Lemon Alert: As this story is being posted in the T category I am obliged to warn you that there is a LENGTHY LEMON at the end of this chapter. I considered marking it in-text for those who don't wish to read, but decided against this. When does an intimate encounter really begin? Kisses? Removal of clothing? Body contact? It is impossible to define. I'd argue that Rose & Dimitri have been on a journey towards this destination ever since their very first meeting, and I won't rob them (or you) of the wonder of their first time.

In summary, if it gets too heavy just skip to the last chapter break. Otherwise, enjoy!

25. The Cabin

'Everybody out!' Sheriff Peterson bellowed, and one by one the survivors exited the church until only Alberta and Rose remained. Dimitri hovered by the door, calling out orders for Christian to leave Lisa and send for Doctor Sage, and charging all able bodied men to transport the wounded to the hotel to await treatment.

Among the casualties, Victor Dashley had a mild concussion, and his only 'hounds' to survive were nursing burns to his right side after Adrian's flask of spirits and Christian's match had found a new joint-purpose in life. Mr Ivara got away with a minor gunshot wound to his thigh, and Sonya Karp had collapsed – probably from a combination of malnutrition and exhaustion rather than any injury sustained in the gunfight. With prompt treatment they were all expected to make full recoveries, but inside the church a young woman was suffering from far deeper wounds that weren't going to heal so easily.

'Rose. Sweetheart. You need to leave him now,' Alberta stood just out of range of the girl's flailing attacks with the hat-pin.

'Mason's gone. He wouldn't want to see you like this. Come away.'

'Get away from him, or so help me God…!' she wasn't going to give him up without a fight, and the sheriff decided to let nature take its course, retreating to the back of the church to wait it out.

Rose needed to realise that her beloved friend was gone before she would be ready to listen to reason.

Minutes turned to hours. People came and went, though nobody made it past Deputy Belikov who stood at the entrance to the church with his arms crossed – guarding the sanctity of that building as though his life depended on it. Doctor Sage arrived with his daughter Sydney to tend to the wounded, and the moment Victor Dashley was deemed to have no life-threatening injuries, a temporarily deputised Christian O'Hara took immense pleasure in locking his boss away in the cells – beside the other criminal who had tormented the citizens of Saint's Town for the last time.

It was nearly noon when Rose's vigil ended. A tortured cry echoed around the church and Dimitri rushed inside to see his beautiful, broken Roza scrambling back from Mason's body, looking in horror from the dead man's face to the front of her blood-soaked dress.

'He's dead! Why didn't you tell me?' she cried out to anybody who would listen. The hat-pin clattered to the floor and she stumbled backwards, caught by strong, comforting arms – the deputy reaching her a split-second before Sheriff Peterson made it to the girl's side.

'Give her to me,' the sheriff held out her arms to embrace her daughter, but as soon as Dimitri tried to shift Rose away from him she clung on desperately, shaking her head and whimpering at the loss of contact.

Alberta understood.

'Bring her home, deputy. I'll get her cleaned up then return her into your care. I suspect it's going to take a broader pair of shoulders than mine to fix this problem.'

Dimitri followed her advice without question; lifting the limp, shivering girl in his arms and carrying her out of the church, soothing her fitful tremors with quiet assurances in his native tongue. When they entered Rose's bedroom, Deputy Belikov lowered his precious cargo onto the bed with exceptional gentleness and stood back, not sure if he should stay or leave.

'Give us a few minutes,' Alberta looked tired as she pushed a wisp of sandy-grey hair back from her eyes, moving to prepare the washbasin and lay out a fresh set of clothing.

The girl on the bed was barely lucid, but she understood her protector was being sent away.

'I'll be right outside, Roza. I won't leave you,' Dimitri promised, seeing her frightened expression, and he steeled himself to ignore her weak cry of protest as he stepped out into the hallway.

Twenty minutes later, the sheriff emerged carrying a basket of damp cloths – stained in Mason and Natalie's blood – and the dress Rose had had been wearing, which was balled up to be burnt.

