Kyler’s stern gaze burned into Dmitri’s for a moment before his expression softened. “You know that I will. But take this as the warning it is.” He leaned forward, dead serious. “You might not have her if you wait any longer to make this right between you.”
Heart aching in his chest, Dmitri sighed with the longing he felt not having her close. “I am well aware of that. But this is the right thing to do.” He stared at his friend, willing him to understand. “Whatever you need to tell her to get her to understand, please do that. I need time.” Time to get everything under control. Time to get his fucking priorities straight. Time to right all these wrongs, so that Presley would never feel second again.
He had made mistakes.
He wouldn’t repeat them.
Kyler regarded Dmitri curiously as the glow from the lamp cast a soft light over the side of his face, then he gave a firm shake of his head. “I don’t pretend to understand your play here.”
“My only play is keeping this from hurting her further.” Dmitri rested his arms on his legs, lacing his fingers. “I haven’t found a new home for Club Sin yet, and you know Presley—she’ll think it’s her fault that the club closed.” Until he and Miles sealed the deal by buying a club, this remained an open wound. “She knows what this has done to me. Christ, she experienced my loss of control.” He realized how she’d interpret all of this. “She’ll think that the reason I haven’t been talking to her is because I’m angry at her.” He leveled a hard look at Kyler. “Will she understand? Will she believe me that that is not the case?”
Kyler drew in a long, deep breath and gave a slight nod. “But you need to be aware that this time you’re taking could put more distance between you two, a distance that you might not be able to reverse.”
“That’s not a situation I’ll accept,” Dmitri growled, possession rising within him. “If I go to her now, before this is all settled, she’ll take the blame on herself, and she doesn’t deserve to be blamed for something that none of us have been able to control. Until this is settled and I have a plan to show her that things are fine and that I will no longer put her second, this is how it must be.”
Surprise flashed in Kyler’s eyes. “You’re protecting her?”
“I know my submissive.” Dmitri shrugged. “I’m more connected to Presley than I have ever been to a submissive before. This would destroy her. She is hurting now, and yes, I’m aware of that. But she deserves answers to all of her questions, yet how can I give her those when I don’t have them myself? If we talk and I tell her about Steven, she’ll think that I was pushing her away because I was angry with her. Nothing I could say to her will fix that. In the bigger picture, what would hurt her more?”
Kyler’s brows pinched. “She’ll feel as if she failed all of her friends, not to mention her Dom, and she’ll think it was because of her that you lost the club honoring Charles.”
Dmitri agreed with a nod. “I won’t allow her to feel that. Until I have fixed this and can prove that she comes first and that none of it was her fault, I’m afraid this is the lesser of two evils.” He dropped his head and paused as his heart squeezed in his chest. Then he said softly, “Please take care of her until I can.”
“You know I will” was Kyler’s reply.
—
I need you to trust me now. Trust in us. I love you. Don’t forget that, doll.
Dmitri’s text arrived a little after ten o’clock. Presley couldn’t stop staring at it, trying to decipher the message. She sat on the couch in the living room of Aidan and Cora’s log house, a quilt covering her legs. Noise came from the kitchen, where Cora and Aidan were still fixing some snacks for the movie they all planned to watch together.
On one hand, she was elated that Dmitri had texted her and said the things he had. On the other hand, why wasn’t he coming for her? He had to be back in Vegas now, and maybe he’d sent that text because he knew she had moved out. But then why wasn’t he knocking down the door and apologizing?
Her head began to hurt more than her heart.
“Wine and chocolate, a woman’s best friend, right?” Cora smiled as she entered the living room holding two wineglasses.
“It sure is.” Presley forced a smile.
“Women are unusual creatures,” Aidan muttered, carrying a box of chocolates. He placed them in front of Presley on the wood coffee table that resembled a tree stump and then sat down in the recliner facing the television. “I will never understand the appeal of chocolate.”
“That’s because you’re a man.” Cora winked at Presley. “They aren’t supposed to get it.”
“They don’t get a lot of things,” Presley muttered, instantly regretting her words when she saw the concern on her friends’ faces. She shook her head and smiled brightly. “So, what are we watching tonight?”
“A movie that will punish me,” Aidan grumbled, but his smoky gray eyes reflected a tender compassion.
“You can bet your sexy ass on that.” Cora handed Presley her wineglass, then slid under the quilt. “I found the stupidest comedy ever about male models. It’ll make us laugh.”
Presley smiled, a little more honestly now. She and Cora always laughed at the same parts in movies, even if no one else did.
Just as Cora raised the remote to start the movie, a knock sounded at the door.
All eyes went to Presley, who swallowed back thick emotion. Had Dmitri come for her? After exchanging a glance with Cora, Aidan pushed off the recliner and moved to the door.
When the front door opened, disappointment hit Presley like a wall of bricks. Dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, Kyler entered the house, his gaze zeroed in on Presley. A tear rolled down her cheek, and she hastily brushed it away before anyone noticed. She’d let herself hope, and now all she felt was desolation.
Pity shone in Cora’s expression as she laid a hand on Presley’s leg.