Chapter Four
Monday
Late
Afternoon
P oppy had grabbed lunch, ate at a little hole in the wall café, and even had some coffee on a park bench. That was the beauty of working without a partner. She didn’t have to check in and she wasn’t going to feel guilty.
She was still working.
Just on her own shit.
She had a binder with photocopied evidence in it. It was from Mace Bristol’s murder and Lester Lucas’s too. She was going to find a way to connect the dots to put the commissioner out of his position and into prison.
She was going to find a way to figure out if the commissioner had called in the hit on both cops. She needed to know.
Way too many cops had died—and that was a travesty. The ONLY one she didn’t feel bad about was her ‘partner’—that scumbag. He’d been part of the sex trafficking ring in Vegas, and he died before he could be asked where Rosemary Harrington was going to be found.
He could rot in his grave.
The other two?
That was up in the air.
Heading back to her apartment, Poppy was forced to look around. There was that gut irritating feeling like she was being watched.
Poppy knew it was likely her imagination, but still…
What the hell?
If the commissioner was having his goons follow her, she’d shoot him in the ass herself. Then again, it could be the cops she’d just humiliated on the crime scene.
All she knew was she was sick of it.
Enough was enough.
Something had to be done in Vegas, and someone had to stand up to the assholes running amuck while pretending to be cops.
This place was becoming some jacked up, wild, Wild West. It was one hell of a hot mess.
It looked like she was going to be playing the role of the new sheriff in town.
Great.
They’d all be gunning for her by the time the week was up. What the hell had Poppy gotten herself into?
She was screwed.
How could it possibly get any worse?
Unlocking her door, she headed in, took off her gun and badge, and put them in the kitchen cabinet where she always kept them when she wasn’t asleep. She’d take her gun to bed with her later. For now, all she wanted was to take a shower, get the coffee and creamer smell off of her, along with the crime scene stench.
Those were her priorities. Then she’d freak out and worry about the shitstorm heading her way. All of this had her distracted, and that was a bad thing.
Poppy was seriously considering a vacation—as far from Vegas as humanly possible. Maybe she’d find a nice town where they needed a slightly, emotionally battered cop.
She laughed.
Yeah, right.
She couldn’t leave. Vegas needed her, and there was that one man there who made her feel things she’d never felt before.
Dimitri Gideon.
God!
She wished she could have that date with him. She’d rock his world seven ways to Sunday.
It made her smile.
Mmmmm…Dimitri Gideon...
He was sin personified. There was something about that bad boy attitude that got her hot, bothered, and all kinds of wet.
For now, she’d think about him.
It would give her something pleasant to think about before she headed into the corruption storm.
In her bedroom, she stripped out of her clothes and tossed them into the laundry basket. She stared at herself in the mirror, checking out her ass.
Well, Dimitri did say he liked it. There was that. Only, he couldn’t be part of her life.
That meant one thing.
Yeah, she needed to up her cardio. Sitting most of the day was not her friend.
Heading into the shower, she turned on the water and stepped inside.
As she washed her hair, she hummed.
God.
It was good to be home.
Poppy knew the cops out there couldn’t get her. She finally felt safe.
He watched her from beneath her bed as she walked back and forth in her bedroom. From his position, he was able to watch her take off her clothes. Then, already excited, he was able to watch her pad around barefoot.
Then he heard the shower.
Yes, the woman he’d wanted was back. Time had erased all the years. He was sure this was the one he wanted.
It was her.
He remembered it that day.
Those lovely ankles.
That lovely set of toes.
He was going to have her again.
When he heard the shower curtain, he rolled out from beneath the bed. Lovingly, he pulled the blankets down and sprinkled it with flower petals.
You know…to set the scene.
Then he headed into the bathroom to claim his beautiful prize. She was back after all those years of being gone from his life, and this was a very special moment.
It was precious.
It was going to be perfect.
As for getting naked himself, he’d strip later when he had her contained. That would have to be the first step in his plan. Last time, he had to kill her.
He rubbed his eyes.
Did he kill her?
How was she back?
There was a part of him trying to tell him this was wrong, but the sickness was winning.
The lust was winning. He couldn’t help himself. In his mental haze, all he saw was this prize.
She was magnificent.
With a shake of his head, he was, again, focused on what needed to be done. Pulling the rope from his pocket, he got ready.
When his fingers touched the pretty shower curtain, he took a deep breath to steady himself.
Only then, when he was ready, did he brace himself for what was to come.
Oh, she’d fight.
And he loved it.
Then, with glee, he yanked the curtain back and attacked.
He was on his prey.
It was time.
Poppy was just rinsing her hair when she heard the shower curtain being pulled back like someone was planning to dive in and grab her.
Before she could clear her vision, the worst experience of her life occurred.
Someone grabbed her.
As the soap was still in her eyes, she couldn't see anything, but she fought with everything she had.
The only thing that worked in her favor was that she was strong. She knew how to defend herself.
As Poppy felt the rope going around her throat, and beginning to close, she struggled for everything she was worth. Poppy refused to go down.
As it cut into her flesh, she ignored the need to try and breathe and knew she had less than a minute to fight. She had to hurt the attacker enough that he let the rope go.
Priorities.
She swung.
She punched.
She kicked.
When he got close enough, she heard what he called her. She heard what he said as the rope went slack.
Poppy put it aside for later, and she began screaming bloody fucking murder.
She needed help.
Suddenly, and with one, last, miraculously placed kick, the man assaulting her dropped her, and the rope, and ran.
Poppy sat in the shower, shaking from the attack. She wiped her eyes, and instead of following the assailant, to get his ID, she did the only thing she could think of in that moment.
She called for help.
Poppy called the only person in Vegas she knew she could trust.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Sky Villa
When his phone rang, he and the rest of the family were watching his two kids play a board game. It was a comedy of errors, and it was as funny as hell. When you mixed a spunky boy with a child around the same age who didn’t speak much English, hilarity would ensue.
And it was.
Sam was trying, patiently, to teach Petra how to play Candy Land. It was well past his age, but he was trying to teach her colors and numbers.
He was an amazing big brother.
The whole thing touched Dimitri.
It was sweet.
This was what family was all about, and now he understood. When he was raising his sisters, it was out of obligation and to save them. Now, he was able to just sit back, enjoy fatherhood, and let nature take its course.
He was a dad.
It was laughable.
Dimitri was a killer, and a part of him knew he had no business having any kids. He knew they were in danger because of him, but in his life, he rarely was able to have anything for himself.
Sam was that treasure, and Petra would be too.
They were his core.
Now, if he could only get a very stubborn detective to date him, his life would be pretty amazing.
As if conjuring her up, his phone rang. When he saw her name appear on his caller ID, it looked like the ‘Good Luck Fairy’ was going to make one more delivery.
He couldn’t help but smile.
Finally.
Poppy Wayne wanted to get that drink.
“Hello, Miss Wayne. Miss me?” he flirted cockily. Dimitri couldn’t help himself.
