“You’re a sweetheart, really . . .”

I giggle. “I’m not insulting you, Dimi. I think it’s cute.”

“Well, now you’re insulting me.”

“Why?” I ask, now stroking the stubble on his cheeks.

“Because you just called me cute.”

A giggle bubbles up in my throat, but I smother it.

“What’s wrong with cute?”

“Cute is what you call the guy you don’t think is good-looking, but you don’t want to insult.”

I laugh, shaking my head and poking his bottom lip with my finger. “Okay, how about this? You’re sexy, hot, smokin’, panty-melter, the wetter of all pussies everywhere.”

He laughs loudly. “Are you fuckin’ serious?”

“People are asking me that a lot tonight,” I frown. “And yes, I’m serious. There are many women with uncomfortable vaginas right now because you gave them the sex eyes.”

His chest is rumbling with laughter and it makes me smile. “Uncomfortable vaginas? Really?”

“It’s a very serious issue, Dimi. Don’t blow it off. One look from you and boom, we’ve got some serious leakage.”

“Jesus, stop. You’re making vaginas sound like they’ve got a condition.”

I laugh loudly and poke him in the chest. “You’re the one that gives them a condition.”

He drops me onto his bed and stares down at me. “And how’s your vagina?”

I give him a disgusted face. “That’s such an ugly word, right?”

“What would you prefer your condition to be referred to as?”

I cross my arms. “I never said I had the condition.”

He’s giving me that half-smile again. Shit.

“You never said you didn’t, either.”

“Smartass. Your sex eyes don’t work on me.”

He lies down on the bed beside me. “Is that right?”

“It’s very right.”

“Okay then,” he murmurs, yawning.

“If you’re tired, you can sleep. I’m going swimming,” I say, getting up and crawling to the end of the bed.

Dimitri launches up, catching me around the waist and pulling me down.

“No you ain’t.”

“Are you always so bossy?”

Boy, did I just slur? Not classy, Jess. Not classy at all.

“You need water, stay here.”

He holds my chest down as he moves to get up. “Stay. Here.”

I smile up at him, fluttering my lashes. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“I don’t believe you.”

My grin is too sly. He turns and digs through his drawers, still holding me down. He reappears with a set of cuffs. He snaps them on my hands before I get a chance to pull away. Well, maybe I tried to pull away but, because of the level of intoxication I’m experiencing, I probably moved no faster than a turtle.

“That’s cheating,” I slur, feeling my eyes drop closed.

He doesn’t say anything, he just leaves and comes back a moment later with a glass of water. He presses the cold glass to my cheek, causing my eyes to snap back open.

“Drink this before you pass out.”

I mumble something and take the glass, drinking the entire thing in three gulps. I thrust it back at him and the minute he takes it out of my fingers, my hand flops down beside me. I yawn and my head spins as my eyes begin to drop closed again.

“Shift so I can put the blankets on you.”

Dimitri moves me, but I don’t open my eyes. Instead I continue mumbling incoherent words over and over. I feel his fingers stroke down my cheek once he’s managed to get me tucked in.

Then I pass out.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Dimitri

I feel her stir beside me and I groan, rolling onto my side. A hand touches my cheek, causing my eyes to pop open. Jess is staring down at me, and the faint light from the lamp only just outlines her face. Her fingers run down my cheek and stop at my lips. She’s looking at them, like she wants to consume them. I feel my skin tingle.

“Dimi, I changed my mind,” she mumbles, her voice still a little slurred.

Shit, she’s not completely sober. Which means anything coming out of her mouth right now I’m going to pay little attention to.

“You should get some sleep.”

She leans forward suddenly, plastering her lips against mine. I don’t see it coming, therefore I don’t react how I’m sure she wants me to. She’s caught me off guard. Besides, this isn’t how this is meant to go for her. She deserves her first kiss to be out of this world. I reach up, taking her shoulders. I push her back gently.

“No, Jess. I don’t want . . .”

Her entire body stiffens and she jerks backwards, stumbling off the bed before I can finish my sentence. She’s got her fingertips pressed to her lips and she’s staring down at me with an expression filled with hurt and shame. No, fuck, no, I didn’t mean her to think I didn’t want it. I sit up, reaching across, but she turns and bolts into the bathroom, slamming the door loudly.

Fuck.

That didn’t go as planned.

Jess

“Shit, fuck, Jess,” I hear him say as I drop down beside the bathroom door.

I’m ashamed. I just woke him up and, without thinking, threw myself at him and kissed him. It was an awful kiss, too. Hard and rough. I’m almost sure I’m bleeding slightly from my bottom lip because I hit his face so forcefully. I rub my face, trying to hide my shame. He rejected me. All along I’ve been wanting him far more than he wanted me.