Dimitri (Immortals of New Orleans, Book 6) (14 page)

Gillian waited for him to drop the bomb, and forced herself to open her eyes that she hadn’t realized she’d closed. Like watching a scary movie, she couldn’t take the suspense and had looked away. Everything about the moment felt incredibly wrong. She contemplated sneaking off to the airport, hopping a plane to some remote island where no one would ever find her. But running wasn’t really her style. Even though she’d left Dimitri in Vegas, she’d done it to protect him. Hearing Jax’s laughter reminded her that any minute now, her mating to Nick would be announced…that was if Nick actually showed up.

“So as I was saying, my family’s about to grow. I’m thrilled to announce her intended mating to someone I’d be proud to call my brother.” His declaration was met with several whistles from shifters in the audience. “In other words, she’s getting engaged.”

The patrons broke out in loud applause and Gillian thought the smile frozen on her face would get stuck. Her dry teeth glued to her lips, the muscles in her cheeks began to hurt.

“Before we get started, I’d like to introduce her mate, her fiancé, Dimitri LeBlanc. Everyone please put your hands together, and wish them a long life together,” he told them with a broad smile, and gestured upward to her opera box.

Gillian’s knees buckled as she heard Jax tell everyone in attendance that Dimitri was her mate.
Dimitri?
No, she must have heard him wrong. Where was Nick? Bewilderment rushed through her as a large familiar hand wrapped around her waist.

“Congratulations, darlin’,” Dimitri whispered in her ear. His hard arousal left no room for interpretation. She gasped at his greeting, and he continued. “What do you say? Shall we put on a show?”

Gillian’s heart stopped, hearing his voice. How could it be? What was he doing here? Shocked, her eyes widened as she turned her head to see Dimitri standing next to her. Towering over her small frame, he gave her a dashing smile, turning her legs into jello. Her gorgeous beta, dressed in a tux, casually slid a hand down her back. The well-fitted suit did little to hide his extraordinarily well-built physique, and the sight of him took her breath away. Her mouth gaped open; she was at a loss for words.

“I’ll take that as a yes. I do enjoy an audience.”

Gillian melted into Dimitri’s arms as his mouth captured hers. Her tongue swept against his and she purred in pure joy. She moaned as Dimitri broke his kiss, yet she remained happily within his embrace. Overjoyed to see him, she slid her hands underneath his jacket, relishing his hard muscular body against hers. The taste of him remained on her lips, and she clung to him tightly, remorseful that she’d left him in Vegas. She heard him give a small chuckle and opened her eyes. Remembering that there were a couple of hundred people watching them, Gillian cleared her throat and caught sight of Jax, his eyes pinned on their display. All the while, she never let go of her beta.

“Well, folks, uh, now that we’ve had our first performance of the night, let the real show begin. I give you the Lyceum Philharmonic,” Jax introduced and walked off the stage.

Dimitri didn’t need more than one kiss to confirm that Gillian was his mate. Goddess, the woman looked stunning in her gown, but all he could think about was peeling it off of her. When Jax had called him with his plan, he hadn’t been convinced it was the best course of action. He wanted to see Gillian again and had planned on coming to see her already, but to tell the world he’d found a mate? That pushed him straight out of his comfort zone, not to mention he wasn’t sure how Gillian would react to the news.

Just the scent of her had turned his shaft harder than concrete. By the time he’d touched her, it took every ounce of restraint not to make love to her with the lights on. The touch of her hands burned through the thin fabric of his dress shirt and as the lights dimmed, he knew self-control was a lost cause.

The music roared to life and Dimitri guided them to their chairs in the private booth. His hand found her thigh and he gently squeezed.

“Did you just purr?” he whispered.

“Maybe,” Gillian laughed.

“You missed me, didn’t you?”

“I plead the fifth.”

“Something tells me I’m going to enjoy being your mate.” He waggled his eyebrows at her.

“I, um, did Jax tell you about…”

“Ah, yes, our great hoax. I’m here, aren’t I?”
And it’s no hoax, cher. You’re my mate.

Dimitri knew it’d only be a matter of days before the urge to mark her would surface. Fortunately for them both, she’d have to make a conscious choice to accept him, otherwise their mating would never happen. He was torn about this dilemma. On the one hand, he wasn’t terribly thrilled about giving up his fun-loving bachelor days. On the other, Gillian drew him like no other woman; the attraction was unbearable. The fact that he’d flown up to New York City to engage in a public fake mating was proof of that.