'She's asking for you,' was all she said, nodding her permission for Deputy Belikov to enter the young lady's bedroom.

He didn't hesitate.

Rose was lying on her side with her hands clutched tightly to her chest – a light blanket pulled up over her shoulder – and although she was awake, she barely stirred when Dimitri entered the room. The man advanced to the bedside and pulled up a chair, discarding his hat then touching the back of his hand to Rose's brow.

'Don't leave,' she whispered, surfacing briefly from wherever she had been.

Dimitri's fingers closed over the hand that peeked out from beneath the blanket.

'Never.'

He watched her lying there – motionless except for her breathing – trying to guess what images were passing before her open, unseeing eyes. Even in rest he could see the tension in Rose's features, but at an invisible signal something changed and her face went slack.

'Sheriff!' the sharpness in Dimitri's voice brought her running.

'What is it?' she pushed past him, her heart freezing at the sight of Rose – so still and pale.

'Something's different,' the man fought back panic, opening and closing his hands uselessly. 'She was looking around and then her eyes closed and...'

Alberta's hands fretted over Rose's face, neck and arms, checking for signs of life, before she finally straightened up again, brow softening.

'She's asleep, deputy. Just asleep.'

He hissed a sigh of relief and leant an elbow forward on the bed, pressing his fingers to the bridge of his nose. How did people cope with losing a loved one? Rose was right in front of him, peaceful in slumber, and yet it felt like his chest was being crushed by the weight of his fears for her.

A hand squeezed his shoulder.

'You must be exhausted. I'm happy to take over if you need a break.'

'No,' he blinked his eyes open. 'She wanted me to stay. I won't leave her.'

The sheriff studied him closely then nodded, exiting wordlessly to leave the children in peace.

Rose stirred and slept. Dimitri held her hand, stroking her hair and humming tuneless melodies to calm her whenever nightmares plagued her sleep. The shadows moved across the room and by late afternoon the deputy was beginning to tire. A knock at the door startled him and he glanced around to see Alberta enter, carrying a tray of refreshments.

'She probably needs to eat but I don't want to wake her,' the man spoke up quietly, then immediately returned his attention to Rose, not bothering to unwrap his fingers from around the sleeping girl's hand.

Alberta saw the intimate contact but didn't mention it, only glad her child was no longer in distress.

'It's not for her. It's for you.'

The deputy looked up again, bleary and surprised.

'You have taken such good care of my daughter. It's the least I can do,' she handed him a bowl of soup and sat on the bed by Rose's feet, waiting for him to finish his meal before pressing a coffee-cup into his hands – spiked with a dash of whiskey for warmth.

'Do you remember your first?' she asked idly, watching Rose as she slept. 'The first time you took a life?'

Dimitri lowered his mug.

'Donovan Brennan – one of James Nathan's boys. I shot him in the leg and made his brother Marlen watch while he bled out before I fired a bullet into both of their brains. I told myself I was bringing them to justice but it was just revenge in the end. I vomited till there was no bile left in my stomach and slept for two days straight before I could bear to look at myself again. You?'

'Slit the throat of the man who killed my first husband,' she replied. 'Well, technically the first life I took was a jackrabbit when I was six. To be honest, I felt more remorse about the rabbit.'

A tiny smile pulled at the corners of the deputy's mouth but he fell serious again at the sight of the girl on the bed.

'Do you think she'll be okay?' he asked quietly. 'Losing Mason Ashford that way would have been bad enough, but Natalie…' Every one of Dimitri's kills as a bounty hunter still haunted him to some degree. Rose had killed somebody she once considered a friend, and he wasn't sure how such a brutal end to her innocence was going to affect her.

'We're okay, aren't we?' Alberta replied.

Dimitri held her gaze, reflecting her grave expression.

'Are we?'

He finished his drink in silence then the sheriff collected up the dirty dishes.

'It's nearly dark, deputy. Where are you planning to sleep?'

She didn't mean to hurry him out, but there were certain boundaries that needed to be observed.

'Umm… I hadn't really thought that far ahead,' he admitted, rubbing the heel of his hand across one eye as he looked to Rose with a worried expression.

