I nod my head, knowing that there’s no way in hell I’m staying away from Dmitri. I couldn’t even if I wanted to. I’m in too deep, and there’s no going back. Just the thought of never seeing him again sends a wave of panic over me and makes my chest tighten. I know my dad is wrong about Dmitri. Yeah, he does some illegal boxing for money, but I know he would never hurt me. I also know there’s no point in trying to explain that to my dad. He’s already made up his mind about Dmitri, and it will take a miracle to change it.
Instead of trying to, I change the subject. “Why didn’t you ever teach me and Adam Russian?”
He’s startled by my question and takes a second to answer. When I do get an answer, it’s a clipped, “You know why.”
“I know you were teased a bunch for your accent, but it’s our heritage too, Dad.” I can tell he’s about to move from irritated to pissed off, so I say, “I’m just saying that I wish you’d taught us the language. I’ve been trying to learn it on my own, and if you ever feel like helping me, I’d really love that. It’s crazy difficult.”
He doesn’t smile and immediately offer to tutor me, which means everything is going exactly as expected, but he does give me a slight nod, letting me know he’s heard me. I take that for the victory it is. Wanting to leave things on a good note, I stand up and wrap my arm over his shoulder in a side hug.
“Night, Dad. Don’t stay up too late worrying.”
“Night, Gina.” He gives my hand a pat. “Try not to give your old man a heart attack.”
“I’ll do my best, Dad. It might help if you switch the whiskey and pie to water and a salad, though.”
He lets out a grunt of a laugh. “That’ll be the day.”
Once I’m in my room, I get ready for bed and then toss and turn for most of the night. I’m way too excited to actually sleep. I’m so afraid I’m going to fall asleep and then wake up, realizing all of this was just a dream. I can’t believe that in less than twenty-four hours, Dmitri Volkov is going to be mine. Just the memory of him kissing me is making me so horny I can barely think. I refuse to relieve the throbbing between my legs. Nope, my days of fucking myself all alone are about to be over, and I can’t wait.
Covering my mouth with my blanket, I let out an excited squeal and kick my feet against my mattress in a ridiculous happy dance that I’d be mortified if anyone saw. I lay there replaying everything that happened at Dmitri’s until the first rays of sun start peeking in through the window. As soon as the dentist office opens, I call them and tell them I’ve caught a nasty bug and that I’ll be out for the rest of the week. There’s no way in hell I could’ve focused on work today anyway, and hopefully tomorrow I’ll be too sore to do anything except lay in bed with Dmitri.
I send a text to Jamie, asking if she can meet up soon, and then go and take a quick shower. I throw on a pair of jeans and some random T-shirt, knowing I’ll be putting way more effort into how I look before I go over to Dmitri’s. Jamie texts me to let me know she’s on her way, so I head to the kitchen for a bowl of cereal while I wait. My parents have already left for work, and Adam will probably still be sleeping for another two or three hours, so we have the house to ourselves.
As soon as I open the door and she sees the look on my face, she says, “Oh my God, what happened? Tell me everything!”
I laugh and wave her in. She sits at the counter and reaches for the box of cereal while I get her a bowl. When she’s happily crunching away, I tell her everything that happened yesterday.
“Holy shit!” she squeals around a mouthful of cereal. “So you’re going back tonight?”
“Hell yes, I am,” I say with a laugh. “I even called in sick for the rest of the week. I’ve waited way too long for this to happen to make it a quickie. I want a five-day event.”
She laughs and then coughs as she nearly chokes.
When she’s got herself under control, she looks at me and sets her bowl down. “What’s wrong?”
“I guess I’m a little nervous,” I admit. “I mean, I’m sure he’s been with loads of gorgeous women who know exactly what they’re doing in the bedroom. What if I’m bad? What if he hates it?”
“Did he act like he hated anything so far?”
I think back to the hungry look in his eyes, the deep groans he’d been making, and the way he’d slowly licked his wet fingers, closing his eyes to savor the taste of me.
“No, he didn’t seem that way at all.”
“Then stop worrying,” she says, giving me a reassuring pat on the back. “You’re a natural. I can tell.” She gives me a wink, making me laugh.
Her eyes light up as she gives me a big smile. “We need to go to the mall.”
“What? Why?” I ask, but she’s already getting up and putting our bowls in the sink.
“Because when Dmitri undresses you tonight, he’s not going to find a pair of cotton undies, Gina.”
She makes a good point, so I jump up to join her.
“That’s my girl,” she says with a laugh. “Now, let’s go find something that’s going to make that big, tall stud of yours drool when he sees you.”
I laugh and pull my sneakers on. I still can’t believe Dmitri wants me like I want him. Maybe one day I’ll get used to the idea, but for now, it still shocks the hell out of me. Jamie tells me all about the hot night she had with Aleksei, and I’m beyond thrilled that my best friend seems to be hitting it off so well with one of Dmitri’s friends. The fact that Jamie’s attention hasn’t switched to someone else already is a damn miracle. I don’t know if it will last for them, but I’m happy it’s still going strong for now.
“I wonder if all Russian men are this good in bed. I mean, Aleksei is the first Russian I’ve ever been with, and you’ve never been with anyone, so you’re not much help to me.”