Page 38 of Savage Little Lies

“Thank you,” I reply, my voice coming out quiet and a little strained. It doesn’t help that he hasn’t moved away yet.

“Cara.”

My eyes dart up to his when I realize that he’s waiting for me to look at him. “Yes?”

Dmitri holds my gaze, standing as strong and still as a statue, while I feel restless and fidgety. “Don’t worry about the shooter. They were obviously after me, so you should be safe from now on.”

“We were close that night,” I remind him, keeping my breaths shallow. We’re so close now that it feels like my chest will touch his if I take a deep enough breath. “Your enemies…they might think that I know your secrets or that I’m… important to you. What if they come after me to hurt you?”

Dmitri’s jaw tenses as he quietly thinks about my words. “From now on, you won’t run errands by yourself. One of my men will accompany you to ensure your safety.”

Dammit.

“That’s okay. I’m sure your men have better places to be and more important things to do than follow me to the coffee shop or the post office,” I assure him as I take a step back.

Dmitri matches my retreating step, his fingertips grazing my waist. “Your safety is important to me, milaya. You almost got yourself killed by protecting me.”

My father would be furious if he found out that little detail about me saving Dmitri from getting shot. I think it’s in my best interest to keep that to myself for the rest of my life. The only way he would find out is if he sent the shooter…

“Well, I can’t make your life easier if you’re dead, sir,” I point out as a small smile teases my lips.

Dmitri grins. “So, you saved me simply for job security?”

Adrenaline courses through me as the air becomes charged with heated energy. I can either apologize and grovel or play along, and I know which one will entice him the most.

“I really like my job,” I tell him as I join my hands together behind my back, accentuating my bust.

His gaze drops. Of course it does. He can’t help himself.

“You’re good at it. Good enough to get away with more than I typically allow,” Dmitri replies, his voice rolling out deep and rough. It makes goosebumps trail along the back of my arms.

“I think I behave quite well,” I say as I flash him a playful smile.

An amused look forms on his face. “For now. I should probably keep a closer eye on you.”

“More than you already do?” I ask him before internally grimacing. Maybe that was too bold.

Dmitri’s blue eyes don’t leave mine. And I wish that I could read his mind because his expression is indecipherable. I either annoyed him or enticed him more.

Before I can get an answer, there’s a knock behind me before one of the double doors creaks open.

“Sir, Mr. Suyunov is on line one to confirm dinner plans for tonight,” Karly tells Dmitri once she pokes her head inside.

The intense but playful light in Dmitri’s eyes immediately becomes dark and shadowed. He grunts to acknowledge Karly before walking away from me to sit behind his desk. Every time Annika or her father are mentioned, he gets that same stormy look on his face.

If he can’t stand either of them, does he really think that he can survive marrying into their family? The Suyunovs and Ivanovs will be intertwined for as long as the marriage lasts.

“I’ll go grab you a coffee,” I tell him.

“Not without someone,” Dmitri replies in a firm voice before grabbing his cell phone and typing out something that I can’t see. “Gabe will meet you outside in ten minutes to accompany you.”

Great. A Bratva bodyguard.

I nod to him before leaving his office, my skin still feeling warm and flushed from earlier.

We keep getting close, but he never crosses the line.

I need him to choose it. To ruin things himself.