'I told her I wouldn't leave. What if she wakes up and I'm not here?'

Alberta had an urge to kiss the man on her daughter's behalf but she didn't want to scare him away.

'Let me make a suggestion,' she began. 'Hank Croft arrived a few hours ago. He's offered to watch over the prisoners tonight so I can sit up with Rose. Why don't you take my room? If she's in any trouble, I promise I will call you.'

'Are you sure?' the deputy checked.

He hadn't slept in a real bed for months. He wasn't sure if he could sleep in a real bed anymore.

'Wouldn't offer if I wasn't,' she replied, moving to usher him out of the door, 'but just remember, cowboy – no boots on the bedsheets, and if I find any of my guns on the bookshelf have been disturbed I'll be holding you personally accountable.'

Dimitri smiled faintly in response then glanced back into the room, finding it difficult to leave.

'If she needs me just…'

'I know, son,' Alberta patted his arm. 'I know.'

Rose woke several times in the night, and each time it was Dimitri who soothed her back to sleep. By the time dawn arrived, the sheriff and her deputy were exhausted, but their efforts had not been in vain. Rose was awake and calm, though her eyes were still distant.

'You need to eat,' Alberta lowered a breakfast tray onto Rose's lap but the girl shook her head and looked away.

Alberta tried a few more times then passed the tray to Dimitri.

'Perhaps she'll listen to you, instead, deputy?'

Rose didn't. In the end, Dimitri was forced to concede defeat and he sat back in his chair by the bedside, deciding to read aloud to her rather than suffer her silence.

'What's that?' a croaky whisper brought his storytelling to an abrupt halt.

She'd spied the bookmark that poked up between the pages and Dimitri offered it to her, watching closely to see her reaction.

Rose held the photograph gingerly as she studied the two faces staring back at her; one graceful and serene, the other wild and brimming with life.

'It's you, Roza,' Dimitri spoke to fill the gaping silence. 'And Lisa. I've carried this with me since the day Sheriff Peterson hired me to find you. I should have gotten rid of it when the job was over but I couldn't part with it. Somewhere along the way I guess I fell in love with you and…'

'That's not me,' her voice was cold and tight. 'That girl was innocent, good. You might have fallen in love with her, but that's not me.'

'Oh, Roza,' the man moved swiftly to pluck the photograph from her fingers, sitting on the edge of her bed and taking her face in his hands.

'You are a good person, Rosemarie Hathaway. You are worthy of love, and...'

She looked at him for a second, her breathing accelerating slightly, before she wrenched her face away.

'Get off my bed, Deputy Belikov. I can hear my mother coming up the stairs and I'm sure you wouldn't want to ruin anybody's reputation by being found in such a compromising position.'

Dimitri dropped his hands - stung by the bitterness in her tone - and stepped away from the bed, turning stiffly at the sound of the sheriff entering the room.

Alberta remained in the doorway and beckoned for the deputy to join her.

'I have news,' she spoke quietly. 'I'm afraid there's been another death. Reverend Karp passed away during night of a suspected heart attack. Sonya has taken the blow very badly and her condition has become unstable. Doctor Sage says we should prepare for the worst. I thought you'd want to know.'

'Tanner.'

They both turned to see Rose shifting out of bed, wrapping her silk night-robe tightly around her waist.

'Has anybody contacted Micky Tanner? Sonya's fiancé?'

Alberta looked at her dumbly then turned and shouted back down the stairs.

'Hank!'

A short, stocky man in his late fifties came at the summons, standing just outside the bedroom door.

'What is it Bertie?' he asked sweetly.

'Cut the bullcrap, Hank. Has anybody sent word to Micky Tanner that Sonya is alive?'

Sheriff Croft shook his head.

'I don't think so. We've been so busy with…'

'Damn!' Alberta swore under her breath. 'The poor man's been under the impression his fiancée committed suicide for the last year, then he thought she'd been murdered. Now Sonya's turned up alive and she's probably going to die before he gets a chance to see her one last time. Dammit to hell!'

