Page 108 of The Pucking Arrangement

“He looked like he was going to eat her alive,” Sophie supplies helpfully, stabbing a tomato.

I focus very intently on my salad. “No developments.”

“Uh-huh,” Jenna says.

“Things are fine,” I amend.

Sophie gives Jenna a knowing look, then turns back to me with an eyebrow raised. “So that tension between the two of you is?—”

“Non-existent.”

“Right.”

My phone buzzes.

[Dmitri]: Missing you.

My stomach flips. I bite my lip, fighting a smile, but it’s useless.

Sophie narrows her eyes. “Okay, that’s it. Stop fibbing and spill. You’ve been glowing and distracted for days. Did he break?”

I sip my drink. “Nothing to tell.”

“Bullshit.” Jenna points at me with her fork. “You practically combusted looking at your phone.”

I sink deeper into my lounger, the giddy warmth in my chest impossible to hide. “He might have...given in.”

Jenna gasps, nearly knocking over her iced tea. Sophie lets out a triumphant squeal. She leans in, eyes gleaming. “Definegiven in.”

I bite my lip, trying—and failing—to fight back a grin. “Let’s just say…he’s not holding back anymore.”

Jenna gasps. “Oh my God.”

Sophie clutches my arm. “Hownot holding back?”

I exhale, shaking my head like I still can’t believe it myself. “Like…how he completely ruins me. How I forget how to breathe, let alone speak. How he spends hours making sure I feel exactly how much he wants me.” My voice drops, heat curling in my stomach. “How he growls absolute filth one second, then whispers the softest things the next. How he sends me evening gowns for no reason whatsoever.”

Jenna slaps the table. “I knew he’d be swoony.”

Sophie fans herself. “That man was walking sexual repression. Of course he snapped.”

I laugh, sinking deeper into my chair. “Snapped hard. And honestly?” I shake my head, dazed. “I was terrified at first. He’s just…too much. But now?” My phone buzzes, and I glance at the screen.

[Dmitri]: I can’t wait to have you in my bed again

A giddy warmth spreads through my chest. I hold up the phone with a dreamy sigh.

“More details,” Jenna demands, clutching my arm. “Is he what you thought he would be?”

“Is he bossy?” Sophie cuts in, eyes widening. “Tell me he’s bossy.”

I let out a dreamy sigh, flopping back against my chair. “Bossy doesn’t even begin to cover it. He’s—he’s everything. Intense. Overwhelming. Dominating in the best way. He gives orders with his eyes. And when he speaks? I swear to God, my knees just...cease to function.”

Jenna fans herself dramatically. “Holy shit.”

“At first, I was scared.” I take a breath, my heart still catching up to the reality of it all. “Not of him—of how much I felt. How much I wanted. It was walking into a storm with no umbrella. But now?” I bite my lip, pressing my phone to my chest like an absolute goner. “Now I’m floating.”

Jenna groans. “I hate you. I love you. I hate you.”

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