Dimitri made sure not to wake Becca a few hours later. He hadn’t slept at all, everything running together in his head. Charlene was going to have to be dealt with. Had he known she was this much of a drama queen, he wouldn’t have given her a second glance. He didn’t do drama. Hated it.
He finished dressing and shoved his phone and wallet into his jeans. Becca rolled and muttered something. He smiled softly, watching her frown in her sleep. Sexy as sin. He should wake her, but since he wasn’t going to ask her to go with him to the signing, she could sleep in.
There wasn’t a force in Heaven or Hell that could persuade him to take her to the signing. Not after all that shit that was posted last night. She was a right mess. The panic attack last night was bad, one he wouldn’t be responsible for her reliving.
Slipping out, he found Viktor waiting for him in the lobby. His brother looked every inch the Kincaid with his dark hair and coal black eyes. Dimitri looked like his mother, blonde and blue eyed. The only thing he’d inherited from his dad was the man’s height. He towered even over Viktor.
“Morning, brat.”
Viktor looked up from the paper he was reading. “It’s too early for this shit.” He ran a hand through his hair and yawned.
“Agreed.” Dimitri yawned himself and led Viktor into the little area designated for food. “I didn’t realize that Sara Jane’s staying here until she texted me this morning. She’s running a little late, so I told her we’d be on the terrace. Hungry?”
“Starved.” Viktor wasted no time in filling up a plate. Dimitri smiled his dimpled grin at the morning clerk who was checking on the guests in the small dining area, distracting her from the fact Viktor was not a guest. She batted her eyelashes at him in return, giving him her come hither smile.
The woman was beautiful, rich auburn hair and green eyes that promised so much, but for the first time in his life, it did nothing for him. He wasn’t the least bit interested. His dick even stayed quiet. This was new.
“Hey, you.”
Sara Jane startled him and he turned around, bumping into her. “Sorry.”
“You’re pretty.”
Dimitri looked down at Sara Jane’s little girl and grinned. She was a beauty, her front tooth missing, her blonde hair pulled back in some kind of braid.
“You’re prettier than me.” He tweaked her nose. “I’m Dimitri. You must be Delia.”
“I am.” She had a sing-song voice.
“Well, Delia, how hungry are you?” He held out his hand and she shyly took it. “I think we should go find some food before my brother eats it all!”
“He wouldn’t.” Her eyes widened and she took his hand pulling him along behind her. “There’s too much food!”
“Viktor can inhale it all, I promise.” He ignored Sara’s laughter and bent down to whisper, “We have to feed him enough so he doesn’t eat us!”
Delia’s little gasp was loud enough to catch Viktor’s attention, and he turned around, a piece of bacon hanging out of his mouth. He glanced down at the kid who hid behind Dimitri’s legs.
“You’re horrible,” Sara Jane whispered.
“Nah, I’m pretty. Delia said so.”
Viktor hurriedly ate his bacon and sat his overly full plate down. “Morning, ladies. I’m Viktor.”
“You talk funny.” Delia peeped at him from behind Dimitri’s legs. “Are you really going to eat me?”
“Eat you?” He shot Dimitri a look filled with the promise of pain. “I don’t eat little girls, only grown-ass men who are pretty.”
“Language.” Sara Jane came to stand behind Dimitri. “I try not to cuss around her if I can help it. She mimics everything these days.”
Dimitri watched his brother’s face carefully. He saw the instant lust flash in his eyes before he locked down his emotions and his face went blank. Oh, this could be good. Damn shame he wasn’t going to be able to watch the fireworks over the next few weeks.
“Sara, this is my brother, Viktor, owner and operator of Kincaid Security Corp.”
“Kincaid Security and Investigations,” Viktor corrected him. “We changed the name of the company when Kade signed on.”
“Sorry, I forget. It’s been KSC for so long, it’s hard to remember a new name.”
“KSC? Like KFC, the yummy chicken place?” Delia slid around Dimitri’s legs so she could get a better look at Viktor. “You make chicken?”
“No, malyshka. I take care of people who need help. I protect them.”
“From bad people like my daddy?” Her gray eyes turned serious, and Dimitri’s gut clenched at the pain bleeding out of them. So little to have gone through so much. It wasn’t right.
Viktor squatted down in front of her, his expression as serious as hers. “Yes, from bad people like your daddy. I’m here to make sure he can never hurt you again.”
“You won’t let him come back?” She twisted the end of her braid. “I don’t want him to come home. He hurt me.”
“I won’t let him hurt you again, malyshka. I promise.”
She smiled shyly at Viktor. “Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome. How about we eat before I decide to gobble up my brother?”
