Dimitri lunged for Gears but before they could touch, Terror and Rock grabbed Gears while Maks grabbed Dimitri. “I’ll kill you for touching what is mine.”
“She’s not yours,” Gears shouted and almost succeeded in breaking free from Rock and Terror’s hold.
“Stop it!” she shouted loud enough to hurt her throat and sore ribs. “Just fucking stop it. I am his, Gears.”
“Bullshit.” When he looked at Rya she sucked in a breath at the pain in his gaze. “I know you, Rya. I’ve been your friend since before you could talk. We’d be good together.”
Shaking her head, she took a step back and looked over at Dimitri. His gaze flashed to her and she hated the hurt she saw there. Fuck, she had allowed Gears to kiss her, and even though she was pretty sure Dimitri had done a lot more with other women while they were apart, it still hurt him. Wanting to erase the doubt she saw in his eyes and let Gears know once and for all that she would never return his affection she began to slowly pull the back of her shirt up.
“What are you doing?” Dimitri said in a low growl.
She reached beneath her shirt and undid her bra strap. “Mom, can you help me lift the back of my shirt please?”
Giving Rya a stunned look, her mom said, “He’s the wolf, isn’t he? Damn it, I should have recognized his eyes.”
Lifting her hair to the side, Rya stood still while her mom eased her shirt up in the back enough to fully expose the tattoo while still keeping her breasts covered. Dimitri sucked in an audible breath while Rya looked over at Gears. “I belong to him. He’s my wolf.”
Kim let the shirt drop, and the moment she did, Dimitri moved around to Rya’s front and knelt before her. Because of his size even on his knees they were almost eye level. Slipping his hands beneath her shirt, he gently refastened her bra. Goosebumps erupted down her spine at his fleeting touch. Damn, her body was starved for him and even here, with everyone watching them, she had to resist the urge to jump his bones. He gently cupped her face and stroked the apple of her cheeks. The tenderness in his gaze, the pride and joy made her smile even as Gears started to swear, then walked away. Part of her felt bad that she’d caused her friend so much pain, but Dimitri’s pleasure more than made up for it.
“You carry my mark, yes?”
She placed her hands on his muscled neck, rubbing his neatly trimmed beard with her thumbs. “Yes.”
He rested his head on her chest and let out a deep groan, the tension leaving him while she cradled his head to her heart. The missing pieces of her life fell back into place and she let out a shuddering sigh, the never-ending background ache of her soul dissipating as he once again filled her life. Rubbing her face against his soft hair, she took a deep breath of his scent and her nipples hardened.
Finally he pulled away and gave her a smile that melted her heart. “Are you ready, zaika moya?”
“I am, volk moy.”
Rya had no idea how much time had passed. Terror had made her take a pain pill and a sleeping pill before she left the clubhouse to help her during her flight. She remembered vaguely that Dimitri had said they were staying with a friend of his while they waited for her travel documents to come through, but after that, she’d fallen into an exhausted sleep. If someone had told her last week that she’d spend the first hours of their time back together passed out instead of screwing Dimitri until she couldn’t walk, she would have said they were crazy, but as Dimitri’s voice gently roused her from a deep sleep all she could do was yawn.
When she stretched, a bolt of discomfort penetrated the drugged fog that was lifting from her mind, and she slowly opened her eyes, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. She was in a car, in the backseat with Dimitri, and the sun was setting in the distance. They were traveling down a road lined by palm and oddly shaped pine trees. There was no snow on the ground, and the soil she could see was sandy. Sitting up straighter she looked over at Dimitri.
“Where are we?”
He handed her a water bottle. “Drink.”
Eagerly draining it, she handed it back to him and rubbed her face. “So where are we?”
“In South Carolina.” He studied her face and pulled her closer to his side. “We will stay with friends of mine before returning to Russia.”
“South Carolina? Wow.”
Right now, she could care less where they were as long as Dimitri was at her side. Oh yeah, she had it bad for him. While they were apart she wasn’t sure if her memory of how good it felt to be with him could be trusted, but now, with their bodies pressed together, she realized he felt even better than she remembered. Her libido began to awaken and she licked her lower lip.