When a Champion Wants You (14 page)

“Oh. That’s
nice.”

With a bottle of wine and
two glasses, he was back, sitting on his bar stool after placing
the glasses and the wine in front of them. “Let me know if you need
any sauces or anything.”

“Okay, but I don’t think I
will. This is delicious,” she mumbled while holding her hand in
front of her mouth.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yep. Glad I stopped
folding clothes to come here.”

“I’m glad you did,
too.”

“So how many bedrooms does
this place have?”

Dimitrius wiped his mouth,
then said, “Five.”

“Wow. That’s a
lot.”

He took a sip of wine.
“Not really. Three bedrooms are for the kids, the master is mine,
of course, and the remaining bedroom is a guest
bedroom.”

“Oh,” Melanie said, and
she took a sip of wine, too. “You’re serious about having children,
huh?”

“Certainly. I told you I
wasn’t changing my mind like your ex did. I know what I
want.”

“I see,” Melanie said,
reaching for the wine bottle where she poured another glass. She
realized what he was doing, realized that it was wrong and that if
things worked out with Dimitrius, she would have to tell him she
couldn’t give him the family he wanted.

For a few moments, they
were quietly eating until a chime interrupted the
silence.

“You invited more women
for dinner?” Melanie quipped.

“That’s the grandfather
clock in the living room, sweetie.”

“Oh.”

“It’s an heirloom…my
mother used to love that clock.”

Melanie drank the rest of
her wine, dabbed her mouth with a napkin and said, “So tell me
something about yourself that I don’t already know.”

“Hmm…let’s see…um…my
father taught me how to play the piano, and I used to give piano
lessons to help pay my way through college.”

“You’re lying.”

A small smile touched his
lips. “You love calling me a liar, don’t you?”

“It just seems a little
farfetched. I don’t see you as a piano player.”

“Well, it’s true. I’ll
play for you one day.”

Melanie smiled and watched
him take a swig of wine.

“Your turn,” he said,
setting his glass on the counter. “Tell me something I don’t
know?”

“Um…hmm…okay. Well, I was
a big nerd in high school.”

He smirked. “I can see
that.”

She smiled and slapped his
arm. “What do you mean, you can see that?”

After laughing, he said,
“You’re a smart woman.”

“And how do you know
that?”

“I could tell by your
interview. I found you to be on point and very knowledgeable in
your field.”

“Was that before or after
you snapped at me.”

He chuckled softy and
said, “I didn’t snap.”

“I know. Just teasing. You
did give me a hard time, though.”

“I did. I’ll admit that,”
he said, looking at her. He was tempted to remove her ponytail
holder so he could see her curls frame her face, and he wondered if
she would object if he were to do so. “Did you go to college?” he
inquired.

“No, I didn’t. My parents
couldn’t afford it and I got passed up for a scholarship,
so…”

Dimitrius nodded. His
parents couldn’t afford to send him and his brothers to college
either, but they’d all gotten scholarships to help pay for their
schooling. “Are you done eating?” he asked.

“Yes. I’m
finished.”

He stood up, took her
plate, dumping the leftovers in the garbage. “Since this is your
first time here, do you want a tour of the place?”

“Sure. Let me see how the
other half lives.” She stood and walked near him, following him to
the living room where he showed her the piano. Then he took her to
the sunroom, a peaceful retreat with a waterfall fountain and a
slew of plants. There were two couches, a TV and coffee
table.

“This is where I like to
study,” he told her.

“Study what?”

“Things for work. Maybe
research is a better word.”

“I’m sure you have a
library in this huge home.”

“I do, but the sunroom
allows me to tap into my creativity. Come on. I’ll show you what I
mean.”

Melanie followed him to
the opposite side of the house and when they entered the room, he
said, “Here it is.”

Melanie looked around at
the wall-to-ceiling bookshelves – filled with books. There was an
oak desk, a couch, coffee table and a tall, floor-standing lamp.
“This is nice, but I get your point about the sunroom. It does seem
cozier and more relaxing.”

“Yep.”

“Are you working on
anything, in particular, right now?”

“I’m working on several
projects. My main focus is on a smart phone app that would allow
employees to submit their timesheets directly to their employer. I
want it to be available for the launch in Vegas.”

“You’re designing an
app?”

He nodded. “Yes. You look
surprised.”

“I thought you were an
analytical guy.”

“I am, but I majored in
computers in college, so I’m good with electronics, computer
programs and things as such.”

“That’s awesome,” Melanie
said, impressed. “You better get to work, then, huh?”

Dimitrius slid his hands
in the pockets of his jogging pants. “It’s all good…I must make
time for my lady.”

Melanie smiled, then
followed him to the guest bedroom. After she’d fully scoped out the
room, which came with its own bathroom, she followed Dimitrius
upstairs where the remaining four bedrooms were. He showed her the
master bedroom last, watching how reluctant she was to go
in.

He hid a smirk and said,
“Go ahead, Melanie.”

“That’s okay. I don’t want
to intrude on your personal space.”

“I
insist,” he told her, trying to withhold desire from his
eyes.

“Okay,” she said, walking
in. “It’s an enormous room.”

“That’s the way I wanted
it.”

Melanie noticed the shiny,
wooden floors first. He had to have used the services of a
housekeeper to have a house so sparkling clean. He worked too much
to do it himself.

