time. He still isn’t taking advantage of my nudity. A real gentleman. “So, what did Gage say about all this?”
I shake my head.
“Leah. Tell me you talked to him.”
Now I really want to cry. “I couldn’t. I left.”
“Fucking hell. Does he know where you are?”
Again I shrug.
“Leah.” He takes a deep breath. “Okay. We’ll get you into some warm clothes. Then we’re calling Gage.”
“I don’t want to talk to him. I can’t.”
Dmitri levels me with a stern look.
“Please.” I tug the towel tighter around myself. “I don’t want to talk tonight.”
“I’m calling him, then. If I were him, I’d be freaking the fuck out.”
I frown, but he’s right. Gage is probably worried sick. “Okay.”
Dmitri opens his arms like he’s going to pick me up and carry me to his bedroom, but I straighten my shoulders and march there on my own.
“You’re such a little brat.” The way he says it sounds as if my behavior is endearing instead of annoying. He follows me into the bedroom and pulls a hoodie and sweatpants from his dresser.
“Thanks. Great compliment.” I give him a sassy wink.
“Don’t think I won’t spank you again.”
“Don’t threaten me with a good time.”
He laughs. “Oh, baby girl.”
I put on his clothes, tugging the neckline of the hoodie up to my nose to take in his clean scent. Hot air blasts through the ceiling vent—he turned on the heat for me at some point.
Dmitri pulls his phone from his pocket and taps at his phone screen. “Shit, I shouldn’t have silenced my phone. He’s been calling and texting, Leah.”
I wince. I don’t want to worry him, but I couldn’t stand there in his penthouse and talk about any of it. I don’t even know if I can continue seeing him. All of this drama…it’s probably better to end things sooner rather than later.
Gage’s voice fills Dmitri’s bedroom. “Have you seen her?”
“She’s with me.”
“Is she all right?”
“Yeah.” Dmitri shoots me a look. I stare at the patterns on his pale brown and gray comforter, refusing to engage. “She isn’t ready to talk, but she’s all right.”
“Can she hear me?”
“Yeah.”
“Leah.” Gage’s voice is warm. “I’m sorry. I’ll fix things, I promise.”
I don’t know how he can. I don’t know if it’s even worth it. I’ve fallen for him and I don’t want to give him up, but these things are always temporary.
Thinking about it is like a knife in my heart. I tear up.
Dmitri’s eyes are soft as he looks at me and speaks toward the phone. “Gotta go. I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”
Gage starts to protest, but Dmitri ends the call.
He gathers me into his arms. “Talk to me, baby.”
“Everything is fucked up.”
“No. It only feels that way right now.” He lets me go to shrug out of his shirt and pants.
A spark of interest flares in my lower belly as I stare at his muscular torso, the bulge in his boxer briefs, his strong legs.
He notices my interest. “Not a good idea, baby.”
“Why not?”
“Because I want to fuck you hard, and I think you need gentle.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Don’t tell me what I need.”
He narrows his eyes back. Folds those gigantic arms across his chest. “Get in bed.”
“No.”
“Get in bed, baby, or I’ll make you get in bed.”
I consider the situation. I could run, which, honestly, I don’t have the energy for. Now that I think about it, I don’t really have the energy for sex, either.
Or I could get in bed and let him take care of me.
“Fine.” I pull back the comforter and slide into the sheets.
“Good.” He climbs in and sits against the pillows and headboard. Patting the space between his thighs, he says, “Right here.”
When I hesitate, he grabs me under the arms and hauls me over so I’m sitting right in front of him, my back to his front. The hard length of his cock nestles against my lower back. I push against him to feel more.