Making a soft groaning noise, Dimitri stroked the side of her face, his fingers feather light over her bruised neck. “How much you hurt?”
“It’s not that bad.”
The muscles of his jaw clenched, but the icy look in his gaze relaxed marginally. “I will protect you. I am sorry I failed you.”
“Dimitri, you did everything you could to keep me safe.” She sighed and ran her fingers through his hair, unable to stop touching him. “Shit happens.”
They were silent as Maks continued to drive them down the narrow road flanked by massive homes on either side. Every once in a while the green vegetation would part enough for her to see a glimpse of the ocean. She wished it was warm enough to go swimming, but then again she didn’t really want anyone to see her bruises.
“Hey, Dimitri, do your friends that we’re staying with know what happened? I mean um, are they part of your…lifestyle?”
“They know you were attacked. Ivan, he is old friend from Russia and was born into a powerful Bratva. His fiancée, Gia, is American like you. They met at Submissive’s Wish Auction.”
“No shit. Do you think I know her?”
“I do not know. She is tanned, little taller than you, slender with round bottom. Pretty with light brown hair and brown eyes.”
She tried to think of the women she knew from the auction, but shook her head. “I’m not sure if I’ve met her. Is she nice?”
“Yes, she is nice.” He hesitated and gave her a weary look. “She does not like me.”
“Why?”
“I tried to buy her from Ivan.”
“What? At the auction?” She tried to move away from Dimitri. “But you were with me after the auction.”
“Da, but not for first day. I helped Ivan fulfill capture fantasy for Gia and…” He shrugged. “She was fun to play with so I wanted to buy her. I did not know that she was not escort, that auction was not for prostitutes.”
“Hold up. You thought we were hookers? You thought I was a hooker?”
The last word came out in a screech and from the front seat Maks coughed. Dimitri glared at the back of Maks’ head and sighed. “No. Ivan explained to me. I never thought you were a prostitute, Rya.”
“And this Gia, the woman you tried to buy, is going to be at the house?”
“Da.”
Her stomach sank. “Oh.”
“No, do not look sad. Ivan and Gia, they love each other and are getting married. Ivan does not share his woman usually, at least not with other men. Besides, I have you and you are only woman I want. Ever.”
“Okay.”
She turned and looked out the window, trying to blink back tears. Shit, she knew she was going to run into women Dimitri had sex with pretty much everywhere she went with him, but it still stung. Unease filled her as she thought about being basically trapped in Russia with him, at his mercy, surrounded by his whores. If he decided he wanted to have sex with another woman, or he grew bored with her, she was screwed, and not in a good way.
“Rya, what is wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Rya, please, honest with me. I cannot fix if I do not know.”
Looking over at him, she sighed. He was right, if she wasn’t honest with him about her feelings he would never know what was bothering her. She’d never been one of those women who enjoyed playing games, and she wasn’t about to start now. Not with so much at stake.
“What if you get bored with me, Dimitri? What if you want to have sex with other women? I’ll tell you right now that I won’t share you. It just about killed me when I thought I had to at the lodge and I don’t think I can handle it. If you aren’t sure you can be monogamous, please let me know now and we’ll figure something out, okay?”
Instead of being angry, he shook his head and said in a whisper soft voice, “Rya, I do not want other woman. This, what we have, is special. No one has ever made me feel like you do. There is not woman in the world who can compete with you for my heart. It belongs to you. Only you.”
“Oh.” Her tension eased and she looked up at him through her lashes. “I feel the same.”
He gave her one of his rare smiles, “Now, if you want to play with other woman, that is fine. I love watching you Top a woman, love watching you ride her face and make her your slave. Love to taste her pussy on your mouth.”
Maks made a pained noise and said something in Russian. Dimitri reached forward, smacking the other man in the back of his head while he replied in Russian with an angry growl. Instead of being offended Maks laughed and shook his head. She frowned at them both, wondering if Dimitri could hook her up with a Russian tutor. That brought to mind all the questions she had for him about where they were going, what she would be doing, but she didn’t want to talk about it in front of Maks. Dimitri obviously trusted him, but to her he was a stranger.