The color scheme of the
bedroom was black, brown and ivory – natural colors – from the
comforter on the super king-sized bed to the rugs beside it. The
room gave off a virile feel – yet a romantic, whimsical one.
Melanie hadn’t thought of Dimitrius as being a romantic, especially
since his straightforward, brash attitude preceded him, but walking
further into the room, she noticed tall, ivory pillar candles, a
few small fountains, plants and then the thing that really blew her
away were the skylights above the bed. There were so many, you
could look up and see the stars. It must have been quite the sight
with the lights off.

“The skylights are a nice
touch,” she told him.

“It’s my way of bringing
the outside in. If you haven’t noticed by now, I’m the outdoorsy
type.”

“Oh…explains why we went
hiking.”

“Exactly.”

“And the plants, the
fountains…”

He nodded. “And the stars
are amazing at night, especially since I’m outside of the city
limits and don’t have all those lights to contend with.”

“I bet. I can barely see
any stars at my apartment.” She looked up at the ceiling
again.

“So what do you think?” he
asked, following her into the ensuite bathroom that housed a garden
tub, separate shower, Jacuzzi and his and her sinks.

“It’s nice,” she said,
turning around to meet his gaze. “You have a lovely
home.”

“Good.
I’m glad you approve,” he responded, then seductively bit his
bottom lip. He loved the feeling of having her in his home, and the
fact that she liked it satisfied him.

“Let’s take a walk outside
and do a little stargazing,” he said. “What do you say?”

“Um…” Melanie began. She
didn’t have to work in the morning, but she had practically spent
the entire day with Dimitrius. And he still didn’t want her to
go.

“Just a little while,” he
said.

“Okay. A little
while.”

* * *

“This is so beautiful,”
Melanie said after they stepped onto the deck, both staring up into
the dark, star-blanketed sky.

“It is. I come out here
sometimes to lay back and stare up towards the heavens.”

“Lay back, where?” Melanie
asked, looking around.

“There.” Dimitrius pointed
to the chaise lounge chair.

Melanie walked over to it
and sat down on the soft, cushiony seat, then laid back so she
could stare up into the sky.

Dimitrius joined her,
lying comfortably next to her.

For a long moment, they
were both quiet, enjoying nature until Melanie said,
“Dimitrius.”

“Yes,” he said, turning to
look at her.

“I know I’ve been a little
standoffish, and I don’t want you to think that I don’t like you
because I do. I just don’t know if marriage is for me
since—”

“It is for
you.”

She smiled. “How can you
be so sure?”

“Look at you…everything
about you screams marriage. I have no doubt you’d be the perfect
wife, mother, confidant, lover—”

“But—”

“Shh. No buts. You can’t
think too much into this, Melanie. You just have to go with it. If
you read too much into it, you’ll think of all the reasons why we
shouldn’t be together instead of focusing on the reasons why we
should be…remember?”

Melanie swallowed hard.
Unknown to him, there was a reason they shouldn’t be together, and
she knew she had to tell him right here and now before this went
any further. She rolled over to lay on her side while propped up on
her elbow and looking into his eyes, she said, “Dimitrius,
I—”

“Kiss me,” he said,
interrupting her, staring at her lips.

Melanie glanced at his
lips and suddenly she felt her pulse quicken as she lost all
thought. As if caught under his spell, she did what he asked and
moved her lips closer to his until they touched, merging together
under the stars into something beautiful. Magnificent.

She felt the warmness of
his mouth as she led, placing her hand against his face, securing
him closer to her while she felt his hot tongue slide inside of her
mouth, causing a whimper to settle at her throat.

“Dimitrius,” she managed
to slip out in rough breaths but he kept on kissing her.
“Dimitrius.”

“Yes, baby.”

She swallowed hard when
she saw the intensity of his eyes, how ravenous he looked. “I have
to go,” she said.

“No you don’t.”

“Yes, I do,” she said.
“It’s late.”

Something akin to a
grimace appeared on his forehead. “I know it’s late.”

“Don’t you have to work in
the morning?”

“I’m my own boss. I don’t
have to do anything,” he told her. “Do you have to work in the
morning, Melanie?”

“No, I don’t have to
work.”

“So why are you trying to
leave?” he whispered in her ear.

“Because I think I should.
I can’t be with you. I promised myself that the only man I would
ever make love to again would be my husband.”

Dimitrius moved his lips
away from her neck and looked at her with a smile on his face.
“That’s what you’re worried about?”

“Yes. I know you want to.
I can feel it.”

“Of course I want to. I’m
attracted to you, Melanie. It’s only natural for me to feel this
way, but I know how to control myself.”

“That’s
all the more reason for you
not
to control yourself.”

He smirked. She had a
point, but she needed to know that he knew how to control himself.
“Melanie, all I want, right now, is to kiss you. Spend time with
you. Learn you. Can I do that?”

“Yes, but it is
late—”

“Then you’ll spend the
night,” he coaxed. “I need to be with you, Melanie.”

“Okay,” she said, giving
in to him once more, allowing herself to enjoy being with
him.

Chapter 19

Three Weeks
Later

Melanie opened her
eyes, seeing the bright blue sky through the
skylights above the bed in Dimitrius’ bedroom. Since they’d spent
that one night together at his place three weeks ago, they made it
a tradition. She would stay at his house one night a week. That
would be a good way for her to get used to the idea of being there,
Dimitrius had told her. And she even became acquainted with Gino,
since Dimitrius would have him come over to fix a meal anytime
Melanie was there. And she was there on a consistent
basis.