Page 113 of Bratva Butcher

No. Don’t do it.

But I already knew. I already fucking knew.

Leaning back to look me in the eyes, that internal struggle he was battling earlier was back, taking over his face. He hesitated for a brief moment before pulling out of me and putting me back on my feet. He tucked himself back away into his pants.

I fixed my dress. Well, as well as I could, anyway. I pulled my bra and straps back over my shoulders and shifted the material back down to cover my pussy. He’d torn my dress, though, so my black thong was still semi noticeable.

We stared at each other.

Some of the tension had definitely dissipated, but the ache in my soul for him was still there. The sex had done nothing to quell it.

Is it the same for him?

He opened his mouth—

“Okay, I’ve let you stew for long enough—” Mikhail entered the room and stopped mid-sentence when he saw us. Dimitri immediately took three wide steps back from me, and I won’t lie, it hurt a little.

But was I going to show that?

Fuck no.

Mikhail looked around the room, his eyes running over the destruction of broken furniture and lamps and photo frames, and then his gaze flicked between us. He took a deep breath in through his nose as if he was scenting the air, and then the biggest fucking smirk graced his lips. “My apologies. I didn’t mean to interrupt—”

“You’re not,” Dimitri grunted.

“It’s fine, I’ll come back—”

“No need,” I smiled, praying to God neither one of them could see how absolutely fake it was. “We’re done, aren’t we, Dimitri?”

Chapter Thirty-One

Autumn DeValos

Something akin to painstreaked across Dimitri’s face, but he didn’t deny it. He just nodded stiffly and something inside of me broke.

I cleared my throat and pushed off the wall. The front of my dress was ripped, but I did nothing to conceal myself. Instead, I marched past Dimitri with my head held high, not even sparing him one fucking glance as I picked up my heels and slipped them onto my feet.

His suit jacket was still on the ground near the door. I swiped it up and put it on so I wouldn’t walk back into the party flashing my underwear to everyone. Neither man objected or tried to stop me. The sympathetic look Mikhail gave me as I walked past him made me want to throw myself off a fucking bridge.

I didn’twantnorneedhis sympathy.

I breezed out of the room without looking back.

Taking Dimitri’s jacket had seemed like a good idea at the time, but I was seriously regretting it as I marched down the hall. It was absolutely drenched in his scent. His intoxicating, mouthwatering scent. It enveloped me like a tight, comforting hug, teasing me with what I would never have.

The real thing.

With each step I took, my heart plummeted more and more. I shouldn’t have been surprised. The moment that strange, visceral connection between Dimitri and I appeared, he’d pull away from me every time something happened to show it.

I should have known sex would result in the same outcome. How foolish it was of me to think otherwise.

I stopped at the corner of the hallway, unable to bring myself to turn the bend. Despite how much I desperately wanted to leave, I couldn’t. I still had a job to finish. A person to kill. But I needed a minute to collect myself before heading back into the belly of the beast. If I turned left, it would take me back to the ballroom. However, if I turned right…

I didn’t care that I had no idea where it would lead me. Anywhere was better than back with those insufferable people. I needed to get my head screwed back on.

I went right. Halfway down the corridor, there was a staircase. I took it, taking the steps two at a time, a sense of urgency vibrating in my bones. When I reached the top, I realised it opened up into one of the balconies overhead the ballroom.

It wasn’t good enough. Wasn’tfarenough. I needed air.

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