His deep laugh makes me smile. “Yes, I do many normal things just like everyone else. Now, buckle up, Belova, I want to show you something else.”
I hurry up and do as he says, and then sit back, enjoying the visual of watching him drive. Everything Dima does is sexy, but there’s something incredibly arousing about watching him drive his car. The way his large hand effortlessly shifts from gear to gear is downright intoxicating, and I can’t seem to tear my eyes from him.
“You okay?” he asks, and the amusement in his voice pulls me back to reality.
“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“You look a little flushed.”
“It’s not my fault that you make everything look so damn sexy, Dima.”
“I am glad you think so,” he says, slowing the car down before turning into an empty lot. “I like thinking you are always ready and wanting me.” He parks and turns those beautiful blue eyes to me. “The feeling is mutual. I hope you know that.”
“I do,” I say, giving him a big smile before looking out the window again. We’ve driven out of downtown and headed to a more rundown area on the outskirts of town. It’s the kind of place that my dad would make me promise not to go to alone and after dark. I’m not surprised that I’m not at all worried as we step out of the car. I feel completely safe with Dima. I know he’d never let anything happen to me. When I’m close enough, he wraps a protective arm around me, leading me to the front door.
The building is large and in desperate need of some serious work. He pulls a set of keys out of his front pocket and opens the door before giving me a big smile that I immediately return.
“Where are we?” I ask, stepping into the large, empty room.
Dima stretches an arm out to the dirty floors, paint-chipped walls, and broken windows. “I put an offer on this building a few weeks ago, and they finally accepted.”
“What’s it going to be?”
“I want to open boxing club for younger kids. Boxing saved me when I needed it and gave me something to live for. Who knows what I would have done without it, without some way to channel all that anger I was feeling. I want to do that for others.”
I can hear the excitement in his voice and can’t help but get caught up in it. “So they’ll be able to come here after school and train?”
“Yes, and on weekends and over summer break.”
Dima isn’t the kind of guy to clap his hands and jump for joy, but he shows it in other ways, and it’s easy to see how much this means to him. He studies the room, his blue eyes dancing from one spot to the next, and I can tell he’s picturing it in his mind, making a mental map of how he wants to set the space up.
“I think it’s an amazing idea,” I tell him, “and I’m sure it will be a huge success. I hope it will be open to young women, too. It’s important they know how to protect themselves.”
He smiles and cups my face. “I could not agree more, and I have already started to ask around for the names of female self-defense instructors. Young women and girls can come here and learn self-defense, and if the boxing interests them, then they can learn that, too.”
“You’re amazing,” I tell him, turning my face so I can kiss his hand.
“You are the one who is amazing.” He runs his thumb over my cheek, making my breath catch in my throat. “Will you help me with it?”
“Of course I will.”
He smiles at the huge grin I give him. I’m touched that he would ask me to help, and I’m thrilled at the idea of spending so much time with him and helping him to create something that means so much to him. I’m about to tell him all this, but then he leans down to press his lips to mine and all thoughts fly right out of my head.
After pulling back way too soon, he leads me around, showing me where he wants to put everything before we finally drive back to his place. When we get there, we spend most of our time in his bed. The black lingerie I’d bought is just as big of a hit as the white one, and the rest of the weekend passes far too quickly for my liking, and before I know it, it’s Sunday night. I’m amazed that I even have any strength left to pack my bag. The idea of falling asleep tonight without his arms wrapped around me has me blinking back tears.
“No crying, Belova,” Dima says from behind me.
“I’m not crying.”
I stuff another shirt into my bag and will my eyes to dry up. His strong hand wraps around mine, stilling me before I can shove anything else in there.
“Don’t pack everything. Leave a part of yourself for me.” He hooks his finger under my chin, lifting my face up to meet his. “I need to feel like you are still here with me in some way.”
I’m helpless to stop the tears after hearing what he’s said, so I take a shaky breath and toss a few dirty shirts on the floor. “Better?”
He gives me a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Much. Thank you. Feel free to throw in some used panties, too.”
I laugh but do as he asks, adding in a bottle of lotion and my toothbrush. “I have more at my parents’ house. Maybe these can stay here if you don’t mind.”