Page 14 of Deadly Protector
CHAPTERFIVE
Zamira shot up in bed, her heart kicking against her chest. It took only a second for her to settle, for the remnants of her dream to fade. A bear had been chasing her through the woods, its claws flashing under the bright moonlight.
She was safe. So were her kids. “Stupid dream,” she muttered, shoving the covers back. She’d finally fallen into a fitful sleep about…four hours ago, she realized when she saw the clock on the guest room nightstand. It was only three in the morning. Way too early to be up.
Before she’d gone to bed, Dimitri had checked on her a few times, but it had been clear he’d been distracted so she’d assured him she was fine. She’d tried to watch a little television, then she’d found his library and picked a couple books. But nothing had been able to hold her attention so she’d finally managed to doze.
Clearly too much had been on her mind because she’d had a dream about an attacking bear. What even was that? So weird. Or maybe it was just tied into Ryba harassing her.
She lay back down, listening to the quiet of Dimitri’s house. His place was huge; she hadn’t even seen most of it. Just the kitchen and living room, which were connected, and the hallway that led to the guest bedroom she was in. Which was gorgeous but a bit cold, decor wise. Similar to the kitchen, it was grays and earth tones with oversized paintings showing the downtown Miami skyline at different times of the day and year. The bathroom was huge with an oversized tub and everything was so white and sparkly. It was like she was staying in a fancy hotel.
After a few minutes she realized she wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep so she got out of bed and made her way to the kitchen. It was dark under Dimitri’s closed door as she passed by. Not that she’d expected him to be up.
She could at least get some coffee and maybe use his pool before he got up. He’d said his place was secure, and given the gated entryway and the private pool and patio area, she believed him.
Since she didn’t want to wake Dimitri, she was extra quiet in his kitchen—and his coffeemaker barely made any noise. After two cups of coffee and the house was still noiseless, she knew she’d go crazy if she couldn’t burn off some of her energy and, okay, anxiety. She’d already checked her cell and could see on her family’s linked app that her kids were of course at their grandparents’ and very likely sleeping given that they were three hours behind her. And their phones were in sleep mode—she’d checked.
She knew they were safe, she just hated not being able to see them and hug them after the surprise visits—aka pseudo stalking—by Kurt Ryba. Better they were in Canada than here, however.
Decision made, she grabbed a towel and robe and slipped out onto the back patio area. It was already lit up with what she guessed were solar lights. The pool and yard beyond were walled in and gorgeous palm trees skirted most of the property.
After braiding her hair, she slipped off her robe and slid into the pool, savoring the feel of the warm water enveloping her as she waded deeper. Her mama had called her a water baby from the time she was four. And it was true. Thankfully her kids loved all forms of water as much as she did so they got a lot of time outdoors.
Diving underwater, she tried to shelve all her churning thoughts, to find a way to de-stress through laps. She didn’t bother counting her laps, just kicked and stroked, back and forth, back and forth until her legs and arms started to feel the burn.
As she came up for air and started to shove off the wall at the deep end for another lap, a light in her periphery flipped on.
She stopped and turned toward the house—and realized that Dimitri was sitting on the edge of one of the lounge chairs. “Hey, did I wake you?” The sun wasn’t up yet, but the edge of the sky had started to brighten, promising a no doubt beautiful sunrise soon.
His mouth curved up in the sexiest way as he stood and strode toward her. “I was working out in my gym when I got an alert that the patio door was opened. You’re a strong swimmer.”
Zamira stayed where she was, propping her arms up on the edge of the pool and keeping her breasts out of view because she was very aware that she was just wearing her panties. She was comfortable in her skin, and occasionally hit up nude beaches along the coast, but this felt different. “Is it okay that I’m out here? I figured it was safe and I needed to burn off the energy.” She hadn’t been diagnosed with ADHD until she was seventeen, and so many things had clicked into place then—and she’d discovered that staying active helped keep her focused in other facets of her life.
“It’s definitely fine. Full disclosure, I’ve got cameras out here,” he said as he crouched down close to her.
“Oh…” Was he trying to tell her that she was on camera while swimming mostly naked?
“They’re not recording you. They’re mostly facing toward the wall and perimeter areas, but once I got the alert you were out here, I turned off the one that faces the pool.”
She grinned. “Thanks.”
“Are you hungry or did you want to get in some more laps?”
“I could definitely eat.”
He nodded and stood, backing up and giving her space. “You want me to bring you your robe and towel?”
“Sure, thanks.”
He grabbed her things and set them by the edge of the pool, careful to keep his gaze above the water. “I’ll be in the kitchen when you’re ready.” Before he turned away, his gaze landed on her mouth and raw lust flared there for a moment.
Heat spiraled through her and she watched as he walked back inside, admiring his long strides and sculpted ass. His gym shorts were loose, but his ass filled them out perfectly—it filled out every single thing he wore perfectly.
Part of the reason he’d recovered so quickly from his knee injury was because he’d already been in great shape. And she wondered…well, she wondered a lot of things. Like if he’d have stamina in bed. Oh, she imagined he would, but she couldn’t sit out here and drool over him so she hurried out of the pool.
After wringing most of the water out of her hair and drying off, she wrapped up in the robe and slid her panties off, tucking them away in her wet towel. She’d worry about drying them later.
Inside, she found Dimitri at the stove with a carton of eggs, diced vegetables and cheese on the countertop next to him. “You do use this kitchen.” It was so clean, she hadn’t been sure. She grinned as she took a seat on one of the stools across from him.
