LOGINBraideGianna pouts as she licks the ice lolly I'd handed her from the children's ward. That's a whole lot better than watching her cry."What?" she asks after catching me staring.I shrug, unable to stop the smile threatening my lips. "Nothing. Just making sure I didn't give you the wrong flavour. Saves me from being slapped."She glances down at the ice lolly before taking another lick. "I would've if it were grape.""So orange gets a pass?"She shivers dramatically before making a face. "Orange is barely a flavour."A laugh slips out of me. "Noted. I'll make sure to never buy you anything orange flavoured.""I like grape ice cream though.""Oh?" I grin. "Guess I'll have to take you out for ice cream instead."She studies me for a moment before looking away, hiding another lick behind the ice lolly. "No."“How many rejections? Keep it up and I might have to kidnap you for that date.”"Only if you can catch me.""Is this your way of letting me know you have a chase kink?"She hums,
GiannaMy knee won't stop bouncing as we wait for the doctor assigned to Alec."Where the fuck is he?" I mutter, my patience wearing dangerously thin.Before I can spring out of my seat and hunt the doctor down myself, a warm hand settles over my bouncing knee."Gia." Dmitry’s cool voice hits me, it’s softer than usual. It pisses me off, literally and I don’t bother to look at him.He doesn’t understand how I feel, nobody does."They've been gone forever.""It's been eight minutes."I scoff, "Is that supposed to make me feel better?""That’s not what I meant, you need to be calm to see Alec.”I finally tear my gaze from the hallway to glare at him."Whose side are you on? They aren’t even letting me see him and you’re calm!""Yours." His thumb brushes slow circles over my knee until it finally stops bouncing. "Always yours."My chest rises with a shaky breath."What if something's wrong?" My voice cracks despite my best effort to keep it steady. "What if we got here too late?""We did
Dmitry “Good day, Mr. Orlov,” Mr. Musk greets from the other end of the line. I grunt in response, biting down on my lower lip when Gianna's fingers drift toward my zipper. I catch her wrist immediately, but she only smiles innocently from where she's perched on my lap, legs wrapped around my waist. Focus on your work while I do mine, she mouths. Damn it, kitten. She’s such a little menace. I tighten my hold on her wrist, silently warning her to behave, but Gianna merely shifts against me, entirely too pleased with herself. “Mr. Orlov?” Mr. Musk prompts from the other end. Shit. “My apologies,” I say, forcing my attention back to the call. “You were saying?” Gianna beams like she's just won some sort of award for being the world's greatest distraction. She's enjoying this. Entirely too much. “Of course,” Mr. Musk continues, oblivious to the war currently taking place in my office. “As I was saying, the board would like your final approval before moving forward.” “Send me
Dmitry Gianna finally falls back asleep, but I can't shut my eyes for even a second knowing yet another problem is resurfacing in my fucking life, and I'm sure as hell Mama is the architect behind this. Deal with one problem and another comes waltzing right into your life. I turn to look at Gianna. Her mouth is slightly parted as she snuggles closer to me. Damn it. I should have told her the full truth, but I panicked. I fucking panicked. My phone buzzes again and, luckily, it's only on vibration. I check the screen and, sure enough, it's from Candace. Candy_O: No response? My thumb finds its way to my mouth and I begin biting on my nail. Candy can't come just yet. Not before I reveal myself as Tamer. I need at most a week. That should be enough to tell Gianna the truth and settle everything... right? Me: I have a pressing engagement, something I need to handle. Me: Can you hold off for a week or two? If your visit is urgent, I can arrange housing for you. I press send, ne
Gianna “I’m really sorry Dima sweetie, you know if it was up to me I wouldn’t be in New York if it wasn’t urgent. Please don’t be mad at me pookie bear.” I stare at the text, and then back at a sleeping Dmitry. Dima sweetie? Pookie bear!??? He didn’t mention anything about this woman who— I thought he disliked pet names? Great to know Rhonda isn’t his only woman.Goodness, the idea of smothering him with a pillow feels so good right now.“Why are you up baby?” His gruff sleepy voice fills my ears and I shut my eyes, letting it engulf me for a split second before handing over his phone.“Your phone woke me up.”His eyes crack open, blinking slowly before glancing on his phone in my outstretched hand. His face contorts, a mix of fear or is it confusion? He sits up slowly and takes the phone, he hesitates a bit before reading it, a faint smile curves around his lips then it twists into a thin line.He sets the phone face down on the nightstand, and exhales through his nose.One day.
Dmitry How can one be so attractive and infuriating in the most beautiful way? She’s ignoring what happened this morning, her focus fully on her phone now and I’m really tempted to groan out of frustration. Twelve fucking hours without her and now she’s here, she pays me no heed? “You going to talk to me or keep ignoring my ass?” I question, arms crossed as I stare at her. She’s in my grey hoodie and runner shorts, and all I can think about is devouring her, with consent of course. Her brow quirks but she doesn’t look up from her phone. “Let’s say, you’re not as interesting as you think, Mr. Orlov.” My cock twitches at her use of my surname and I almost turn blue. Mr. Orlov. She only pulls that out when she’s trying to ignore her aching desire and need for me, by putting distance between us. I’ve catalogued all of her distance tactics at this point; it’s become something of an involuntary hobby. One I fucking dislike. “You called me Dima last night,” I point out.
Dmitry She is wasted. Properly wasted. I don’t even make it through my questions before she sways in my hands, blinking up at me like I’ve split into two people, and her knees buckle. I hold onto her tighter, pulling her closer. “Gia,” I whisper near her ear. She reeks of whiskey and bourbon. I l
DmitryGospodi, kakaya zhe ona milaya. [Lord, she is cute.]Her eyes dart around the kitchen, landing on the counter, the stove, the window, anywhere but me. It is almost impressive how hard she is trying not to look guilty.I smile before I can stop myself.My kitten thought we fucked last night.
Gianna I click the lock on my bedroom door twice to make sure it is secure, then lean against it for a second, letting out a slow breath. The room is quiet except for the soft hum of my ring light warming up. I glance at the clock on my desk. Ten minutes until the stream starts. I step in front o
GiannaI jolt in fright as someone yanks my arm, the sudden force stealing the air from my lungs.What the fuck?“What did I tell you, Gianna?” Dmitry grinds out. His voice is low and rough, vibrating straight through me. The veins in his neck stand out sharply, his jaw clenched so hard it looks pa







