“I’m sorry it had to end this way,” Denise sobbed.
“No, you aren’t,” Kerstyn snapped as she dragged the last trash bag into the hall of the apartment building. “You did this, Denise. You chose to believe a cheating, manipulative bastard over me and you ruined us.”
Denise winced. “Where are you staying?”
25
“That is none of your business,” she tossed back, slinging the sack over her shoulder and, without another word, she descended the stairs.
She was thankful the cab driver was there to meet her and before she finished thinking about what had happened with Denise, she was standing in front of Dimitri’s house, her bags and boxes piled around her. She prayed the sprinklers would not come on; the last thing she needed was for her stuff to get wet.
I must look like the queen of garbage.
She picked up a few bags and headed up the driveway. She gave a small sigh of relief when the front door opened and Dimitri stepped out. He greeted her with a perfectly white smile before heading down to the curb where the rest of her things waited. He loaded his arms leaving nothing behind and headed back inside the house.
Kerstyn followed him up the stairs and into the bedroom he had shown her earlier. She was shocked to find it furnished when it had been bare a few hours ago. She dropped her bags and turned to Dimitri who had placed her belongings in a corner.
“I know you did not have the opportunity to look at all the rooms—”
“This one is perfect,” Kerstyn reassured him.
He nodded. “I assumed you weren’t bringing furniture with you tonight since your choice of transportation was a taxi.”
“I don’t have any furniture. Everything belonged to my roommate.”
“Well, this is a new bed. I bought it in the event that I ever had company. I simply moved it from the room across the hall.”
He couldn’t have possibly moved a king mattress, its frame,
and that large bookshelf himself. The vanity and chair are nothing
major...
She gave him a sharp look. He was well muscled and appeared to be in wonderful shape. Shrugging off the oddity she said, “To be honest, I had planned on asking you if I could sleep on the couch until I bought a bed.”
“Well, you may sleep on the couch if you prefer. However, I think the bed would be more to your liking. There is more furniture in
26
the other rooms. You may use whatever you wish. Just tell me and I will have it moved for you.”
“You really are too nice of a guy, Mr. Arsov, and it’s starting to freak me out.”
“Please, call me Dimitri, there is no need to be formal. I also must apologize if anything I have said or done has upset you or disturbed you in any way. That was not my intention.”
“I know,” she sighed, sitting down on the king-size bed. “And thank you again. You have been nothing but helpful, but I should at least pitch in with the bills. I’ll pay half of the utilities.”
“That is not necessary.”
“But I want to do it,” she insisted.
He said nothing, but gave a tight nod. She could tell the idea did not sit well with him.
“I’m not used to people doing so much for me,” she explained.
“No one has ever taken care of you? Not even your parents?” Kerstyn shook her head. “They raised me, fed me, gave me clothes to wear, and a very nice house to live in, but they were hardly around to care. Not to mention my father and I clashed all the time.”
“Why?”
The note of concern in his voice drew her eyes back to him. It had been so long since she had talked about the great schism between her and her father.
“He had a plan for my life that I had no intention of going along with. He had a fit when I applied to the University of Nevada –
Las Vegas. I originally did it because, Denise, the girl I was previously living with, wanted me to join her. When I told him I was going to be an art history major, he flipped. He thinks it’s just a waste of time and a waste of my life. He wanted me to go to law school, just like him, and be a Harvard grad.”
“How did you end up in Las Vegas? It sounds as if you never planned on coming here.”
“I didn’t. I was going to go to UC Berkeley.”
27
“What changed your mind?”
“After a stupid fight with my dad, I accepted Las Vegas’s offer of admission. I wanted to piss him off, he believes that Vegas is nothing but a playground for the rich and the sinful.”
“Is he a religious man?”
“Oh, God, no!” she declared with a laugh, “he’s a lawyer.” Dimitri smiled. His eyes sparkled with laughter even though he did not make a sound.
“What do you do?” she asked as she stood and began to organize her bags and boxes.
“I’m an investor.”
“A self-made millionaire, huh?” she commented, ripping the trash bags open, her clothes spilling out on the floor.
“I did not inherit my money.”
“That was vague,” she said with a grin.
“I would not want to bore you with the details of stocks and the like.”
“Maybe we can discuss it over dinner some time,” she offered, then quickly changed the subject, “I’ve noticed you’re an art collector. I saw the paintings in your downstairs hall and the sculptures in the backyard.”
“You are very observant,” Dimitri replied.
“No, I’m an unemployed art historian with a Ph.D.” Kerstyn’s eyes flickered to Dimitri where he stood just inside the room. The worst days of her life were rapidly turning into some of the best. Her eyes roamed his body, hungry to see the flesh beneath his fine clothing.
When Dimitri’s eyes met hers, Kerstyn blushed and dropped her gaze back to her clothes.
Every muscle in Dimitri’s body was tense. He could smell her sweet arousal and see the erotic images playing in her mind, but his thoughts went far beyond hers. His jaw clenched as he envisioned her
28
legs wrapped about his hips as he drove into her, his face buried in her hair, his mouth inches from her throat, his fangs bared and ready. His body burned with desire and it took every ounce of his self-control to not make the fantasy a reality.
“I should show you the garage,” he said, his voice rough.
“You’ll need to select a car.”
Kerstyn turned and smiled. “I think I am going to be like a kid at Disneyland—just want to warn you.”
She followed him down the stairs, past the kitchen and a set of double doors. Her pulse spiked as she wished he would pull her into that room. His room. She shook her head, shocked by her overactive and overeager imagination. Ever since she met Dimitri, her thoughts and her dreams were plagued by sex. No one would hear her complain, unless she never got Dimitri naked in bed. She impishly smiled.
I do
have a birthday coming up and I can’t think of a better gift.