She punched the door frame for extra emphasis.

Hank was unfazed by the dramatics.

'Hush woman. We'll sort it out. I'll get a message to him on the next pony express…'

'No.' Rose was eerily calm. 'That won't be soon enough. She needs to be with him. We need to take her to Silver Springs.'

Alberta frowned.

'Don't be mad, child. Sonya's hardly in a position to travel. Her condition is declining on bedrest. How do you think she's going to survive a three day journey?'

Rose blinked vacantly.

'If you think she's going to die here anyway, then what's the difference if she dies on the road? She's got a better chance of rallying if she knows she's on her way to see Sheriff Tanner.'

Alberta and Hank fell into a hushed conversation, while Dimitri's attention was fixed intently on the hint of colour crept into Rose's cheeks; a tiny echo of the determined spirit he knew she still possessed, though it was buried so deeply she couldn't see it herself.

'I suppose it's worth a shot,' Sheriff Peterson conceded. 'We can hire a carriage and…'

'No,' the girl said again, more emphatically. 'Too slow. She'll get there faster on horseback.'

Hank shook his head.

'She can't even sit up, love. She wouldn't be able to keep herself in the saddle.'

'She doesn't have to,' Rose looked to Dimitri and he saw the plan that was forming in her mind.

'I can take her,' he spoke up suddenly, eyes stuck to Rose. 'She can ride with me on my stallion. I can keep her safe and get her to Micky Tanner. If she tires I'll let her rest.'

He turned to Alberta, his mind set.

'If she dies, I'll bury her and inform Sheriff Tanner of her passing.'

The woman still looked concerned.

'Are you sure, Belikov?'

He nodded curtly in response and she humphed, deep in thought.

'Stop thinking, Alberta,' Rose murmured flatly, crossing to her wardrobe. 'If we're going to get her there in time then we have to leave now.'

'We?' her mother asked sharply. 'Are you suggesting I let you accompany the deputy? A few minutes ago you were bedridden yourself. You can't expect me to…'

'I won't go without her,' Dimitri's words brought the string of objections to a halt, and he fixed Sheriff Peterson with a meaningful stare.

'If this is what Rose needs to do, then I will help her do it. We'll leave within the hour, and then I'll bring her back to you safely. Just like I did last time.'

It wasn't a request.

An hour later, two horses left Saint's Town; one carrying Sonya Karp, cocooned safely in the arms of Deputy Belikov, and the other ridden by a stern young woman, her pretty face dark with grief and duty.

Hank and Alberta stood on the front porch of the sheriff's office to watch the group depart.

'You know if he does bring her back, she won't be yours anymore, Bertie,' the short man laid his hand over hers, sensing her unspoken worries.

'I know,' she turned to him with a wistful expression. 'But she was never really mine to start with, was she? And I'd rather lose her to a deserving man than to the darkness that has taken hold of her now.'

The two sheriffs waited until the travellers were out of sight then headed back inside the office, Hank's hand resting low on Alberta's back to guide her through the door.

Rose and Dimitri were riding into the sunset but it wasn't a happily ever after – just a race against time to reunite Sonya Karp with the man who loved her.

The days were long and the nights longer. Sonya lolled weakly in the protective circle of Deputy Belikov's arms, and they had to stop frequently to let her rest. Rose never strayed more than a body-length away from the deputy's horse but she remained silent and closed-off, and whenever Dimitri glanced across at her she was looking ahead – always ahead.

When the sun went down, the two women huddled together beneath their blankets; one dancing the fine line between life and death, the other the line between hope and despair. Sonya was by far the weaker of the two, but it was Rose who trembled and cried out in the night.

Deputy Belikov kept to his own side of the fire as long as he could, but in the end he couldn't bear another moment of her anguish. He lay down beside his poor, lost Roza and tucked her firmly against his chest, holding her until the nightmares passed.

They arrived at Saint's Town on the evening of the third day, just before nightfall. The streets were nearly empty but there was a light shining in the sheriff's office – Micky Tanner must have been working late.

