Page 25 of Stolen Empire
He wanted me to feel it, to understand what it meant.
And when he said he would use me for whatever purpose suited him, there was no mistaking the implication.
He didn't mean work.
He didn't mean running errands or playing spy.
He meant something darker, something that sent a jolt through me that I'm still feeling now.
I close my eyes, pressing my palms against the floor, trying to ground myself.
I've always prided myself on being smart, on reading people, on staying two steps ahead.
But Dimitri is a wall I can't see over, a force I don't know how to navigate.
And the fact that part of me responded to him, that part of me wanted to lean into his grip instead of pulling away—that scares me.
I push myself to my feet, my legs unsteady, and I move to the chair, sinking into it.
The room is cold now, the heat from earlier fading, and I wrap my arms around myself.
My mind is racing, replaying the moment over and over, and I can't make sense of it.
He's dangerous.
He's ruthless.
He could kill me without a second thought.
But when he touched me, I felt something I've never felt before.
A pull.
A hunger.
A need.
I sit there waiting for him to come back and I know, with a sinking certainty, that I'm in deeper than I ever intended to be.
6
DIMITRI
My cheek is throbbing where she hit me, and I can't stop the grin that spreads across my face as I walk back to my office.
The sting is a satisfying reminder that Katya Volsky is not the type to roll over and take orders without pushing back.
Most people in her position would've crumbled by now, begged or cried or tried to bargain their way out.
But not her.
She slapped me, and the defiance in her eyes was real.
I reach up and touch my cheek, feeling the heat there, and my grin widens.
She's strong, feisty, angry, smart, and hot as hell.
Every part of her is exactly what I want, and pinning her against that wall nearly made my dick hard.
