Page 60 of Ensnared
Eve gasped, clearly stunned by the revelation, and turned a hurt almost accusing look at him. "You didn't tell me today was your birthday."
Dimitri shrugged, relishing the array of emotions on her face.
Alexei slapped him on the back—hard. "Come on, birthday boy."
As they followed behind, Eve whispered to him. "Why didn't you tell me today was your birthday?"
"I never celebrate my birthday," Dimitri admitted. It was true. The day meant nothing to him, simply a day to mark the change in his age and nothing more. Roman was the only one who acknowledged the day. Though technically that hadn't always been true. Memories of his grandparents celebrating the date with Dimitri resurfaced in his mind. He quickly pulled his thoughts back to reality and gave her a wicked smile. "Why? Do you want to celebrate with me?" He asked in a low voice, knowing she would catch his meaning.
Eve blinked and looked to Roman and Alexei walking ahead of them. They were almost at the restaurant. With a worried look, her dark brows knit together as she turned back to meet his eyes. "I would but…it's not going to be something…" she struggled for the words as her gaze shifted away shyly. "You won't try to do something weird like…share me with them will you?" she whispered.
Stunned, Dimitri straightened. His hand flexed at his side with the need to grab a handful of her soft thick hair in his fist. He wanted to see the vulnerable arch of her neck and her wide eyes behind her glasses when he spoke his next words but he refrained, instead he gave her a level look filled with promise. "I don't share what's mine."
A warmth settled over her pretty features and she nodded and it took God himself to keep him from pulling her into his arms. Dimitri wanted to question her to see what she was thinking and where the hell she got the idea of him sharing her from. He wanted to kiss her and drag her back upstairs and celebrate his birthday in the only way it mattered with the only person that mattered. Instead, he took the reins of his self-control with an iron fist and gently put his hand on the small of her back to guide her through the restaurant door.
Besides the waitstaff, the place was empty. Dominic had made sure to close the restaurant to the public allowing them privacy as they ate. Years ago, it would have been different, Dimitri mused as he pulled out a chair for Eve to sit on. Before, men in their position would have dined with multiple women surrounding them, the night painted with shades of dark deeds and shrouded in the haze of soon to be forgotten memories. It had been a time that had affected each man at the beginning of their seat on the throne of power. Each night laced with drugs, violence, and sex. Each night bigger than the last until one day they found themselves looking in the mirror, hardly able to recognize the man staring back.
Dimitri sat down and looked over to Eve, who was staring at both Alexei and Roman with a wide, uncertain gaze.
"Let me introduce you," he offered. "This is Alexei," he indicated to the man sitting directly in front of him. Alexei was leaner than Roman, seated at his right, and undoubtedly the most handsome among them. The asshole had the face of a man that should be painted across billboards. If the man wasn't so goddamn good with his fists, he would have never survived hard time in Russia with a face like his. "And this is Roman," Dimitri gestured to the giant smiling bastard sitting across from Eve.
Eve's eyes went even wider behind her gold frames as she met Roman's direct gaze. "Hello," she said in a soft voice.
Reaching his hand under the table, Dimitri laced his fingers through hers. The same warmth he felt every time he witnessed Eve's smiling face or held her soft body close to his at night spread through his chest when her fingers tightened around his.
A waiter came up to the table and began taking their order.
Using the opportunity of distraction, Dimitri leaned over and whispered in her ear noting with satisfaction the little shivers his warm words caused her. "You look beautiful. Too good actually," he admitted with a little growl.
Eve's shoulder stiffened before relaxing, a soft smile playing on her plump lips. "Thank you, although you may feel differently after you see the damage Andrey has done to your credit card balance. Between him and Ricky, they had to send a separate car back to the house full of clothes."
Dimitri nodded even as he traced a pattern on her thigh that made her shiver. "I'm just glad someone pulled the trigger on that decision."
A prideful little gleam reflected in her eyes. "And what decision is that?"
Dimitri didn't bother holding back his smile. She knew what he was referring to. He stopped hinting around the topic weeks ago and blatantly asked if she enjoyed hanging up her five outfits in that massive empty closet of hers. Thankfully, the waiter finally turned to him, and Dimitri ordered for the both of them.
"Tell us Eve, how did you meet Dimitri?" Alexei asked.
The grip around his fingers tightened and Eve went perfectly still in her seat.
Rubbing his thumb across the soft skin of her hand, Dimitri answered for her. "Her brother got himself involved with stealing a couple of million dollars from me," he answered truthfully.
Eve jerked beside him but he kept his grip secured around hers. Roman and Alexei didn't react they; continued to listen with interest.
Dimitri continued. "And as a way to incentivize the man to cooperate, I took his sister…but now I have no intention of giving her back."
Alexei nodded with a slight smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth and looked at Eve. "Doesn't sound too far off of how I met my wife, Christelle."
"I admit I thought of that when I was pursuing Eve," Dimitri chuckled.
Eve snorted under her breath. "Pursuing?! I hardly think kidnapping and blackmail fall under the category ofpursuing."
"Of course, it does," he countered with a friendly smile. The waiter stopped by and set the large plate of appetizers in the middle of the table. Dimitri served Eve's plate with stuffed mushrooms. "I wanted you and I made sure to get you. Pursuing."
Eve scowled at him while Roman shook his head with a smile.
"Unlike you two I didn't have to kidnap or extort my wife." Roman gave Dimitri a smug look. "She pursued me."
