Chapter Nine:

DIMITRI:

I was being set up. In fact, as soon as Ivan mentioned that he and Sasha (his new girlfriend) were going out to a party tonight, I knew what was coming. Normally, if Ivan were going to do anything on campus, he wouldn't bother to detail his intentions so vocally unless he had a plan to drag me along. Tonight was different in many ways. First, he was using Sasha to help trap me into going to this party too. He threw a set of clothes at me as I stared disbelievingly at him. He then waited for me to pick up the clothes and go change. The second thing different about being hauled out against my will, was that Sasha was bringing her friend as well. Like I said, I was being set up.

The third thing that was far different than I could've predicted, was the girl who somewhat apathetically walked into the room to meet Sasha.

I was in deep trouble. Sasha and Ivan were hell-bent on making me miserable tonight. They had set me up with Bridgette Pearce. Bridgette Pearce, the only girl at school I was interested in academically destroying; the only girl at school who gave me any real competition; and coincidentally and most importantly, the only girl that I was currently interested in period. I took in a deep breath. When she walked into the large room, she looked good. I felt a small pang of jealousy when other Dhampirs and even some Moroi looked at her the same way I was.

My interest in her had not started until recently. When I had first met Bridgette years ago, she was arrogant, impetuous, and condescending. She had her immense strengths, but they were overshadowed by everything else. In the past few months though, something about Bridgette had changed dramatically. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but there was a different sort of fire in her-a fire that I wanted to cool. I was going straight to Hell for these thoughts of her.

I was dreaming about her too. The first time I'd dreamt about her, I felt it was wrong. It made me even more uneasy around her. I had shaken it off as a one-time thing, but then it happened again, and again, and so on. It was a different dream most days when I slept (stupid vampire schedule), but the outcome was always the same. Once I was fully under her spell, she ended up in my arms, in my bed, and so willingly under my control.

Tonight I couldn't take my eyes off of her. I tried my hardest, but the best I could do was keep looking at her from the corner of my eye. She wore a startling short dress in deep midnight blue. It showed off her body, highlighting every exquisite curve, just as my dreams often did.

"You're going straight to Hell Dimitri." I mumbled to myself.

She and Sasha were on their way over to where me and Ivan waited. My eyes started low, working up her tanned toned legs, stopping briefly at her thighs, eventually covered by fabric, but no less tempting. I let my eyes move up higher, admiring the curve of her waistline, and then higher to her perfect…"

"Dimitri, you know Bridgette." Sasha spoke, practically shoving the two of us together as she and Ivan then made their escape together into the crowd of partying Moroi and Dhampirs.

"Hey." Bridgette said in Russian. "Did you get ambushed by Ivan and Sasha too? I didn't expect to see you here."

She actually spoke Russian well, despite being British. Her own accent mixed with the Russian language made her even sexier, I thought with a shake of my head. I changed my thoughts as best as I could manage. It made me less uncomfortable and stressed knowing that she had been dragged out tonight too. It meant that neither of us was studying today. She was taking a break too.

"I didn't expect to see you here either." I mentioned to her, keeping thoughts of her lying across my bed, or lying underneath me out of my head. It was not working at all. I was thinking about her accent after she had spoken to me. I was thinking about having that accent whispering in my ear. I closed my eyes, forcing away thoughts of her saying my name over and over again. Was it so bad that I was thinking of her this way? Sure, we were constantly in competition with each other, but what she didn't know couldn't hurt her. Just because I was bound and determined to defeat her in every training aspect, did not mean I couldn't admire her.

Ivan broke me out of my thoughts this time. "Come on you two." He pulled on my arm, guiding Bridgette as well in the direction of a gathering group.

"We are going to play a game." Sasha said,

"What sort of game?" Bridgette was pulled over to where Sasha sat.

I saw Ivan smile. "Think of this game like truth or dare." He and Sasha explained.

I did not like the way this sounded. Bridgette hesitantly sat beside Sasha while Ivan and I sat across from them in the small forming circle. Another Moroi pulled off his hat, instructing everyone to place a piece of paper with their name on it inside. The game was self-explanatory. Choose truth, and you were expected to reveal anything you were asked. Choose dare, and you were provided ample opportunity to do something embarrassing or…

"You like her?" Ivan leaned over, questioning me quietly. "Admit it."

My eyes shot to his. "What? I wasn't so good at feigning innocence, especially with Ivan. He knew me well. "Who?"

He laughed out loud. "I thought your goal was to out do her, not to…"

"Watch it Zeklos." I stopped his comment, keeping my voice as low as possible.

Bridgette's turn came around, and I swear I saw her squirm where she sat. Ivan and Sasha gave each other knowing looks. They were plotting and they were not so secret about it. Nothing good ever came from Ivan's evil plans.

"Truth or dare Bridgette?" Sasha asked her.

Bridgette chose dare, a reckless decision I thought, but I think I would choose the same, unwilling to reveal any personal secrets.

"You and Dimitri seemed friendly earlier. Why don't you two get friendlier."