She laughed and followed Viktor over to the food where he proceeded to help her pick out what she wanted.
“I…” Sara Jane cleared her throat, and Dimitri saw tears swimming in her eyes. “He’s good with her.”
“Kids usually hate him.” Dimitri found his way over to the buffet. “He looks scary as fuck and it usually terrifies them.”
“He’s hot as fuck.” Sara Jane slapped a hand over her mouth, and Dimitri laughed. “Forget I said that.”
“Uh-huh.” Dimitri nodded and filled his plate with eggs and bacon. “This is some runny shit.”
“It’s free, what do you expect?” Sara Jane opted for yogurt and joined her daughter at the table. “Where’s Becca?”
“She’s still asleep. After last night, I figured she could use the rest.”
“Last night?” Viktor looked up. “Tell me you aren’t screwing up the one female relationship you have that we all approve of?”
“No, I’m not screwing it up.” Dimitri took a swig of his orange juice. “I’m talking about Charlene and her bullsh…her BS.”
“What’s BS?” Delia stopped eating her waffles and stared at them curiously.
“Nothing that you need to worry about, poppet.” Sara Jane shot both men a warning glare. “Finish your waffles.”
“What has your stalker done now?” Viktor poured more syrup on Delia’s waffles, earning him the devotion of one very cute six-year-old. Sugar won every time.
“She’s not only spewing her hatful verbiage at me, now she’s targeted Becca.”
“I saw all that on her page last night.” Sara kept glancing at Viktor, trying not to get caught staring. “I sent her a message, but I’m guessing she didn’t even look at it.”
“It upset her to the point she had a major panic attack.” Dimitri put his fork down. “I need to tell you both about that. Viktor, you know how Lily has a thing about being touched?”
“Yes.” They both remembered when Viktor tried to hug her and she all but passed out.
“Becca has an extreme fear of crowds. It sets off panic attacks, really bad ones.”
“Then what is she doing here?” Sara Jane asked.
“Because I asked her, not realizing how bad they could get, and she came because I needed her.”
“Dimitri.” The censure in Sara Jane’s voice made him duck his head, a little ashamed. “You shouldn’t have put her in that situation. Delia is the same way around strangers.”
“She’s doing okay with us.” Viktor winked at the little girl.
“That’s because I prepared her to meet you. I’ve been talking about you since yesterday to calm her nerves, and she’s heard me and Dimitri talking on the phone and Skype. He’s not as much of a stranger as you are.”
“I’m not taking her to the signing, anyway, not after her meltdown last night. I’m not putting her through that. As soon as the event is over, we’re packing up and heading to LA.”
“She’s going to LA with you?” That got Viktor’s attention.
“Yes. I booked train tickets this morning. You wouldn’t happen to need a vehicle, would you? I don’t know what to do with my Jeep.”
“I rented a car, but if you want to give me yours, I’ll take it.” Viktor turned his black eyes on Sara Jane, who blushed hard enough to make Dimitri snicker. She kicked him under the table. He only grinned wider. “We will need to sit down after your event and go over everything. I just wanted to meet you this morning. Anything that’s private,” he nodded toward Delia, “we can discuss then.”
“Thank you for doing this.” Sara pushed her food around on the plate. “I appreciate it. I’m at my wits’ end, and the stress is starting to get to me.”
“Don’t worry, ma’am.” Viktor smiled, his eyes still empty, but Dimitri knew him. He was just as enthralled with Sara as she was with him. “I’ll handle it. You’ll just have to agree to a few things.”
“Like what?”
“Like doing what you’re told when I tell you to do it. Your and Delia’s security has to take priority over everything. What I do, I don’t do lightly, and I expect you to do as you’re told.”
“Do as I’m told?”
Dimitri leaned back, enjoying the show. She went from in lust to irritated in about two-point-five seconds.
“I spent the last eight years doing as I’m told. No one has the right…”
Viktor put up a hand. “I’m not your husband. I’m here to ensure your safety, and I will with whatever means necessary.”
Sara’s lips thinned, and Dimitri was about to egg on the argument when his phone buzzed. He pulled it out to see a text from Becca.
WTH are you, asshole, and why didn’t you wake me up?
He laughed. Leave it to his woman to get pissed at him for letting her sleep in. She was a treasure.
“I will leave you both to hash out the details of your arrangement. Becca is up, and I need to go talk to her. I’ll see you guys later.”
He blew a kiss at Delia, grabbed Becca some food, and headed back to their room, smiling. He could just imagine the hell Sara Jane was going to give Viktor. The woman was a firecracker who had had enough of being controlled. Unfortunately, to keep her safe, Viktor was going to have to control some of her movements. Which would piss her off more.
