Page 67 of Captured

Lauren watched them go, and when she spoke, her voice was strained. “I didn’t expect that,” she said shakily. “I assumed… I mean, all this time. He was working with Henry. They were friends. Since the time I was very small, they’d been friends. He was always at our house, at Dad’s work. He was simply…present. It never occurred to me that Dad doubted Henry. Not once.”

Dimitri nodded, though she hadn’t turned to him. “And now? How does that change things?”

“I don’t know,” she murmured, finally turning to him. “He’s gone, Dimitri. I chose to confront him and now he’s gone.”

He held her gaze. “You’ve done everything you needed to do to protect your family. Your sister.”

“I have,” she said, as if trying to convince herself. She seemed lost in the middle of the sumptuous room, drawing her confidence and style around her like a cloak. But her eyes were stark and empty as she glanced away, unsure of where to look next, unsure of what she’d see when she did.

He could help her with that.

He moved closer, then closer still, reclaiming her attention. “I’d be honored if you would make another choice, Lauren,” he said. “About the role you want me to play in your life.”

Forty-Five

Dimitri seemed to be speaking from a million miles away, and Lauren tried to focus, tried to speak. But it was all—too much. Not only her father’s words, but the way he’d looked at her, looked at her mother. This man who had been invincible in her eyes had been reduced to unfeigned, heartbreaking tears. And then he’d left with her mother, the two of them locked in the circle of their mutual love.

Which left her the last woman standing. Exactly the way she’d planned to be.

And that made her feel unbelievably alone.

Dimitri spoke again, and she came back to the room in a rush, her mind suddenly jolting back online. “What?” She blinked up at him. Had he gotten taller? Somehow, he seemed...taller. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“I asked you, what role do you want me to play in your life?”

Lauren tried to understand him, but he was saying words that made no sense. “You don’t have to play any role in my life, Dimitri. You’ve done more than anyone could possibly ask.”

“That’s not what I asked. What role would youwantme to play? Would you prefer for me to remain your bodyguard?” Hesmiled as he watched her, as if he was enjoying some private joke. “Your lover?”

Embarrassment flared through Lauren. Why was he saying this? What game was he playing? “You don’t have to do anything.”

“Again, not what I asked.” He leaned down and lifted her chin with his fingers, then brushed his lips across her mouth. The taste of him, honey and heat and Mediterranean spices, speared through her pain, her loss. “What do youwantof me?”

Lauren closed her eyes to compose herself. Dimitri’s job was finished, and so was hers. They both needed to move on to what came next. She knew that.

And yet, she couldn’t face the reality of that “next” quite yet. Her parents were handled; her friends were asleep. The future was on hold for everyone else in the stillness of the night. Why couldn’t it be on hold for her, too? Why couldn’t she simply imagine a future with this man, an impossible, ridiculous future that she could wake up from in the morning? The morning was so far away, after all.

“Why?” she blinked her eyes open again and managed a smile, trying to match her tone to his. She could do “light.” She could do “fun.” “What do you want to give me?”

“Everything.” Dimitri’s intensity wiped the smile from her face and she straightened, startled. “Anything, all of it. Whatever you will allow me to give. You’re the reason I was born into this life, Lauren. The only reason. And I want you, however you are willing to be in my life. I’ll take you as your bodyguard, as your lover, or as your friend—or all of them. As long as I can be near you, protect you. Because though Henry’s gone, there is no denying the light that shines from you, a light that only grows brighter as you draw near. There will always be someone who will want to dim that light. Who will want to make you feel lessthan what you are. And I want to always be there to ensure that doesn’t happen.”

What is he saying?“You can't mean that.” Lauren didn’t recognize her own voice. “You barely know me.”

“Then it will be my pleasure to get to know you better. Starting now.”

“But this is impossible.”

“No.”

He took her hands, which she hadn’t realized were flapping in front of her, and held them between his rough palms. The raw vitality of him radiated through her, and she held still, transfixed by the fierceness of his gaze.

“Flying to the moon and back in a single night is impossible. Loving you is not. You’re mine to protect, now. You might not understand that, might not know how to handle it, but that doesn’t change its truth.”

“Dimitri—”

“You're mine to defend, Lauren. However, and whenever I can.” Dimitri’s words were low and intense and impossible to ignore. “Mine to cherish in my heart, whether you’re a breath or a lifetime away. Mine to honor, whether you’re by my side or you never let me see you again. Mine to love.”

“Love? Who said anything about love?” There were tears in her eyes. Why were there tears? This was a conversation like any conversation. A negotiation, even. Nothing more. She should hold her face just so, tilt her body slightly to an angle, fix this particular expression on her face…

---