Brdgette looked fearful of what her friend was going to propose. She exhaled easily when Sasha suggested a simple kiss.

"That's it?" She said, looking over to me.

That's it? As if it really were that simple, I considered. I felt my muscles tense as she crawled across the circle, coming towards me with a casual look on her face. She was so close now that I could smell her perfume. It sent a wave of desire through me, and before I was completely recovered, I felt her mouth press to mine, my hand instinctively moving to her waist.

When she broke the short kiss seconds later, I still felt stunned. My only saving grace would be a few others taking turns before I could find my stoic demeanor. Of course, I lost every bit of reticence as soon as Ivan spoke up. I still wasn't going to choose truth, but knew Ivan was going to take this thing between me and Bridgette farther.

"We've seen Bridgette kiss you, but you look like you could use a reminder, or a second shot."

He was definitely taking advantage of this situation. I saw Bridgette's face go from uninterested in others taking their turns, to provoked by Ivan. She stood, searching the eyes of everyone around us. I was half-expecting her to leave. She didn't. I also knew she was braver than Ivan gave her credit for sometimes.

"Are you quitting?" Ivan taunted her, gaining a glare I was glad she did not direct at me.

Bridgette scoffed. "Not hardly. I just don't plan on giving you another show Zeklos." Her eyes turned to me then. "You coming with me, or not?"

Uncertain of what I was getting myself into, I followed her out of the room, walking at a quick pace alongside her, down the hall, passing empty dark classrooms.

"Where are we going Bridgette?" I kept my voice level.

"Just a bit farther." She said. "My. Bartov never locks his classroom."

I was curious to know how she had that bit of information, but didn't ask. I had a different question for her. "Can I ask you something?"

She nodded, slowing down, both of us always looking out for Guardians patrolling.

"Why did you opt to leave? Why not complete the dare back there?" I was somewhat afraid of what her answer might be.

She flipped her hair to the side, giving me a view of her neck. I had to bite down onto my lower lip, stopping myself from stopping to kiss her here.

""Relax Belikov. I was truthful with your friend back there. I don't fancy making a show for others."

"You didn't have to go through with it."

She came to a halt, causing me to stumble once. "And you didn't have to agree, but you did." Her expression changed then too. "You don't have to kiss me again, if you don't want to."

I made my way back to her in half a step. Was she serious? Not kiss her again? "Given the chance to kiss you once was amazing. Getting to do it again…" I looked down at her, swallowing hard. "Of course I wasn't to kiss you Bridgette." I ran my hand up her side, pulling her closer.

And then it happened. She kissed me again. Lifting onto her toes, she barely pressed her lips to mine, giving a light and brief kiss first. She leaned back for the slightest moment, looking at me with those light blue eyes of hers, daring me to fall into the depths of wonder.

"Bridgette." I leaned in, hoping not to be denied.

Her palm moved to the back of my neck, pulling me down to her. The exhilaration of kissing her this time was like nothing I had ever experienced. I had kissed other girls, but the way Bridgette kissed me was different. I couldn't get enough. I kept my mouth to hers while we moved together into a nearby classroom. Bridgette got the door open, pulling me inside with her as I kicked it closed.

She pushed me up against the now closed door, kissing me with an abandon we both needed in some form or another. Letting go felt good. Her body pressed against mine made me want more of her. She was the one to break the kiss, allowing us both to catch our breath.

"This doesn't change anything between us Belikov."

I couldn't hide my smirk. "Of course not." I hadn't thought that much would change between us because of a kiss, but then I felt her hands run over my chest.

"I'm still going to have to ask you to kiss me like that again."

Her request was impulsive. It caught me off-guard, but I was not going to refuse. Grasping her hips tight with my hands, I moved us further into the room. I closed my eyes, feeling her fingers move under the back of my shirt. There was no distance between us as my mouth took possession of hers again. The student desks were too low and small to get any leverage in our spontaneous make-out session. Instead, I made the choice to lift her up onto the Instructor's desk. It brought us nearly face-to-face.

"It's about time Belikov." I heard her say between shallow breaths.

I held back a second more. "What? What do you…"

Bridgette cut off anything I might've asked, pulling off my shirt, tossing it to the side, her hands then gripping the muscles in my back.

"I have been waiting to get you half-naked for months." She drove me even wilder by tilting her head back, allowing a soft cry of pleasure to escape as I lifted her dress off of her toned breathtaking body, teasing her as my hands and mouth slowly ran over parts of her uncovered skin. If she wanted me half-naked, I figured it was only fair to have her the same way.

"Bridgette," I left kisses from her jaw-line, to the nape of her neck, "you should've told me sooner."

She gripped at me tighter. "Competition drives more than academic greatness Dimitri."

She said my name, and it took no more convincing.

Minutes later, she and I were both nearly undressed, pressing and arching against each other. There were usually more important things I should be concentrating on, but right now, all I could think about was Bridgette. Every touch, every kiss, every arousing movement continued to stir the passionate encounter.

