Thank you very much for all the reviews! They're much appreciated! :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.

CHAPTER 10

DPOV

It had taken all of me not to rush back to Rose's apartment right after work. But after being in Ivan's company for an hour, who kept asking me where I'd been las night, I had to leave. I needed to see Rose. I'd had trouble concentrating on work because of that kiss. It was all I'd thought about today. Why had she even kissed me? It had been so out of the blue, just like when she'd called me comrade ten seconds before that wonderful kiss.

A lot of surprising things had happened this morning and now I wanted to know where I stood. I was desperately hoping that it meant she'd forgiven me for my mistakes. But maybe she already regretted kissing me. Maybe that's why no one was buzzing me in.

After two minutes, someone walked out of the apartment building so I quickly slipped inside. There were a few people waiting for the elevator so I took the stairs instead. I knocked a few times on her door, but the door stayed closed. Either she wasn't home or she was trying to avoid me. I wanted to believe it was the former. I realized a little bit too late that I probably should've texted her before coming over. With a sigh, I rested my back against the wall and slid down until I was seated on the floor. If I was going to wait, I might as well make myself comfortable.

Thirty minutes passed and I was still sitting against that damn wall. Where could she have gone? But just when I was about to give up and call her, she stepped out of the elevator and into the hallway. She stopped short when she saw me.

"When did you get here?" she asked, surprised.

Quickly, I got up from the floor and cleared my throat. "A few minutes ago."

I didn't want her to know I'd been here for over half an hour because then she might think I was stalking her – which I wasn't. This was just me being desperate.

"Are you going to come inside or do you want to linger in the hallway?" Rose asked as she stood by the door, holding it open for me.

I stepped inside and she closed the door behind me. She then walked around me to the living room and I followed her.

"You had a good day at work?"

I looked at her, perplexed. How could she act so normal after this morning? As if nothing had happened. Maybe I was overreacting here, but that kiss had meant something to me. I thought it meant she forgave me, but she was being so casual with me right now, it was confusing the hell out of me.

"Dimitri, are you okay?"

I blinked. "No, I'm not…" I cut myself off, shaking my head. She was staring at me, her brows furrowed as if she was the one who was confused. "Aren't we going to talk about what happened this morning?"

She tilted her head a little. "This morning?"

I looked at her, incredulous. "When you called me comrade and kissed me outside your apartment building?"

She nodded in understanding. "Oh, that."

I waited for her to say more, but she said nothing else. She just looked right back at me. I narrowed my eyes at her, wondering what she was thinking.

"Look, if I came on too strong, I apologize," I said after a few moments, my voice softer now. "I didn't want to confront you like this, but I'm really confused – because of this morning and the way you're reacting right now." I sighed. "I just want to know if that kiss means something or if you think it was a mistake or…what? Why are you laughing at me?"

I looked at her, completely puzzled, as she started laughing harder. I crossed my arms and waited it out. There was something going on with her and I wasn't sure if I should be worried or not.

"Chill out, comrade." Her laughter died down, but the smile stayed on her face. "I was wondering how long it'd take for you to bring that kiss up. Didn't take that long."

My mouth fell open in surprise. "So you were messing with me?"

Her smile turned mischievous. "Maybe a little bit."

"Were you messing with me this morning?" I asked, cautious now.

To my relief, she shook her head. "No," she answered softly. "That was real." I didn't really know how to respond to that, but that wasn't necessary. Rose hadn't finished yet. "I, umm, I've done some more thinking this afternoon."

"Like the thinking you did last night when you were supposed to be asleep?" I asked, feeling a flicker of hope again.

She nodded, then slowly walked her way over to me. She stopped mere inches from me, looking up at my face. "I probably should have said this earlier. I don't know why I didn't, but I'll say it now."

I held my breath as I waited for her to continue, anxious to hear her next words.

"I forgive you," she said after a pause, her eyes never leaving mine.