'Wake up, Miss Karp. We're here,' Dimitri shook her gently and helped her down from the horse.

She was too weak to stand, so the deputy carried her, walking past Rose on his way to the door.

'Will you come inside, Roza?' he invited her to join them. 'Sheriff Tanner will want to thank you for bringing Sonya home to him.'

She shook her head, gazing after him bleakly as he knocked at the door.

'Enter!' a voice called from within, and Dimitri disappeared.

Rose swung down from her horse and crept around the side of the building, pressing herself flat against the knotted wall as she listened like a thief at the window. Dimitri was talking. Just a few words. Something smashed loudly on the floor, followed almost immediately by a sharp exclamation then heavy footfalls. Sonya's voice sighed above the others, quickly breaking into sobs, and was joined by a sound Rose had never heard in her life before – the muffled, heaving gasps of a man weeping.

The girl outside slumped to the ground and covered her face in her hands, her throat aching with a desperate need to cry but her body refusing to grant her release. She wanted to be happy for Sonya being reunited with her lover but she couldn't share in that moment when she knew it was a happiness she couldn't have herself. Happy endings were for good people… People like Sonya who sacrificed a year of her life in the hope that Lisa would be saved the fate of marriage to a monster. People like Micky who never gave up searching for justice for the one he loved. Rose wasn't a good person. She was a murderer. She didn't deserve a happy ending.

Rose sat there for a long time, letting the low murmur of conversation inside the sheriff's office fade into the background, until she felt gentle arms wrap around her and lift her from the ground. She resisted at first, but Deputy Belikov was so much bigger than her and more insistent.

'Be strong a little longer, Roza. We'll be sleeping inside tonight,' he murmured, placing her in front of his saddle where Sonya had been sitting and swinging up behind her.

Silver Springs was so called for the vast lake that lay alongside the township, and they rode on for another ten minutes until they came to a small log cabin by the water.

'This is Micky's place,' Dimitri explained as he led Rose inside, moving to light the oil lamp on the kitchen table.

'He's taken Sonya to stay with his parents. Whatever the future holds for her, she will be well cared for.'

A strangled sound made him whip around and his heart broke in two at what he saw. Rose had gone to remove her riding hat and was standing bolt upright, staring in panic and revulsion at the hat-pin in her fingers.

The deputy crossed the room in seconds, removing the object from her grip and placing the black, felt hat on the table as the girl's face crumpled with exhaustion from days of pent up emotion.

'Roza. My Roza,' he gathered her into his arms, rocking her against his chest as deep sobs wracked her body. 'I'm so sorry. I should never have let you go into that church. I should have protected you. I'm sorry I failed you.'

'You didn't fail me,' she choked, her face still hidden against his duster. 'I was the one who failed. I knew something was wrong when I took Lisa away. I should have told Alberta. I should have stopped it. None of this would have happened. Sonya, Reverend Karp, Lisa, Madam Kiroy, Mason…,'

She stalled on the name, and Dimitri held her closer as she was overwhelmed by a fresh onslaught of tears.

'…Mason would still be alive.'

'It was tragic that he died, Roza, but think of the lives you have saved. Sonya would probably be dead now if it wasn't for you, and Lisa and Christian are safe from Victor Dashley because of your actions.'

The sniffling stopped and she stiffened in his arms.

'And Natalie? How do you suppose my actions helped her?'

'You can't blame yourself for that, Roza,' Dimitri reminded her. 'She'd just murdered your friend in cold blood. She was going to kill you – probably me as well. You did it in self-defence.'

'No,' Rose pushed away from him, suddenly claustrophobic in his arms. 'I did it because I was angry. I lost control. I could have stabbed her in the arm but I didn't. I wanted her to die. I'm not the victim in this scenario. I'm the murderer. What I did was unforgivable.'

Dimitri stepped closer, sensing her slipping away from him again.

'Listen to me, Rose,' he grabbed her by the shoulders, compelling her to look at him.

'I've killed people too. I've done it in ways I'm not proud of. The guilt gets into your soul and tries to drag you under, but don't give in to it. No matter how dark things seem right now, it won't always be this hard. Let me help you, Roza. We can get through this together.'