He wanted her too.
There was silence on the phone as the family watched him with big smiles.
Emma winked at him.
“Miss Wayne?” he asked again.
“I didn’t know who to call, Dimitri. I…I was just attacked in my home. I can’t call the police. Can you please come?” she whispered. “I’m scared.”
His heart pounded in his chest. All the calm and joy washed away, as he was filled with anger.
Someone touched the woman he knew was meant to be his. There would be hell to pay.
Dimitri was up from the couch, and the other men joined him. They could tell from his body language that something bad had gone down.
“Poppy, I’ll be there. Give me ten minutes, and I’ll bring others with me.”
“Please, Dimitri. I need you.”
That was all he had to hear.
He hung up.
Emma was the first to ask.
“What’s wrong?”
His face showed the rage.
“Poppy was just attacked in her apartment. We have to go,” he stated.
Greyson and Chris were by his side. They knew the family would be safe in Sky Villa. For now, they had to worry about the woman Dimitri was attracted to.
They had to save her for him.
They had to get to Poppy.
“The commissioner is a dead man,” Dimitri said, pulling off the sling that was helping his arm heal.
There was no time for that jackassery.
“I need a gun,” he said, as both of his kids watched him. Without hesitation, Chris handed him one of his spare guns. Dimitri tucked it into the back of his pants.
“Sam, mind your sister. Listen to Emma, and please behave,” he stated. “She’s pregnant and doesn’t need the stress.”
“I have it, Dad. I’ll hold down the fort. I need a gun.”
Emma laughed.
“Never happening, kiddo. Head out, Dimitri. I have them. They’ll be fine. I love this game,” she offered, getting down on the floor to play it with them.
Dimitri didn’t even kiss the kids. He was so freaking worried about Poppy.
He raced out, hoping she was safe. Whoever tried to hurt her would pay. She’d been rattled. He could hear it in her voice. On the mountain, Poppy had been a study of sturdy nerves and control.
When she called…
Not so much.
In the garage beneath the villa, Dimitri jumped behind the wheel of the car since he was the ONLY one out of the three who knew where she lived.
Sue him.
He’d stalked her at her house to watch her. Dimitri couldn’t help himself. He missed her.
“I had security watching her,” he said as they tore out of the parking garage like they were running from some invisible killer.
“Which one?” Chris asked, riding shotgun as he held on for dear life.
“Ilan Hyde.”
Greyson heard the tension.
“I’m sure he didn’t know what was going down. He’s a good guy,” Greyson stated.
Oh, he knew Dimitri.
While he was always calm, when it came to Poppy Wayne, the opposite was true. She tied him up in all kinds of knots. He was a basket case for the first time in his life, and it wasn’t sitting well with him.
At all.
“Where the hell was he?” he asked.
Chris tried to help.
“If she was attacked in her home, maybe he was outside hiding in plain sight. You told him to follow her. You didn’t tell him to follow her into her place and make a sandwich. Place the blame where it’s due.”
He took a deep breath.
“You’re right.”
Well, that was a first.
This was proof how over the moon he was about this woman. Dimitri never agreed with Chris—mostly to rile him up.
“It’s okay. We’ll get her to Sky Villa. We’ll get her safe. She’s marked by that asshole. We have to keep her safe,” Dimitri stated.
And they would.
Dimitri’s knuckles had gone white as he gripped the steering wheel in a death grip.
It was clear he was furious.
“Hold on,” Chris muttered, as Dimitri took a corner on what felt like two wheels.
Greyson did just that.
Dimitri couldn’t focus. Someone had touched Poppy and in her own safe place.
She was his.
While she didn’t understand that, he did. He understood that no one was going to hurt her. She’d saved him, and she’d saved Sam. This was about making sure she was protected—even if she didn’t want him.
“We have to get to her,” Dimitri stated, hitting the navigational screen to find out what the hell was going on with Ilan Hyde.
He answered on the first ring.
“What the fuck?” Dimitri asked.
Well, so much for him staying calm and not flipping out at his security guy.
“Pardon?” Ilan asked.
“Miss Wayne was just attacked in her home! Where the hell are you?”
The man’s face said it all.
He hadn’t known.
“Sir, I followed her all day. She arrived home twenty minutes ago, went in, and I’m sitting in the parking lot. No one came out the door.”
“Go check the windows!”
He hung up.
“Relax,” Chris said. “You’re freaked out. I’ve never seen you like this. It’s okay. She’s okay.”
Yeah, but she almost wasn’t.
That was the point.
No one had ever made him feel before.
EVER.
Poppy was the first person who had ever given him those feelings, and he didn’t want to lose them—or her. She was special, and he knew it.
“I now know how Greyson feels all the damn time when Emma is in danger,” he muttered.
Croft would have laughed had this been a better time. This fear was the story of his life.
“Uh, what am I missing?” Chris asked. “You’re a little over the edge for just a cop. In fact, that’s weird. You dislike cops.”
It was time to let the other man in on it.
Chris didn’t know what was going on with Poppy. He’d been MIA and mourning Natasha’s death. Dimitri hadn’t confided in him. Chris figured she was just the cop.
“She saved my life. She’s more than just a cop. She saved Sam too. I owe her everything.”
Yeah, and he wanted to give her his heart. Dimitri knew she was likely the one.
“Oh,” Chris stated. “Someone should tell me what went down. I’m in the dark here, and that makes it hard for me to do my job.”
He was right.
Dimitri drove like a bat out of Hell and told him everything.
“On the mountain, she kept me warm and kept me alive. Then she got me off the mountain. She’s the one who killed Viktor. She saved Sam by following him.”
Chris understood that part, but this was irrational, a man in love, behavior.
He knew.
“What aren’t you saying?”
Greyson began making kissing sounds from the back seat. Chris stared at him like he was batshit insane.
“He was making out with the woman. He’s got it bad for this cop.”
Chris laughed.
“Oh, that’s priceless.”
Dimitri was well aware.
“And he was making out with her a few times IN a church too.”
Chris gasped for dramatic emphasis.
“It was a chapel.”
He gasped again.
Greyson laughed at that. The best way to defuse fear was humor. Chris was trying to calm him down. They all knew a riled-up Dimitri was a shitstorm in the making. You didn’t piss off a Russian killer by fucking with the woman he wanted.
That was dangerous.
“Say it ain’t so,” Chris teased. “You were swapping spit with the sexy detective. I may ask her out.”
He growled.
“Chris, love yourself,” Greyson stated.
He knew the man wouldn’t. Chris and Dimitri rode each other’s asses on a daily basis. Chris would use this to torment him and defuse the situation.
“It looks like someone’s days of ‘loving himself’ are just about over,” he stated.
“I hate you,” Dimitri stated.
Chris snorted.
Then made kissy sounds.
“Seriously? Now, Chris? Do you have a death wish?” Greyson asked.
Chris laughed.
