Looking at Mia again, I stepped forward and held my hand out for her to take. She put her dainty one in mine and loosely shook my hand.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mia. I’ll have to warn you that if I don’t remember your name, it’s not because you don’t matter to me. It’s because I have a terrible memory.” I withdrew my hand from hers.
Dimitri curled his arm around my waist, tucking me against his side. His touch burned through my clothing layers and felt like he was touching my bare skin. Maybe it was because I was hyperaware of him and loved that he held me. Mia glanced at his hand resting on my waist. There was a flash of jealousy and outrage in her eyes before she composed herself and looked at me with fondness.
“Well, I won’t keep you. It was nice to finally meet you.” Mia shifted her attention to Dimitri, and lust darkened her eyes for the second time. “Hello, sir. I hope you have a good day.”
Ignoring her, Dimitri guided me toward the elevators. When we were out of earshot, he murmured, “Stay far away from her, sunshine.”
I tensed and leaned my head back to look at him with my eyebrows bunched. “Why?”
We walked into an open elevator, and when its doors slid shut, he pinned me against the wall and curled his fingers under my chin, forcing me to continue eye contact with him. “I don’t trust her, Emma. I can’t explain any further than that.”
Dimitri shuddered as my hands glided up his chest and my arms wound around his shoulders to hold him close. “Okay.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Okay? You’re not going to argue about it?”
Shaking my head, I smiled. “If anyone would know if someone is untrustworthy, it’d be you.”
He stared at me, perplexed for a few seconds. The elevator stopped moving, and I peeked past him at the fourth level. Dimitri’s fingers tightened under my chin, holding me still before he kissed me. His tongue curled around mine for a split second before he leaned away and fixed his tie, leaving me wanting more.
My cheeks burned, and I trembled with nerves and desire. Mr. Volkov smirked at me before he turned and left the elevator. I hurried after him, unable to conceal the cheesy smile on my face. If this was what our relationship was now, I never wanted it to end.
“We’re sorry. The number you have dialed is no longer in service. Please hang up and try again,” the automated voice said from the other end of the line. It screeched, and I ended the call with a sigh.
What happened to Tyler? Why would he change his number? Did he block me? I couldn’t reach out to his girlfriend to find out what was wrong since I didn’t have her phone number. My best friend wouldn’t have ghosted me for no reason; something must have been wrong. Did he feel he could start fresh without me because I lost my memories?
A lump formed in my throat, and tears pricked my eyes.
“Sunshine.”
I blinked back the tears and looked at Dimitri as he crossed the room to where I sat on the leather couch. He kneeled before me, studying my face and observing the tears that sparkled in my eyes. His nostrils flared.
“What’s the matter, sunshine?” he murmured.
I swallowed around the lump, not wanting to bawl my eyes out in front of him. “M-my friend...he hasn’t, he hasn’t responded to my calls and texts. I just found out that his phone had been shut off.”
Shadows passed over Dimitri’s face. “Which friend?”
My heart raced, and my hands trembled as I tucked them on my lap, my phone resting beneath my palm. “Tyler,” I whispered.
Dimitri stared at me for a few seconds before saying, “He’s not here anymore.”
“What do you mean by that?”
His eyebrows twitched before he lowered them into a dark slash over his moody eyes. “He’s in Russia.”
I frowned and squeezed my fingers on my phone. “Why would, why would he be there?”
“It’s none of my business.” He cocked his head and lowered his gaze down my body like he could see past my clothes. Returning his stare to my face, the corner of his lip twitched. He said something, but I was too lost in my thoughts to hear him.
Why would Tyler be in Russia? Why would his phone have been shut off? I knew while traveling internationally your phone might’ve lost signal, but not the whole service. Maybe I didn’t know much, which wasn’t new. I wanted my best friend and I needed to know he was okay.
“Sunshine.”
I snapped out of my thoughts and blinked, focusing back on Dimitri. “Sorry,” I mumbled.
He cocked his head, and tendrils of his silky white hair slipped past his shoulders and hung past his broad chest. “I’m sure he’s okay where he’s at. He wouldn’t want you to worry, would he?”