'How?' her eyes were desperate, like a cornered animal.

'Like this,' he threw caution to the wind and kissed her firmly on the lips.

She resisted stubbornly.

'You can't. I'm a killer.'

'So am I,' he tightened his grip on her shoulders, kissing her again despite her protests.

'I'm damaged.'

She was weakening.

'So am I,' he met her lips, more tenderly this time.

'I'm just...'

'No, Roza. Don't ever say that. You're not 'just' anything.'

Dimitri lifted her chin with his finger, gazing at her with such honesty and love that she couldn't ignore him any longer.

'You have come to mean everything to me. You're my reason for waking up in the morning. My reason for daring to hope I have a future. Don't deny me the one thing I need to be happy. I need you, Roza. I want you to be my wife.'

She made a broken sound and would have wept if she hadn't already used up all of her tears.

'How can you still want to be with me after what I've done?'

He pushed a stray lock back from her eyes.

'I'll keep saying it until you believe me. Nothing can change my opinion of you. I love you, Roza. I always will. Please give me the chance to prove that to you.'

'Oh, Dimitri,' she sank her head against his chest, letting go of the fear and self-loathing that had been threatening to choke her and losing herself in his warmth and acceptance.

Hope soared in his heart.

'So that's a yes?' he double-checked, dropping small kisses into her hair.

She lifted her head to look into his beautiful brown eyes.

'Yes... Of course yes! But how? You said we needed to wait until your situation was secure. You know I'd follow you anywhere, but how would we survive?'

'Roza,' he was almost too nervous to form the words. 'Micky Tanner has asked me to be his deputy in Silver Springs and I agreed to take the job – as soon as Alberta is done with me. This cabin will be mine for as long as I need it - it's not much, but it's a home. It can be your home one day too.'

Rose looked torn.

'But you'll be so far away.'

Dimitri dropped his mouth to her forehead.

'I know it means we'll be apart for a little while, but it's the fresh start we've been waiting for. There are a few things that still need to be done before I can marry you; I'll need to gain permission from your mother, arrange the legal papers, buy you a ring…'

'I don't need a stupid ring,' she muttered, bringing a small smile to Dimitri's lips before he pressed on, heart rate accelerating.

'…But I don't think I can wait that long.'

'What?' Rose gripped at his duster, eyes searching for his meaning.

'We both know how dangerous this work can be,' his hands were squeezing and stroking the top of her arms. 'If the worst happened and I was killed before I had the chance to make you my wife it would be more than my heart could bear.'

'Don't say things like that,' she gasped, coiling her arms around his waist. 'I need you. You have to keep yourself safe.'

'Roza,' his movements ceased, nothing existing outside of the gaze that locked them together. 'I promise to marry you in a church before God and men as soon as we can arrange it, but I can't take the chance of letting you go without proving my love to you. If you're willing, I will marry you right now, in the sight of God alone. I need to make you mine, milaya. Please...'

She nodded breathlessly, her loins clenching at the need on his face, and he took a step back, clasping her left hand in his.

'Rosemarie Hathaway, my Roza. As God is my witness, I promise to love you all the days of my life. I will be yours and yours alone from this day forth. Will you have me?'

'Yes' she whispered, and he brought her hand to his mouth, pressing her ring finger to his lips.

She reciprocated with trembling voice.

'Deputy Belikov…'

He raised an eyebrow, his lips tweaking with a hint of a smile. 'What's my name?'

She tried again.

'Cowboy…'

The eyebrow shot higher.

Third time for luck.

'Dimitri…'

He rewarded her with a brief, fervent kiss.

'…Dimitri Belikov. As God is my witness, I will love you for the rest of my life. I am yours, always and forever. Will you have me?'

'Yes, my Roza, my darling, my love, my wife. I will have you,' he joined his lips to hers – their kiss slow and sacred at first, but quickly growing in intensity and need. When they finally broke apart, Dimitri gazed reverently into his young bride's eyes and scooped her into his arms, carrying her across their little cabin and placing her on the bed.

