Dimitri's Moon (26 page)

Dimitri laughed and looked at his friend. There was some humor in his gaze, but there was also suspicion and the desire to maim.
I
feel for the man who tries to date Affrica.

“She’s telling me to get off my ass,” Dimitri said.

“About time,” Aidrian muttered.

“I’d say it’s the perfect time.” Affrica squeezed his midsection.

“You get to walking and I’ll take you with me to a fashion show I’ve been invited to.”

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Drawing back, Dimitri looked down into her sparkling brown eyes with their gold flecks. “A fashion show?” His heart rate sped up.

“Aye, I got this invite from a friend o’ mine. She’s has this design line called Desires of the Moon.” Affrica carefully unfurled from around him and left the bed.

Landi.

Dimitri watched her tug on her drawstring cargo pants and pull down her tight white tee shirt. He chuckled as Aidrian’s eyes narrowed at his sister. She shrugged and faced him.

“Don’t take too long, Dimitri,” she said in his ear. “I’ll be back for you and we’ll fly out together.” She kissed his cheek again and walked to the door where she waved at him over her shoulder. Dimitri smiled back and then laughed as Aidrian growled low and went after her, his fierce glower sure to scare any men away from his only sister.

His skin burned from the thought of seeing Landi again. Holding her. Landi had been right all along; he’d been feeling sorry for himself. There was no excuse for self-pity.

“Time to change that,” he muttered.

Grabbing his cell phone he tried Landi again but didn’t despair when he couldn’t get her. He hung up without leaving a message.

“Ready now?” Scott’s voice came from the door.

Glancing up, Dimitri smiled as he saw the rest of his team standing in the entrance to his hospital room. They all wore civvies, but it didn’t make them appear any less threatening, or him any less happy to see them.

California

Landi sighed as she watched the final preparations for the show moved around her. It was busy and she needed a break. She stepped to the back of the building for a moment. Truth was, she didn’t want to be here.

I want to be with Dimitri.

It had been so difficult ignoring all of his phone calls and she still felt bad for what she’d said to him in the hospital room. It didn’t matter that Lex had taken her aside to tell her Dimitri didn’t seem to want to fight or that he would get angry and yell. Lex had asked her to not coddle him but to fight back.

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Aliyah Burke

Landi looked up at the afternoon sky and then down to the Pacific Ocean that sparkled in the light. “I’m so sorry, Dimitri. I didn’t mean those things I said.”

With another tired sigh, she headed back inside the building. Jason was there with a mocha for her and she took it with a smile.

“Thanks, Jase. I needed this.”

“You sure you’re okay?” he asked.

“Fine.”

Landi drank some of the hot liquid, loving the rich taste sliding down her throat. Together they went to the catwalk and Landi sat in a chair to watch her models strut their stuff. She didn’t move until she’d finished the drink. Sliding off the chair, she said, “Nice job. Take a break and be ready for tonight.”

From that moment until the time she got ready for the show, Landi worked on another sketch. Then she showered and put on her lotion. After fixing her hair in a partial updo, she slid on a silvery white dress with spaghetti straps and a handkerchief-style hem. Along the bodice of the slightly scooped neckline and at the hem was a floral design done with a pale pink beading. After she’d put in her earrings, Landi grabbed her jeweled T-Strap sandals with three quarter–inch heels.

“Let’s go kick some ass tonight,” she whispered to her reflection.

Jason and Samantha waited for her and together they climbed into the limo. She smiled as they grew near the venue, her body beginning to thrum with the rush of adrenaline.

“Ready, doll?” Jason asked.

“I sure am. This is going to be a great night.”

He smiled down at her before touching the side of her face. “I think so too.”

Something about his tone struck her. “Maybe I should be asking if you’re okay.” She smiled at him. “What are you up to?”

“I’ve been with you almost the entire day. When have I had time to be
up
to something?”

He had a point. When he isn’t with me, he’s usually talking to Samantha.
“Okay, I’ll let it go for now.”

He flashed a grin. “Good girl.”

Crossing her legs, Landi shook her head in amusement. “Whatever.” Jason just laughed.

