Page 16 of Dissension

Her mouth feels dry, quite suddenly. Droplets of water travel down his neck and her eyes follow.

By the time the event is over, even Kara is exhausted. Dieter’s team won, so his ego has been fed. They’re walking out to his car when grabs her hand up in his.

Kara feels her heart jump awkwardly, surprised by the invasion of her space so intimately. She tries to pull away. “Why are you holding my hand, boyfriend style? Stop being gross.”

He doesn’t let go. His hand is warm, he feels like he’s burning up. “Just trying to piss off the cougars on the way out. Might keep them away a bit more. Don’t be so prude.”

Tugging on his hand, Kara hisses in outrage, “I don’t want to piss those women off! Remember the first time I came here and they basically tried to lynch me in the restroom?”

He laughs, teeth bright. “I remember. We could hear you screeching in the bathroom all the way out in the aisle with the ponies. What was it you said? ‘Get off me, woman!I want no part of this!’ I thought it was funny.”

“Well, I’m glad someone did.Igot slapped by a broad two decades older than me.” Kara makes a face, remembering. “She called me a low-class hussy. That was even after I told her she could have you to the moon and back.”

Dieter looks insulted. “What the hell? You’resupposedto fight these old birds to the death and claim me as yours! Their boring husbands are out there trying to brain me with their mallets, you know.”

Finally yanking her hand out of his, she says, “You probably deserve being brained.”

He opens the passenger door to his subtle Mercedes, being a gentleman as she slides inside the sun-warmed car. Dieter doesn’t shut it, looking down at her. Kara gives him a meaningful glance, reaching over to yank the door shut.

Coming around to the driver’s side, Dietrich slinks inside, the scent of his faded cologne, horse, and skin heavy in the air.Without waiting for permission, Kara snaps the air conditioning on.

“What’s put you in such a terrible mood?”

“Claire is here. We spoke.”

A nasty little smirk twists his lips. “The fiancée is a big libido killer for you, yeah? Saint Kara, avoiding Nick in order to defend his fiancée’s honor.” He chuckles, his smirk borderline mean. “She’s a cunt though, you really shouldn’t feel bad. I’m pretty sure they don’t even screw.” Dieter barks out a harsh laugh. “I bet when they do, it’s like two cold fish being rubbed togetherunsatisfyingly.”

Kara can’t tear her eyes from his throat, at the small bead of sweat trickling down his jugular. He smells like a guy who has been exercising, but not so in a gross way, more so in a way that’s pumping out pheromones and testosterone. Mouth dry, she whispers, “It’s the principle.”

“Saint Kara,” he says again in a playfully mocking tone.

She crosses her arms over her chest. She doesn’t expect him to understand.

He glances down at his wristwatch, biting his lip absently. Kara finds herself watching his mouth and feels herself swallow thickly. She needs to get away from him; she doesn’t like his effect on her. “The train you need to get back downtown isn’t for another hour or so. Why don’t you come to my place and wait it out? I’m not too far from the station.” He blasts her with that panty-wetting grin. “My new chef makes the best short-rib risotto.”Gale took care of that problem at least.

It sounds delicious, but warning bells are going off in her head. There’s a reason that Nicholas thinks she’s screwing Dieter. It’s because Dieter barely has to chase women and they fall at his feet. She’s not entirely certain, but she thinks he’s chasing her just to see what she’ll do. Everything is a game to Dieter. “I’ll pass. But, thanks.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he says, leaving the car parked. “You’ll come over. It’s not like anyone is waiting at home for you.”

That’s a verbal knife if Kara has ever felt one. “Big fat deal, no one is waiting for you either!”

Dietrich is watching her face carefully. He leans closer, into her space with his typical animal magnetism. “What’s the problem?”

Her face feels hot and she can’t meet his eyes. The more time they spend together, the more wrong she feels about herself. Dietrich Bittinger is not a good man. He might not be in love with violence, not like Nick is, but he’s no angel.

He’s involved in things that she doesn’t understand and he has a smile that makes other men nervous in his presence. Kara has long realized that there is a reason for that. Men don’t just fear other menwithout reason. Hell, Gale wanted her far from him.

Butwhy?

She’s gotten the distinct impression that he’d sleep with her, just to try and get her under his thumb. Just to twist up her emotions and ruin her inside, worse than she already is. “You’re making me uncomfortable, Dieter.”

His hand reaches up to nonchalantly brush the hair away from her sunlit face. His eyes see far too much and glitter with playful teasing. “I’m behaving.”

“You’re not,” she says with little fire, wishing she could push him away from her. “You’re throwing your weight around and I don’t like it. You’re trying topush mewhen I said I want to go home.”

He has all the power in their relationship and Kara is distinctly aware of it. He could ruin her, very easily, if she were to take the wrong step with him. That makes her nervous. The idea of giving him more power only makes her feel backed into a corner.

And just like that, Dieter’s mouth goes into a thin line, eyes becoming flat. “You’re being outlandish, chickadee. Come home, I’ll have one of the maids fix you a drink to set your nerves at ease, you’re clearly exhausted-”

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