Once again she'd rendered me speechless. The only thing I could do was stare at her in awe. This incredible woman never ceased to amaze me. In this moment, I'd never been so grateful in my life before, it brought actual tears to my eyes.

"You do?" I whispered at last.

She nodded. "I thought that would make you happy, but it looks like you're going to cry."

I gave out a short laugh. Closing the distance between us, I put my hands on her waist, lifting her in the air and twirling her around. She started laughing as well as she quickly wrapped her arms around my neck. When I put her back down, I held her close against me and buried my face in her neck. Closing my eyes, I breathed in the scent of her raspberry shampoo.

"I love you so much, Roza," I murmured, almost desperate as I stroked her hair.

When I pulled back from our embrace, Rose was smiling at me. Slowly, I started to lean in and lightly pressed my lips against hers. I wanted to take this slow and savor this moment with her, but as soon as my lips connected with hers, I forgot all about that.

Pulling her closer, I kissed her passionately, sliding my tongue against her lips. Letting out a soft moan, Rose opened her mouth and I brushed my tongue against hers. I still wanted her closer, but she was already pressed flush against me. The only barrier between us left were our clothes. I didn't want to rush things, though I realized that we'd already had sex the very first night we'd seen each other after spending six years apart. But this was a fresh start and I didn't want to screw it up by going too fast. I would let Rose decide where and when this ended.

But so far Rose didn't want to seem to stop. She started pulling me back toward the bedroom. As soon as I realized that, I lifted her into my arms again. Rose broke away from me for a second, letting out a surprised yelp. Then a smile covered her face again and she leaned back in, kissing me with fervor as she wrapped her legs around my waist.

I pushed open the bedroom door with my foot and walked her inside, gently dropping her onto the bed. Quickly, I took off my T-shirt before lowering myself on top of her. As we kissed, my hands found their way to the hem of her top and I started to push it up. I wanted to slow down, but I was suddenly in desperate need of her. Rose must've felt how desperate I was because she let out a muffled giggle against my lips.

- Start M SCENE -

She pulled away from the kiss and pulled her top over her head before unclasping her bra in one swift motion. My hands were already working on her shorts, undoing the button and then dragging them together with her panties over her thighs. I made quick work of my jeans and boxers. Rose looked at me, biting her lip, as I fumbled for my wallet. When I finally found a condom, I threw my wallet on the heap of clothes on the floor. After putting the condom in place, I settled between her legs.

But before I could bury myself inside her, Rose caught me by surprise and rolled us over. Now she was straddling me, looking down at me with a grin. She ran her hands down my chest and a groan escaped my lips as I looked at her with admiration and longing. My hands found their way to her hips as she slid down my length, agonizingly slow. I knew she was teasing me, and boy, was it working.

When I was fully inside her, Rose slowly started to move on top of me. She was still looking at me, moaning in pleasure. I wasn't sure how much longer I could take this. She was driving me crazy. Letting out a low growl, I tightened my hands on her hips and rolled us over again. Rose let out a small gasp, but then smiled as she wrapped her arms around my neck. I pressed my lips against hers with an urgency I'd never felt before as I pushed inside of her again. With each thrust, she moaned my name – each time louder and louder.

I realized I wasn't going to be able to hold on much longer. I started moving inside of her in a frenzied pace and Rose's voice grew louder, still calling out my name, as I sent her over the edge. I climaxed inside her seconds after and buried my face in her neck, my lips pressed against her skin. When I finally looked up at her, I was still panting. She gave me a loving smile and ran her hand through my hair before pressing a soft kiss to my lips.

"I think your neighbors might've heard us," I murmured against her lips, smiling as well.

She started giggling. "I think the whole building heard us."

I pecked her lips. "You were pretty loud," I teased.

She gave a light push against my chest, trying and failing to look offended. I kissed her plump lips again before moving off of her. After tossing the condom in the trashcan, I crawled back in beside her, draping my arm over her waist. We lay in a comfortable silence for a while, gazing at each other.

