Page 50 of The Billionaire's Vow

There was a long silence.He debated kissing her senseless, then telling her the truth about…everything.Even himself and how she should stay the hell away from him.Or he could…do what?He couldn’t seem to walk away from Giselle.She was his loadstone.His moon.In a way, she terrified him, and he wasn’t easily scared.In other ways, she soothed him, excited him, drove him wild, and…he wanted her.That was it.Giselle was… his.He remembered seeing Lexi with Max, the way they looked at each other.And the way Luca couldn’t seem to stop touching Ava.His friends had found the women who could make them whole.For years, Dimitri had scoffed, but now, looking at Giselle, he finally understood.

He'd have to be careful.Strategic.But soon, he would open her eyes to the reality of what was happening between them.Slowly and carefully, he vowed.

“Do you want me to kiss you again?”

For a long moment, she mentally debated but Dimitri could see the need in her eyes.Still, he waited, knowing that she needed to admit her desire to herself.And to him, he realized.He wanted to hear her say it, to acknowledge what was happening between them.He wasn’t completely sure himself, but he was more than willing to explore.

“Yes,” she finally whispered.“Yes, I’d like that very much.”

He thought about asking her to start the kiss, but he couldn’t wait that long.He lowered his head, pressing his lips to hers gently, ignoring the need to pull her into his arms or, even better, lift her up and set her down on the countertop, spread her legs and pull her against him.

But Dimitri knew his control was on a very tenuous thread.So, he only allowed himself this light kiss, enjoying the way her lips trembled under his, craving more.He gave her more, but nearly lost control when one of her soft hands drifted up, cupping his bristled cheek.Immediately, he pulled away.

The startled, hurt expression on her face made his chest ache and he moved closer again.

“I’m barely staying in control around you, Giselle.And I don’t think you’re ready for that yet.”He searched her eyes, seeing relief as well as confusion.He also saw her understanding.“I’m taking things slowly with us because…,” he paused, not sure why he was taking things slowly.He knew with absolute certainty that he could kiss her, could bring her to the point where she would be begging for sex.But he wanted more than just sex with Giselle.So, maybe it wasn’t just her that wasn’t ready.

“Because why?”

“Because I want you to be ready for everything I want from you.And you aren’t, not yet.”He cupped her chin, letting the pad of his thumb drift over her lower lip.“How about if we take this slowly?You set the pace.When you are comfortable, tell me what you want.”

“What if I don’t know what I want?”she asked, her voice breathy and sweet.

“Then we’ll experiment until you figure it out.Then I’ll give it to you.”

“What do you want?”

He sighed before giving her complete honesty.“I want you naked, in my bed with your legs spread wide, or maybe wrapped around my neck so that I can taste you until I nearly explode with need.Then, I want to sink myself into your body and lose myself within you.I want to feel your body tighten around my erection until you scream my name with a release so intense, you almost forget how to breathe afterward.And then I want to feel all those sensations myself.”And he wanted to hold her afterwards.He kept that last bit to himself, because it didn’t make any sense to him.He never held a woman after sex.Not really.He might hold her for a moment, until their breathing returned to normal, but he never stayed.He never spent the night.Once sex was over, he left.

But he suddenly realized that Giselle would be hurt if he did that to her.Instinctively, he knew that she would be shattered if he didn’t stay the night.Maybe make love to her again.Then shower with her in the morning so that they could do it all over again.And again.

What the hell was he thinking?Dimitri pulled back and moved over to the chicken again.Stunned by the direction of his thoughts, he focused on dredging the chicken through the egg mixture, then the flour and seasonings.

“That sounds…interesting,” Giselle said, slipping back onto the stool, her cheeks a rich pink.That made his body throb.Not only did he want to soothe her, to reassure her, but he also wanted to make her blush for other reasons.Such as because she was so shocked by the power of the pleasure he could give her, she couldn’t hold still afterwards.

“You don’t know the half of it,” he told her, then gently lowered the chicken into the skillet with the hot oil.The sounds of sizzling broke through the tension and Dimitri’s shoulders relaxed.He didn’t look at Giselle.Instead, he focused on the chicken, watching to ensure a perfect browning.Too fast, and the chicken wouldn’t be fully cooked.Too slow, and the chicken would be dry and stringy.Carefully, Dimitri adjusted the temperature, listening to the sizzle until it sounded exactly right.

Only then, did he turn back to Giselle.She lifted her eyes and… had she been eyeing his butt?The soft pink staining her cheeks told him she’d been thinking something salacious.And that was progress!

“Are we agreed?”he asked, walking to the fridge to get the sauce he’d made the previous night as well as cheese.His housekeeper had bought some asparagus.That would go perfectly with tonight’s dinner, so he took it out and started chopping off the rough ends.

“Agreed,” she said, adding a nod for emphasis.

“Good.Now, tell me more about your day.You can start with what you think Elliot wanted to discuss with you.”

For the next three hours, they talked about their day, shared more memories of their childhoods, and enjoyed the delicious chicken parmesan.Giselle laughed and smiled more than she had in a long time, a warmth settling in her chest that she hadn’t realized she was missing.

When it was time to go, she hesitated, reluctant to leave him.“I know I should head home, but tonight has been nice.”She smiled when his eyebrow arched.“Really nice,” she corrected.

In response, he stood and walked over to a side table, picking something up before returning to her.Giselle was already gathering her purse, slipping on the sweater she’d worn that morning.The nights were getting cooler, and she braced herself for the chilly breeze waiting outside.

“Since you won’t stay here with me,” he started, extending his hand, “I want you to stay in this apartment.”He placed a key in her hand.“It’s in a safer neighborhood, with better security.”He didn’t mention that he owned the building—or that several of his guards lived there.“It’s only two blocks from here, so your commute will be easier.”

She was already shaking her head, stepping back.“No.No way.I don’t want charity.”

He caught her hand before she could pull away, closing her fingers around the key.“It’s not charity, Giselle.It’s security.You’re in danger.”His voice was calm, but the steel behind it sent a shiver down her spine.“You’re investigating the embezzlement of thousands of dollars from my company.And from what you’ve uncovered so far, this isn’t a one-person job.It’s systemic.It takes an organized team to pull off the level of theft you’re uncovering.The closer you get to exposing them, the more of a target you become.”

He lifted a hand to stall her inevitable protest.“You don’t have to give up your apartment.When the investigation is over, you can return to it.But until then, you will stay in this apartment.You’re making progress on the case, and as you get closer to the truth, you’ll be in more danger.This isn’t optional.”His eyes darkened as he leaned in, his presence surrounding her.“It’s a requirement.”