(Emily's POV)The next morning, I woke up to shouting. The sound is distant, but my eyes pop open all the same.I'm alone in bed. Dimitri is gone.I don't feel abandoned. For one thing, he left me in his room, when only a few days ago he chased me out of here in a rage. Things have changed between us.I have no time to ponder on that, or to bask in pleasurable memories of the night before. I slip out of the bed, finding my panties and the nightgown. That's ripped past repair, so I pull on Dimitri's discarded shirt instead. It comes down to mid-thigh and smells like him, like cigarettes and mandarin oranges.I hurry out of the room, and down the hallway, but the argument is already finished before I can catch what it's about. I see the doors of the billiards room thrown open, with Amy and Cleo stalking off in one direction, and Lucio walking away in another.I don't see Dimitri at all, but I'm guessing he's still inside.I hurry down the stairs, barefoot. I'm sure my hair is a tangled
(Dimitri's POV)Watching the Mercedes-Maybach Exelero exiting from the gate, carrying Emily to my private jet, is like watching the sun sink below the horizon. The light fades away, and all that's left in its place is dark and cold.The house is silent. No mocking from Emily's sarcastic voice. No hint of her gentle laugh, or her questions to Cleo.Actually, there's no noise at all. The men are silent, too.I lay awake all night, watching her sleep.In the early hours of the morning, when the light turned from gray to gold, her face glowed like a Caravaggio portrait. I thought that out of all the sights I had ever seen, Emily was the most beautiful.I knew I didn't deserve to have her in my bed. Emily is a Pearl, and I'm just the mud at the bottom of the ocean. She's flawless and pure, talented and smart, while I'm an uneducated criminal. A monster who's done horrible things.But strangely, I may be the best person to truly appreciate her. Because I've seen the ugliest parts of the wor
(Emily's POV)We take Dimitri somewhere I do not know. Mali drives, while Lucio shouts directions and rips open a medical kit with his teeth. He tears into a little packet containing a long tube and a syringe.Dimitri is sprawled out across the back seat. His eyes are closed and his skin looks gray. He doesn't respond when I squeeze his hand. I'm trying to hold a cloth tight against his stomach, but it's difficult with how wildly Mali is driving and how soaked the cloth has gotten already."What's your blood type?" Lucio barks at me."What? I-""Your blood type!""O!... O positive, I think," I said. I've donated a few times during blood drives at university."Good," he says, relieved. "I'm AB, which won't work." He shoves the needle into Dimitri's arm, then says, "Give me yours."He makes me stand, half-crouching in the speeding car so my arm is higher than Dimitri's."How do you know how to do this?" I ask him."I was in medical school in Turin," he says, his speech muffled because
(Dimitri's POV)A full moon lit the room almost as well as the overhead light. With bandages on my arm and in my lower rib and her hands. They have taken off my shirt to treat the wounds. I was surprised I didn't wake up, though I hadn't taken care of the stab wound as well as I should have. The fact I could not move told me it looked a lot worse than it was."Just sleep now, will you?" Her voice demanded. I sawed my lip between my teeth. "You became braver than before, wife."I was sure she'd have something more to say once the statement sank in, but she remained silent, sitting on the edge of the couch in nothing but one of my T-shirts. She looked like Michelangelo's wet dream. As usual, she wasn't wearing a bra, her nipples visible beneath the white fabric. "Because your hard-headed."I chuckled. "Yeah, I'm hard..." I look at my cock and then at her frown face. "headed." she rolled her eyes after seconds of understanding.She knows how to amuse me and it makes me smile every time
(Dimitri's POV)I ran my thumb down the smooth column to show her what I wanted. She inhaled, and the next time she took me in her mouth, she slid down, managing to take every fucking inch. "Damn, wife," I growled. "Your sweet mouth is going to make me come."She pulled back to suck in a ragged breath. Her eyes watered, and tears come pouring down her cheeks. My heart pounded with force, but I softly held her hair back from her face, my voice a deep rasp. "Then the only place left for me to come in is your ass."She hummed a breathy noise and rubbed her thighs together before licking up my shaft, then taking my cock in her mouth all the way again. I hissed through my teeth. She gagged, her throat constricted around me, and it was game over. The heat inside me erupted so violently that my ears rang as I pulled back slightly to come in her mouth and not down her throat, unsure of how she would feel about that.She looked up at me, her eyes watering little streaks down her cheeks, and sw
(Emily's POV)I was burning in the flames of hell. It was the only thing that explained the heat consuming me from the inside out. Though hell wasn't supposed to be so inviting... or smell like an Italian forest... or fit as well as Armani.It did contain the faint scent of blood, however.I blinked against the sun streaming in through the window. The bright morning light was only shadowed by Dimitri's body, which was, of course, the embodiment of hellfire itself.My face was pressed against his chest. One of my legs was intertwined with Dimitri's as I slowly suffocated beneath his heavy thigh, the dead weight of his arm around me, and all the heat. It was bliss.I'd always disliked my height, though that was before I realized if I was any shorter, I'd never be able to feel so many inches of this man at once. The closeness hummed in my blood, sating a deep-seated hole inside my heart."You feel pretty clingy right now." The words were rough and tired and so very sexy. "You're the one
