Dimitri's Forbidden Submissive (Submissive's Wish) (7 page)

And speaking of the perfect Dom…

Glancing over her shoulder, Rya found Dimitri still watching her. She looked away and took a sip of her wine then pretended to observe the army of helicopters out in the field behind the lodge as they took off one by one. Evidently, there was a big party going on tonight in a nearby city. Moriz had invited her and even offered to buy her a dress for the occasion, but she really didn’t feel like being a fifth wheel. Oh, there were plenty of couples and single subs she could play with, but for some reason that thought just didn’t appeal to her right now. If she was being honest it was because she was still hung up on that damn womanizer who’d given her one of the best orgasms of her life—with one fucking kiss.

“Rya?” Angelique said with a slight hint of laughter in her voice.

She looked over at the Domme who was watching her with an amused twinkle in her blue eyes and smiled. “Sorry. I was daydreaming.”

“About a certain Russian Dom?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Angelique snorted, the sound somehow elegant and refined. “Do not lie to me. He has been watching you like a starving wolf looking at a tasty rabbit.”

“Yeah, well, this rabbit isn’t interested in becoming part of his dinner.”

One of Angelique’s men—Rya thought his name was Maurice—said something to Angelique in French and she caught Dimitri’s name a couple times. The Domme’s eyes went wide and she glanced at where Dimitri probably still sat, then back at Rya. “Yes, perhaps it is better that you stay away from that particular wolf.”

“Why?”

Angelique pursed her lips, but to Rya’s surprise Maurice spoke up and said in halting English. “He is Bratva. No good for you.”

“Uh, what?”

Motioning Rya closer, Angelique said in a low voice, “Dimitri is a high ranking member of the Bratva, the Russian mob.”

“What?” She really wanted to look over her shoulder at him now. “For real?”

“Yes. He is a dangerous man and trouble follows him. It is best you do not attract his attention. His reality is not your reality.”

Which, of course, only made him all the more interesting to Rya. She’d like to have blamed it on having a biker mom and being raised by an outlaw MC club, but truth was, dangerous men just flat out did it for her. While she had a healthy respect for the law, she’d grown up surrounded by people who either skirted the edges of the rules the rest of the world had to follow or outright broke them. Hell, her own mother had served time for getting caught up in a marijuana deal gone bad and was in jail for two years when Rya was a young teenager.

But the Russian mob? That was big time crime. While Rya kept her nose out of club business as much as possible, she still heard things. What little she knew of the Russian mob was that they weren’t anyone you wanted to fuck with. They were also businessmen, and they ran their criminal empires with ruthless efficiency. Despite her best intentions to ignore him, it felt as if an irresistible magnetic pull had her looking over her shoulder at Dimitri who was still watching her.

While she sat with Angelique at one of the many tables set up to serve the people staying at the lodge, Dimitri sat by himself in the far corner of the room, surrounded by the rich amber light of the setting sun coming through the large windows. He wore a tuxedo and she wondered if he was leaving for the party on one of the waiting helicopters, then scolded herself for caring.

A big, scary, rough, handsome man dressed in a tux was her personal Kryptonite, and her breath caught as she met Dimitri’s gaze. She swore his eyes darkened even though she couldn’t really see him well in the dim lighting. Swallowing hard, she tried to look away and break this connection between them, but her whole body tingled with awareness as he simply stared at her. Her nipples hardened beneath her silk dress and a low, throbbing need settled between her thighs.

She had no idea how long she gazed into his eyes, swept away by the crazy attraction between them, before Angelique gently squeezed her wrist. “Rya?”

Whipping her head around, she flushed and cleared her throat. “What?”

Angelique studied her, then sighed. “It’s like that, is it?”

Taking another big gulp of her wine, she tried to keep the tremor out of her voice. “Like what?”

The Domme snapped her fingers twice and all of her men stood at once. “He is calling you, and you will answer. Just be aware that you, tasty little rabbit, may not survive the meeting.”

“I’m not going to talk to him,” she said, a protest that utterly lacked conviction.

