Page 66 of Phantom Flower

Holy. Shit.

He pushed off the wall and started walking toward the car like he had not just set my entire body on fire. “Come on. We’re going home.”

Home.

As if his mansion was mine now.

When we got back, Dimitri ordered dinner, actual food, thank god. I sat across from him at the long dining table, trying my hardest to forget the way his tongue had dragged across my mouth earlier.

It was not working.

I kept my distance the rest of the evening.

Sat one seat away.

Found excuses to be in other rooms.

By the time night fell, my nerves were shot.

I stood awkwardly in the doorway of his bedroom, arms wrapped around myself. The new pajamas he had bought me were soft, white with delicate lavender flowers scattered across the fabric. I actually liked them. More than I wanted to admit.

Dimitri was already in bed, shirtless, black sweatpants slung low on his hips, scrolling through his phone. He looked up when I hovered there.

“Where am I sleeping?” I asked.

“In here. With me.”

I blinked. “You can’t be serious. This mansion has like twenty rooms. Surely one of them isn’t yours.”

“That’s not an option.”

“Why?”

He set his phone down and stood, moving toward me.

“Because you’re sleeping next to me. Where I can see you. Where I know you’re safe.”

I crossed my arms, trying to sound braver than I felt.

“I don’t like sleeping next to people. I move around. I steal blankets. I talk in my sleep. I might have nightmares.”

Dimitri stopped in front of me. “Then I’ll hold you still. I’ll wake you up if you have nightmares. And if you talk in your sleep, I’ll listen.”

“That’s not—” I swallowed. “I might kick you.”

“Sounds fun.” His mouth curved. “I’ll consider it foreplay.”

“Dimitri,” I groaned, running a hand through my hair. “This is a terrible idea.”

He did not argue. He just placed both hands on my shoulders and pushed me backward onto the massive bed. I yelped, scrambling toward the headboard on instinct.

“What are you doing?!”

He caught my ankle and yanked me back down the mattress like I weighed nothing, pulling me flat. Then he leaned over me, caging me in with his arms.

“You’re going to lie in this bed and sleep next to me,” he said. “Or I’ll tie you to the headboard and keep you there until you stop fighting. Those are your only two choices, little fairy. Stop with the excuses.”

I stared up at him. I had no chance of winning against him. I nodded quickly. “Okay.”