Page 79 of Sinful Lies

The wall behind the large desk is covered in photos, many of Dimitri and his brothers with an older couple who I assume to be his parents.

I glance around the rest of the room and notice that there’s even more photos in frames on top of the drinks cabinet as well as the mantelpiece above the electric fireplace.

“Dimitri Koslov, you surprise me…” I whisper as I step into the room.

Unlike the rest of the penthouse, his office is less modern and more warm and cozy, with deep, rich brown tones and antique looking furniture. It wouldn’t surprise me if perhaps it was once owned by his father.

A smile tugs at my lips as I pad across the carpet and glance at the wall of photos behind his desk. It’s filled with happy memories of Dimitri and his family at every age. I can spot Dimitri in each of them immediately by his cheeky smile and his rich brown eyes.

I laugh as I spot a picture of Dimitri holding baby Danil like a football.

I turn around and pick up the single photo frame on his desk. This time, the brothers all look much older. Danil looks to be in his mid-teens, and Dimitri has filledout, his broad shoulders looking just as delicious as they do now.

My eyes flick to his parents, my heart clenching at the sight of their smiling faces?—

“Zara?”

I whirl, the photo frame slipping from my fingers, to find Dimitri standing in the doorway.

His hair is damp and sticking to his forehead, and he’s wearing a black T-shirt and workout shorts.

“I-I thought you were out.”

“So you thought you’d go looking through my things?” His eyes narrow at me.

I stumble backward.

Gone is the soft, gentle man who held me last night as I slept, who made me feel so safe and protected.

“Get the hell out of my office.” His voice freezes the blood in my veins.

“Dimitri—”

“I said get out!” he roars.

I duck out of the office, my eyes blurring with tears as I desperately run down the hall to my room and disappear inside, making sure to lock the door behind me.

Sinking to the floor, I hug my knees to my chest as I try to stifle the sound of my sobs.

Just when I think I have Dimitri Koslov all figured out, he flips a switch and turns into someone I don’t recognize at all. Someone who doesn’t make me feel safe.

And that scares the hell out of me.

19

DIMITRI

I stareat the photo frame on the floor, my teeth gritted as the smiling faces of my family look back at me, so blissfully unaware of the horror that was about to be bestowed upon us just a week after we took it.

My parents lying in a pool of their own blood. My family torn apart forever.

Picking up the photo, I sink down into my office chair and silently curse myself for losing my cool.

I shouldn’t have lost my temper with Zara like that,especiallyafter the progress we made last night.

The fact that she trusted me enough to open up about her past was a big step, and likely not an easy one for her to take, and in the space of a few seconds, I’ve shattered that trust into a million pieces.

But seeing her in my office, looking at the memories that litter the wall, triggered a rage inside me that I didn’t realize was simmering beneath the surface.

---