Page 56 of Deadly Protector
CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE
Zamira shifted as the bed dipped, then sat straight up, her eyes bleary. “I tried to stay awake.” She reached for Dimitri, shoving the covers out of the way.
“It’s fine, trust me.” He pulled her into a hug and buried his face against her neck. “It’s over. Mostly.”
She squeezed him tight, breathed in his familiar scent. “Mostly?”
Sighing, he leaned back. “The job is done and we got away clean, but I’ve got a meeting tomorrow morning. Then it should be over.”
“What kind of meeting?”
He paused, watched her with those dark blue, soulful eyes. She’d fallen asleep with the lamp on in Mila’s guest room, so she could see him clearly.
“You don’t want to tell me?” she asked quietly.
“Not really.”
“I was married to a man who kept me in the dark about a lot of things.” She knew they weren’t married, not even close, but she still expected a certain level of openness. Especially after everything they’d been through together.
“I’m meeting with Irene. With some other interested parties.”
“Other interested parties? Like maybe Lyosha and probably Lizzy Caldwell?”
He gave a small smile. “I don’t think Lizzy will be there, but her husband will be.”
Zamira’s eyes widened. “Oh.” She knew of the Caldwell family. Of course she did, considering she lived in Miami. Her brother-in-law worked for them and now Angel was close with Lizzy—a woman who Zamira genuinely liked.
“Tomorrow should effectively sever any issue I have with Irene and any issue you have with Ryba. If she doesn’t back off…” He paused. “She’s going to, unless she’s completely stupid.
And she’s not.”
Zamira wanted to ask more questions, but Dimitri looked positively exhausted. “Okay, good. You want to get some sleep?”
He stripped his T-shirt off and stood. “You go back to sleep. I’m going to grab a shower first. Want to wash off the night.”
She watched as he stepped into the connected bathroom, then when she heard the water running, she stripped off her short pajama set. From where she was, she heard him let out a low groan.
Not a sexual one, one of pure exhaustion.
She moved the shower curtain, stepped inside with him and hugged him from behind, laying her head on his back.
He held on to her arms with his own as the water beat down over them.
“Want to talk about tonight?”
“Everything went smoothly,” he finally said. “Just so easy, even though we barely had any time to prep. At one time I would have loved a job like that. But the whole time all I could think about was you. Losing you.”
She held him tighter. “I’m so sorry you had to do this job at all.” He’d been dragged back into a world he’d left because of her past.
“It’s not that. I just…” He turned, pulled her with him under the pulsing water. “I don’t want to lose you, that’s all.”
“You’re not going to lose me.” She wasn’t sure why he was saying that, what had brought it on. She wasn’t even sure what they were, relationship wise, but she knew that she wanted him in her life, wanted to eventually introduce her children to him. He was the kind of man who showed up when he said he would, who protected those he cared for with a rabid fierceness.
“You’re amazing,” he finally said into the quiet.
“You’re pretty amazing yourself.” She leaned back slightly, though kept her breasts pressed to his chest, enjoying the skin-to-skin contact.
He cupped her cheek. “I’m just worried you’re going to regret getting tangled up with me.”
