“How else are we supposed to have breakfast? Mon Dieu, we need to take every moment available to celebrate our Corinne - she is getting married, and that is a beautiful thing.”
“I suppose you want to officiate the wedding?” Brenna narrowed her gaze on Marie, and I suddenly wanted to slink into the darkness and leave them to settle this spat on their own.
How had I forgotten that this was what it was always like when we were all under the same roof?
Marie smiled, but in that moment, her kindness seemed to fade into something far darker. “While I am the High Priestess, I arrived as part of Corinne’s family and not as an officiant.”
“Of course.” Brenna answered with a catlike smile as I tugged Marie on, towards the empty room that she would occupy for the next two weeks.
Marie’s gaze swept across her room as she took in the soft colors and plush bedding.
“I’ll be ready for breakfast in thirty minutes, I need a bit of time to freshen up.” Her blue gaze settled on mine, and where it could have easily been a cold, brittle stare, Marie’s was filled with warmth.
As I stumbled back into my own room, wondering how I ever thought that the Club would follow instructions and only arrive next week, I was met with the welcome sight of a half naked Dimitri. The problem with said sight was that he was currently covering his rippled abs with business attire - which meant that he was leaving for the day.
The pang of longing I felt in my side at the prospect of him leaving for a day was not normal, and I had to force a smile on my lips as I stepped towards him, smoothing down the shirt against his chest.
“You failed to mention that the women in your Club are batshit crazy.”
I shrugged, no longer needing to force the smile. “Oh, Dimi, if you think those two are crazy, wait until you meet Maxine.”
He slid his muscular arms into his dark navy jacket as he spoke.
“Who is Maxine again?”
But before my lips could form the words that I required to answer him, his lips were suddenly hovering above mine. “And that name is reserved only for when I fuck you.”
My pulse quickened with desire, but I refused to let his little game of dominance deter the conversation.
“One.” He inhaled the breath from my lips as I spoke, and that movement almost halted my thought process entirely. I swallowed audibly and watched as Dimitri smiled unabashedly, his dimple on full display. The asshole was toying with me.
“One.” I repeated the word - firmer this time, as if that one action could save me from Dimitri. “Maxine is The Tower, which many argue is the worst card in the deck.”
“But you don’t believe that.”
It was unnerving how well he knew me - how easily he could read me.
My throat bobbed as I swallowed once more.
“No.” It was a confession of sorts. “I don’t believe that.”
“And two.” I remained steadfast in the points I wished to respond to. “Why can’t I call you that when you’re not…” My blush deepened as my gaze caught on the plush carpet beneath my feet.
I was comfortable with what we did - revelled in it, even, I just wasn’t comfortable talking about it.
His sensual chuckle had my gaze sliding straight back up to his as the pad of his thumb swiped against my bottom lip. I shivered, my body aching for so much more than just his finger on my lips, but I knew that now was not the time - not with Marie and Brenna awaiting breakfast.
“Because I’m used to you saying it like that when I’m deep inside of you, and when you call me that during the day, when I’m on my way to work, you leave me with nothing else to think about except how after you say my name like that, your voice catches, and then it’s usually followed with a moan. And while I appreciate the visual, I can’t walk into my warehouse with a hard-on and expect any of my men not to notice.”
My tongue fought against the dryness of my mouth as I allowed myself to truly comprehend the words he was saying. Yes, it was dirty and sexed up and wholly Dimitri. But…
“You think about me?” As soon as I uttered the words, I flushed, knowing full well that I sounded exactly like the love-struck little girl I was.
His fingers ran down my jaw, and I saw the same truth in Dimitri’s gaze that was surely reflected in mine. It should have eased my pounding chest, but it did exactly the opposite.
“I find it hard to think about anything else, Little Vedman.”
Something about the way he looked at me, the stark honesty in his gaze, had me wanting to please him - thank him - relay that I felt exactly the same way.