“I’m surprised Jax called you. My brother…”

“Whoa, step back a second…you have a brother?”

“Jax.”

“What about Jax? He’s the Alpha of the New York pack. I had Logan call him, to protect you. Then Jax texted me last night.”

“Yes, Jax.” She looked out into the theater for Jax. He caught her gaze, nodded and gave her a knowing smile. She leaned back into her seat, realizing that Dimitri hadn’t known about her family ties. “Dimitri…you do know that Jax is my brother?”

“Now that is an interesting development,” he quipped.

When Jax had contacted Dimitri directly, asking him to assist with Gillian’s protection, he’d suspected that the Alpha knew she’d met her mate. Even if she’d taken a shower, it was likely his scent was all over her skin. He’d have known they’d been intimate, that their relationship involved more than saving each other’s lives. But Jax was her brother? That was a surprise. Nonetheless, it wouldn’t deter him in the least from pursuing her.

“I take it you didn’t know,” she said softly.

“You guessed correctly, but it doesn’t matter. Jax asked me to be here, and I already had the flight plan in before he called.”

“You were coming…to see me?”

“Hell, yeah. Date number four. Although I’m afraid I won’t be able to find out your secrets while we’re here.”

“No? Why not?” She smiled.

“Because making love to you is the only thing on my mind, cher.”

“Here?” she whispered, her eyes widened.

“Here and now,” he confirmed.

“But there’re people down there…shifters…Jax. He’ll know.”

“And the problem is?” His fingers began to bunch up the fabric of her dress.

“Someone could hear us…scent us.”

“You know what I love about these booths? They’re nice and private. The folks across from us can barely see us…and so what if they do? This wall here in front of us, it’s very handy.” He tapped his palm on the rail.

Dimitri stood and lifted her chair, sliding it into the shadows. A deafening crescendo filled the air as the orchestra finished their first piece. As it ended, the theater went dark and Dimitri knelt before her. He gripped the hem of her dress and slid it upward, exposing her legs. Pressing his forehead against her knees, he heard himself groan in delight.

“Open,” he ordered, his fingers pressing between her legs.

Dimitri caught the look of surprise in her eyes, but she obeyed, her thighs falling outward. His hands drifted over her smooth skin until he reached the edge of her lace panties. With his forefingers, he traced the rim down to her core, finding her drenched with arousal. Slipping under the fabric, he glided his fingertips over her mound until he was at her hips. Slowly, he dragged her thong down, until it hooked over her heels and he shoved it into his suit pocket.

“You’re beautiful,” he said, pressing his nose into her sex. “And mine.”

Using only his tongue, he licked open her pussy, dragging the tip over her clit. With his thumbs, he separated her folds so that he could have better access to his prize. He laved around her swollen nub, never directly making contact. As her hips began to undulate in response, he hummed against her flesh.

Removing a hand, he sucked two of his fingers, and swiftly plunged them deep into her hot channel. In tandem with the music, he licked at her clitoris, curling his fingers against the thin strip of nerves inside of her. Her fingernails dug into his shoulders. He glanced up to her face, and caught her staring at him, lost in ecstasy. There was no one in the room as far as either of them was concerned.

Taking her swollen bead into his lips, he gently sucked and tugged. Gillian moaned as her pussy tightened around his fingers. Adding a third finger, he plunged in and out of her, until he felt her shake in release. Her juices flooded into his mouth as she clutched the back of his head, pressing his face to her clit.

Wrenching himself away from her, he stood, took her hand and led her to the back corner of the darkened room. In a theater full of shifters, they’d be heard, but in the recesses of the alcove, they wouldn’t be seen. Roughly spinning her around, he unbuckled his pants and took out his rock-hard arousal. Gillian braced her hands against the wall, panting with desire. Dimitri stroked his dick, seed leaking from its tip.

“I’m going to fuck you, Gilly. You want this?” Dimitri prayed she’d say yes, but he wouldn’t go forward if she didn’t agree.

“Yes, please….don’t stop,” Gillian found herself begging. Her head spinning with lust, she needed him inside her.

