“Sure.”
“You two are going to have to talk.”
“Not for the next two weeks, we aren’t.”
“But won’t knowing with certainty that he didn’t suspect you impact your decision about your friendship with our family?”
“Nataliya is my BFF, not the rest of you.”
They’d entered the building, and his security made sure they were the only occupants of the elevator taking them to the rooftop restaurant.
“But over the years, you have forged friendships with all of us. You and Emma are almost as close as you and Nataliya.”
“Well, despite her taste in men, she’s a wonderful person.”
Dima ran his finger down her beautiful jaw, reveling in how she shivered at that small contact. “Now, see, I can’t tell if you are teasing as you usually do about Kon, or are serious.”
“Oh, really? You can’t tell?” Jenna asked, sounding far too pleased by that state of affairs.
“No.”
“You are more likely to influence my feelings about staying in the royal orbit than your brother. You do realize that, don’t you?”
Dimitri felt those words like a punch to his heart. “No, I had not realized.”
“This between us might not be long-term.” She leaned up and kissed the corner of his mouth. “But it isn’tnothingeither.”
He turned and caught her mouth in a real kiss, deeply satisfied when she melted into him. Definitely not nothing. And he thought it was going to be long-term, but he was smart enough to use his mouth to deepen the kiss rather than say that out loud.
The sound of a throat clearing reminded Dimitri that they were not alone. He broke the kiss and felt his lips curve into a smile at the sight of Jenna looking disoriented from the connection. She turned him on by walking into a room. It was only fair he should impact her body with equal urgency.
The restaurant’s decor was exactly like Jenna had seen on television, the clientele dressed by designers she knew well.
Jenna was used to seeing celebrities and dignitaries alike in her job and her role as a queen’s BFF, but seeing one of her favorite actors out with a group of friends still required concentration not to gawp.
It did not help that Dima had kissed her silly in the elevator.
A bouquet of yellow irises graced their table, a standing ice bucket with chilling champagne beside it. Jenna wanted to remain unmoved by the show of romance, but she couldn’t.
After showing kind of spectacularly that he was not as aware of her feelings as she would have liked, it meant a lot that Dima had taken the time to have the flowers delivered. It indicated that hedidthink of her when he wasn’t with her.
How far that would take them, she did not know.
They had no future, but neither did she want their time together marred by incidents like the ones that had hurt her so badly already.
Dima pulled her chair out for her before taking his own.
It was all over-the-top, and in her secret heart, Jenna loved the sense of wooing and romance.
She reached out to touch an iris petal. “These are my favorite spring flowers.”
“I know.”
“How?”
“You are not the only one who notices things.”
“You think I’m observant?” she asked him, feeling pleased and not really sure why.