Chapter Twenty-Two
Dmitri had things to do, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to leave Keira in their bed alone. Last night had been a turning point for them, and he woke up wanting to ensure they didn’t backslide.
With her face relaxed in sleep and her hair a tangled mess on her pillow, she didn’t have her barriers in place for the first time since he’d met her. This is what it could be like all the time if the rest of the world wasn’t going to hell around us.
The peace was a small reprieve. They had a single day until the party and a lot to accomplish in that amount of time. The danger was nowhere near past, and Dmitri should be focusing on that instead of curling Keira’s hair around his finger.
Her eyes flicked open, asleep one moment and awake the next. “It’s creepy to watch someone while they sleep.”
“Nyet, we had this conversation. You’re in my bed—our bed—so that gives me certain rights.”
She rolled her eyes. “Always an argument with you, isn’t it?”
“Can you blame me when you’re so entertaining to argue with?” He kissed her shoulder. “Walk me through what you’ve set up for the party.”
“I assumed you’d already have all the details.”
Claudia had dropped a report on his desk, but Dmitri hadn’t had the opportunity to review it yet.
No, that wasn’t strictly true. He’d had the chance but chose not to.
This was important, and it felt almost like a breach of trust to check up on Keira after he assigned her to it.
“If I did, I wouldn’t ask you to fill me in. ”
She gave him a look that said she didn’t quite believe him, but she finally rolled to face him.
“Claudia had me picking menu choices—one vegan, one seafood, and one red meat. Covering all our bases. There were a lot of silly decisions to be made—reception colors, what flavor of cake, that kind of thing.”
“What did you choose?”
“You really want to know?”
He wanted to know everything when it came to her. Even mundane choices offered a window into Keira. “Da.”
“Well then.” She settled against the pillow. “Black and red for the colors. Claudia thought it’d be too gothic, but I think it fits and I like it, so I vetoed her. Cake is chocolate on chocolate.” She made a face. “Damn, I probably should have asked you how you felt about chocolate, huh?”
“I adore it.” He stroked his hand down her arm to her hip. “Though I don’t indulge often.”
“I can tell.” She poked his stomach. “It would figure that you’re a control freak about your body the same way you are about everything else.”
It didn’t exactly sound like she had an issue with it, but he still felt obliged to add, “Being in fighting shape is an asset.”
“I don’t doubt that.” Something flickered over her face, and he could have kicked himself for missing something so obvious.
Dmitri kissed her shoulder again. “The gym I mentioned has been cleared, and you can start immediately if you want to.”
She brightened and then frowned. “Part of me wants to just go for it, but we don’t know how things are going to play out at the party, and I’m not going to be much use if I can’t walk or move my arms because I’m so sore.
” She bit her bottom lip, and he had to remind himself not to soothe it with his tongue when she released it.
Keira sighed. “This whole being in charge of shit has some downsides, doesn’t it? ”
“Da, though the perks are… enticing.” He couldn’t resist any longer.
Dmitri kissed her. She tensed as if she’d pull away, but he didn’t give a fuck about morning breath, or anything but doing exactly what he was doing, and Keira melted into his arms. She pushed him onto his back and straddled him, her skin sliding against his in the most intoxicating feeling he’d ever experienced.
As if she couldn’t get close enough, couldn’t touch enough of him, couldn’t think past the need for him.
Fuck, that’s exactly how he felt.
He grabbed her ass and ground her clit against his cock, letting the hard ridge of him drive her wild. She tore her mouth from his with a gasp, and he growled. “I didn’t intend this.”
“Sounds like I did you a favor, then.” She writhed, but it didn’t seem to be enough for her, so Keira reached between them and squeezed his cock.
“We’ll make it quick. Just a little fucking before you get back to vengeance and world domination, and I go back to that damn party.
” Keira didn’t wait for an answer as she guided him into her in a smooth move.
She braced a hand on the middle of his chest and rose to take him deeper.
“Just so you know…” She rolled her hips.
“I talked to Pavel about having men stationed at every exit to both the room and the house. She won’t make it in, Dima. We won’t let her.”
It was beyond fucking sexy to hear her talking vengeance while riding him. He bent up and captured her mouth for several long seconds. “Good.”