He knew Dimitri would never hurt him. Since Natasha’s death, Dimitri had been wearing kid gloves. He appreciated that, so he’d do his best to help him through this.
“Well, my day just got infinitely brighter by this new information. I heard from Emma that she saved you and Sam at Terrace Glen, but this…”
He glanced over, and his face said it all.
He wasn’t pissed.
Dimitri was suffering. There was that bleakness and pain in his eyes. He recognized it.
This changed everything.
Chris stopped laughing.
“You genuinely like her.”
“She wants nothing to do with me. Until this call, she has been avoiding me.”
Greyson explained the box, the date request, and the turndown that he’d overheard.
“Oh. So, what were you planning to do?”
“Go after Raye and wait until she was safe. Then I was going to ask her out for a drink. AGAIN.”
Chris stared out the window.
“What?” Dimitri asked, taking another corner practically on two wheels.
“You have nothing to worry about, Dimitri. She’s into you. That’s clear.”
“How does everyone know this but me?” he asked.
Chris explained, “She called you. So, I’m going to say that she’s waiting for the commissioner to go down, and once he does, it will happen. She reached out to you, Dimitri. That says it all. Have faith.”
It calmed him down.
Then it stirred him right back up.
“I’m going to eviscerate the asshole for attacking her!” he said, as they pulled into the complex where Poppy lived. They saw Ilan waiting.
The car was barely off before Dimitri was out of the driver’s seat.
“What did you find?”
“Someone left the bedroom window open, so it’s safe to say that’s how he got out. I’m telling you that NO ONE came out that door,” he said, pointing at it.
From where they stood, by Ilan’s vehicle, they could see the doorway. He would have seen it.
“The window is most logical,” he said, “It’s in the back by the trees. Whoever did this used the fire escape. I didn’t get too close. She’s armed. I didn’t want to get shot in the face or scare her.”
That was all he had to hear. Dimitri ran toward the building.
Chris took the security guy and headed toward the woods. They’d see what they could find. Greyson followed Dimitri, knowing he’d need backup.
He was a mess.
When he got to the door, Dimitri was banging on it like some freaking lunatic. They were already the media’s favorite bitches.
They didn’t need more screen time.
“Making a scene,” he hissed.
Before Dimitri could say anything, the door opened, and Poppy was there. She was wet, in a robe, and shaking. She was also holding her gun.
“I’m okay. I’m sorry I bothered you. I’m good,” she said. “You shouldn’t be here. The commissioner…”
She didn’t get to finish. Dimitri headed in and pulled her against his body.
She clung to him.
“Do you need a doctor?” he asked, holding her tightly to his chest. “I’ll get you one. I’ll get you anything you need.”
“I’m just scratched up,” she whispered.
Dimitri wanted to kill.
Poppy was shaking, and that told them everything. She was tough, and this had scared her stupid.
Yeah, him too.
“What happened?” Greyson asked Poppy as he entered her home and closed the door behind him. They needed to have privacy.
“I came home, I put away my gun, and I jumped in the shower. I was washing my hair when he jumped me.”
“Who was it?”
“I couldn’t see him. I was washing my hair. I tried to see him, but my eyes were full of soap and water.”
She held out the rope.
“He used this.”
Greyson saw the look on Dimitri’s face. He was about to blow. He knew that feeling.
“Did he…did he sexually assault you?” Dimitri asked, trying to stay calm.
Greyson knew how hard it was for Dimitri to ask that. Somehow, he managed. Kudos to him. He wouldn't have been as magnanimously calm.
“No. I’m scared. I thought the commissioner did this,” she whispered, still shaking. “Now I’m not so sure.”
They didn’t understand.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
She stared up at him, and he gently touched a scratch on her cheek. That one mark made him want to kill. The fact that some asshole used a rope…
Dimitri was seconds from losing it.
“He said some things.”
“Like?” Greyson asked.
“I’ll have to show you.”
Greyson cleared his throat.
“Dimitri, you need to let her go. She can’t walk with you attached to the front of her like a conjoined twin.”
He realized that he was staring into her eyes, and gently set her free.
“Sorry,” he muttered.
Poppy took his hand. He hadn’t offered it, but she needed that connection. She was terrified.
“Lead the way,” Greyson offered.
She led them through the small apartment, and toward the bedroom. When Dimitri saw what she needed to show them, he nearly shit himself.
Someone was going to die.
“I didn’t do that,” she said, pointing at the bed, the roses, and the sick and twisted way it was laid out like some offering to a lover. “It wasn’t there when I went into the shower.”
Dimitri pulled her back against his body.
For a few seconds, she clung to him.
“It’s okay,” he reassured softly in her ear. “It will be fine. I promise.”
She wanted to believe that, but the rose petals weren’t the worst part. Poppy couldn’t believe this part herself.
“It’s not,” she said. Reluctantly, Poppy pulled away from him and went to the nightstand beside her bed. She opened the drawer and pulled out a file. She handed it to Greyson and actually went back against Dimitri.
Immediately, he held her.
“What is it?” Dimitri asked.
Greyson looked up.
“It’s the file on her mother and sister’s murder. I just don’t know what you’re trying to tell me, Poppy,” Greyson stated.
“Look at page four.”
He went there, and he looked at the bed. The pictures matched up. The crime scene photos from her mother and sister’s murder had one-bed shot.
It was exact—right down to the scrawling of ‘you’re mine’ on the wall above the bed.
Uh oh.
Greyson glanced up. Dimitri was really going to lose his shit now. They had a bigger problem than Commissioner Raye.
“I don’t think the commissioner had anything to do with this,” Greyson stated.
“Why?” he asked.
He showed him.
Dimitri released Poppy and took the file. As soon as he saw it, he began cursing loudly in Russian.
Greyson and Poppy understood almost everything he said, and it was NOT pretty.
Hell!
Half of Vegas heard him freaking out.
Poppy didn’t want him in danger. She didn’t want him to get hurt. Her whole intent of staying away from him had been to keep him safe. Dimitri had been through enough. She wanted to protect him.
“I’m okay,” she said. “I’ll lock the window, clean this up, and I’ll be okay,” she said. “You should go home. I’m sorry I pulled you into this.”
Oh, they didn’t think so.
That was definitely not going to happen. They weren’t bailing on Poppy.
“Over my dead body,” Dimitri stated.
The second she heard that the tears came. Poppy couldn’t hold them back. Unfortunately, she was worried about exactly that.
She headed toward the wall, leaned against it, and then slid down to sit on the floor.
She looked so vulnerable.
“I’ll go see what I can find,” Greyson said, giving the woman privacy, and Dimitri time to help her.
As soon as they were alone, Dimitri joined her and draped his arm over her shoulder.
“He called me her name, Dimitri. He called me Eloise. That was my mother’s name.”
He let her talk.
“I’ve never been so scared in my life,” she said, not looking up. She couldn’t do it.
“I didn’t know who to call. I’m sorry.”
