Page 11 of Defiled Innocence

And why can’t I make my body move away from him?

“And I told you, you don’t have a choice,moyo dikoye plamya.” He slides his hand across my cheek, cupping my face.

His mouth overtakes mine. It’s not a gentle or romantic kiss, but one of possession and domination. His fingers curl into my hair at the base of my neck, pulling just enough for a bite of pain to spread through my nerve endings.

Straight to the very center of me.

My fingers twist the lapel of his suit as his tongue brushes against mine. I haven’t been kissed so thoroughly since… I can’t remember when.

By the time he breaks away, I’m lost in a haze again.

He kissed me.

I told him I refused to marry him, and he kissed the sense right out of me.

“I have meetings tonight, but tomorrow, I will take you to dinner and we will sort out the details.” He gently tugs my wrist, signaling that I’m still gripping his suit jacket.

My face heats and I let him go, stumbling back a large step. He reaches out, grabbing my arm and helping steady me before I embarrass myself even more by falling on my ass.

I clear my throat again and look away from him, waiting for the warm tingle in my lips to subside so I can talk properly.

“I told you, Dmitri. I will not marry you and I meant it.” I hold out my hand for my phone. “I have to go.”

Keeping his stoic eyes on me, he pulls out my phone and lays it in my palm.

“I’ll pick you up at seven tomorrow night.” He walks to the door and opens it. “Do not make me wait. I’ve been patient today, but I am not a patient man.”

Patient?

He doesn’t even know the meaning!

“I’m busy tomorrow night,” I lie. I haven’t had the need for a social calendar since college. And even then it was full of study groups. My days are filled with business stuff, but come nightfall, I’m as free as a bird.

“Seven o’clock,” he says, putting his arm out to stop me when I start to walk through the door.

I don’t give him the satisfaction of looking up at him. I can be just as stoic and cold as he can.

He leans down to my ear, the warmth of his breath sending a shiver down my spine.

This man should not be having so much effect on my body. It’s annoying.

“Unless you’d like to learn your first lesson of what disobeying your husband will look like.”

Amelia

“I was a little surprised by your call.” Christian slides a glass of white wine to me over the kitchen island.

“Why? I’ve called you before.” I move up to my toes and climb onto the kitchen barstool.

“Yeah, but you weren’t engaged to Dmitri Dragunov then.” He tries for levity, but falls way short.

“I’m not now, either,” I correct him, glancing at the time illuminated on the oven clock just behind Christian.

Five minutes to seven. Dmitri is probably pulling up to my building right now. In a few minutes, he will discover I didn’t sit around and wait for him like some dutiful lapdog.

Christian leans back against the countertop, cradling his glass in his right hand. “You understand what that would mean. Not marrying him.”

“That’s why I’m here.” I wrap my fingers around the stem of the wineglass. “The Moreau Foundation depends on annual contributions from Lucas’ firm. If I can find a way to fund the foundation without that contribution, maybe I can convince Dmitri to call off this craziness. He can have everything else; I just want the foundation to be safe.”

---