As the evening progressed, Landi knew the show was a hit. Sitting by the end of the catwalk, she watched the men model the new
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suits. Landi sat up as Jason walked out holding a microphone in one dark hand. She arched a brow waiting to see what unfolded.

“Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen. We have one final item to showcase. So please bear with us while we make the last few preps to it.”

Landi worried her bottom lip as she listened to the music shift from something fast and flashy to a more smoothly romantic melody.

What the hell is going on?
She began to stand when a hand clamped down on her arm. Turning her head to the side, she saw Jason sitting back down.

“What is going on?” she hissed, not liking being kept in the dark about
her
fashion show!

“Nothing more than what I said. Just one more suit to show.”

He pressed her back into the chair. “Just watch. My goodness, do you think I’d do something to mess up this night?”

The expression on his face was one of pain and hurt. Immediately, Landi reached for his arm. “I’m sorry, Jase, I’m just a bit out of sorts I guess.”

She stared at Samantha, who just shrugged and turned her attention to where the fog was beginning to billow around the stage. It rolled down the walkway and slid off the end like a cat stalking its prey.

As she watched, a shadow emerged from backstage and a man came toward the end where she was.

Landi narrowed her eyes. Something about the swagger rang familiar. Her skin tingled with anticipation and her body reacted in a sexual way.

“Can’t be,” she breathed. Landi leaned forward and gripped the hands of her chair.

The closer the man bathed in the fog screen got, the more she was certain. He stopped at the end of the runway and she held her breath as the fog drifted away. The spotlight remained on him and Landi felt tears well up in her eyes.

Standing on the end of the platform was Dimitri Melonakos, and he wore the suit she’d drawn with him in mind after she’d run into him in Greece. It was green and gold and hung off his frame just as she had intended. The pride of seeing one of her works of art took second place to the feeling she got from seeing Dimitri up and walking, so different from him being bedridden only a month ago.

His hair was shaggy and just as sexy as she remembered. He looked good. Really,
really
good.
Oh, my God I want to run up to him and
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Aliyah Burke

hold him!
Landi looked across the way to where Affrica stood with a smile on her face. Landi mouthed “thank you” to her.

“I love you, Landi,” Dimitri said. “Thank you for what you did when I was in the hospital. I needed that. I needed to realize a lot of things.” He reached out a hand. “Come up here.”

The crowd cheered; and as she walked to the edge, she looked up at him. “I’m a bit short and there are no steps.” The words had barely left her mouth when two of the male models showed up and lifted her up onto the catwalk with Dimitri.

“Problem solved,
selini
,” he purred in her ear.

Her body shivered and her legs weakened. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to get my woman.” A loud whistle echoed through the crowd. Dimitri smiled and rubbed his thumb over her lip. “You look absolutely breathtaking, Ilanderae Nycks.”

The fact she was standing on a platform with potential clients looking on didn’t matter. The only thing that did was the man who stared down at her like she was the only woman in the world.

“What do we do now?” she asked, running her hands down the lapel of his suit coat.

“That note I wrote with the necklace was the truth. You are my moon. Everything I could want is with you. I want to correct my mistake from so long ago when I didn’t make it to the altar.” He reached in his pocket and withdrew a black velvet box. Dimitri sank to a knee and held up the open box. “Will you marry me, Landi?”

She held her fingers to her lips and stared at the ring resting upon the black satin. It was a cushion-cut diamond with rows of alternating round diamonds and pink sapphire baguettes in a channel-bar setting. There was also a matching band and all was in platinum.

“Dimitri,” she said on a sigh. “This is a wedding set.”

He looked at her and winked. “I know. What’s the answer, Landi?” He rose to his feet and took her hand in his. Dimitri pulled the engagement band out of the box.

Landi swallowed. “You know I love you. And I know I’ve not made things easy, but I want you, Dimitri. The good, the bad, I just want you.”

She reached for his face and stopped when he grabbed her wrist.

“I need an answer, Landi.”

“Yes, Dimitri. I’ll marry you!” She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

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He returned her passionate kiss as he slid the ring on her finger.

Everyone cheered loudly around them as they broke apart.