He lifted her chin.
“I was scared once. Then this angel of mercy rode in and saved me. When my brother was pointing that gun at me, I was fine. I was good with dying and meeting my maker. When I thought Sam was dead, I was so scared. Then you saved me. Let me save you, Poppy.”
She stared at him.
Poppy knew he was offering her that choice.
“Please save me, Dimitri.”
He held her as she cried. He understood why she was so scared. She lived with the memories of her past, but they had been just that.
Memories.
Now it had become real. Too real.
“We’ll get you somewhere safe.”
“I’ll be okay,” she said, sniffling. “I can stay here. I know how to defend myself.”
Yeah, that wasn’t happening.
Not on his watch.
Only, he knew he had to convince her.
Gently, Dimitri lifted her chin again, but this time, he brought his mouth to hers in a soft kiss. She didn’t fight. Instead, she let him lead. She let him soothe her.
That light touch of lips to lips threw his world upside down. He was right. She was the one. He’d never felt this before. Emma had called this one.
This woman was going to one day be his wife.
Dimitri could feel it to the depths of his cold, dead soul. She breathed life into him.
She was going to be the woman he made his for the rest of his life. Only, they had a ton of hurdles in the way.
He had kids.
He was a killer.
She was a cop.
Someone wanted her dead.
In that minute, he silently vowed to fight for her. Poppy Wayne was worth it.
When he set her mouth free, she was steadier. Unfortunately, he was not. That light kiss was enough to make him want so much more. He hadn’t thought about women the last few weeks. After Marissa Pierce had destroyed him and made him feel worthless, he’d assumed that part of him was dead.
Oh, it wasn’t dead.
He was very much alive.
That need, want, and lust was there, reminding him that he was very much a man and she was definitely a woman. He could see the soft swell of her breasts in the opening of her robe, and it took all he had to look away.
She was a lady.
She’d be treated like one if it killed him.
For now, he needed to switch focus. A nearly naked Poppy was too much for him to handle. His nerves were already frayed.
“How badly are you scratched up?” he asked, trying to focus on her injuries.
She lifted her head and pulled her robe open even more, and Dimitri was struggling to keep his face neutral. It wasn’t easy. Now he saw more lovely curves that he desperately wanted to touch.
Jesus.
It was a damn bad time to get his libido back.
“My back is scratched up too.”
He was going to hate to do this. It was going to kill him, and he knew it.
“Let me see your back.”
Poppy untucked herself from his body and turned to face the wall. Carefully, she held her robe in front of her breasts, but let it drop off of her shoulders.
Dimitri stared at her back and the claw marks all over it. She was more than ‘a little’ scratched up.
Then he saw it.
There, on her back, was a sweet butterfly tattoo. It stole his breath. He’d once called Marissa Pierce his butterfly, but he’d been so very wrong.
This was the universe confirming it.
His heart was meant for her.
Gently, he ran his finger over it.
She glanced over her shoulder at him as soon as he said it. “My grandmother called me her butterfly. When I was old enough to get a tattoo, I did.”
His heart skipped.
“In Russian lore, the butterfly was a witch. She would float around doing good deeds, and sometimes stealing the hearts of men in the process,” he stated.
She laughed.
“Well, my grandmother told me I was bold and wicked, so that fits. I was a tough little kid to handle. I always asked a lot of questions and got into trouble.”
Jesus.
He’d been waiting for this woman forever. Here was more proof.
“How bad is my back?” she asked.
That was enough to finally get his attention.
“Well, you’re ripped up. We’ll get those cleaned up. There’s some blood.”
She nodded.
“I fought hard.”
Oh, he was grateful for that. From here on out, he’d fight hard for her.
“I need you to pack a big suitcase. Take everything you’ll need for a few days.”
“Where am I going?” she asked. “I don’t have anywhere to go. This is my home.”
He almost said his condo.
His bed.
Only there were two kids there, and he couldn't risk them. While he was sure about her, she didn’t know much about his children. Yes, she saved Sam, but she was a cop. That was what they were supposed to do.
Shit.
He tried to behave like a gentleman, and that meant not thinking about his libido. Dimitri knew he’d only get one shot at Poppy. He’d only get one chance to get to know her.
So, he had to be careful. While he trusted her, his fate was in her hands, and he knew it. She knew he killed people, but she didn’t know the scope of what he’d done.
He’d killed Mace Bristol in cold blood to avenge the people he loved.
That would be a turning point, and he knew it. Once she knew, everything was in her hands.
With Marissa, he used sex to build a gap between them. He knew instinctually that he couldn’t do that with Poppy. What they could have would be too important to go that route.
He’d get one chance to make a first impression.
He’d get one shot at this woman.
Already, the odds weren’t in his favor, so he needed all the help he could possibly get at this point.
“I’ll take you to the hotel. We have a penthouse there. It’ll be a safe place for you. The family is at Sky Villa, so it’s not being used.”
She was disappointed.
That was NOT where she wanted to rest her head. Poppy wanted to cuddle up with this man. She was drawn to him, and now he was dropping her at a hotel.
Poppy realized that he might not feel anything toward her. After all, he’d asked her out for drinks, and she never took him up on the offer. Maybe he moved on.
Yeah, this sucked. Damn the commissioner and his douchery. She could have been having drinks with a sexy man days ago.
Before she could say anything, Greyson knocked on the door.
“Can I see you?” he asked Dimitri.
“Absolutely,” he offered.
Then his focus was back on her. Gently, Dimitri tucked her back into her robe and helped her up.
“Pack for a couple of days. I can come back for anything you need if you forget something, babochka.”
The sweet nickname stole her breath, but before she could say anything, Dimitri was gone.
He followed the other man out.
When she was alone, Poppy pulled out her suitcase and did what he asked. Normally, she’d be more aggressive, bossy, and in charge, but now she needed to lean.
She needed him.
Still...
This wasn’t at all going how she’d thought it would feel to be rescued by Dimitri Gideon.
He was dumping her in a hotel.
Great.
Poppy didn’t think this could get any worse. She had some sicko stalker that might have been the person who killed her mother and sister, and now he was after her.
Oh, and Dimitri Gideon had dropped her like a hot potato.
Awesome.
Poppy, while alone, did something she wasn’t proud of at all.
She cried.
Out in Poppy’s living room, Greyson lowered his voice, so Poppy didn’t hear him. The last thing he wanted was to freak her out.
“She is in some serious trouble.”
“What?” Dimitri asked, glancing over his shoulder to make sure she wasn’t there. Honestly, he assumed she’d tell him to pound sand and make him work for it. Poppy was tough, and he wasn’t sure she’d let him take care of her.
This was new to him.
He was trying to navigate this on a learning curve.
“We found more rope, and we found a knife. She’s lucky that he didn’t overcome her. They were under her bed. It looked like he was going to choke her out, so he could bind her. Then he was going to…”
He stopped him.
“If you say the word, I will lose it. I know what this sick animal had planned for her.”