“Yes, you are.” Angelique stood and patted Rya’s cheek. “I have been a Domme for a long, long time, and I can tell when there is chemistry. Go. Tempt your wolf and see if you can outrun him. At the very least, you should enjoy the chase.”

Before Rya could ask her what she meant, Angelique sauntered away with her men in tow. Maurice gave Rya an exasperated look and shook his head, but he followed his Domme, leaving Rya alone at the table. She sat there, paralyzed by indecision. Part of her wanted to flee, to run away from the perilous temptation Dimitri offered, but the wild darkness that lived in the heart of her soul felt almost a…resonance with Dimitri.

She was still trying to figure out what to do when his deep, magnificent voice said, “Rya, come with me.”

She looked up and found Dimitri standing next to her chair with his hand out. Before she could second guess herself, she went with her gut and placed her hand in his, letting him help her to her feet. Warmth streaked through her from where their skin touched and she tried to pretend her nipples weren’t now clearly poking through the thin fabric of her dress. Even in her four inch heels he towered over her and she looked up at him, drowning in how fucking sexy he was. In a vain effort to regain control of both the situation and herself, she lifted her chin and tried to give him a cold look.

“Where’s your harem?”

“Harem?”

“Yes. All of your women. I’m sure they’re missing you.”

“Where is Tusya? Is he missing you?”

She frowned up at him. “I have no idea where he is.”

“So you do not want him?”

The urge to tell Dimitri that she’d fucked Tusya’s brains out tempted her, but she had a feeling he wouldn’t react well. The last thing she wanted was for Dimitri to pick a fight with him, and as odd as the thought was, she was pretty sure Dimitri felt possessive of her. It was in the way he stood, the way he looked at her, and the way he glared at any man who tried to approach her tonight from the moment he found her in the dining room.

She sighed. “No, I don’t want him.”

“You want me.”

“Arrogant much?”

“Is not arrogant when true.”

Scowling at him, she tried to pull her hand away. “I’m sorry, Dimitri, I know this may sound stupid to you, but I don’t share so it would be best if we end things right now.”

“You share Katya with Tusya.”

“That’s different.”

“How?”

“It just is.”

His lips twitched and she swore he was laughing at her. “Come. Let us walk.”

Giving his tux a glance, trying to ignore her body’s purr of approval at the way he filled it out, she said, “Aren’t you going somewhere?”

“Not anymore.”

“Why?”

“You will not be there. I will be where you are.”

“What?”

“Come. Walk. Is too crowded here.”

He tugged her after him, leading her outside. It was still warm enough that she wasn’t too chilly in her sleeveless dress, but her shoes weren’t really made for walking on the grass. When they stood at the top of the steps leading down to the right side of the house with the paths leading to the lake just down a small hill, she tugged her hand out of Dimitri’s.

“Hold on, I need to take my shoes off.” A faint smile curved his lips and she sighed up at him as she removed her heels. “You’re used to getting your way, aren’t you?”

For a moment he looked surprised, or at least his version of surprise which was the faintest raising of his eyebrows. “
Da
. I mean yes.”

“Thought so.” She almost asked him if it was okay to leave her shoes here. She highly doubted anyone would want to steal her clearance rack fifty dollar heels when most of the women around here were wearing designer footwear that cost as much as the monthly payment on her brand new SUV.

Once her feet touched the grass, she couldn’t help but stop and wiggle her toes in it, delighting in the feeling. Dimitri watched her closely, like she was something new and unusual that he couldn’t quite figure out. Well, that made two of them.

“What are you doing?”

“Enjoying the feeling of the grass beneath my bare feet.”

“Why?”

“Because it feels good.” When he tilted his head to the side and looked even more confused she couldn’t help but laugh. “Come on, Dimitri, when was the last time you walked barefoot through the grass?”

He shook his head, then scooped her up into his arms.

Clinging to his jacket, she stared up at him, hoping he hadn’t heard her little girly squeak of fear. “What are you doing?”

“You have small, tender feet. I do not want you hurt by hidden stone.”

While she liked that he was worried about her hurting herself, she wasn’t sure about being held by him like this. “Won’t your harem get jealous if they see you walking off with me?”

