Page 63 of Savage Little Lies

“Sorry. It’s been a while since I’ve done this,” Cara admits as she carefully twists and ties the black silk.

“When was the last time?” I ask her.

Cara pauses for a moment, her eyes growing distant as she thinks to herself. “I learned to tie my father’s bow tie for a funeral. He’s old-fashioned like that.”

I frown. “I’m sorry.”

I don’t know much about her family or her past or what she does even when she’s not at work. She always seems available whenever I need her, whether that’s early in the morning or late at night.

Gabe did report to me that Cara was having an argument with a friend on the phone, but I didn’t bring it up to her because I don’t want her to know that Gabe feeds me updates.

I shouldn’t even care, but I want to know her more. We spend so much time together that it feels wrong for her to be so mysterious to me.

“It was a while ago,” Cara assures me as she continues. She then folds down my collar and adjusts the bow tie one more time. “There. Done.”

“Thank you.”

Cara smiles up at me and nods as she fixes the lapel of my suit. “You make a very enticing groom.”

I smirk, my eyes not leaving hers. “Not enticing enough, huh?”

Cara’s teeth catch her bottom lip in a subtle bite. It’s almost too fast to see, but the image is ingrained in my mind now. When she doesn’t answer, my pulse spikes, and I can see the want in her eyes as well.

We’ve been in this situation before. Enclosed in a dressing room. I wanted to kiss her back then, but I didn’t. I don’t think I can let myself make the same mistake again.

I gently cup her chin in my fingers and tilt her head back. Her eyes immediately flutter shut as my lips press against hers. I feel her hands grip my arms, but she doesn’t push me away. She holds me close as we melt into each other.

Cara parts her lips, her tongue teasingly brushing mine.

Heat coils low in my gut as I taste her, my mind threatening to go haywire. Kissing her is like coming up for air, and I can’t get enough of finally being able to breathe again.

Cara wraps her arms around my neck as our kiss deepens, her fingers teasing the hair on the back of my neck.

I grab her waist and push her up against the dressing room mirror, coaxing a quiet gasp from her. I revel in the sound, desire thrumming through me.

Cara drops her head back against the mirror as my lips trail along her jaw and down her neck. She pushes her fingers into my hair, her lips parting in bliss as I kiss all the sensitive spots that I can find. “Dmitri…”

My name on her lips will always drive me crazy. How can she make a single word sound so good? So enticing.

I slide my hands up her sides, my thumbs teasing the swell of her breasts through her shirt. I kiss the base of her throat and move lower toward her cleavage that she always puts on display for me. I’m not blind to her tactics.

Before I can reach where I want, Cara pushes at my shoulders, making me break away from her. She breathes in deeply and gives me a pointed look. “We can’t keep doing this. I don’t want to become the paid-by-the-hour whore Annika thinks I am!”

The word hits harder than it should before she hurries out of the dressing room, slamming the door shut behind her.

She tries to deny what she wants. What I want. But every time we’re alone, the truth cracks through.

When is she going to stop fighting what’s already between us?

24

Cara

A rare rain pounds the city as I stand in my living room, gripping my phone and staring through the glass.

I want to enjoy it and try to relax for once, especially since it’s finally the weekend, but I can’t. Not yet. I have a phone call to make.

With a soft sigh, I slowly roll my neck to try to stretch my tired muscles, my entire body feeling heavy.