You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
lie low. Today, she'd chosen to stay out of the other royals' way and simply enjoy this small,<br />
private party of those who didn't shun her.<br />
Dimitri had been invited to the gathering, and a bit of my resolve faltered when I saw him. He'd<br />
actually dressed up for the occasion. Okay, "dressed up" might have been an exaggeration, but<br />
it was the closest I'd ever seen him come to that. Usually he just looked a little rough…like he<br />
could spring into battle at any given moment. Today, his dark hair was tied at the back of his<br />
neck, as though he'd actually tried to make it neat. He wore his usual jeans and leather boots,<br />
but instead of a T-shirt or thermal shirt, he had on a finely knit black sweater. It was just an<br />
ordinary sweater, nothing designer or expensive, but it added a touch of polish I didn't usually<br />
see, and good God, did it fit him well.<br />
Dimitri wasn't mean to me or anything, but he certainly didn't go out of his way to make<br />
conversation with me. He did talk to Tasha, however, and I watched with fascination as they<br />
conversed in that easy way of theirs. I'd since learned that a good friend of his was a distant<br />
cousin of Tasha's family; that was how the two of them knew each other.<br />
"Five?" asked Dimitri in surprise. They were discussing the friend's children. "I hadn't heard<br />
that."<br />
Tasha nodded. "It's insane. I swear, I don't think his wife's had more than six months off<br />
between kids. She's short, too— so she just gets wider and wider."<br />
"When I first met him, he swore he didn't even want kids."<br />
Her eyes widened excitedly. "I know! I can't believe it. You should see him now. He just melts<br />
around them. I can't even understand him half the time. I swear, he speaks more baby talk than<br />
English."<br />
Dimitri smiled his rare smile. "Well…children do that to people."<br />
"I can't imagine it happening to you," she laughed. "You're always so stoic. Of course … I<br />
suppose you'd be doing baby talk in Russian, so no one would ever know."<br />
They both laughed at that, and I turned away, grateful Mason was there to talk to. He was a<br />
good distraction from everything, because in addition to Dimitri ignoring me, Lissa and
Change language