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Chapter 5

My gaze was fixed on Dimitri. Some of the faces surrounding him were familiar. I recognized the sharp angles of Mr. Petrov's face, the glint of ambition in Ms. Xiayin's eyes. But others were new, their features a blur of suits and power, their names lost in the sea of introductions.

After eight years, this was the first time I stood beside him in public. For so long, I'd been a hidden figure, a ghost in his world, but even in the shadows, his enemies found me.

I stared at Dimitri, my gaze unwavering, as I sat alone at an empty round table. The banquet hall thrummed with life, a sea of faces and glittering gowns, but my attention remained fixed on him. Amidst all that luxury, all those people, he was the only source of light, the only thing that drew my eyes.

My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic drumbeat, the moment our eyes met.

Panic clawed at my throat, and I snatched the crystal glass from the table, my eyes darting away from his. I drained the contents in a single gulp, a desperate attempt to quench the thirst that had nothing to do with the liquid itself.

Why was he looking at me?

The glass slipped from my grasp, a jolt of fire erupting in my throat.

It wasn't water. It was alcohol!

I'd never touched alcohol before, and I had no idea it could hit me this hard. One sip, and the world tilted on its axis.

"Are you okay?" Dimitri's voice, a low rumble, sent a shiver down my spine. "Why did you drink that?" His hand settled on my waist, his touch a grounding force in the swirling chaos of my senses.

"I didn't know it was alcohol," I mumbled, my voice a stranger to my own ears. I tried to meet his gaze, but the room spun. "Why are you here?" I asked, because seconds ago, he'd been surrounded by his business partners.

"I was worried when I saw you drink something and..." He stared at me, his eyes holding mine captive. "If you keep looking at me with those eyes, I might forget the age gap between us," he murmured, his voice laced with a dangerous edge.

I didn't understand his words, but my body heated, a wave of awareness washing over me as I felt his skin against mine.

"I thought it was water, but then my body just started to burn," I whispered, closing my eyes against the dizzying sensation.

"There's no water at the banquet unless you specifically request it, darling," he murmured, his voice a low purr in my ear.

Why did sir Dimitri's voice sound so damn sexy?

Words caught in my throat, a useless tangle of syllables. Sweat slicked my skin, leaving me weak and shaky.

"Don't talk. I don't know what kind of drink you had, but that glass was meant for you. I'll deal with whoever's behind this," he growled, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through me.

I understood his words, but they swam through the fog in my mind, hazy and indistinct. The heat in my body intensified as Dimitri scooped me up, his arms a solid wall around me.

The din of the banquet hall faded, swallowed by the sudden silence. I closed my eyes, the world shrinking to the warmth of his body against mine.

My mind, a battlefield of desire, conjured images I couldn't control, images of things I wanted to do to Dimitri.

I fought to tame the wild thoughts that spun in my mind, a dizzying vortex of forbidden desires.

Then, I felt myself being lowered, and I forced my eyes open. A wave of heat flooded me as our lips brushed, a fleeting touch that ignited a firestorm within me.

Dimitri's breath, warm and intoxicating, washed over me, drawing me in like a moth to a flame.

The world snapped back into focus, the haze lifting from my mind. Dimitri drew back, his lips parting from mine, a flicker of surprise crossing his features.

But his gaze held a spark, a glint of something untamed and dangerous, like a wild beast awakened from its slumber.

Words failed me, so I quickly averted my gaze, my cheeks burning. Dimitri moved with a swiftness that belied his size, circling around to the other side of the backseat and settling into the space beside me.

His presence was a tangible force, a hot current of energy that pulsed through me, making my heart pound against my ribs. He smelled of expensive cologne and something else, a primal scent that sent shivers down my spine.

"Drive home," he commanded the driver.

Despite being on the opposite end of the seat, Dimitri's hand reached out, gently pulling me towards him.

His hands, cool and strong, settled on my forehead. "You're burning," he murmured.

His hands were big, engulfing my forehead.

I simply let myself go, surrendering to the current of his touch, the way a leaf surrenders to the wind.

I shouldn't be doing this, shouldn't be letting myself get lost in the warmth of his touch, the alcohol was working its magic, loosening my inhibitions, and I couldn't fight the pull of my feminine instincts.

They were a force of nature, a tide that swept me away, leaving me breathless and adrift.

