Page 21 of Mastered By Lust

Leah

Seeing Dmitri and Patrick was not the way I expected dinner to end, but Gage seems to take it in stride.

It takes me a moment to calm down. I felt…bad for Dmitri. And awkward. At the same time, I could tell he was jealous, and a small part of me liked it. Okay, a big part of me liked it.

He had his chance. He blew it.

Gage and I wait for the valet to return his car. His hand is warm at my back. Is this what a real date feels like? I love it. I feel cared for, like I’m worthy of special plans.

“Are you often recognized?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “I don’t go out often. And when I do, the glasses and beard help.”

“Do you need the glasses, or are they a prop?”

“I need them. I wore contacts when I was younger. I loathed them. I tried to convince the director that glasses on an incubus would add more dimension. I failed in that attempt, obviously.”

I want to know more about his time working onAcademy of Ghosts, but he’s probably sick to death of talking about it.

I also haven’t searched for him online. I want to know about his past, about the sex tape Danica mentioned, about his reputation…but at the same time, I don’t want to know.

I’m such a freaking coward. This is going to end with my heart breaking. It’s not like I expect any relationship to last, not for me. But when this one ends, it’ll be devastating.

When we get in the car, Gage checks his phone before sending a message. Then he says, “I have one unpleasant thing to mention.”

Already? Shit. We’re not even out of the honeymoon stage. “Uh-oh.”

“It’s not awful. Not for you, anyway. You’ll have the penthouse to yourself tomorrow. I’m attending a funeral in Los Angeles.”

“Oh—I had no idea.” Has he been mourning for days, and he’s just now telling me about it? I know it isn’t about me, but the fact he would hide something so big hurts a little. It also reminds me of where I stand in this relationship. “What happened?”

“I don’t know if you’ve seen the news. One of my castmates fromAcademy of Ghostsrecently died in an accident.”

“Are you…” I hesitate. Getting him to share is difficult. But he brought this up. “Are you okay? Were you close?”

“We used to be.”

He says it in a flat voice. I wait for him to elaborate, but there’s nothing else.

“You know, the penthouse is yours now, too.” He clears his throat, as if uncomfortable. “You can have friends over when I’m gone. If I’m there, I’d like to know in advance if guests are coming. I value my privacy and solitude.”

I still can’t view his penthouse as my place. He mentioned wanting to get my things from Dmitri’s. What would he want with a table that was spit out by the cheapest of discount furniture stores?

“Thanks. I’ll let you know if I invite anyone over. Danica is fangirling over the fact I’m dating you, so I’ll wait until she calms down. There’s no one else I trust, at this point.”

“What about Dmitri?” His tone is casual, but I detect a suggestive note.

“Like, to fuck around?” I shake my head. “It’s not like that with him. First, I’m with you. Second, he doesn’t want me like that.”

“Baby girl, he wants you like that. He wanted to tear off your dress and bend you over the table in Abdul’s.” He reaches over to touch my knee, his palm hot through the fabric of my dress. “And to be honest, I would love to watch you two again.”

The thought of Dmitri fucking me turns me on. Ten out of ten. The thought of Gage watching me with Dmitri takes that arousal and turns it up to eleven. The auction night plays through my head all the time—Gage directing the scene, Dmitri and me performing. At the memory, a thrill of excitement and lust ricochets through my body.

Maybe some women would be offended by their boyfriends wanting to share them. I am apparently not one of those women. The thought turns me on. I picture Dmitri taking me from behind, fierce and fast, while Gage sits off to the side, stroking himself while he watches.

Gage’s voice is low and seductive. “You like that idea.”

My body screamsyes, but my head is filled with several years’ worth of hang-ups. “I feel like I shouldn’t.”

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