The entrance to the garage was at the end of the hall. He pushed the door open and once again stepped aside to allow her access.
Complete darkness greeted her until lights snapped on.
“You may choose whichever vehicle you wish to borrow, though the Bentley has been claimed.”
“That’s fine. I would be too afraid to drive it. With my luck, I would wreck it or scratch it or someone would steal it.” Her smile so was warm and radiant that Dimitri had to look away. She was beautiful and her bewitching smile made her dazzling.
He stepped past her and began to stroll about the garage. He had to put distance between them.
“I assume you like black,” she said, walking up and down the aisles between the disgustingly expensive cars: a new Ferrari 599, McLaren MP4-12C, a classic Shelby Mustang, and a Cadillac XTS, among others.
“I do have one that is charcoal-gray. The new Audi A6.” Her eyes skipped over the cars until she spotted the Audi. He stood just to the side of it. The scene reminded her of a commercial or an ad in a magazine—sexy guy and hot car.
“No way.”
29
Dimitri had never heard the phrase said so slowly. Joy unlike any he had ever seen before colored her face, her eyes wide with happiness. Her mouth dropped open with astonishment.
“I can’t believe you have this car.”
“I assume you want it?”
“Assume away.” She lightly ran her fingers over the door handle. “You have no idea how much I have been wanting this car.
Earlier today, I was wishing I would win the lottery so I could buy it.”
“You are welcome to the car.”
“I couldn’t drive this,” she protested, “it’s too nice. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to it.”
“I trust you.”
His words shook her. How could he trust her with such an expensive car? They had just met. Besides, she did not really need a vehicle right away, she could search online for jobs and email her résumé.
“This is too much, Dimitri. My car, God willing, will be fixed in a week or so. Until then, I can job hunt online and take a taxi into the city if I get an interview.”
“Nonsense,” he said with a wave of his hand. “There is no need to spend your money on a taxi when you may borrow a car.”
“You have already been a huge help, letting me move in and not asking for rent, which I think is crazy. Now this? You are a nice guy, Dimitri, and I don’t want to take advantage―” He shook his head. “Kerstyn, I am a man of means and I like to help others. Perhaps Silvie did not mention that when she told you about me. I spend much of my time at hospitals and I fund multiple medical research facilities. Do not misunderstand. I am not doing all of this out of pity or charity, though I expect and will ask for nothing in return.”
“Why?”
“I have known Silvie and her family for a long time. I trust them and they trust you.”
30
“But―”
“I want to help you. Will you allow me to help you, Kerstyn?” Kerstyn snapped her mouth shut and stared wide-eyed at Dimitri. She had always had to make her own way, with no assistance from anyone, but this man wanted to help her, no strings attached. She could live here, in this colossal house, rent-free and drive a luxury vehicle until she got her life back on track. It really all seemed too good to be true, which, in her experience, meant it was.
But, Silvie would’ve never suggested I move in if she thought
Dimitri was untrustworthy. Besides, this is not permanent. Once I find
a job and get my car fixed, or buy a new one, I’ll be able to get my own
place.
“I don’t know what to say,” she said, her voice a faint whisper.
“The keys are resting on the driver’s seat,” Dimitri said.
Kerstyn gazed at the car for what seemed like an eternity before she turned to him. His breath caught. Her deep, blue eyes glistened with joyful, thankful tears. Her full lips trembled. As she moved towards him Dimitri's hands fisted behind his back. He wanted to bury his fingers in her sun-kissed, strawberry blonde hair. He wanted to crush her to him. He wanted to make her his.
His eyes fell to her lips and she could feel his need, his hunger to touch her. Before she could think about what she was doing, she cupped his face, rose to her tiptoes, and captured his mouth.
Stunned, Dimitri could not move, could not think. Her sweet, rose scent invaded his senses. Her kiss was tender as she parted his lips.
Their tongues danced as he roughly pulled her against him. Her fingers tunneled through his golden hair while his hands fisted the back of her shirt. The feel of her curves pressed so tightly against him was heaven.
Her kiss was magic and he never wanted it to end. His blood raged through him, setting him on fire, and her small groan of pleasure was too much.
Dimitri backed her up against the car. Lightning shot through her and heat pooled between her thighs. The kiss that had begun so innocently suddenly became voracious. She loved it, needed it. His chest pressed against hers, making her fully aware of his hard, honed body. He devoured her mouth as his thigh separated hers. Instinctively,
31
she rubbed herself against him, running her hands over his back and down his sides. What would it be like to make love to him?
Dimitri’s fangs slipped from their sheaths. He could hear the blood rushing through her veins, her heartbeat pounding in his ears. His mind clouded with her thoughts, her passion, her need. He yearned to take her body, her heart, her soul, and her blood.
With a fierce growl, he ripped away, turning his back to her.
His eyes were wild, his fangs long and sharp. He could not let her see him like this, not yet. He would frighten her and he could not stand losing her. Not now, not when he had just found her. He had roamed the world alone for thousands of years waiting for his mate and she was finally here.
He took deep breaths, filling his lungs with the cool air of the night that seeped into the garage. He closed his mind, banishing her thoughts, her emotions, and focused on his own. A war raged inside him. His body demanded that he continue, his soul begged for him to claim her, and the beast in him commanded that he take her blood and mark her as his.
Kerstyn gasped for air. Her heart stuttered and her legs trembled. She leaned her weight against the car; it was the only thing keeping her from meeting the pavement. She blinked repeatedly trying to clear the lustful haze from her eyes. Her body was so hot and her shirt was too confining against her breasts. She had been kissed before, but not like that, never like that. His kiss had ignited a ravenous fire within her.
“I’m―”
“Don’t apologize,” he demanded, his voice low and rough.