(Emily's POV)"Maybe I could do some yoga to replenish the fruits I'm feeling towards Dimitri," I announced.Head resting on his paws, Ravi looked unimpressed with the idea. I'd snuck him in through the back door and up to my room. If this was my last night here. I didn't want to spend it alone. Ravi had secured a decent chunk of my bed and was already shedding everywhere. I loved it.After Dimitri kicked me out of the clinic. Lucio take me home, to Dimitri's home. Yes, I'm back at his mansion. The whole place is filled with more armed men than yesterday but the mansion seems empty. I haven't seen Cleo roaming around. When their boss is at risk, his men are not there. What a joke.Lucio said, I will just lie low while Dimitri was healing and at the same time, has the plan to do something about his attackers. And it's been two days since I've been lying low. Is Dimitri plan to live at the clinic? I heard before Lucio exited my room, Dimitri called and I will be sent back to Canada tw
(Emily's POV)I woke up in a familiar room, Dimitri's room. He's nowhere to be found. I let out a sigh of disappointment.I toss and turn in bed countless amount of times, trying to find a comfortable position to get back to sleep but I'm still not satisfied. I let out a groan, finally giving up on getting back to sleep.I know it's because of my nagging thoughts that are contributing to my lack of sleep, more than anything else. My mind flashes back to the day before yesterday when Lucio said I'll be sent home after Dimitri healed.Just that had made my nerves spike up but luckily no one had said anything yesterday. Not even last night with Dimitri.Instead, he let me be and hadn't uttered a word. However, that just makes me even more worried. I adjust my pillow, as I sink down into its softness, trying to find some sort of comfort.What if Dimitri is just doing this so that I lower my guard? I keep telling myself that I'm being absurd and overthinking everything but I can't help it.
(Emily's POV)Eight hours later. I glanced out the window of the private jet. I'm finally seeing again the tall Eiffel Tower. I glance at Dimitri and had been his attitude the entire flight: indifferent. He and those stupid 'Delicious!' sounds coming from his phone were driving me crazy. Lucio wasn't any better company. He was flipping through a Cosmo in the row of seats at the front of the plane. And Mali was sleeping in the corner while snoring.After we got married two days ago, even though I'm pregnant, I'd been burning up, waiting for him to touch me, kiss me, and drag me to the convenient bed in the back. But he hadn't done any of that. When I got tired of waiting. I'd straddled his lap, ran my lips down his neck, and cupped his erection as it grew harder beneath my hand.I thought I was finally going to get what I wanted, but then he shoved me off him to the couch and said, "I'm saving myself for our honeymoon, wife"I glared at him.He thought it was funny.Frustrated, I got u
(Emily's POV)The next day, something smelled like pancakes. It made my stomach churn.I loved pancakes.I rolled out of bed, brushed my teeth, and combed my hair, then padded out to the kitchen to find Dimitri at the stove, shirtless, his hair wet. I loved him like this, the casual side of him not many got to see. Like this, he was mine.But when I wrapped my arms around his waist, he tensed. Uncertainty flickered through me. He'd been quiet since last night after our wedding yesterday. I woke him up when he was having a nightmare, and an insecure part of me was obsessing over what could be his dream."Are you hungry?" he asked when I stepped away from him. I looked at the plate of pancakes on the counter and wrinkled my nose."Not right now." Grabbing the orange juice from the fridge, I poured a glass. "Is there something wrong?" I asked."Nothing.""Stop hiding anything, Dimitri. I want to know what's on your mind. I want to know more about you."I was sitting on my couch, not su
One month later(Emily's POV)Sunlight shone through the high windows of the church's bridal suite, lighting dust particles in the air like tiny flickers of gold. Nausea swirled in my belly, and I pressed a hand to my stomach and tried to breathe through it.It's our second wedding but I'm fucking nervous.I swayed as Lea tugged at my laces. "You've got to suck in, Emily. I've barely begun tightening it up."It felt like she was squeezing the life out of me. "For goodness sake, Lea, she can't suck in her boobs," Carol commented from her seat in the corner. She had a Vanity Fair magazine in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other."It's her backside I'm having trouble with. The laces are gonna be gaping at the seams if I can't cinch them in any tighter."And they wonder how I could ever be depressed...With another jerk on my laces, I breathed, "Oh, God," and covered my mouth as nausea traveled up my throat."Quick, Carol! The waste bin!" Lea exclaimed.My best friend hopped from he
