Page 31 of My Fake Billionaire Damaged Boyfriend

His voice raises in the next room, and I can’t stand the back and forth much longer. I’m wearing one of his shirts that I stole out of the closet, so I take the fuzzy blanket with me and pull it around me like a shield.

The living room is packed with men, and nothing but men, all of whom glance over towards me with some kind of knowing look in their eyes. Dimitri is mid-yell, and possibly mid-curse, his anger palpable from across the room until he turns and spies me in the hallway opening from his bedroom.

Weaving through the crowd, he ushers me backward a few paces, his hands clamped warmly against my arms, “Hey, Kitten. What’s wrong?”

It’s almost scary how easily he’s able to climb down from his mountain of ire and return to the meadows of mellow below. Even with the whiplash of his emotions, I reply with, “You’re yelling, Dimitri. You can’t be upset about this now. There’s nothing we can do.”

“I’m going to get your purse back, and the flash drive,” he assures me, “Just tell me, did Alek mention the music we flooded into the coding before?”

I think over the long workday I’ve had, and the even longer night that has followed, “Yeah, he did. He was upset, but he didn’t ask me to do anything about it.”

His eyes narrow with a knowing look, “He probably had his suspicions. That’s why he had those guys take your purse, and my phone.”

“Well, is yelling at these guys going to make it any better?”

His throat swells as he swallows hard. He turns briefly, flicking his wrist into the air and causing a stampede. The men who don’t pile into the elevator, find the stairwell, and the place clears out in a little under a minute. Turning back towards me, his body eases slightly, and I know he’s forcing himself to relax when he really doesn’t feel like it.

“Sorry,” he sighs. “You’re right. I was just aggravated, that’s all.”

“Why? Because Alek will know it was me? I’ll take the fall for this, Dimitri. I don’t mind.”

“You’re not taking the fall for anything. We’re going to get those things back, and if we don’t, then we’re going to double down. We aren’t in some conspiracy against Alek. We’re just dating, and if anything, we’re being framed.”

My lips purse curiously, “Okay, we can do that. He obviously believes that we’re dating, but I know he doesn’t trust it fully. He is going to find the flash drive and that’s going to be pretty damning.”

“Yeah, but he doesn’t know how to use it. He needs you for that, and you’re not going to help him.”

“Of course, I wouldn’t,” I say firmly.

He seems slightly more at ease now than before. His hand caresses my cheek, and he smiles softly as he leans forward to kiss my temple tenderly.

I melt into the sensation, almost feeling like a real couple for once.

“You should go back to bed, Kitten,” he whispers, “I’m going to do a little work and crash on the couch. I’ll just be fuming for a few hours.”

“Fuming? Why is that?”

He shakes his head at first, but then he backtracks and adds, “When I was young, my father ran this company. My mother even had a hand in the tech world, and they were pioneers. Which was great for me, I had the best teachers I could ask for, but it had its downsides.”

I lean into his chest slightly, enjoying this new and vulnerable side of Dimitri that I haven’t seen before.

He continues, “I had the best teachers, but they never let go of the reigns. I had to constantly be monitored and corrected, even if I got the right results—they would correct me on how to show my work and get to the right answer. They made me feel as if I wasn’t allowed to ever get out of control, and that was constant throughout my childhood. So tonight, and letting those bastards go—I felt like I was losing it again.”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, “I wish I could do something to help you feel in control again.”

“It’s not your place to help me feel anything, Kitten. I am in control of my emotions, and that’s how it is going to stay. Now, go back to bed and get some sleep. I’ll have one of my guys stop by your apartment and get a second key from the maintenance man because yours was stolen; that way you can go home in the morning to change for work.”

I nod as he turns and leaves for the couch, my heart trailing behind him on a leash. I know he said it’s not my job to help him feel anything, and he just wants to be in control again, so while I should follow his instructions and return to bed, I decide against it.

Dropping the blanket on the floor around my ankles, I let the fluffy material puddle on the ground while Dimitri plops down haphazardly into the couch. I undo the buttons of his shirt, and let it fall as well, only now his eyes drawing up my naked, shivering body.

“What are you doing, Kitten?”

Swallowing my many nerves, I reply with, “I want to give you control, Dimitri.”

His brows pinch. “Oh, yeah? And how is you being naked going to do that?”

“Be in control,” I gust, “You can have all the control in the world right now. I want you to have it.”

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