Greyson got it.
This had been too close for comfort for Dimitri. He’d nearly lost a woman he was attracted to—and more.
“We can’t leave her here, Dimitri. You should take her home with you to Sky Villa.”
He shook his head.
“I can’t.”
Greyson lifted a brow.
“You don’t want to take a sexy woman home with you? Are you insane? You’ve been trying to get her to have a drink with you. Now you can…”
He shut him up with one word.
“Kids.”
And that said it all.
“Oh, shit!”
Dimitri was well aware.
“While I trust her with them, since I know she’s a good person, what if what I feel doesn’t match what she feels? Sam is already attached to the ‘Super Woman’ who saved him. What if my kids like her and…”
He got it.
“And she doesn’t want to play house?” he asked.
Dimitri nodded.
“There’s a sexual attraction there. I feel it, but there’s more to me than just this,” he said, touching his chest. “I have kids. I have a past. I have to navigate this cautiously or I could lose her.”
“Okay, what can I do?”
“I offered up the penthouse. I lied and said it was available. I need you to kick the gunkles out. Make them stay with you.”
He laughed.
“Uh, we have a full penthouse, Dimitri. I have Chris and Heath with us. Heath has been using the spare room as a place to keep all his guns, Kevlar, and…”
“You are the only one with a spare room. Please. I need you, my brother.”
He sighed.
Dimitri stared into his eyes.
“I can’t take her to my place yet. Then we’ll have sex, and I can’t let that happen.”
Greyson stared at him.
“Are you insane? She’s crazy about you,” he whispered. “She called YOU after this. Poppy Wayne likes you. How do I spell that out?”
“Did you see what was on her desk in there?” he asked.
“No. What’s on her desk?” Greyson asked.
“She has two folders there. One says, ‘Lester Lucas’ and the other says, ‘Mace Bristol’. Before I even think about a relationship with her, sexual or otherwise, I need to come clean about that too.”
His eyes went big.
“Are you loco? You cannot tell her that you,” he began and then drew his finger across his throat to say the rest.
It was enough.
“I can’t go into a relationship lying. I tried that with Marissa. I didn’t tell her about my brother. She walked. I didn’t feel anything like I do with Poppy. Just seeing her makes my heart skip. I have to be honest. I have two kids and a shady past. It is what it is. If she runs, I’ll know she wasn’t the one. Emma told me that if someone genuinely loved me, they wouldn't hold that against me.”
“What if she holds the illegal against you after the fact?” Greyson asked.
He held out his wrists like he was being cuffed.
“Then she takes me in. She and I are so opposite we will likely kill each other, but I want what you have. I can see it for once in my life. Emma told me I’d know that the woman was the one if she saved me. She saved me.”
Greyson listened.
“Already, she saved me twice. She’s the one, Grey. She’s the one. Now I have to explain my past, the kids, and see if she sticks. Plus, I’ve never dated anyone. I want to see what that feels like. Sex…it’s easy. I can buy that. I can’t buy what I feel.”
He got it.
“I’ll call the boys and get them to Sky Villa, BUT we have a problem.”
“What?”
“I start searching for a missing woman tomorrow. You are going to be busy. You’re my partner in crime solving.”
He was aware.
“I know this is a lot to ask…”
Greyson got it. Dimitri didn’t even have to say the words. He’d take one for the team.
“You help her focus on this mess, and I’ll take Riley and Heath. We’ve got this. No worries.”
He kissed him on the mouth.
“Jesus! You need to get laid,” Greyson said, busting his ass.
“Your mouth to God’s ears,” he said.
“Oh, and before you kiss me again…”
“What?” Dimitri asked.
“We can watch the kids, so you can get to know her better, if you know what I mean.”
He shook his head.
“No, they’re a part of me. If I want anything with her, she has to be kid-friendly. I can’t dump Sam and Petra. They’re mine. I love them both. Petra needs me. As much as I WANT Poppy, family first. I’ll spend as much time with her as I can, and when I think she’s ready, I’ll tell her about them both.”
“We’ll watch them so you can take her out on a date. You both deserve it.”
“Thank you, Greyson.”
“What are brothers for?” he asked.
Before Dimitri could say anything else, Poppy came out of the room. She was dressed and ready to go.
“I’m ready. You really don’t have to go through so much trouble to put me in the hotel.”
Greyson smiled.
“Detective, you helped us. In fact, you covered for us. We are going to help you. I’m working on a case right now, but Dimitri will be free to assist you.”
Her heart skipped.
She’d love him to help her.
Help her get naked.
“What kind?” she asked, trying not to focus on the man’s body. It was NOT easy. “I know it’s not my business, but I need to focus. I feel like puking. I need to think about anything but that mess,” she said, pointing at her room.
Dimitri grabbed her bag and offered her his hand.
Greyson trusted her. Emma was good at reading people. She called it on Riley being decent, and she said they could trust Poppy.
He hoped her instincts were right.
Croft shared what he could.
“Four years ago, Commissioner Raye’s wife went missing without a trace. He’s never tried to get to the bottom of it. We’re hoping we can find her, or her remains, and we can use that to get his ass tossed in jail.”
“Really?” she asked. “He needs to get put away for a long time.”
Oh, on that they all agreed.
“Yes, that’s the case.”
She looked steadier.
“I can help.”
He shook his head.
“You’re going to be busy.”
“Doing?”
“Why don’t you tell her your plan, Dimitri?” Greyson asked, setting the man up to be a hero to the girl. He knew how to woo a woman. Now he was going to play wingman to his best friend.
Dimitri stared into those blue eyes, understanding what Greyson wanted him to do.
This was part of tying her to him.
He desperately wanted to be her hero.
“We’re going to find who killed your mother, and we’re going to stop him from getting to you.”
“Oh,” she said, blinking. “You don’t have to do that, Dimitri,” she began, only to be cut off.
Dimitri wasn’t taking no for an answer. Instead, he leaned in and gave her a soft kiss. As he slowly pulled away, just far enough to speak, he knew what he wanted.
“Take some time off from work,” he said softly, his lips close to hers after he’d finished kissing her.
“Why?”
“I need a partner and I want it to be you,” he said, not only talking about helping her solve the case but about so much more. Dimitri hoped she picked up on that.
He prayed she did.
Poppy tried to focus. Her brain was mush. The smell of him, the feel of him that close to her, and the way his hand was on her hip.
Jesus.
If he asked, she’d quit her damn job. That’s how much he had her tied up in knots. Dimitri Gideon was frying her circuits without even trying.
This was bad.
Someone was going to be hurt.
“Well, babochka?”
She melted even more.
“Okay, I’ll be your partner,” she offered. How the hell was she supposed to get anything done on a case, if she was forced to feel and smell this man?
She was screwed.
Dimitri smiled in victory.
“Thank you.”
Greyson rolled his eyes. Someone had this woman wrapped around his pinky. Why the hell was he even worried? The detective was clearly smitten. He could feel the sexual chemistry from where he was standing.
