Page 61 of Cruel Honor

“Why deny yourself something fun? Liking me isn’t the worst thing in the world, Evie. You’re not going to go to hell because of it.”

“I think we’re already in hell.”

“True.”

Shaking my head, I rest my chin on my knees. Dimitri sighs and sits down next to me. “What is it?” he asks.

“The fact that you even care to ask makes me like you. You can be surprisingly sweet.”

“Surprisingly sweet? Ouch, Evie. And you think I’m rude.” He flashes me his signature smile. “Come on. Tell me what’s on your mind. I want to know.”

“I don’t allow myself to be with you because it feels like I shouldn’t. I was raised on women empowerment books. Feminism. My dad wanted me to have a mind of my own. But you kidnapped me and forced me into a marriage. That’s horrible. That’s a crime.”

“Not in my world.”

“But in my world, it is. So, the fact that you can also make me like you is scary. It means I don’t know what’s right and wrong. It feels like I’m going against what my dad wanted for me by being with you. But I also know it would be easy to just let myself … be with you.”

“Then do that.”

I laugh. “You make it sound so easy.”

“Because it is. Get out of your head.”

“No,” I whisper. “Not when I miss my dad so much. Not when I’m constantly reminded of him and what he would think of me.”

“He died?” Dimitri asks gently.

“Yes. Mugged. Killed with a gunshot. I was there and saw it all.”

“Fuck, Evie.” He runs a hand down his face. “No wonder you’re all freaked out by this shit.”

“I couldn’t save my dad, but I can save myself. And being with you feels like I’m not saving myself. It feels like I’m doing myself an injustice.”

“You know, I have the cure for that.”

“What?”

He holds out his hand, and for some inexplicable reason, I take it. “Dance.”

“Dance?”

“Let’s go to my club. We can dance. Have fun. Get you out of your head. And maybe there you’ll start to see you’re not dishonoring your dad by being with me. I know I’m not a good man. But I also want to do good by you. Which, for the record, is very unusual for me.”

“This is new for you, too?”

“God, yes. Evie, I’ve never had these feelings for someone before. So, we’re kind of in the same boat.”

His words make me feel safer with him, which I know is the opposite of what I should feel. But I’m tired of feeling scared. Safe is what I need.

So, I let Dimitri pull me up and take me to his club.

It’s only after a while I realize he never made good on his spanking.

DIMITRI

Evie looks sexy in her black dress.

Before we left, I told her to wear something club appropriate, and she raided Katya’s closet and came out wearing this.

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