Page 66 of Mastered By Lust

“Look, I’m sorry. But I’m also not sorry.I like her.” Dmitri is starting to sound exasperated. “Can we please fight about this some other time? Gage is coming to pick her up?—”

Someone knocks on the door.

“That’s probably him.”

Danica says, “I can’t believe you’re doing this. Shehas a boyfriend, Dmitri.”

It’s quiet for a long moment. I wish I knew what unspoken reaction he’s giving her.

“Wait. That’s—that’s not a problem?” Danica’s footsteps move across the floor. She’s pacing while she works out the clues Dmitri must be unintentionally broadcasting. I’m going to have loads of explaining to do. “Leah’s always been monogamous. Why didn’t she talk to me?”

“Why do you think? You’ve been a judgmental baby about the whole thing, before it even began.”

The front door opens with its tell-tale creak.

I have to strain to hear Dmitri say, “Hey, Gage. Thanks for coming. This is my sister, Danica. Danica, this is Gage Jannik, who you of course recognize, and now the celebrity NDA is no longer in effect.”

“Pleasure.” Gage sounds distracted. “Where’s Leah? Is she all right?”

“She’s okay. I’ll see if she’s awake,” Dmitri says.

“No doubt she is,” Gage says. “I could hear you two from the front stoop.”

I swing my legs over the edge of the bed. Gage can get me out of here so I don’t have to listen to Danica yell at Dmitri.

The bedroom door opens and Dmitri steps inside. “Hey. Did you hear all that?”

“Yeah.”

He winces and closes the door behind him. “I’m sorry. We should’ve kept it down. How are you feeling?”

Soft conversation from the other room filters through the wall, Gage’s low tenor interspersed with Danica’s higher tones. She’s probably losing her shit right now. But losing her shit in a good way. She has always been a hardcore AoG fan.

“I’m okay, I think.” I pluck at the hem of the t-shirt I’m wearing.

“Danica changed your clothes. I’ll take your dress to the dry cleaners later.”

“I can do it.”

“Please. It’s the least I can do.”

“All right, then.” I shrug. Is this really what we’re going to talk about right now? Dry cleaning? After everything that happened last night…dry cleaning. The stain on my dress takes precedence.

Dmitri sits next to me on the edge of the bed. “I should’ve called you last week.”

“I should’ve called you, too.” I lean against his shoulder. My head is heavy and it feels stuffed full of lead, but my mind is alert. I’m no longer groggy.

“Last night…” He trails off.

“I don’t remember much. I don’t think I want to.”

“Your clothes were on. He assaulted you, but he didn’t rape you.”

“Good.” I didn’t realize how much I needed to hear that until he said the words.

His voice is low and gentle. “Is there anything else you want to know?”

“Not right now.”

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