Naturally, that would be the moment my mother decided to barge into my room.
"Rose, I wanted to talk with you about-"
So that is how she found us. My stoic, level headed mother who had only recently decided to take an interest in my life found me naked and straddling my still partially erect ex-mentor's also naked body. She stopped dead in her tracks, mouth agape. I could have heard a pin drop in that moment.
Dimitri and I were frozen in place, both of us holding our breath hoping this was all some sort of hallucination. It was finally Dimitri who broke the tension by reaching down for the long forgotten sheets that had been pushed down to the foot of the bed. In any other situation it would have been comical, watching the way his hunter's gaze scrutinized the scene before him while simultaneously trying to tenderly wrap my body in the silky sheets.
Jeanine averted her gaze and continued, "I wanted to talk with you about your relationship with Guardian Belikov. Under the circumstances, I will wait outside while he puts his clothes on and leaves." The last few words came out with a snarl and it became obvious that she was barely keeping her anger in check.
"No," Dimitri stated plainly. I looked at him in shock. No one just said "no," to my mother. It simply wasn't done. But looking at the predator's calm determination in his face and his possessive arm around my body, I knew he would not be denied.
Realizing that I was still technically straddling him, I got off of his lap and sat next to him, facing Janine. She was still standing in place, her jaw practically on the floor. "Mom," I began, "Would you give me a moment to freshen up, and I can meet you outside?"
I spoke slowly and succinctly so there was no possibility of being misinterpreted. It was like watching two Alpha lions dispute over territory. The thought bothered me until I realized that Dimitri didn't consider me his territory. I was his mate, his equal. I was an Alpha, too, damn it! Still, I had to be careful. When an Alpha thinks something belongs to them, they can get dangerous when that ownership was threatened. I knew the same was true for Janine.
"I-" she began, "I um… okay. I'll be waiting outside."
After she left, I looked over at Dimitri beside me. "Well, that went about as well as could be expected," I said.
"I suppose so," he conceded. "Do you want me to leave?"
"No!" I said, somewhat louder and more frantic sounding than I had intended. He cast me a knowing smile.
"Ok, well I'll be here when you get back," he stated. Then, regretfully, I got out of bed and put on a pair of yoga pants and tank top.
Janine was waiting for me out in the hall. I motioned her to go into the room across the hall that I knew was vacant.
She started talking before I finished closing the door. "Let's start with the obvious question. How long has this been going on?"
"That's none of your business," I started.
"It is if he was fucking my underage daughter while mentoring her in high school," her harsh words rang out like thunder, and hurt more than I thought they would.
"We tried- I mean, we both tried not to, but…." I didn't quite know what to say. "It only happened once while I was still in school. It was just before the Strigoi attack. I was upset and he was trying to comfort me, and we'd both been denying our feelings for so long, it just… happened. We were planning to become a real couple once I graduated but then…" Reliving it seemed to bring up all the old emotions, and I desperately tried to reign in tears.
Her expression softened. "Oh, honey, no wonder you were so upset."
She paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts. "Rose, you're an adult now, so your choices are your own, as they probably always have been. But you have to realize the effect this… affair could have on both of your careers. You don't like what I'm saying? Honey, you have never lived at court. The stakes here are much higher than they were in high school, and you have so many enemies who will use this against you."
"I love him, mom; more than anything," I said.
She sighed. "You better, considering what you'll both have to go through for this. The Ivashkov boy is the least of your worries at this point."
Mentioning Adrian filled me with guilt as I remembered what Dimitri and I had done to him. How could something feel so perfect and shameful at the same time?
Janine left soon after to go attend to other Guardian matters, but not before casting a knowing look at my bedroom door. I sighed.
When I walked back in, Dimitri was reading a novel and looking very comfortable in my bed. The thought gave me a giggling happy feeling inside, and almost all of the negative feelings from talking to my mother fled my mind.
"You look awfully comfortably there, Guardian Belikov. Just exactly how many nights did you spend in it waiting for me to wake up after surgery?"
I intended it as a joke, but his voice took on a slightly more serious tone. "All of them, Roza," he said softly.
"Dimitri," was all I could manage before crawling back into bed. His arms enveloped me in a warm embrace and we simply held each other for a moment.
I took his hand and placed it over my chest, where my gunshot wound had been. Lissa had healed me after I survived surgery, so there wasn't even a scar. Neither one of us had been exactly 100% for a few days, but I wasn't exactly recovering from major surgery anymore.
"Look, all healed up. Almost like it never happened," I said softly, gazing intently into his eyes.
He smiled sadly before gently placing a kiss on my chest directly over where I had been shot. Even without a scar, I doubted he'd ever forget its exact location. "But it did, and I don't know what I would have done if I'd lost you."
I felt a pang in my chest from his words. This was getting too sad. I refused to be sad today.
"I know," I said, "but you didn't, and now we're both alive, together at last, and all alone in this comfy bed."
I swept my arms across the vast expanse of the bed suggestively. It was at least a King, it would have to be to hold Dimitri, who towered over everyone at 6'7". I suspected I had Lissa to thank for the accommodations.
Understanding me intent, Dimitri gave me a wide, wicked smile as his hand moved from my chest to cup my breast.
"Indeed, we are," he replied before holding me closer and trailing kisses down my my neck. His hand freed my breast from my tank top and carefully rubbing his thumb over my nipple. That simply action made my eyes flutter closed and a soft moan escape my lips.
As I felt his erection grow against my leg, I said teasingly, "I didn't actually think you'd be ready again this soon."
The laughter in his eyes mirrored mine as he replied, "Rose, I'm always ready for this when I'm with you."
"Well, then, this presents an ideal opportunity to show me what you meant," I said.
"What I meant, when?" he asked.
"What you meant in the hotel room when you said that next time we did this, you'd show me how much stronger your self control was. You said you'd make me lose control in seconds," I whispered huskily. Our lips were so close I could feel his breath on my skin. His eyes grew darker and darker as I spoke until he captured my mouth in a searing kiss.
He broke the kiss all too soon, saying, "I think that can be arranged."
Then suddenly I was on my back, his arms pinning me down beneath his body. I gasped in pleasure when his fingers entered me.
A low growl of appreciation came from his lips. "Already so wet, Roza. Oh, the things I want to do to you…"
Anticipation and lust coursed through my veins with his words. This was a side to Dimitri I'd never seen before. His eyes danced with mischief and his hands were rough and demanding.
With no warning, he flipped me over again so I was laying on my stomach. "On your knees, Roza," he said softly.
I obeyed, excitement sending shivers down my body. Then he was behind me, his hardness pressing up against me in the most delicious way possible.
"You're going to want to find something to hold onto," he stated plainly, his voice laced with endless promises.
I cried out as he entered me, filling me entirely. This was not soft, gentle Dimitri. I liked it. I grabbed the headboard in front of me and held on. He began to move; his long, powerful thrusts left me breathless. His pace was impossible to match, his grip on my thighs was the only thing keeping me in place. I knew there was very little I could do instead of just enjoying the ride.
One of his hands reached around and found my clit and began stroking me mercilessly. In seconds, I was screaming his name as I felt my orgasm rip through my body like lightning.
And he was still there, thrusting into me as he rode me through my orgasm. Moments later he came, emptying himself in me.
I fell the moment he let go of my hips, completely exhausted. He hit the bed next to me with a soft thud. I looked over at Dimitri as I tried to get control of my breathing. "Is that- Is that the best you got?" I asked playfully.
He smiled that perfect smile of his and said, "You have no idea, Roza."