Ignoring her, he carried her down the lawn and out to the lake. She had to admit, it was nice being cradled by a man strong enough to carry her without any complaints. Really nice. And he smelled good, like the soap Katya had used on her earlier mixed with a scent she could only identify as intensely masculine.

He took her out onto the dock to the very end where a group of padded adirondack chairs faced the water. He took a seat in one of them and adjusted her onto his lap until she was curled up in his arms like a contented kitten. Mad at herself for not putting up more of a fight, she tried to sit up, but he easily tucked her back into his arms. Her tension disappeared as she inhaled a deep breath of the smell of the lake cooling as the sun set filled her. Contentment moved through her and she took in the raw natural beauty around her while snuggling in his firm grip.

“Dimitri, what are we doing out here?”

“Appreciating the sun.”

“What?”

He looked down at her and gave her a real smile. “You enjoy grass, I enjoy sun.”

She realized he was much more relaxed now that they were alone. But that would make sense if he really was part of the Russian mafia. The thought of how dangerous his life must be worried her, and she wasn’t sure if she liked the fact that the thought of him getting hurt made her chest ache. While her heart had always been quick to love, this attraction between them was unusual, even for her.

“Now, you ask about my harem. I do not have one.”

Pushing against his chest, and once again getting nowhere, she snorted. “Yeah. Right. Dude, I was there. I saw you kiss them.”

“It upset you that I kiss them after you, yes?”

Just the memory stung and she nodded. “Yes. I know I have no right…”

He squeezed her hip, cutting her off. “Rya, we do not have much time together. I would propose something to you.”

Confused by rapid turn of the conversation, she frowned up at him. “What are you talking about?”

He looked down at her and gently ran the back of his knuckles over her cheek. “I would like to spend the rest of my time here with you. I want you to be my submissive. Only you.”

“What about your other women? Won’t they be pissed that you’re not available to maul?”

He looked sad for a moment and she found herself reaching up and stroking her fingertips over his beard, surprised at how soft it was. He briefly nuzzled his face against her hand, his eyes closing before he opened them and looked down at her again. “My life is very different from yours, Rya. I cannot…I do not love any woman that I have been with. They are my kept women.”

“What? Look, I’m not going to be your
kept
woman. Sorry, I don’t work that way.”

“I do not want that with you. Ever.” He made a frustrated noise. “There are many things I wish I could share with you, but it is not safe.”

A sudden understanding dawned on her. “Because you’re in the Russian mob, right?”

He stiffened immediately. “How do you know this?”

She didn’t like the suspicion in his eyes, or his slightly scary look, so she quickly said, “The people that I was having dinner with told me.”

“What did they say?”

Oh fuck, now he sounded really pissed. “Nothing bad. Just that you’re a wolf and I’m a rabbit. Shit, that’s not what I meant. Sorry, you’re kind of freaking me out right now. You can be very scary, has anyone ever told you that?”

His nostrils flared and she watched him visibly calm himself. “Explain.”

“The woman, Angelique, she’s kind of my friend and she warned me that being with you is dangerous.”

That sadness came into his eyes once again and her heart ached for him. “
Da
. Very, very dangerous. That is why I only have kept women.”

“What do you mean?”

Shaking his head, he looked out to the lake and his chest rose beneath her cheek before he blew out a harsh breath. “It is best for you not to know. Would be risk otherwise. Do you understand?”

“I think I do.” Actually, she understood rather well because of her upbringing, but she wasn’t going to share that with him. Club business was club business…just like mafia business was probably mafia business. “Don’t worry. I won’t ask you to tell me anything that might make me a target.”

He frowned down at her. “How do you know?”

“Know what?”

“That you would be target.”

She shrugged. “Just that if someone within your family thought you’d told me family secrets that would put me in danger, right? Not hard to logic that out.”

“
Da
, yes.” His dark brows came down and he looked at her in such an intense manner that she squirmed on his lap.

“Did I say something wrong?”

“No. No you say right things, which makes it hard to believe. Who are you, Rya DeLuca?”

“Just a girl from New York. Nothing special.”