- end M SCENE -

"Are you hungry?" Rose asked at last.

"Why?" I returned, raising an eyebrow. "Are you going to cook now? It's already past nine." I pulled her closer to me, pressing my lips against her cheek. "I'd rather stay here with you. I'm not that hungry."

"But I bet you haven't had dinner yet," she said. I protested as she started to get up, trying to pull her back into bed. "Don't worry. I'm not going to cook."

I wanted to ask her what she was going to do then, but she'd left before I got the chance. Not even a minute later, she returned with a grin plastered across her face and a bag of potato chips. I chuckled as she jumped back into bed and opened the bag of chips. I sat up straight, leaning my back against the headboard as she offered me the bag.

"It's better than nothing," she said before popping a crisp into her mouth.

I reached into the bag and took out a potato chip. It was true I hadn't had dinner yet, but I didn't care about that. All I cared about right now was being with Rose and I'd be damned if I was going to get up to make myself dinner.

"Can I ask you a question?" I asked cautiously.

We'd been eating in silence for about ten minutes. The bag was empty now and Rose got up to throw it in the trash before curling up at my side again. I slid down to where she was lying so that we were face to face.

"What question?" she said, looking up at me.

I bit the inside of my cheek. I didn't want to come off as a jealous jerk, not after what just happened, but this thought had formed in the back of my mind for a while now and it wasn't going away.

"Please don't get mad," I murmured, stroking her hair.

Rose looked confused. "Why would I be mad?"

"I was kind of wondering how many boyfriends you've had since…" I sighed, unable to look her in the eyes. "I know about Luke, but surely there are other men who've tried to win your heart," I said reluctantly, twirling a strand of her hair around my finger.

"Are you jealous, comrade?" Rose said, half laughing.

Finally, I looked up at her. "I'm not jealous. I'm just…curious."

She grinned at me. "Sure you are."

I cut her a look, but said nothing. Maybe I was jealous. I didn't really want to think too much about all the guys that had been with her, but not knowing was driving me insane as well. Maybe if I knew how many boyfriends she'd had while I'd been in prison, I'd feel better. Yeah right, Dimitri. Keep on dreaming.

Still grinning, Rose pushed me onto my back and moved on top of me. Her breasts were pressed against my chest, making it hard for me to remember what the hell I'd even asked her. Was she trying to distract me on purpose?

"There were a few guys," she admitted after a pause.

I winced and looked away, but she cupped my face in her hands and made me look at her again. I swallowed pas the lump in my throat and asked, "Were you serious with any of them?"

Rose shook her head. "They were just flings. It never lasted long." She gave me a rueful smile. "Mainly because I was still pining after you."

I knew it was awful of me that this made me feel better somehow. But I couldn't help but feel relieved that she'd still loved me enough to not want to make a commitment to another man. I guess when it came to Roza, I was a selfish man.

Rose sighed, but then her face brightened. "If it makes you feel any better, you're way better in bed than any of them."

I narrowed my eyes at her playfully. "You're just saying that to reassure me. And it's working."

She grinned again, brushing her lips against mine. "I mean it," she murmured. "And I'm not just talking about the sex." She pulled back slightly to look at me. "No man can make me feel the things I feel when I'm with you. No one can compare to you, comrade."

My heart swelled as I looked at her. A smile tugged at my lips and I slid my hands up her arms and over her shoulders to her back. She looked back at me, almost shy, as she bit down on her lower lip.

"Any more questions?" she asked softly.

I trailed my hands down her back and cupped her behind. "Not at the moment."

Rose grinned at me and I grinned back before rolling us over until I was back on top of her. Leaning in, I kissed her passionately. I had the feeling this night was far from over.

So Rose has finally forgiven Dimitri, yay! I hope you liked this chapter. I'm sorry if there are more mistakes than usual. I'm not feeling that well so I reread it quickly before posting. Hope you're having a great day/evening! :)