“Mmm.” She clasped the back of his neck, keeping him close to her as she fucked him. She was totally and completely in control and intent on her pleasure, and she’d never been more beautiful to him. “I want Mae. I want to be the one who deals with her—for Charlie.”
By all rights, he should hand Mae over to Aiden to secure what little goodwill they could scrape together, but Dmitri would deny Keira nothing. “She’s yours.”
She kissed him hard, her teeth scraping against his tongue, her nails pricking the nape of his neck. Her strokes hitched, and he thrust up to keep the rhythm going. She was close. He could feel it. Another stroke, a third, and then Keira orgasmed with a cry that he swallowed down.
Dmitri flipped them and drove into her, chasing his own pleasure even as he kept kissing her.
My queen. My wife. Mine. His orgasm hit with the force of a freight train, and he sucked her bottom lip as he came.
He buried his face in her neck and just let himself…
be… for a moment. With Keira drawing abstract patterns on his cooling skin, his mind was blissfully blank.
He dragged his mouth along her neck. “You are a gift.”
“Glad you think so, but maybe wait until you see the bill for the dresses I just bought yesterday.”
He chuckled. “They’ll be worth every penny, I’m sure.”
“They’d be a better deal if you don’t make a habit of ripping them to shreds every time we have sex.”
He lifted his head to find her grinning at him. He raised his eyebrows. “Worth. Every. Penny. But next time we dine alone, I want you wearing this and nothing else.”
“This being… naked.” She made a show of looking at the nonexistent space between their bodies. “I can get down with that.”
“Much obliged.” He kissed her again and slid off her. “We have work to do.”
Keira stretched her arms over her head, and her entire body turned into a beautiful arch as she stretched.
The move had the sheet sliding off her hips and her breasts practically begging for his mouth.
He dragged his gaze away through sheer force of will, but there was no missing the laughter in her voice.
“I suppose that means I shouldn’t suggest showering together to save time. ”
I shouldn’t…
The thought didn’t have a chance to properly form before he rounded the bed and scooped her into his arms. “All in the name of saving time, of course.”
“Of course.”
The fact that Keira wasn’t walking funny defied the laws of logic.
They fucked again in the shower, her braced against the built-in shelf of the tiled wall while Dmitri took her from behind.
Her entire body was sore in the most glorious way possible, and she still wanted to spend the next week locked in their bedroom with him.
First, vengeance, then honeymoon fucking.
Keira took her time getting ready. Her usual outfit of jeans and a tank top didn’t fit the image she wanted to project, and so she dug through the closet to find something that screamed Queen Bitch.
She had to start taking this shit seriously, and as much as she liked the grunge look, maybe it was time to grow up a little.
She found a color-blocked pencil skirt in black and gray, and a matching black lacy tank top.
After the slightest consideration, she delved into the lingerie drawer for a garter belt and thigh-high black stockings.
When Dmitri came back from wherever it was he’d gone, she’d give him a little surprise.
It was silly to miss him when he’d been inside her less than an hour ago, but she swore the house felt emptier without him in it.
She sighed and got dressed, throwing a slim-cut gray blazer over the top to tone down the sexiness of the lace.
One last check in the mirror gave her pause.
The woman staring back at her looked only vaguely familiar.
They had the same wavy hair, the same hazel eyes.
But there was nothing of the self-loathing she’d borne like the weight of the world on her shoulders for years.
Her hands didn’t shake from needing whatever drug she could get her hands on.
Her mood wasn’t dark and tipping into despair.
She didn’t look like a pawn.
She looked like a motherfucking queen.
She grinned at her reflection and headed downstairs to grab a quick bite to eat.
Claudia wouldn’t arrive for another hour or so, but Keira wanted to go over the plans with Pavel again to make sure they’d anticipated every option.
They’d need to go through it a third time with Dmitri tomorrow, but she wanted it as foolproof as it could get.
A quick bite later and she cornered Pavel in the secondary office the men used throughout the day. He saw her come through the door and shot straight up. “Mrs. Romanov.”
“O’Malley-Romanov.”
He hesitated like he wanted to contradict her but nodded. “Mrs. O’Malley-Romanov.”