(Emily's POV)Dimitri and I turn onto the main road right as the fire truck comes roaring up the lane, headed for the Castle's beach house, or what's left of it, anyway.I can see the firemen's faces as our car passes their truck, they're looking down at us, eyebrows raised, but unable to stop us from fleeing the scene."What a fucking trip!" I shout, my heart still galloping like a racehorse. "I did not know he was that crazy! I thought he was just normal crazy, like 'I don't want my food to touch,' or 'talking to yourself in the shower' crazy, not like full-out Shining."Dimitri is driving way too fast, hands locked on the steering wheel. Improbably, he's grinning almost as much as I am. Could my uptight husband be starting to enjoy our adventures?"I can't believe I found you," he says."Yeah, Did you find my shoe?" "Yes, I found it! And I remembered."He looks over at me, his blue eyes brilliant against his smoky skin. I don't know how I ever thought his eyes were cold. They're f
(Dimitri's POV)I roll down the window to try to get a better look at some of the cabins that are set back from the road, half-hidden in trees.Some of the driveways are so faint I can barely see them. In fact, I almost pass one by, failing to see the faint tracks through the grass. Until I smell a hint of smoke. It's so mild that I hardly know what scent I caught. Then I feel the automatic reaction, the hair on the back of my neck standing up, and my heart starting to race. It's a primal, terrifying smell. A warning of danger.I slam on the brakes, whipping the wheel to the left. I follow the long, winding path toward a double stand of trees. Between those trees sits a small blue beach house that I've seen once before in a battered photograph.I stop my car, hoping Oliver hasn't already heard the engine or seen me driving up the road. I slip out of the driver's side and crouch down behind the car, trying to peer around at the house.I send a quick text to Emily's brother. I'm an ho
(Emily's POV)"I need to pee," I tell him again as he forgot."You can do it with the door open," he says.I glare at him, in a stand-off between his stubbornness and my throbbing bladder.I can only last a few seconds. I drop my pants and sit down on the toilet, letting go. The pee comes thundering out, with more pain than relief.Oliver stands in the doorway, watching me. There's a tiny smile at the corner of his mouth. His eyes look hooded and pleased.I wish he would turn the fuck around and give me some privacy. Or at the very least, I wish I wasn't peeing for so long. It seems to go on forever, and it's fucking humiliating.He's right, though, if he'd left me alone in the bathroom, I would have climbed out the window in five seconds.When I'm finished at last, I pull up my pants and wash my hands, wiping them dry again on my clothes, since there aren't any towels.Oliver watches this too, with a scowling expression. I think he's looking at the cast again. Then I realize he's act
(Emily's POV)I wouldn't have gotten in the fucking trunk if I knew how far Oliver was going to drive. I feel like I've been in here forever. Also, I drank a lot of water with lunch, and I really have to pee. Also, I'm worried about what Oliver might have done with my purse. He wasn't stupid enough to put it in here with me, unfortunately. I'm anxious that he just chucked it out of the window or something, which means that my precious little package is already missing again.For a long time, I can feel that we're on the freeway smooth, steady progress in the same direction. Eventually, we turn off and start driving slowly and erratically down roads that are obviously narrower and less well-maintained. A couple of times the car jolts hard enough that I do hit my head on the top of the trunk.I've been hunting around in the dark, looking for anything useful. If there was a tire iron back here, I'd use it to brain Oliver the second he opened the trunk.At last, the car slows down. I thi
(Emily's POV)I'm sitting across the table from my new friend, Drake Lee. He passes me the little box I've been waiting and hoping for all week long, and I open the lid to peek inside."Oh my god, I can't believe it," I breathe. "I know," he laughs. "This was the hardest one I've ever done. Took me three whole days." "You're a miracle worker. Honestly."He grins, almost as gleeful as I am."You mind if I put the whole thing up on my YouTube channel?" he says. "I was wearing my GoPro the whole time, got some great footage.""Of course!" I say.I close the box, still hardly believing what I'm holding in my hand, and I stow it back in my purse. I give Drake a slim envelope of cash in return, the amount we agreed upon, plus a bonus for saving my fucking ass. "Well, call me if you ever need me again," he says, giving me a little salute."I hope I won't need you," I laugh. "No offense.""None was taken," he chuckles. He raises his hand to signal for the waitress."I already paid for the
(Dimitri's POV)I'm sitting at the table, surrounded by my men, basking in the glow of victory. We just got back in California. Our days in Bali will remain a memory. I'm also thankful that it's not our honeymoon or Zajac's head would float all over Bali's ocean.I find myself tuning out of the conversation because I want to look at Emily instead.I can't believe she stayed at Zajac's warehouse, looking for me.She could have been killed, or at the very least, recaptured and held hostage until my men returned the money they stole.She could have just run the moment she escaped the office. But she didn't. Because she knew I was somewhere in the building, probably being tortured, possibly being killed.I was frightened to see her hurt again because of me and I don't want to lose her.I've come to respect Emily and love her, too. I like the effect she has on me. She makes me more reckless, but also more focused. Before I met her, I was going through the motions. Doing what I was supposed