into women who didn’t know what they wanted or how to handle their desires. He preferred women who accepted their sexuality, embraced it. He wanted a woman who was ready for a real relationship with him.
Having made that decision, he rolled over, and tried to fall asleep.
Chapter 5
Dimitri was still aching by the time he left his penthouse the following morning, showered and dressed for work, his muscles aching after the workout he’d put himself through in an effort to ease the desire still surging through him.
Never in his life, even when he’d been a teenager and a soft breeze would arouse his body, had he felt this aching, driving lust for a woman!
So no, he wasn’t going to ignore the lovely Pepper Abbot! He wasn’t going to walk away! Despite the vow he’d made last night, in the clear light of morning, he’d come to a different decision.
Today, he was going to explain to her exactly how their relationship was going to go. He would bring her back to his place tonight for dinner. After dinner, he would take her into his arms and make love to her. He would be slow and methodical as he built up their desire for each other. Then he would bury himself inside of her and give her so many orgasms that she’d understand exactly who was in charge. She wouldn’t be afraid of the desire between them because he’d show her that he could control it for both of them.
Tugging at the cuffs of his dress shirt, he slipped into the back of his waiting limousine. As his driver wove through the traffic towards his office, he looked out the window, but he didn’t see the tall buildings or the pedestrians as they made their way to their destinations. Instead, he saw Pepper, naked and writhing in his bed, her eyes begging him to make love to her.
And he would! Damn it, he would make love to her with such control that she would be sobbing out her release. And she wouldn’t run away from him again!
With that decision made, he focused on work.
Or tried to. Furious and disgusted with himself, he muttered curses whenever he found himself thinking about Pepper and her delectable body.
By the end of the day, he was beside himself with rage over how such a small woman could ruin his concentration so completely!
“What’s wrong with you?” Nancy asked, staring into Pepper’s glazed eyes. Again.
Pepper jerked upright, blinking owlishly at her friend and partner. “Um…?”
“You’ve been walking around here all day like a zombie, running into tables and tripping over bolts of fabric. People ask you questions and you don’t even hear them, do you?”
“Questions?” she parroted, feeling a bit queasy. “And I haven’t tripped over anything.”
Nancy snorted. “Pepper, you’ve walked into three different work tables today and tripped over the rolls of fabric in the corner, knocking all six bolts onto the floor. Then you just walked away as if nothing happened. Louise straightened them up, then came to me. Everyone is worried about you.” Nancy leaned over Pepper’s desk. “What’s going on? Has something happened to Sloane or Rayne?” she asked, referring to Pepper’s sisters.
“No!” she gasped in reply. “At least, I hope not!” She blinked, then grabbed her phone and sent a quick message to their group chat, asking if they were okay and if her nieces and nephews were good.
Nancy waited only long enough for Pepper to finish the text message before continuing. “Okay, so if the family is okay, as far as you know, what gives? Why are you so out of it today?”
“I’m fine,” Pepper asserted, gathering up some of the designs on her desk and pulling them into a haphazard pile. “I’m just…”
“Pepper, normally, you are a whirlwind of energy. Your normal entry into the building is like a burst of energy. You’re so full of ideas and excitement, we all just stare in amazement.”
“I’m not like that!” she replied, feeling silly.
Nancy chuckled softly. “You have no idea, Pepper. But today, you walked through the door with your sweater buttoned weird and you looked lost.”
Pepper rolled her eyes, but Nancy only looked pointedly down at Pepper’s sweater. When Pepper glanced down at herself, she groaned. Sure enough, she’d buttoned four of the six buttons on her cardigan this morning, but the fourth button was looped into the third buttonhole, throwing off the line. “Good grief,” she muttered, her fingers flying to fix the situation. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Nancy threw her