Page 26 of Tarnished Reign

Dimitri is all shell, or he seems to be, at least.

I reach the bar and look around. There are drinks lined up on the shelves along the back wall but also on the steel counter behind the bar top. The ice bucket sits there too. It’s full, half ice and half water, which makes me think it was filled a while ago.

I haven’t heard anyone else walking around or talking since we arrived. Is Dimitri like a modern-day male Cinderella who has an army of tiny animals helping him?

I laugh at the thought.

Looking at the drinks in cans along the metal bar, I pick a diet cola and fill a glass with ice, cola, and add a slice of lemon just to be fancy.

Then I take the drink and walk to the large, double doors that lead from this room to a set of steps and beyond them the lawn.

The scent of flowers invades my senses, roses, I think, and I glance around but see none. The room is as plain as the other. Beautiful flooring, gorgeous furniture, but no real personal touches.

My gaze roams back to the other properties, and I stare at them for a long time.

The amount of wealth behind a veritable compound like this is staggering. A plot of houses like this in Pacific Heights is mind bending. A ten-bedroom home with barely any land can set you back twenty-million dollars here. This is prime real estate, and these guys own at least two acres of it.

I sip my drink and relish the cool bubbles.

Footsteps have me turning toward the door. Dimitri is back. He’s changed into jeans and a polo shirt and looks incredible. Tall, long-legged, broad shouldered, and the top shows off his arms, which are muscled and tan.

He’s fastening a watch around his wrist, and he glances up at me. The light from the window hits him just so, highlighting his blue-green gaze and dark hair. The man looks like he stepped down from Mount Olympus to play with us mere mortals for a day.

I almost say it. I almost blurt out that he looks like a god but manage to bite back the comment.

“Come,” he says again.

“Can I finish my drink?” I ask.

“Bring it with you.”

I follow him, with my glass in hand, and walk into the tiled hallway. Instead of taking me to the front door, he leads me into the kitchen.

It’s a gorgeous kitchen and not what I was expecting. From the hallway, I imagined dark units, all shiny and sterile with steel worktops. Instead, I find pale wooden units, a white marble work surface, and in the center of the room a breakfast bar that is teal and has white marble on top. The breakfast bar houses four metal chairs slotted into it. The room is lovely the same as the others, but there are no finishing touches. A fruit bowl sits atop the breakfast bar, and it’s the room’s entire personality. It’s like a show home. A stunning one, but soulless in some essential way.

There’s a door at the far end, and he leads me through that, and we enter a massive garage attached to the side of the house.

There are six vehicles inside. They’re all sporty, except for an SUV parked at the far end. Some look more built for comfort than others.

He heads to an emerald green car, shining in the spotlights, and clicks a button. He opens the door for me, and I slide into the most luxurious vehicle my ass has ever had the temerity to sit in.

I gulp down some of the drink, not wanting it to spill before I place it in the cup holder. It’s less than half-full now, so even if Dimitri takes the turns like a racing driver, it should be all good.

The interior is tan leather and utterly gorgeous. I’m not a car girl, and as I can’t even drive, I usually don’t pay them much attention, but this is so stylish it makes my mouth water. It’s a mix of futuristic and old school, as if Star Trek set designers from the sixties designed a cool and futuristic car interior.

The seat molds to my body as if made for me. The scent of new leather and carpet fills my nostrils. Who knew that rich people’s lives smelled so damn good! Dimitri’s life is all new leather, wood polish, and roses. It’s olfactory heaven.

The driver’s door opens, and Dimitri slides in next to me. He guns the engine, and it gives a throaty purr before smoothly gliding out of the garage.

We are joined by several SUVs with dark windows creeping along behind us once we hit the driveway. How does it feel to spend your entire life being followed by security? It is as if he’s famous, but without the upside of adoration and all the downside of needing to be on your guard.

The city sparkles under yet another sunny day, and Dimitri hits a button on the dash. Music fills the space, and I glance at him, my lips twitching. He’s listening to some awful heavy metal.

“Do you really like this?”

He glances at me. “You don’t?”

I shake my head. “It gives me a headache.”

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