Chapter 36 Dimitri
DIMITRI
Ispend the entire day preparing for tomorrow night's meeting with Mikhail, but my mind keeps drifting to the woman upstairs. Every strategic decision, every contingency plan, every backup arrangement—it all comes back to protecting Alina.
"You're making a mistake bringing her," Alexei says for the third time, his blue eyes sharp with concern. We're in my study, maps and tactical plans spread across the desk. "Mikhail will use her against you."
"Mikhail will expect me to leave her here where he can get to her." I lean back in my chair, the leather creaking. "Bringing her is unexpected. In our world, the unexpected is an advantage."
"Or it's suicide." Alexei crosses his arms over his chest. He studies my face for a long moment, then nods slowly. "You love her."
I don't answer. Can't answer. Because admitting it out loud makes it real, makes it a weakness that can be exploited. Besides, I haven’t even unraveled my feelings yet.
"Just be careful," he says quietly. "Love makes us do stupid things."
After he leaves, I finalize the arrangements for Katya's safety.
If things go wrong tomorrow night, if Mikhail manages to kill both Alina and me, I need to know her sister will be protected.
I've set up a trust fund, arranged for her education, assigned guards who will take her somewhere safe. It's the best I can do.
By the time I finish, it's nearly midnight. The house is quiet, most of the staff retired for the night. My men are at their posts, vigilant as always. But I feel the weight of tomorrow pressing down on me like a physical thing.
I climb the stairs to our bedroom, my boots silent on the marble.
The door is slightly ajar, warm light spilling into the hallway.
I push it open and find Alina sitting on the edge of the bed, wearing one of my shirts and nothing else.
Her red hair falls in waves around her shoulders, and when she looks up at me, I see fear and determination in equal measure in her green eyes.
"Is everything ready?" she asks.
"Yes." I close the door behind me and lock it. "Katya will be safe no matter what happens."
She stands and moves toward me, her bare feet silent on the hardwood floor. "And us? Will we be safe?"
I want to lie, to tell her everything will be fine. But I've promised her honesty. "I don't know. Mikhail is dangerous, but I'll do everything in my power to protect you."
"I know." She reaches up and cups my face, her palms warm against my beard. "I trust you, Dimitri."
The words break something open inside me. This woman who has every reason to hate me, to fear me, trusts me with her life.
I pull her against me and kiss her hard, pouring everything I can't say into the press of my lips against hers. She responds immediately, her fingers fisting in my shirt, her body molding to mine. When I finally pull back, we're both breathing hard.
I lift her easily, carrying her to the bed.
She wraps her legs around my waist, and I can feel the heat of her through my clothes.
I lay her down on the blue sheets and step back, taking a moment to just look at her.
Red hair spread across the pillow, my shirt riding up to reveal the curve of her hip, her lips swollen from my kiss.
"You're so fucking sexy," I tell her, my hands already working at my shirt buttons. "Do you have any idea what you do to me?"
"Show me." Her voice is breathless, challenging.
I strip quickly, efficiently, my clothes falling to the floor. When I'm naked, I see her eyes widen slightly as they travel over my body. The tattoos that mark me as Bratva royalty. The scars that tell stories of survival. The evidence of how much I want her.
I climb onto the bed, covering her body with mine, and kiss her again. Slower this time, deeper. My tongue traces the seam of her lips, and when she opens for me, I taste her thoroughly. She makes a small sound in the back of her throat that goes straight to my cock.
My hands slide under my shirt she's wearing, finding warm, soft skin. I push the fabric up, breaking the kiss long enough to pull it over her head. Then she's naked beneath me, and I have to close my eyes for a moment to maintain control.
"Dimitri." Her voice is needy, pleading. "Please."
I open my eyes and look down at her. "Please what? Tell me what you want, Alina."
"You. I want you. All of you."
I kiss down her neck, finding the spot that makes her gasp. My hands cup her breasts, feeling the weight of them, the way her nipples harden under my palms. When I take one into my mouth, she arches off the bed with a cry.
