I slid my hand down Dimitri’s arm and linked our fingers, turning to face him.
“Come on,” I said, tugging him along faster. “For someone who doesn’t want to stand in one place too long, you sure know how to dilly-dally.”
“I didn’t realize we were in such a rush.”
“We’re not, but I don’t want all the pretty ornaments to be gone before I get there.”
Dimitri arched a brow, and just as he was about to say something, flakes started to fall down around us. I looked up to see snow falling over the twinkling lights, and it was such a magical sight that I forgot all about Alessio.
“It’s snowing,” I said, moving in close to Dimitri.
“That it is.”
I let out a dreamy sigh, closed my eyes, then held my face up to the soft, falling flakes. “Isn’t it magical?”
Dimitri didn’t immediately answer, and when I opened my eyes I saw him looking down at me, not the snow. His eyes twinkled from the reflection of the lights around us as he brought a hand up to my face and took hold of my chin.
He brushed a thumb over my lips. “I thought you were in a hurry.”
“And I thought you didn’t like to stand still?”
“Do you have an answer for everything?”
“Only if it gets me what I want.”
When Dimitri’s eyes dropped to my mouth, a shiver ran through me. From the cold? Or from the spark of desire when he looked at me? There was no denying the way my body reacted to him, which was both a good yet very dangerous thing. On one hand, our attraction made my time away from home more enjoyable. On the other, I couldn’t lose focus over why I was really here.
Wait,whywas I here again?
“I know what you want,” he said.
“You think so?”
He nodded and leaned in, angling his head and bringing that sinful mouth closer to mine. “You wanted…” His lips grazed over mine, but the second I parted them, hungry for that kiss, Dimitri stepped back and gestured toward one of the stalls. “…a pretty ornament.”
I blinked and almost stumbled forward, the spell broken, but I refused to show that he’d just thrown me off my game.
Instead, I smiled and headed for the gorgeous decorations, keeping an eye out for where Alessio had gone. The artist behind the table welcomed us in, and though I knew exactly what she said and how to converse in Czech, I kept to a simple “Dobrý den”—good day.
Along with the glass-blown ornaments were vintage pieces and hand-carved wooden designs, and I admired several of the reindeer before moving on.
Alessio needed to hurry the hell up or he was going to miss the drop. I doubted Dimitri would be down to spend another night here, though he’d done a good job of humoring me so far. This was so not his scene, but getting him here in the first place had been a win.
Now if only Alessio would?—
Awareness prickled the back of my neck, the feeling of eyes on me, and I instinctively knew they weren’t Dimitri’s. Or his bodyguards’.
To confirm my suspicions, I casually picked up one of the vintage handheld mirrors. My cheeks were a perfectly flushed pink, though I would’ve preferred my nose be a shade lighter, but all in all I looked fucking gorgeous. As I ran my fingers through my hair, I saw Alessio.
About damn time.
He strolled up to the stall as if he didn’t have a care in the world and began to check out the items on display. Just another man minding his own business and enjoying the festivities.
My heart started to beat faster, as it always did in these situations. Even as confident as I was, there was always a chance of getting caught, and it was going to be tricky to make the drop with Dimitri and his bodyguardsrightthere.
“No need to check yourself out. That’s my job,” came Dimitri’s low voice behind me, and I caught his eyes in the mirror. His hands moved to my hips, his fingers dangerously close to sliding into the pockets and ruining this whole charade.
Merde.