Emma was right again.
She’d called it.
Gently, Dimitri pulled her toward the kitchen, so they could escape her place.
“Let’s get your gun, and then we can head to the hotel to get you settled into the penthouse.”
“Uh, okay.”
She let him lead.
Poppy had no other choice in the matter. She wasn’t thinking with her brain.
Not even close.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Riley’s House
Monday Late
Afternoon
When he returned to his house, he was ready to set everything up for the night’s festivities. This was going to be a night neither of them forgot, so it had to be special.
Riley went around his place, placing out candles, roses he’d picked up, and even picked out music that would set the mood. Everything needed to be perfect.
Yes, he’d proposed once before to his ex, but he’d never gone to this level. That’s how he knew Delilah was the one.
He wanted this moment more than anything.
Only, a part of him was so empty over it. While he was happy, there was that joyous moment where he could tell someone in his family.
The only one left was his sister, and she didn’t want anything to do with him.
So, he reached out to the only connection he had left. Riley picked up the phone and stared at it.
Yeah, he needed to talk to his brother.
Dialing the number, he listened as it rang the six times before going to voicemail.
Then he heard it.
It was his brother’s voice. Yes, Riley paid for his cell phone to stay on, so he wouldn’t lose that message. It was all he had left of his family.
When it went to voicemail, he listened.
‘Hey! You’ve reached Miles Henderson. I’m not available to answer your call right now. I’m probably out with my dork brother causing trouble. Leave a message at the beep. If this is you, Riley, and we aren’t out having fun, I’ll come bail you out of jail.’
It beeped.
Rarely did he leave a message. There was only so much precious space on the phone, but, today, he needed to do it.
“Hey, Miles, it’s me. I miss you so much today. God! I wish you were here. I know this is lame, and you’d bust my ass if you were still alive, but I met a girl, and she’s so hot,” he said, beginning to tell him about her.
He wanted that connection with his brother.
“She’s so damn amazing, and I’m going to propose to her tonight. I know I haven’t left a message for a while, but I wanted you to know that I’m still thinking about you. I can’t call Kiley and tell her about it. Since you died, she won’t talk to me anymore. She hates seeing my face. I understand it, and I don’t blame her. When I look in the mirror I hate seeing it too.”
And he did.
“Anyway, she misses you, and I miss you too. I wish you were here, Miley. I wish you were here with me. I’m going to elope if my girl says yes, or try to get Delilah to do it. I can’t do a wedding without you and Kiley there. I just can’t face it alone. I wish you were still here, bro. I mourn you every day. There’s not a single one that goes by where I don’t want you to be part of this.”
God!
He missed his brother.
“I hope you’re watching from wherever you are. I hope you see that I’m okay. It’s hard without you, but I promised to keep on fighting. I’ll do it. Keep an eye on Kiley. She needs you more than I do. I wish we could have a beer and celebrate. I love you, Miles. I lost you and Kiley that day. It’s never been the same.”
The phone beeped before he could say anything else.
“I miss you, bro. I really miss you,” he said, staring at the phone in his hand.
Riley tucked his phone into his pocket and knew he needed to put this behind him. His family had officially been notified. So, he wiped his eyes and went back to prepping for Delilah. He’d done everything he was supposed to do.
He was on track.
Now all he needed was for his girl to say yes.
Then life…it would be better.
There was nowhere to go but up.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Sky Villa
When it came time to have something to eat, Emma didn’t know what to do with Petra. The little girl seemed to like cookies, but that wasn’t a good meal.
So, she figured she’d get Sam to help her.
Of course he wanted pizza.
“We can take it up by the pool,” she offered. “We can have a picnic,” she suggested.
That was good with Sam.
Petra?
No clue.
The girl didn’t say much, but she did follow Sam around like he was the next coming of Christ.
Hey, whatever worked.
All Emma knew was when they got up to the water, Petra became a different child. Gone was the fear. She clearly knew what swimming was because the second she saw the water, she was racing toward the pool.
Oh, shit!
She was going to jump into the deep end!
Emma dropped the pizza and raced after her. When Petra dove in, Emma was about to dive in after her.
Heath too.
That was until she surfaced and began laughing and swimming in circles like a freaking fish—in her clothes.
Well, someone was safe around the pool.
“I nearly had a freaking heart attack,” Heath stated, pulling his shirt back on.
Yeah, Emma too.
“She can swim!” Sam said, running toward the pool and jumping in to splash around with her.
The two kids laughed.
Heath grabbed the pizza and put it under a cabana where they’d eat.
“She’s going to be okay,” he said, sitting beside Emma. “You can tell. She’s strong. Already, she’s not afraid. Already, she’s just trying to understand what everyone is saying around her. I think she’s smart.”
Oh, he was right.
All the Gideons were.
Emma watched the two kids frolic and play for a good forty minutes. When Petra got out of the pool, Emma grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her.
Her dress was shot.
The chlorine had already faded it, but she was smiling and acting like a normal kid. That’s all that really mattered.
“Hey! Babe! Where’s the grub?”
“Sam,” Heath warned. “It’s not babe. Your father doesn’t like that.”
He laughed.
As he approached Emma, she wrapped him up, too, before giving him a kiss on the forehead.
“You can call me babe. I don’t mind.”
He grinned triumphantly.
“Into the cabana,” she said.
Sam climbed onto the mattress, and he motioned for Petra to join him. She scurried up and sat really close to him.
Emma opened the box.
Sam picked up a piece and held it up for her to bite it. She did.
Then Petra smiled.
“She likes pizza! I have a sister who likes to swim and eat pizza. It’s a good day for me!”
Emma misted up as she watched the two kids. They were adorable together, and you couldn’t tell they had been strangers a few hours ago.
Kids were resilient.
Here was the proof.
Heath dropped his arm over Emma’s shoulders and whispered in her ear.
“Awwww, Mrs. C, don’t cry. I told you that everything would work out.”
Emma handed him some pizza.
“You were right, Heath. I’ll never doubt you again. You’re a smart man, my friend.”
He took the pizza and gave her the big toothy grin he saved for the people he genuinely liked.
“I think kids are cool. I like them.”
Emma smiled too.
“You know what, Heath? I like them too.”
And she did.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Hotel
Penthouse
When they arrived at the hotel, Poppy let Dimitri led her toward the garage elevator that they would take to the penthouse. There was private access to the family’s private space, and she was a little dumbstruck with it all.
For a woman who grew up in the system, and was a cop, this was a lot to handle.
Penthouses?
Really?
“If you go out, and I suggest you don’t—okay, I’m telling you that you aren’t allowed to leave,” he stated, hoping she didn’t freak out. When she didn’t, he continued, “you can take the safer route and go through the building, but this allows the family to come and go without anyone bothering us.”
She let him talk.
“I’ll take you up and give you the codes to access the penthouse.”
What was she supposed to say to that?
