Page 44 of No Longer Mine

Gavin lowered himself down my body and wove his fingers through mine as he did so. The diamond on my left hand caught the dim lighting, and I tensed. He picked himself up and frowned. “Everything okay?”

I sighed and tried to chuckle through the nerves shimmering in my gut. “I’m sorry, I’m just worried about my ring. I noticed at the party tonight that the diamond was a bit loose; I wouldn’t want it to get lost or for anything to happen to it.”

Gavin’s eyes softened. “That’s an easy fix, baby. I can have my jeweler tighten it in the morning.”

My stomach twisted. There was that term of endearment again. I wanted to smack myself. None of this shit would have bothered me before. I would have been able to get at least one good orgasm out of this, return later for the goods, and see the other person occasionally—them none the wiser.

I bit my lip, nodding like that wasn’t the last thing I wanted. “That’s sweet of you.” My mouth was suddenly dry, and I felt like I wanted to throw up. “Do you have somewhere safe we could put it until then?”

He let out a little laugh. “I’m so stupid, I’m sorry. You weren’t asking for my jeweler. Safe keeping, right!” He leaned over my body and pulled a card from a hidden compartment on theheadboard. He passed the card over the top of the nightstand. A secret compartment slid out on the side. Nothing was in it, but it gave me huge insight for the upcoming heist. Maybe I wasn’t losing my touch, after all.

The moment the ring left my finger, all I could think about was Dimitri’s face at the party. The way his jaw had clenched. The way his entire body had gone rigid. The way he kept looking at it as if I’d stolen something precious, and here I was letting it out of my sight.

For what?

More money?

Another heist?

I wanted to bury myself alive, but I couldn’t lose sight of the bigger picture. I had to finish this. If I wasn’t careful, I was going to be found out.

Gavin grinned, clearly pleased with himself as he took the ring from my palm and placed it inside the hidden compartment. I watched as he slid the drawer shut, the seamless panel clicking back into place as if it had never been there.

My heart thudded. I had not been expecting that. I’d been bracing for him to walk across the room to a safe. Maybe tuck it away in a bedside drawer. But a hidden compartment in the furniture? That meant there were more.

He put the card back in the little slot on the headboard that was practically invisible and turned back to me. I needed to get this over with, quickly. I pulled on the sleeves of the dress and let the top of it pool around my waist. His eyes widened as my breasts were freed, and I was half-exposed to him.

Gavin groaned, his hands reaching for my waist as he leaned in, his lips parting as he pressed them against the swell of my breast. I let my fingers skim through his hair, feigning softness, keeping my body pliant under his touch. His mouth trailedlower, his hands skimming up my back, but all I could think about was Dimitri’s face. The anger. The disbelief. The surprise.

Gavin’s hands tightened at my waist, pulling me closer, his breath warm against my skin. I shifted, pressing my lips to his neck, trailing down just enough to get his head to tip back. He groaned low in his throat, his grip tightening. The smell of whiskey had faded, so it was easier for me to get lost in the moment now.

I ghosted my lips against his ear, letting my voice drop into something sultry. “Lay back.”

His eyes practically darkened to black. He obeyed without hesitation, his body sinking into the pillows as his hands skimmed my thighs. I straddled him as his hands reached for my chest. When he ground his impressive length into my panty-covered core, I tilted my head back and moaned. This time it was no longer faked. But it still wasn’t Gavin that I was picturing when I closed my eyes. He leaned in, his lips trailed up my neck. I arched into his touch, completely lost in the feeling— not who wasn’t doing it to me.

A loud ring blasted through the room, and I jerked forward. Maybe if I ignored it, it would go away. After a few seconds, the ringing stopped and Gavin continued running his hands down my body. They ghosted over my nipples, and I bit out a sigh. This wasn’t the worst thing to happen tonight. I could have been saddling myself to a man who only cared about himself. At least Gavin seemed to care about my pleasure. I’d gotten lucky this time. Many other times I hadn’t been so lucky, especially in the beginning.

There were many nights that I thought I could slip out, but the men weren’t so kind to me leaving. They’d grabbed me, tied me down, and even took what they wanted, no matter what I said or did. Looking back, I could now take them for everything they owned, but that wasn’t important any longer. I didn’t wantto take from them. Eventually, they would get what was coming for them. Karma didn’t leave any survivors.

The past flickered through my mind like a ghost, unwelcome and unshakable. I hated it when this happened. One second, I was here, sinking into pleasure, letting myself pretend that this wasn’t just another night, another job, another mark. The next, I was somewhere else. Somewhere dark. Somewhere I never wanted to be again.

Gavin’s hands roamed my body, but my mind drifted back to the nights when hands weren’t so gentle. When I’d made mistakes. When I’d trusted the wrong men. I let out a slow breath, steadying myself. That wasn’t my life anymore. I was in control now. I was going to take pleasure for myself because this was what I could do.

I tilted my hips forward, forcing myself back into the present, back into now. Gavin groaned, his grip tightening on my waist. I wanted to want this. I wanted to feel normal, to just take this night for what it was.

But I still saw him. Still felt the phantom of Dimitri’s presence and the way his touch would have burned in all the right ways.

The ringing started again, this time it wasn’t my phone. Gavin growled in irritation, his head tipping back against the pillows. “Fucking hell, hold on.”

I exhaled, more grateful than I should have been as he reached for his phone. A name flashed across the screen. Sinclair Cristof. I stilled as the breath left my lungs.

Dimitri’s father.

Chapter Twenty

Scarlett

Gavin frowned,sitting up as he answered. “Hello?” His voice was clipped, his posture suddenly alert.

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