Page 49 of The Billionaire's Vow

“I handled it,” she told him quietly, trying to ease the tension vibrating through him.

Dimitri scoffed.“Did you?”His voice was low, lethal.“Elliot is desperate, Giselle.And desperate men do stupid, dangerous things.He got away with using you for years.Now, he’s lost his job, and I have no doubt he’s looking for a way to pin it on you.”

She swallowed hard, some of her bravado slipping.She had thought Elliot’s behavior was odd, but she hadn’t let herself dwell on it.Now, seeing the way Dimitri’s expression hardened, the way his hands curled into fists, she realized she might have underestimated the situation.

“I refuse to let him come near you again,” Dimitri muttered, his voice filled with a quiet promise that sent shivers down her spine.“As for your family situation, we’ll deal with that too.”

Giselle frowned, shaking her head.“Dimitri, I’m not some charity case—”

His gaze sharpened, his expression turning to steel.“That’s not what I meant, and you damn well know it.”

She took a breath to argue, but the sheer force of his presence left her momentarily speechless.Dimitri had this way of making her feel like the ground beneath her feet wasn’t as steady as she thought.Like she was teetering on the edge of something unknown, something dangerous… and yet, she wasn’t sure she wanted to step back.

He exhaled slowly, his control barely leashed.“We’ll talk about it later,” he said, turning back to the food, though the tension in his shoulders didn’t ease.“And no, you’re not helping.You’ve had a long day.Sit there and keep me company.”

Giselle opened her mouth to argue, but one look at his face told her that this was one battle she wouldn’t win.With a sigh, she propped her elbows on the counter, watching him work.

She should be annoyed by how effortlessly he took control of everything.But instead, she felt safe.And seen.“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why won’t you let me help?”

He waved the knife through the air.“I enjoy cooking.It helps me de-stress after work.”Then his expression darkened.“Now, back to Elliot.What did he want to talk to you about?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted, hopping off the stool and coming around to the other side of the counter.She peered down at the chicken, standing about a foot away from him.

Giselle probably thought that was a safe distance, but since he’d been in pain all damn day, thinking about stripping those clothes from her, that foot of space was nothing more than an open invitation.A red flag waving in front of a bull.

Dimitri set down the knife and turned to her.But even that wasn’t enough.He knew he didn’t have the control to touch her.Not yet, anyway.Instead, he leaned forward, bracing his hands on the counter behind her, effectively caging her in.“Tell me exactly what he said.”

Initially, Giselle leaned back, but her eyes dropped to his mouth.And then, she licked her lips.

Hell.

A bolt of lust slammed through him at the small, unconscious movement.She was thinking about it—about him.And that only made it harder to resist doing what they both wanted.

“I didn’t wait around to hear him out,” she admitted, quietly.Her eyes flicked up to his, then back to his mouth again.“I was… angry… and…”

She let out a sigh, and Dimitri’s jaw clenched at the sound.

“Honey,” he murmured, his voice dropping an octave, “you need to start seeing the toxicity in the people around you.You’re so damn good and kind, you don’t even realize that people are trying to use you.”

She swallowed, her breath hitching, and for a split second, he thought she might close the distance between them.

She blinked at him, confused.“Who is trying to use me?”

“Your family, for one.Your former boss for another.”

“You?”she asked, her heart aching because he had a point.“Areyoutrying to use me?”

He stared at her, his eyes surveying every part of her face.“No, honey.I’m…,” he paused, shaking his head slightly.“I think you’re the kind of person who could change the world.Or maybe just your small part of it.But you gotta open your eyes.”

She laughed self-consciously.“I don’t have that kind of power, Dimitri,” she replied.“I’m just an accountant.”

“You are so much more than that.And you have no idea of the power you have.”He leaned forward, gently cupping her face with his hands.“You have…so much power.Your kindness is a power, but you need to open your eyes and just…!”He stopped to take a slow, steadying breath.Giselle didn’t completely understand.The confusion in her eyes frustrated him, but he also understood her a little better now.She was smart and stubborn, tenacious and…she needed her eyes opened.

“Are you going to kiss me again?”