As they went up in the elevator, he stayed fairly close to her. He was all up in her personal space, and he knew it. Only, Dimitri couldn’t help it.
Poppy smelled really good, and Dimitri was having a hard time not being a letch.
It wasn’t easy.
He wanted this woman.
Controlling that need…it was a challenge. Then again, she clearly trusted him with her life. That said a lot, and it made him want to keep her even safer.
“There’s room service,” he stated. “You can order anything you want. It’ll come up from the kitchen, or if you want something from Aquarius, you can call them, and they will bring it right up—on the house.”
“Thanks.”
Dimitri could feel the change in her demeanor. He didn’t know what he’d done, but there was some distance there.
In fact, he didn’t know what to do. This was way out of his element.
Maybe Poppy was just nervous.
He could only hope.
When the elevator stopped, the main door didn’t open to the penthouse for security reasons. He really hoped when it did open, the gunkles weren’t there. He was in no mood for Dante to bust his ass in front of Poppy.
He’d kick his ass—Croft or not.
“Nice wall you have here,” Poppy teased, trying not to be nervous. It was hard. She was about to get a peek into this man’s life and personal space.
Word on the street was that he and Greyson Croft were tight—as in best friends and brothers. If that were the case, this was his home too.
“We like that wall. It’s increased security,” he offered. “In order to access the penthouse, you have to enter this code,” he said, giving her the numbers. “There’s an alarm on the other side of the door. Once this door opens, you have one minute to enter a different code, or the elevator locks down, the alarm goes off, and the cops will come. Let me assure you that the police will get here fast.”
Well, she didn’t want that.
AT ALL.
“Considering today I had more than a few cops who wanted to kick my ass, I guess that’s a bad idea. One minute. I get it.”
That was news to him.
Why hadn’t security updated him on that?
“Pardon?” he asked, before entering the code. “What does that mean?”
She realized what she’d done. Poppy must have sounded like a whiny crybaby.
She knew better.
“It’s not important. I just had a really bad day at work, and it got worse when I got home.”
Dimitri didn’t move.
If she thought he’d let that go, she had NO clue to the kind of man he was.
“What happened?”
She sighed.
“It’s a long story.”
“We have time,” he said, leaning against the wall of the elevator. “I can wait all night.”
Okay, he couldn’t, but he was hoping she wouldn’t call his bluff.
“It all goes back to when the commissioner offered me the job, and I pretty much told him to pound sand. I told him I was going to find out who killed Mace Bristol, and if he was behind Lester Lucas’s murder, he was going to jail.”
He listened, trying to remain calm.
“I don’t buy that the Crofts killed Mace. That’s the one piece of this that has everyone running in circles. I have to solve his murder too. He was an undercover Fed, and it’s like the FBI has called off the dogs. I don’t get it.”
He didn’t say anything, but his heart was thundering in his chest.
Oh, he knew why.
Ethan Blackhawk had called them off for Greyson Croft, unknowing that he’d been the man who did the job.
Great.
And Poppy was going to solve it.
“And?” he asked.
“He’s playing dirty. I was at the crime scene today, and the cops were retaliating against me. He’s called out the dogs on me. Before telling him to fuck off, I’ve never had issues before. The commissioner didn’t partner me up with anyone now that Hunter is dead, or Marshall Cameron, or whatever he called himself. I’m on my own.”
He hated that.
“What did they do?” he asked, trying to stay calm.
“The usual childish shit. I was tripped, coffee was dumped on me, and I was pushed so I’d fall on a rotting corpse. It’s petty shit, but now they’re saying I was drunk on a scene. They’re trying to discredit me. My cop days are pretty much over.”
He listened to her and there was a horrible rage in him. If he thought she’d give him their names, and not be suspicious when they turned up dead, he’d end them.
“I’m sorry.”
That was all he could come up with at that moment.
“It’s okay. It’s only a job. I can go elsewhere. It’s not like I have ties here. I’m just another face in a sea of people in Vegas. I’m just pissed that he’s won. When this is over, I’ll have to move elsewhere if I want to be a cop.”
Oh, holy shit!
That could NOT happen.
Dimitri couldn’t leave Vegas. He had roots now. They had a family, and he couldn’t leave the people he loved.
If Poppy left…
Yeah, this was bad.
“It’s not over yet,” he said, hoping he sounded convincing. There was a battle going on inside him.
She laughed.
“I feel defeated. It’s over. My whole life I’ve fought, and I’m too tired. I have some sicko trying to kill me, the commissioner wants me to slink away with my tail between my legs, and you’re dumping me at a hotel.”
And that had his attention. Was that why she was icy? She thought he was ‘dumping’ her at a hotel?
“Pardon.”
“Nothing.”
“Poppy…”
She stopped him.
“Can we just go in? I’ve had a bad day. I need a fifth of Jack and about six pounds of chocolate. I want to forget this day.”
Yeah, and that the sexiest man she’d ever seen, kissed, and been against was leaving her alone in a hotel.
Dimitri didn’t argue.
She had tears in her eyes, but he didn’t know how to explain to her that he didn’t ‘dump’ her there. At that moment, he didn’t have a choice. Today was a rough day for him too. At that very moment, he felt guilty for not being at home with Sam and Petra. He felt guilty that her career was over because of him. He felt…
He just felt.
Before, he’d never had these emotions, the needs, or the feelings. They kind of sucked.
“I’ll show you around.” Dimitri entered the code and made sure she knew it.
“I have it.”
The doors opened, and immediately, he went to the pad and entered the second code. He gave her that one too.
“I have it.”
They stood there.
“Um, it’s an office. This is an interesting twist I didn’t see coming. Like I said…bad day.”
He laughed.
“We had this renovated. We were worried about Emma and the baby, so we had this open here, and then you have to access this office to get to the private rooms.”
He led her down a hall.
He entered the original code. A new elevator door opened, and they walked in and to the back of the elevator. He entered the code again, and the door slid open to a foyer.
“Welcome home,” he said, watching her expression. You could tell a lot about a person who was hit in the face with this kind of wealth.
Some women got that glint in their eyes. It was proof that bad shit was coming.
Poppy…
Nope.
She looked dumbstruck and a little horrified. That told him everything he needed to know. She wouldn’t be some opportunistic gold digger.
“Wow. This is something,” she said as they stood in a foyer filled with marble. There was a marble compass rose on the floor and the furniture looked really expensive.
“Are those real flowers?” she asked. “Are those poppies?”
He laughed.
“Yes, I had them put there.”
She looked at him like he had three heads.
It amused him.
“I can just stay in a regular room. This seems like a lot for just me. I’m sure I don’t belong here.”
And that said the rest. Poppy wouldn’t be one of those women who wanted him to ply her with expensive things. She’d be happy just to be near him.
Speaking of which…
“As you can see, it’s a nice place to stay. I’m not dumping you here.”
She didn’t respond.