Another great book idea. He’d have to follow this budding relationship.
He heard the shower on when he came in. The bedding was on the floor, and her suitcase was open, the clothes thrown here and there around it. She’d been in a rush.
When the shower cut off a few minutes later, the hair dryer clicked on. He fought the urge to go in the bathroom because there would very likely be a repeat of last night. He’d promised no sex.
Fucking idiot.
Why the hell had he agreed to that?
His dick agreed with the sentiment. Just thinking about last night made him hard. This was not going to be easy.
“Do you often stand there stroking yourself, staring off into space?”
Becca’s soft words pulled him out of his memory. Sure enough, she was right. He had his hand on his dick. Fuck.
She laughed and strolled toward him, devilment in her eyes. He backed up. What was the minx up to? She stopped an inch from him, her face flushed from the heat of the shower. “I was thinking.”
“About what?” He adjusted himself and put his hands behind his back to keep from touching her.
“About this whole no seducing me thing.”
“You mean we can throw that whole two week thing out the window?” His dick twitched at the thought. Please fucking say yes.
“Nope, that’s non-negotiable.”
He groaned.
“But I was thinking.” She leaned into him. “That doesn’t mean we can’t do other things.”
“Other things?” His hands refused to be held quiet and pulled her close. “What sort of things?”
“Oh, you know, kissing, touching, making out, those kinds of things.”
“Those things lead to you being bent over the couch and fucked, Becca.”
“Nope, wrong again.” She batted her eyelashes at him much as the front desk attendant had earlier, only this time, it nearly brought him to his knees. “You need to learn you don’t always get what you want.”
“Oh, but that is where you’re wrong, sweetheart. I always get what I want.”
She only smiled and pushed away from him. “We’ll see.”
“You are driving me insane, woman.” He shook his hands, trying to make them forget the urge to pull her back and run them all over her body, making her as aroused as he was.
“Good.” She popped a piece of pineapple into her mouth. “Now, start loading those bags into the boxes. They’re alphabetized so keep them in the right boxes.”
The fuck? She went from seductress to general in a blink of the eye.
“Get moving or we’ll be late.”
“No, you aren’t coming with me.” No way in hell was she putting herself through that.
She paused, another chunk of fruit midway to her mouth. “What?”
“I mean it, Becca. I can do this myself. You don’t have to come and face all that…”
“Oh, yes, I do.” She gave him her full attention, appreciative of what he was trying to do, but this was a decision she’d come to this morning. She’d spent all her life hiding from things, never facing her fears, and in this instance, her honor. She’d be damned if she let some hateful, jealous ex keep her from helping her best friend.
“Last night…”
“Was last night,” she cut him off. “I’m okay this morning. I’ve taken my anxiety meds, I have my inhaler handy, and I’ll be okay.”
“Becca.”
“No, D. I have to do this. I realize it will be hard, and I might flip out, but I need to try. Not only for you, but for me. As long as I’m behind the table and no one can surround me, I’ll be okay. I’ve been giving myself pep talks since I agreed to come. I need to do this.”
“But you don’t have to.”
“Yes, I do. I need to make sure I can be the person you need me to be.”
“What the fuck are you talking about? I need you to be you, that’s it.”
“You need someone who can do this, go to events, be out in the public. That’s who you are, Dimitri, and if I can’t do this, we might not work.” She held up a hand to stop him. “I know what you’re going to say, but if I feel inadequate in our relationship, how much of a chance do you really think we have? Let me do this, please.”
She had thought a lot about this. Dimitri was very much a public person, one who was always out to events and parties. She had to be able to know she could eventually go to those things with him. She wasn’t stupid enough to think going to one event would cure her, but it would tell her if she could build from it and eventually contain her panic enough to do the things he loved to do.
“First sign of a panic attack, and we’re out.” He came over and swept her up. “Not for me, but for you. I couldn’t care less if you had a meltdown and screamed bloody murder, but I’m guessing you would.”
She nodded. He was right. She’d be so embarrassed she’d probably delete her Facebook page. She already set her profile security so no one could tag her or post on her page. Enough was enough. And if she saw Christy, Carly, whatever her name was, she’d give her a piece of her mind. How in the world had she found out who Becca was? It still boggled her mind. She never posted anything personal.
“Fine. Now get to loading those bags up before we really are late.”
Dimitri let her go, but slapped her ass before she could move out of the way. She threw him a glare and started to gather up all the swag she’d organized last night. Today was going to be hard. She knew that. She was prepared for it.
Today was her test run. If she couldn’t do this, there might not be a future for them. She wouldn’t trap him in a relationship he’d ultimately come to despise, even if he didn’t want to admit it.
Today would be everything.