Page 81 of Savage Little Secret

“I’m scared that I’ll hear him out and be disappointed,” I admit, my voice unsteady. “I’m scared to find out that he hasn’t really changed at all, that it’s all an act for you.”

Dmitri leans down and presses a gentle kiss against my forehead. “I’ll say this…Sean threatened to kick down my door and storm my penthouse if I didn’t let him see you.”

Where is all this care coming from? Was it buried so deep that I couldn’t even see a semblance of it?

My curiosity becomes stronger than my fear. If Dmitri is willing to ally himself with my father, something must’ve changed.

“Okay. I’ll see him,” I tell Dmitri. “But I’d like to be alone with him. I don’t want him holding anything back because you’re there listening.”

Dmitri’s brow creases at first, but he nods. “Okay. I’d like to choose the meeting spot, though. I want you to be safe.”

“Fine,” I agree.

Dmitri’s eyes drop to my mouth, then to the bruises on my throat. His jaw flexes.

“I’ll let you get dressed,” he says, like touching me is a line he’s terrified to cross.

I deflate as he walks out of the bathroom and shuts the door behind him. He must still be angry about something. Why else wouldn’t he kiss me?

Was the kiss we shared the night that he rescued me just in the heat of the moment? The adrenaline and relief running through his veins?

With an aching heart, I dry off and get ready to see my father, still moving slower than usual as pain lances through me. Pulling my shirt over my head hurts. Bending over to put on pants hurts.

Everything fucking hurts.

But I keep moving forward, regardless.

Dmitri drives me to a popular breakfast and brunch spot. I can only assume that it’s owned by his family or someone he knows because he walks right in without even interacting with the hostess. His hand gently presses to my lower back, guiding me to a private dining room behind wooden double doors.

My body tenses at the sight of my father seated at one of the tables in the center of the room, sunlight falling onto him as he sips on his mug of coffee. Two sugars. I remember making his cup of coffee almost every morning in my teenage years.

He sets his coffee down and stands when he sees me. “Cara.”

I glance at Dmitri, still unsure if I should even be here or not. What if I leave feeling even more disappointed?

Dmitri gives me a small nod. Not to tell me to suck it up but to let me know that he’ll support me no matter what I choose to do.

I already made it this far. I might as well stay and see what my father has to say.

“Thank you for bringing me,” I tell Dmitri.

“A waitress will come by and offer you something to drink and whatever you want from the menu. Eat well,” Dmitri says with a hint of firmness. “Please.” He’s been adamant on making sure that I eat and drink.

I lost a lot of weight while I was captured.

I give him a nod before turning back around and taking a seat across from my father, who sits back down.

“Here’s the menu,” Sean says as he hands me a laminated page.

I take it from him and glance over my shoulder as Dmitri leaves and shuts the door behind him. It’s just us alone now. An invisible band wraps around my chest as I meet my father’s eyes, unable to think of a single word to say.

“It looks like you’re doing better. How are you feeling?” Sean asks me as he joins his hands on the table.

“Fine,” I reply, not wanting to reveal too much. I can’t trust him yet. “Why did you want to meet?”

Sean sighs and sits up straighter. “I wanted to apologize to you.”

I blink at him. “Apologize?”