Poppy began wandering through the place. She didn’t want to be a bitch. She was just disappointed that she wasn’t staying with him.
She assumed he was, but she couldn’t tell him that.
“It’s nice. Thank you.”
He stopped her.
That wasn’t genuine. Something was bothering her. He was good at the opposite sex. He’d raised teenagers.
That was hormone hell.
“You’re upset. I can’t read your mind. Just tell me why you won’t look at me. You’re chilly. What did I do to upset you, Poppy?”
“I’m fine.”
He laughed.
“Poppy, the last time I saw a woman say she was fine, Emma shoved a dozen roses down a garbage disposal. I’m around Emma and Greyson a lot. Fine is NEVER actually fine.”
She didn’t say anything.
“Can I see where I’m going to sleep? I know I’ll be safe alone here. So, thank you.”
And then he got it.
“You’re mad at me because I’m leaving you alone here?” he asked.
“Like I said, I’m fine. You proved no one can get in. I’ll be safe.”
She walked away.
Well, shit.
Apparently, he was going to have to escalate this conversation or risk her being angry at him.
“I have two kids,” he blurted out.
She stopped.
“Pardon?”
“If I didn’t have two kids at my place, I would have brought you there. I would have brought you to my home and you would be sleeping beside me. I just can’t think only of me. I have found myself in the predicament that I have to include them in this too.”
She turned around.
The mere idea that she could sleep beside him was enough to chase away the chill, but then she focused on the more important part.
“You have two kids?”
“Yes. Sam is my son. I adopted him when he was being abused in foster care. Today, my sister arrived. She was another product of my father’s sexcapades. My father sired children everywhere he went. I’ve taken them in to give them a better life.”
She listened.
At that moment, she couldn’t have respected him more. She was a product of foster care. She knew the hell it had been.
“Natasha and Kat were the same, and recently, I found out about another one. She came today.”
“Is she okay?” she asked.
She listened in fascination.
“She was sold to some gypsies in Romania. She doesn’t speak English, and she was sexually molested by tourists to make money for the gypsies. She is adjusting. Sam makes it easier. She’s attached to him.”
She looked horrified.
Dimitri began worrying.
“And you’re here with me? GO! Are you insane? That little girl needs you. I’m good. Go, Dimitri. Had I known, I wouldn’t have bothered you.”
He moved toward her.
“Why didn’t you take up my offer to have a drink?” he asked.
Dimitri knew the answer, but she didn’t know that. A part of him wanted to know if she’d be honest. After all, he’d given her the truth.
He didn’t respect lies.
She stared at him.
He was big.
Imposing.
Sexy as sin.
“Why, babochka?”
She offered him the truth when he used her nickname. How could she not? It made her melt.
“If I let you anywhere near me, Dimitri, the commissioner will make your life hell. I didn’t take a job and look at my life. I can’t do that to you, especially now. You have two kids who need you. Your brother is finally off your ass. You can’t be someone’s target. I can be. I’m alone.”
He hated that.
He hated hearing that loneliness in her voice.
God!
He understood it.
“You are not alone. I’m here.”
“I’ll be good. Will you be back tomorrow so we can start working on this? I can’t hide in here forever.”
He touched her cheek.
“I wish I could hide you here forever. Then I could hide with you. I love being near you, Poppy.”
Her heart skipped.
“Thank you for coming when I called. It means, even more, knowing that you left your kids for me. I appreciate it. I’m going to take a bath and try and forget today.”
He led her toward the one bedroom.
“Here you go,” he said, opening the double wood doors. “Here’s the bedroom.”
When she stared inside, she couldn’t believe it.
“Well, holy shit! I don’t even know what to say. Yes, yes, I do.”
“What?” he asked curiously.
“This is all kinds of wrong. NO ONE in their right mind should live like this.”
He laughed.
“That’s exactly what Emma said the first time she saw it too. It was then followed up with ‘who the hell spends money on shit like this? That bed would sleep twenty’.”
She laughed.
“I thought it.”
And that was why he was even more positive that this woman was the right woman for him.
Dimitri led her through the room toward the bathroom. When he opened the bathroom, it was all marble and white. The tub was a pool. There was a waterfall.
This was…
Insane.
“This makes me really uncomfortable,” she stated.
“Why?” he asked, curiously. “Doesn’t every woman like to be pampered?” he asked.
“I’m simple. This…this is NOT simple. I’m a camp in the woods kind of girl.”
He laughed.
“You should be careful of what you find in the woods. You know that,” he said, lifting his wounded arm.
Oh, he was the best thing she’d ever stumbled upon in the woods.
“The best things in life are simple. I’m a firm believer in this. Please say your place doesn’t look like this.”
He laughed.
He was so glad he didn’t have a flashy place. He could picture her in his space—now more so than ever. She’d fit perfectly.
“No. It doesn’t. By now I’m going to say there are gummy bears stuck to the ceiling and holes in things. Sam is trouble, and add a non-English speaking child, and its mayhem.”
She knew he had to go.
“Thank you, Dimitri. Go home. I’ll be okay.”
He took her face in his hands and placed a soft kiss on her lips. When he set her free, she was staring up into his eyes. Dimitri would love to gaze into them all night.
That would be a gift—something he rarely got.
“I like doing that a lot,” he admitted.
She laughed.
“I’m not complaining.”
“I’ll be back tomorrow. I hope seven isn’t too early. I don’t sleep a lot.”
She didn’t care if he showed up at three—as long as he showed.
“I think I’ll be good,” she said.
He backed away.
He had to go or he’d try and stay. He kept thinking about the kids. Dimitri was a father now. Sex…it wasn’t a priority.
God.
He never thought he’d say it and mean it.
Plus, she had to know the truth.
“See you tomorrow, Detective Wayne. If you need me, call. I’ll have security make sure you’re not bothered. If you hear a bell, it’s someone in the elevator. Don’t open it unless you ask who it is.”
She followed him back through the luxurious penthouse and to the door.
“I can do that.”
“Good night, Poppy. Order dinner. Feed yourself something and miss me.”
Oh, she would.
“Sweet dreams.”
She said nothing as he climbed into the elevator. She was pretty sure they wouldn’t be sweet. They’d be sweaty and erotic. This man got her wet.
“Goodnight, Dimitri.”
He watched her with those aqua eyes. He didn’t want to leave, so he memorized her face. As the door closed, he didn’t blink.
Then he was gone.
Poppy stood there, and she didn’t know what to do first.
Then her phone beeped. When she pulled it out, it made her laugh.
‘Set the alarm, babochka.’
She did.
As soon as she was done, she headed back to the bathroom to do exactly what she’d said she was going to do.
Poppy was going to soak her stresses away.
In the bathroom, there were oils, salts, and so many things to play with that she found herself smiling.
Oh, and thinking about him.
Well, at least she would see him tomorrow.
The killer couldn’t get to her.
And she had room service.
This wasn’t bad.
Still…
She wished he’d stay.
And not because she was scared.