I woke, feeling happy and content. I was in bed with Bridgette curled up against me, sleeping soundly. This was something that I missed. Dreaming about that single moment when my relationship with Bridgette had shifted, was amazing. It was one of my favorite memories of her. We never had sex that day, but it was one of the single best moments she and I had together. I circled my arms around her tighter, feeling her heartbeat against mine. Recalling that last memory brought on another as my eyes closed, and I fell back into a sweet dream. I remembered then how much more things changed between us on my eighteenth-birthday.

I was curled up on my bed, reading through the cards and western novels my family had sent earlier. I was fully engrossed in one of the books when the knock on my door sounded. Ivan was hanging out in a chair, bored until I would agree to sneak out for my birthday. He jumped at the chance to answer the door, sprinting to open it. It was Bridgette. She stood in the doorway, wearing a short gray coat. She whispered something into Ivan's ear, just before he turned to me and smiled, grabbing his coat to leave.

"I'll catch up with you in a while Dimitri. Enjoy your birthday." He said.

I stood as Bridgette entered my room, closing the door behind her. She slowly moved around the space of my room, looking at pictures, picking up books, and finally leaning indifferently against my dresser.

"Why did Ivan leave?" I questioned. I was pretty sure I knew why he'd left, but wanted to know what she had whispered to him to make him leave so quickly. I had never been able to get rid of him so effortlessly.

"I thought I should stop by to give you your birthday gift."

I blinked a few times. "You didn't have to…"

"What are your plans for the next few hours?" She asked.

I was actually dressed to go work out in the gym with Galina. That had been my plan after discovering a few chapters in a new book.

"I was going to go down to the gym." I told her. "You can join me if you'd like."

She gave a short soft laugh, walking closer to me. "We could go to the gym today. You have the day off and it's your birthday."

"You sound as though you have a better idea Bridgette."

"I do." She was now so close to me. "You could go to the gym, or you could help me with my coat."

Her offer had me curious, considering what she was planning.

"Help me remove my coat Dimitri." She then insisted.

I waited for her to untie the front before pulling it from her shoulders, and taking it off to reveal a wonderful surprise. Once her coat was off, I saw that Bridgette was wearing nothing more than a pink bra, with an unbelievably short skirt, that was barely a skirt. It barely covered anything below her upper thighs. I had never seen a skirt so short.

"Bridgette, you look…"

"Yes, I do, but if you have plans to go to the gym, I guess I should go." She attempted to turn away, to leave, stopped immediately as my hands gripping her sides, pulling her back to my chest. I ran my hand over her stomach, up over her breasts, leaving small kisses from her ear to her shoulder.

"You aren't going anywhere yet." I said, evoking one of those soft provocative moans from her. Once I relaxed my grasp, sure she wasn't going to leave, she took a step away from me, teasing me again as she stood a foot from me, wanting me as much as I wanted her.

"You know," I said as she ran her hands up my entire body, "someone might think that you showing up here, dressed like this, could mean that you intend to do more than the kissing we've been doing lately."

Bridgette lifted to her toes, using her mouth to play at my neck and gently bite at my ear.

"You are a spectacular kisser Belikov, but if anyone were to assume that I came here to do more than that, they would be right." She set herself back to the floor, smiling seductively at the clear shock on my face.

"Bridgette, are you sure?"

Her eyes were the first thing to say yes, her hands the second as she started to strip me, and her body was the third. "Yes. I'm sure Dimitri." She stepped over to my bed, crawling onto it, and waiting for me to join her.

I did, pulling her hard against me, quickly joining my body with hers.

A soft hand gently drawing down my chest slowly brought me back from my memories. Opening one eye, looking to my left, I spied Bridgette, watching me as I slept.

"Good dream?" She asked, and I had to smile.

"Not a dream. A memory."

She leaned up onto her elbow, interested to hear more.

"First, I was thinking about truth or dare."

My comment made her laugh softly, the same memory returning to her. "That was when things between us changed." Bridgette recalled. "I never wanted to stop kissing you after that."

I touched my fingers to her lips, running my thumb across the softness of her mouth.

"That wasn't really when things changed though Bridge."

"No? It was when I decided that I prefer kissing you to punching you." She smirked a little then. "Mind you, I never once let up on taking you down."

"I always thought kissing you was far better use of our time, but I was also thinking about my eighteenth-birthday. Things really changed then."

Bridgette smiled as widely as me.

"That was one of the best experiences between us Bridgette." I told her.

She sat up completely, looking away from me. "That wasn't the best time though." Her hand ran up my calf muscle and then my inner thigh. "I seem to recall an amazing night in St. Petersburg. That was the best."

"My twenty-first birthday." I said, bringing to mind the same memory. That night had been top of my list as well, but had been blocked out every so often only because of the circumstances at the time.

Bridgette must've seen my ache in recalling the reason why she had been in Russia again back then. She took my hand with hers. "I was so surprised when you let me blindfold you." She flipped around, fully facing me. "That was when I really knew that you trusted me Dimka."

I sat up with her, pulling her across my lap to straddle me. "I trust you my Bridgette. I trust you always." I showed her then every bit of my trust in her, needing her in every way possible.