Dimitri wrapped his hand around her waist, bending her ass toward him. Finding her wet opening, he guided his cock to her entrance and plunged into her in one smooth stroke. Her hot lubricated core immediately tightened around him almost making him come.

“Jesus, darlin’. You feel so good. Don’t move…just hold it a sec.” Dimitri felt as if he was a virgin, afraid he’d explode inside of her right away. He took a deep breath, regaining control, and began to slowly move, gradually increasing his pace.

“Dimitri…yes,” Gillian breathed.

“You’ve been a very bad kitty, leaving me in Las Vegas.” Dimitri pounded into her, sweat forming on his brow. “I’m looking forward to punishing you for taking off on me.”

“Oh God, Dimitri. What? I’m sorry,” she said, gasping.

“Goddess, you’re incredible. So tight. And your pussy…” He reached to cup her mound, sliding his middle finger through her lips. Using the tip, he flicked at her clitoris.

“Ah yes, there. Don’t stop…yes…yes.”

Dimitri bent his knees, pumping up into her, harder and harder. His left hand pulled down the front of her dress, exposing her breasts. Gentle wasn’t on the menu as he cupped her soft flesh, pinching her hardened nipple. She cried out, and reached to cover his hand, encouraging him to continue.

“Shhh, baby. You want everyone to hear?”

“You started this,” she bit back at him, pressing her bottom into his thrusts.

“That I did, my little wild cat. How about we finish it together?” With his thumb, he applied pressure to her hooded pearl, circling and caressing.

“Dimitri…Dimitri…yes,” she began to scream, despite his warning to quiet her moans.

He laughed, moving his hand from her breast to cover her mouth. But as he got near her lips, she bit him, sucking his fingers into her mouth and swirling her tongue around them as if she was giving him head. Between her pussy and mouth, he lost it, thrusting, heaving up into her. She contracted around his cock and his orgasm slammed into him.

Gillian wasn’t sure whether it was the taste of him or his touch to her clit, but her senses crashed into overdrive. Her climax spread from her toes to the top of her head. She shook with ecstasy, incognizant of space and time. All that mattered was Dimitri. Her tiger begged her to submit, to let this man make her his. Only a thread of sanity remained, allowing her to refuse the beast.

As the last of the tremors left her body, Dimitri withdrew himself from her. Strong arms turned her around, taking her lips once again. This time, however, his searing kiss was gentle and all too intimate. As their lips lost contact and he carefully guided them to the floor, she rested her head on his chest.

Gillian couldn’t believe she’d just made love with Dimitri. It was all supposed to be a great deception, one to lead her to safety. Yet within his loving embrace, she knew this was much more than just a passing one night stand. She craved him, mesmerized by his charming personality and dominant demeanor.

“You okay?” he asked, still catching his breath.

“More than okay. You?” she replied, not at all convinced that what she was saying was true. Sexually, she was spectacular. Emotionally, not so much. Stunned with the knowledge that she was officially addicted to a southern beta, she attempted to hide her obsession, praying it was just a chemical reaction.

Dimitri kept her comfortably wrapped in his arms, but released her hand to look at his own. Finding a perfect set of teeth marks indented into his skin, he laughed. And he’d thought he’d been too rough with her?

“Damn girl, you bit me!”

“Let me see.” She took his palm and examined the damage. Kissing it, she spoke softly into his hand. “I’m so sorry I left marks on you. Are you bleeding?”

As soon as the words left her lips, she went still.
Marks. I marked him.
Not in the true sense of the word that a shifter would consider for mating, but she’d taken a step toward it.

“It’s nothin’,” Dimitri lied. His tiger had bitten him. In her defense, he’d put his fingers in her mouth, but the implications were that she’d considered claiming him. Despite the innocent nip, he suspected she had no idea she was his mate.

They lay quiet for several minutes, allowing the lull of contemplation to set into their minds. Rodgers and Hammerstein floated through the air and Dimitri closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of his mate against his chest. As
Some Enchanted Evening
came to a close, he sighed, deciding it was time to find out the truth.

“Why don’t you want to be around wolves?”

“I can’t.”

“You just did.”

“You’re the first shifter I’ve ever been with,” she admitted quietly.

“No other wolf? Not even a tiger?”

“Nope.” She shook her head, still keeping her cheek close to his shirt.