“Is there a chaplain, minister, preacher, or someone who can conduct a marriage ceremony in the house?” Dimitri shouted.

“What are you doing? I can’t do this now! What about my family? Your family?”

“I can marry you,” a voice shouted.

Landi looked in the direction it came from and saw a man walking toward them. Her belly quivered. “Dimitri, now?”

“I’m not letting another second go by without you as my wife.”

He kissed her briefly again. “And you’re already in white.” Looking around, he said, “Can we have some witnesses?”

People began to stand up and answer. Landi felt tears gather in her eyes. She recognized her family and his, and Dimitri’s teammates were also there in nice suits with their wives. Even Austin and Khristos were there.

“You did this?” she whispered in awe as friends and family they knew came forward.

“I love you, Landi.” He kissed her so passionately, her toes curled in her shoes. “Let’s get this show on the road,” he said as some steps were rolled up to the end so they could walk down.

The crowd laughed and it didn’t take long before they were standing in front of a man of the cloth reciting their vows. In her hands she held a bouquet of white and pale pink roses and calla lilies.

Landi shook when he slid the wedding band over her finger and set it against her new ring. It was a blur when she heard, “You may kiss the bride”; all she focused on was the feel of Dimitri’s lips on hers.

His arms held her so securely and she wanted to flee the prying eyes and enjoy the man who was now her husband.

“I love you, Landi.
S’agapo.
”

“I love you, too, Dimitri.”

Later that night as she stood in her hotel room, she looked at the man who was pouring them champagne. He wore a bathrobe that matched hers. As she stared at him, he glanced at her, his hair falling over his eyes. In that second, as the light from the full moon over the water shone into their dimly lit room, she knew this man was her future. He was her everything and she was…

Dimitri’s Moon.

About the Author

Aliyah Burke loves to read and write. She loves to hear from her readers and can be reached at [email protected], [email protected], and feel free to join her yahoo group athttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/aliyah_burke or friend her at http://www.myspace.com/aliyahburke. Please stop by her website, www.aliyah-burke.com for more available titles—just don‘t forget to sign the guestbook!

Aliyah is married to a career military man. They have a German Shepherd, a Borzoi, and a DSH cat. Her days are spent splitting her time between work, writing, and dog training and showing.

Read further for an excerpt on Dimitri’s cousin AJ from
AJ’s Serendipity

by Savannah J. Frierson

Excerpt from
AJ’s Serendipity

He’d never been so hard in his life, and it was all Samara’s fault.

The siren had no idea how alluring she was, and he thought that was probably part of the reason she didn’t like clubs. She attracted attention, simply put, especially when she danced.

Hips shouldn’t do things like that outside the bedroom…

Next to him, Spyros pressed the bottle of his beer to his forehead and fanned himself with his free hand. “Is it hot in here?”

“Scorching,” AJ rasped, his eyes on the two sisters who were dancing up a storm in one of the clubs they had discovered. At first, Samara had been content on being a booth butterfly, and he’d been more than happy to let her be. Far be it for him to put her up where other men could see…try to take her away from him. She was his; damn all that. However, this latest club they’d stumbled upon played more R&B music (Samara and Frankie called it “old school”) and the sisters had been on the floor nonstop ever since.

“This is my
jam
!” Samara had exclaimed when they’d first entered, and had pulled Frankie to the dance floor to prove just how much she enjoyed it.

AJ thought he would be content just watching and allowing the sisters to have a good time. He had fairly hijacked all of Samara’s time from the moment he’d seen her at the market. He was a big boy; he knew how to function without her by his side…

It was the other men who were growing increasingly problemat-ic.

At first, no one had dared approach Samara and Frankie, many completely awed by the two women on the dance floor. After three songs, however, some had become bolder and decided to ask them for dances. At first, both ladies would shake their heads; but the men would be persistent, and then the women would relent. AJ couldn’t help but smirk when some more courageous men tried to move their hands into off-limits territory (which, for AJ, was Samara’s entire body), but Samara and Frankie weren’t having that. There was always space between the dancing bodies, and then there was the fact the partners simply couldn’t keep up.