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He dropped the shirt on the floor, his eyes still locked on hers. “Why deny yourself what you know you want? The chemistry between us is all that matters right now” he said.
The sight of his bronzed muscular chest was almost enough to make her believe him. Almost, but not quite.
“Yes, well, it would make it very convenient for you if I believed that. You think that everything can be solved by sex, but it can’t” she muttered, ignoring the banging of her heart and the buzz in her ears.
She couldn’t do this right now, she reminded herself as she dragged her gaze away from the fascinating sight of dark, masculine body hair that followed a trail down his body and disappeared temptingly beneath the waistband of his trousers. Neverland, she thought to herself. She should never have gone there.
As he reached for the button on his trousers she felt her blood heat and knew that urgent action was necessary to prevent her from doing something that she was going to sincerely regret later. Sliding off the bed, she made a run for the bathroom without giving him a chance to stop her. Pushing the lock home, she leaned against the door and slid slowly on to the cold marble floor.
She was going to stay the hell away from him, then find a way to get the hell out this marriage. And then she would go back to her life with her child and spend the rest of her life trying to get over him.
———–
Kelly devoted her time to avoiding Dimitri. She spent her nights in her room instead of the one they shared. The door was locked for her sake as much as his. She didn’t trust herself to be around him and not to give into temptation. He was so unbelievably sexy that it would have been all too easy to just forget what he had done and just sink into his arms. But she wasn’t going to do it. And every time she felt remotely tempted to unlock that door, she reminded herself what he had done to her.
Trying to distract herself, she focused on work, and on days when she was too tired, she put on a pair of jodhpurs and a loose, comfortable t-shirt and just stayed in bed.
One morning, as she stood in the kitchen making breakfast, she heard his deep, drawl from behind her.
“Hey, you are up early today.” he said.
She turned to see Dimitri standing there, a sardonic expression in his dark eyes. “You are not usually up by this time… I mean lately you haven’t been… Because you have been avoiding me. You seem to have taken up permanent residence in your room… Are you coming to the office today? We could go together. I will just wait till you are ready”Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g
He was rambling and he knew it. His words tailed off as Kelly glared at him. “I was hungry, and yes I have been avoiding you, because I don’t see or speak to you. Also, you can leave without me. The last thing I want is to be stuck in a car or any place with you. Why do you care if I come to the office anyways?” Her tone was flippant, “Is there something else that you want to take away from me?”
He ran a hand over the back of his neck, a strange light in his eyes, “How long are you going to keep doing this Kelly?” he asked.
“I have no idea what you are talking about. Now could you please leave? I’m sure you have more important things to do this morning” she pointed out, as she turned off the stove and emptied the eggs into a plate and covered it.
Dimitri swore and stepped fully into the kitchen, moving towards her with a purposeful look on his face. Kelly took a step back involuntarily. It was of no use because he was faster.
He grabbed her arm. “You are the most contradictory, infuriating woman I have ever met, you know that?” he said.
“And I bet you have met a few, so that is probably a compliment. Get away from me. I don’t want you touching me” She yanked her hand away from him, grabbed the pan and began to wash it in the sink.
She could feel his gaze burning into her back but she didn’t turn around. She waited for Dimitri to become bored and leave but instead he stayed until she was done rinsing the dishes.
“Don’t you have anywhere to go?” she shot at him with an exasperated look. “Something terrible could happen at the office while you are hanging around here with me”
“Oh, something bad is undoubtedly going to happen soon if I don’t get Five minutes alone with you soon” Dimitri promised in an undertone and she felt her heart jump in her chest.
“Forget it” she retorted. “It’s not happening”
“You are such a little hypocrite, you know that?” he breathed in a menacing tone. “You want exactly what I want but you pretend otherwise”
“I don’t want anything, Dimitri, except to be far away from you as possible” and with that she turned and began to arrange the dishes she had just washed.
She concentrated on it and when she turned around again Dimitri had done. She should have been relieved that he had finally left her alone, but instead she felt…. Disappointed.
Which just went to show that she was as stupid about the man as ever, she thought, turning her attention back to the dishes.
———
Kelly went through the day feeling more miserable than ever. She completely lost track of time and slept off in her room. When she woke up, she glanced up and saw Dimitri standing in the doorway and she blinked in astonishment.
He was dressed in a dark Grey suit that seemed only to emphasize the athletic perfection of his powerful frame. His hair shone dark and glossy under the lights and his features showed evidence of strain.
“There was a meeting at the office today” he informed her helpfully and she felt a stab of guilt which she pushed away. “I thought you would come”
“I lost track of time” Kelly said simply as she stood from the bed.
“Obviously.” Dimitri replied. He took a few steps into the room.
“Are you alright?” he asked, with concern written on his face. “Is everything okay with the bab…”