Free Strife: Part Two (The Strife Series Book 2) by Sky Corgan Page B

how.”

 
     
     
     
     
     
    DMITRI
     
     
    I'm experiencing far more desire for her than I should, not that she's not deserving of being desired. She's a goddess in a house of blasphemers, a sheep in a den of wolves. I don't want to be one of those wolves, the first one to take her against her will. Hell, I don't want anyone to take her like that, but I'm powerless against the ways of the world, and this was her choice to begin with. All I can do is try my best to show her a good time without giving in to my own cravings.
    Asking her to strip for me was probably not the best idea. Seeing her without clothes on is only going to make her harder to resist. It would be nice for her to come out of her shell, though. She's so guarded, too guarded for this type of work.
    “Come on.” I practically have to pull her off of the sofa.
    Alexis joins me in the middle of the living room. The same song is still playing. I never made it all the way through, partially because I was nervous as hell and partially because she didn't look like she was having fun watching me. I'm starting to wonder what she would consider to be fun.
    I walk behind her, placing one hand on her shoulder and the other on her hip. “All you have to do is sway back and forth.”
    She begins to move, but the motions are disjointed, and I can hear her huff lightly. “I'm warning you, I have no rhythm.”
    “It's fine.” I resist the urge to rest my chin on her shoulder. Just being close to her like this is turning me on. If I wanted to, I could press up against her, feel the curvature of her ass on my dick. The thought makes it throb—makes me realize that I shouldn't tempt fate. “Try to relax a little.”
    I can feel her tensing up beneath my touch, her nerves getting the better of her. She pulls out of my grasp and hugs herself. “I'm sorry. I'm just not good at this.”
    I sigh and then immediately regret it. I don't want her to think that I'm disappointed in her, but she's so not cut out for this line of work. It's not my place to tell her that, though. She probably knows. And for as much as I want her to relax, it just doesn't seem like it's going to happen.
    “Don't apologize. It's fine. I shouldn't have made you do it in the first place. I'm the one who should apologize to you. I probably seem like a creeper.”
    “No.” Her head darts up, her eyes wide. “No, you've been great. I'm just...I'm so nervous. I don't know what to do. I don't...”
    “Hey.” I step forward and pull her into my arms. “It's alright. You don't have to do anything. It's getting late. You should probably go home.”
    When I release her, she keeps her eyes on the floor. “Oh, alright.”
    Judging by her tone, she's beating herself up for letting me down. I'm probably misreading that, though. It seems like I've misread everything else tonight.
    “I'll call you a taxi.” I walk over to my pants and dig through them for my cell phone.
    She stays standing in the living room looking like an injured animal. It makes me feel bad. All night I've been trying to be kind and attentive. Maybe I did more damage than good.
    I dial the number, turning away from her so that I don't have to see her sad expression. By the time I hang up the phone, she's found her way back to the sofa. I sit beside her, staring at the blank television screen, listening to the music play in the background.
    “I'm sorry if tonight wasn't good for you,” I mumble.
    “It was fine. Better than fine. I'm sorry I can't dance.”
    “Not everyone can dance.” I smile at her.
    “You can.” Her gaze lifts to meet mine, but I feel no warmth from her.
    We sit in silence for a while, and I watch the ice melt in my glass, wanting more alcohol but knowing that I shouldn't have any. There's absolutely no reason to keep my buzz going now. The night is winding down, and I need to sleep soon. It's going to be a big day tomorrow.
    “I'm probably going to bed right after you leave,” I mention, just to make