Page 21 of Dark Truths

“Oh, will I?” she challenges like a saucy little brat.

“Yes,” I say in a firm tone that leaves no room for argument.

She hears it and instead asks, “Why am I tied up then?”

“Like I said, punishment.”

“For what?”

“For not having patience and trust in me.”

“Trust is earned, Dimitri.”

“I’ve given you no reason not to trust me.”

“Breaking into my home and tying me up doesn’t scream trust,” she says. “Nor does ignoring me for a month.” Her voice drops and her eyes shift away. “That hurt, Dimitri. I thought we…after that night…I thought…”

“I wasn’t ignoring you on purpose, angel.” I sit down beside her and reach out to stroke her cheek, savoring how she leans into my touch. She’s uncertain and scared. That much is clear. “But I won’t make excuses, either. I told you I would never lie to you. So ask what it is you fear hearing.”

“Were you with another girl?” Her question is barely audible.

“No,” I answer her right away before my hand shifts down to grasp her chin, forcing her to look directly at me. “All I wanted was to be here with you. To continue what we started at thePlayground. But don’t forget, I practically run the Bratva. There will be times I am too busy to see you, but just know that you are on my mind, and it won’t be long before I come to you.”

She smiles sweetly, that blush returning to her cheeks as she looks up at me. “Does that include breaking in and tying me up to my bedposts?”

I lean down until our noses just barely touch. “When you misbehave, yes.”

“I should misbehave more often then,” she whispers, her breath skirting across my lips.

“Perhaps you should.”

“Are you going to kiss me or not, Dimitri?”

I smirk, my lips moving a hair closer. “Take your pleasure, angel.” I feel her smile a second before she pushes up and presses her lips to mine.

For a first kiss, it feels like coming home. An electrifying sensation surges through me, overpowering my senses and shattering my self-control. My hands cup her face as I dive in, my tongue pushing past her lips to consume every inch inside. She tastes exactly as I imagined. Sweet, like candy, and as addicting as drugs. Her lips are soft and plump as they move against mine, her tongue rushing forward to tangle with mine. She pulls against her restraints, desperate to touch me, and growls against my mouth when she can’t.

“Please, Dimitri. Untie me.”

It’s sweet to hear her beg.

“Not yet.”

Gabriella pulls her face away from mine and shoots me a heated glare. But it’s hard to take her seriously with her lips so swollen and her hair mussy from my hands.

“Are you serious? Do you need me to say sorry? Because I am. I’m sorry I didn’t trust you.”

Cute. But a lie. She’s just saying the words I want to hear, but I know she doesn’t mean them. That’s okay, though. She’ll learn…with time.

I reach up, grab the piece that will untie the knot, and tug. The moment her hands are free, they’re in my hair, pulling my face to hers. She devours my face, her lips sliding over mine, filling my mouth with her tongue. She pulls back and nibbles on my bottom lip before kissing me once again.

There’s nothing quite like a woman who knows what she wants.

I pull away and run kisses over her jaw and down her neck, leaving tiny marks as I go. Easy enough to cover, but I want her to see them in the morning and know who left them and who she belongs to.

I reach the swell of her breast and use my teeth to tug at her tank top. “This is in the way.” Before she can say anything, I sit up and tear the flimsy material in half, exposing her chest to the air.

“Hey!” she complains. “That was a favorite tank top of mine.”

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