I'd liked this man for eight years but I didn't know if he felt the same way.

We'd never been this close and having him near me was enough to take my breath away.

The heat of his hand pressed against my forehead, his scent filled my senses.

His touch, a gentle pressure on my forehead, sent shivers down my spine.

Our eyes locked, and even as the car sped down the road, I saw the hunger in his gaze, the way he devoured me with his eyes.

My cheeks flushed, a wave of heat rising to my face.

"Why are you looking at me like you want to eat me?" I blurted out, the words escaping my lips before I could stop them.

My tongue felt thick, my words trapped behind a wall of shame and alcohol. I wanted to take back what I said, but the words wouldn't come.

Dimitri's gaze held me captive, his eyes burning into me like a searing brand.

His voice, low and dangerous, cut through the haze of my inebriation.

"Close your mouth, Ophelia," he commanded, his words a stark warning. "Before I lose control and claim those lips of yours."

The air around us crackled with tension, the silence heavy with unspoken desire.

I knew I had crossed a line, and Dimitri, a man known for his carefree charm and countless conquests, was not one to be trifled with.

His words, though laced with a dangerous edge, might not have been entirely serious, but the heat in his gaze, the raw desire in his eyes, told a different story.

His bachelor status, a badge of freedom he wore with pride, did little to quell the primal fire that flickered within him.

"You are jo--" The words died on my lips, swallowed whole by the sudden onslaught of his kiss.

Dimitri's mouth descended upon mine, his lips claiming mine with a possessive hunger.

The world around us faded away.

He held me captive in his kiss for what felt like an eternity, a timeless embrace that consumed every thought, every breath.

Time seemed to stand still as his lips moved against mine, a symphony of passion that left me breathless and yearning for more. Finally, with a reluctant sigh, he pulled away, his gaze lingering on my lips.

"I've endured too much for the whole eight years, trying not to touch you," he breathed, his voice husky with a raw emotion, "But seeing you with those seductive eyes, that face that haunts my dreams... I can't hold myself back anymore."

The line between the haze of the alcohol and the undeniable pull I felt towards him blurred.

Driven by a force I couldn't quite define, I reached out, my fingers cupping his cheek, his skin warm and smooth beneath my touch.

I pulled him closer, his gaze meeting mine, a spark of recognition igniting in his eyes.

Without a second thought, I tilted his chin up, my lips meeting his in a fierce, desperate kiss.

I braced myself for his rejection, expecting him to push me away. But instead, Dimitri met my kiss with a fierce intensity that sent a jolt of surprise through me.

His lips, warm and demanding, moved against mine with a rhythm that mirrored the pounding of my heart.

As our kiss deepened, he gently lifted me, my legs finding a comfortable perch around his waist.

He held me close, his embrace both possessive and tender.

After what felt like an eternity, he finally broke the kiss, his forehead resting against mine.

His breath, warm and ragged, fanned against my skin. He cupped my cheeks, his thumbs tracing the contours of my face, his gaze lingering on every inch of me. The desire in his eyes was undeniable, a raw and primal hunger

It was clear, even in the dim light, that this moment, this stolen kiss, had ignited something within us, a longing that had been simmering for far too long.

"Would you open your mouth for me, Ophelia?" he murmured, his breath warm against my skin, his eyes burning with a desire that threatened to consume me. "Let my tongue in."

My mind, already reeling from the rush of his touch, struggled to grasp the reality of the situation.

How had we arrived at this point?

My heart fluttered with a mix of fear and exhilaration, a whirlwind of emotions that left me breathless.

He was my deceased parents' business rival, my savior in an unexpected situation, yet, here I was, drawn to him like a moth to a flame.

Despite the uncertainty swirling within me, I found myself surrendering to the moment, my lips parting slightly.

Dimitri wasted no time in claiming the space I offered, his tongue a playful, insistent intruder.

I was a novice in the art of passion, yet my mind, far from innocent, responded instinctively.

My tongue met his in a tentative dance. The world around us faded away, replaced by the heat of his touch and the electrifying thrum of his desire against my own.

His kiss was a whirlwind of passion, and I was completely oblivious to the fact that we were locked in this passionate embrace inside his car.

But the desire that pulsed between us was too strong to be stopped, a tempest that threatened to consume us both.

We wouldn't, couldn't, let it escape.

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