"That's it," I murmur against her skin. "Let me hear you."
I worship her breasts with my mouth and hands, alternating between gentle and rough, learning what makes her moan, what makes her writhe. Her fingers tangle in my hair, holding me to her, and I feel her trembling beneath me.
My hand slides down her stomach, and I move lower, kissing down her ribs, her stomach, the curve of her hip. When I settle between her thighs, she tries to close them, suddenly shy.
"Don't," I say, my voice firm. "Let me see you. Let me taste you."
She relaxes, and I spread her thighs wider, taking in the sight of her. Pink and glistening, already wet for me. I lean in and run my tongue along her slit, and she cries out, her hips bucking.
"Dimitri!"
I hold her hips down and do it again, slower this time, savoring her taste. She's sweet and musky, and I can't get enough. I find her clit with my tongue and circle it, feeling her thighs start to shake.
"Please," she gasps. "Please, I need—"
I know what she needs. I slide two fingers inside her, feeling how tight she is, how wet. I curl them, finding that spot that makes her see stars, and work her with my fingers while my tongue continues its assault on her clit.
She comes apart beautifully, her back arching, her hands fisting in the sheets, my name a scream on her lips. I don't stop, drawing out her orgasm until she's trembling and oversensitive.
When I finally pull back, she's flushed and panting, her green eyes glazed with pleasure. I move up her body and kiss her deeply, letting her taste herself on my tongue.
"I want to be inside you," I tell her, my cock pressing against her thigh. "I want to feel you come around me."
"Yes." She wraps her legs around my waist, pulling me closer. "Please, Dimitri. I need you."
I position myself at her entrance and push in slowly, feeling her stretch around me. She's so tight, so hot, so perfect. When I'm fully seated inside her, I pause, giving her time to adjust.
"Okay?" I ask, my voice strained with the effort of holding still.
"More than okay." She rocks her hips, and I groan. "Move. Please move."
I start slowly, pulling almost all the way out before sliding back in. Long, deep strokes that make her gasp with each thrust. Her nails dig into my shoulders, and I feel the sting of it, the mark of her on my skin.
"Harder," she demands, and I comply, increasing my pace. The sound of our bodies coming together fills the room, mixed with her moans and my harsh breathing.
I shift the angle, hitting that spot inside her that makes her cry out. Her inner walls flutter around me, and I know she's close again.
"That's it," I encourage, one hand sliding between us to find her clit. "Come for me, Alina. Let me feel it."
She shatters, her orgasm crashing over her with such force that she nearly screams. The feeling of her clenching around me, the way her whole body tenses and then releases, pushes me over the edge.
I thrust deep one final time and come hard, filling her, marking her as mine in the most primal way possible.
We stay locked together for a long moment, both of us trembling, both of us trying to catch our breath. Finally, I roll to the side, pulling her with me so she's draped across my chest.
"I love you," she whispers against my skin. "I know it's fast, I know it's crazy, but I love you, Dimitri."
The words pierce through every defense I've ever built. I want to say them back, want to tell her that I love her too, that she's changed everything. But the words stick in my throat, trapped by decades of learning that love is weakness.
Instead, I hold her tighter and kiss the top of her head. "Sleep," I tell her. "Tomorrow will be difficult."
She nods and settles against me, her breathing gradually evening out as exhaustion claims her. I lie awake, staring at the ceiling, feeling the weight of her body against mine.
And as the hours pass, as I watch her sleep peacefully in my arms, I finally admit the truth to myself.
I love her. Completely. Irrevocably. In a way that terrifies me because it makes me vulnerable in ways I've never been before.
I love Alina Morozov. And tomorrow, I'll face down the ghost from my past to protect her.
Because that's what you do when you love someone.
You fight for them. You kill for them. You'd burn the entire world to ash to keep them safe.
And God help anyone who tries to take her from me.