Page 61 of Ensnared
Dimitri rolled his eyes at Eve's approving expression. "Yes, she did, and when she finally got tired of him rejecting her and went away, guess who broke into her apartment and said he changed his mind."
Satisfied, Dimitri threw a predatory smile back at his former boss.
Roman simply shrugged unapologetically and popped a mushroom into his mouth. "I realized I was being an idiot and corrected my mistake."
"Does anyone in your…organization get into their relationships normally?"
Roman let out a deep laugh. "That's a good question. One day Dimitri will have to tell you about Mikhail and how he met his little wife."
Dimitri shook his head at Eve's questioning look. Mikhail's situation was a little tricky to explain and if he didn't explain it right it would only lessen her opinion of them.
The rest of the dinner went by surprisingly smoothly. For once, talks of business were shelved and the three of them spent most of the evening filling in Eve on the dynamics of family life in the organization. It was oddly surreal, Dimitri realized as Roman laughingly explained Dimitri's reaction to being saddled with three squirming triplets on one of his visits. It felt like something out of a sitcom. Eve's laughter, Alexei's rare smile making a few appearances, and Roman's relaxed posture, all felt very normal. As if they weren't some of the most powerful men in the bratva sitting around a table in an empty restaurant where their men were currently standing in the shadows lining the walls like silent sentinels. Dimitri looked at Eve's smiling face as she swiped through the endless reel of baby pictures on both men's phones and wondered. Was it her that was making this moment feel this way? It had to be, right? If it were just the three of them, they would still be wrapping up the night with talks of business despite spending most of the day discussing it.
By the time they finished their meal, Dimitri could see the fatigue in Eve's gray eyes. Both Alexei and Roman said their goodbyes to her before Dimitri led her out of the restaurant flanked by three of his men. Outside, a handful of women dressed in tight outfits and tall heels lingered around a pair of his enforcers no doubt trying to wheedle their way inside to see the bigshots they presumed were inside. Eve stiffened at the sight of them as they walked past.
Sneaking a glance down at her, Dimitri could see the insecurity on her face.
Calling the elevator, he stepped inside with her, signaling for his men to stay, and swiped his key card to take him to his private floor. Once the elevator door closed, he turned to her, backing her into the wall.
"What's wrong?" He asked, although he already knew the answer.
"Nothing," she muttered.
He would have to extract the truth from her. "Are you sure? Seeing those women waiting didn't upset you?"
Eve glanced up at him sharply before averting her gaze. "No," she lied.
Dimitri tipped her chin up, his eyes holding a determined edge. "Those girls probably caught wind of someone with means and money through one of my enforcers. But neither I nor Roman nor Alexei will have any interest. As a consolation, the enforcers will get to take their pick at the end of the night."
A fleeting vulnerability crossed her face before she quickly shuttered it. "It doesn’t matter to me what you do," she declared, looking past him. "As you so politely explained to your friends, I'm just your hostage."
Instinctively, he wanted to grab her and fuck her right then and there. At home, he never let her get away with sassy little comments like that. She found her mouth filled with his cock on more than one occasion at the attempt. A punishment he knew she liked despite all her protests. A shudder ran through him at the memory of her taking him into her mouth. Studying her, Dimitri realized she was purposely goading him. His little Evie liked it when he lost his composure with her. They were both coming to realize she wanted to be dominated and pressed against a wall and fucked within an inch of her consciousness just as much as he liked doing it. A perfect push-and-pull relationship. But he wouldn't play along right now. Instead, he focused on the apprehension in her eyes. She was afraid he would stray to another woman's bed.
"Tell me something," Dimitri whispered, waiting for her to look back up at him. "Who hurt you? Was it your ex? Did he make you feel like you weren't the most beautiful woman to ever walk this earth?" Her eyes widened and began to water. Cupping her soft cheek, he leaned down and brushed his lips against her temple. "Tell me. Who made you feel this way? Tell me who hurt your feelings. I promise I'll go hurt theirs."
Eve buried her face in his chest just as the elevator doors opened behind them. Her words, muffled by his shirt, still reached his ears. "Would it be their feelings you would hurt?"
Dimitri gently tilted her face up, brushing away a stray tear from her cheek with a wicked smile. "I promise you, when you get your ribs kicked in, it does hurt your feelings."
She laughed and shook her head in disbelief.
Dimitri hesitated. He warred with the idea of just sending Roman a text saying he would see him in the morning. Stifling a groan, he leaned down and kissed her deeply, savoring the taste of her. "Let me go back down and finish up with them." he breathed against the sweet-smelling skin of her neck. "I'll be back up. Don't wear anything."
Chapter 33
EveglancedupatDimitri's brooding profile, his jaw set and eyes fixed on the passing scenery. The purr of the engine merged with the silence between them, amplifying the tension inside the sleek car. Up front, Dominic quietly drove.
As the car sped toward the charity gala, the city lights danced through the dark windows, casting fleeting shadows on Dimitri's face.
Smiling to herself, Eve cocked her head to the side causing some of her long, straightened hair to fall gently over her shoulders. "You're not really mad at me, are you?"
Turning from the window, Dimitri gave her a hard, considering look. His eyes dropped pointedly down to the midnight black cloak she was wearing securely around her. "Angry? No. Annoyed? Yes."
Eve exhaled heavily. "Just because I wouldn't show you my dress?"
The decision to not show Dimitri her gown was all Andrey's doing. He had arrived earlier that afternoon with two women trailing behind him. One woman was rolling a tall multi-tiered box filled with makeup and hair supplies and the other was hauling a plastic-covered clothes rack filled with beautiful gowns. Dimitri had told her about the charity gala he wanted her to attend only a few days ago leaving her at a complete loss as to what to wear. Surprisingly, Andrey had offered his assistance by rudely texting her to expect him at noon. While the makeup artist worked on her, Andrey had been the one to choose her dress from the stylist.
"He doesn't necessarily care about the clothes, he just likes bossing people around," Ricky confessed to her while she held herself perfectly still as the make-up artist applied her eyelashes.