Rose sat on the edge of the bed wondering when the act of breathing had become so difficult. Her husband's duster, waistcoat and shirt were piled neatly beside his boots and hat in the corner of the room, and Dimitri himself was standing in front of the washstand in only his trousers, the suspenders hanging loose from hips.

She couldn't drag her eyes away from his back as he splashed water over himself, discovering – to her hedonistic delight – that she had a clear view of his chest in the mirror. She would have happily watched him washing all night, but when he'd finished bathing his feet, he discarded the water and replenished the bowl, bringing it over to where she was seated on the bed.

'Feet, milaya,' he commanded softly.

He knelt, and when she extended her legs he removed her boots, tucking them under the bed before settling his hands on her stockinged ankles. The last time he'd been in this position he was nervous and hurried, but now he wanted to take his time. His hands moved slowly, feeling the shape of her calves on his search for the garter at the top of each stocking, ranging even higher to fondle her bare thighs before sliding the thin material back down her legs.

Placing her feet in the washbowl, he moved his fingers over the pale skin, kneading the arches with his thumbs and glancing up in surprise and satisfaction at the hushed groan of pleasure that escaped from her lips, immediately searching for another spot to illicit the same reaction.

Dimitri's attentions were making Rose feel very relaxed in certain places and achingly tense in others and she was relieved when he was finally done. Being so close to all this naked man-flesh was sweet agony, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to hurl herself at him and devour him in one bite or hide under the covers until he gave up and left.

The deputy sensed her anxiety as he pulled her up to stand before him, but he wasn't going to let anything hurry the moment he'd been waiting his whole life to experience.

'Relax. It's just me, Roza,' he whispered, dropping his mouth to hers and massaging her shoulders until she responded to his kisses more naturally.

A hand stole into her hair, dislodging the hairpins one by one, and combing through the loose, dark mane.

Feeling more at ease, Rose allowed her hands to roam over every inch of his exposed torso - her curiosity fuelled by his soft grunts of approval against her lips - but when his mouth strayed down past her jawline she was too distracted to think or move.

'Why do women's clothes have so many buttons?' Dimitri asked raggedly, his fingers struggling with the chore - kissing a path down her neck and shoulders as they were revealed to him.

'To deter hot-blooded cowboys like you…,' she laughed quietly, but the sound cut off abruptly as Dimitri grew tired of the fiddly task, yanking the dress down off her so it fell in a puff around her bare ankles.

'More layers?' he groaned, seeing her tiers upon tiers of petticoats.

'I can do it faster,' Rose suggested, and they proceeded to rid her of the garments in record time, discarding them in all directions until she was standing in only her corset and bloomers, the thin cotton slip underneath the final thing separating her from his touch.

The mood changed as Dimitri turned his lover away from him, shifting her hair onto one shoulder and kissing the nape of her neck as his fingers moved to unlace her corset. Pulling the cage free, he ran his open palm all the way up her spine, dropping his head to whisper Russian secrets in her ear as his hands slipped over her chest to cup her breasts through the thin cotton chemise. Desire stabbed between her legs, and the brush of his thumbs across her nipples was her breaking point.

'Dimitri,' she turned to him, face stricken with want.

'Roza,' he crushed her to his body, kissing her urgently. 'I need to be one with you,' he choked the words against her lips, and her feverish exploration of his body – clothed and unclothed – told him she wanted the same thing.

The man looked around. The single bed wouldn't be big enough for what he wanted to do with his wife. He tugged the bedding onto the floor and laid her back against the nest of blankets.

'Tell me if I do anything wrong,' he whispered, coming to hover over her. 'I've never done this before and I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable.'

She gave him a shy, encouraging smile.

'You could never make me uncomfortable, cowboy.'

He gazed down at her and reached out to caress one of her breasts.

'Can I kiss you here?'

She nodded, heart in her mouth, and he pulled the final layer up over her head.

'So beautiful,' he muttered, rubbing his nose and cheek between her breasts before settling in to acquaint himself with each glistening, needy peak.

She gasped and arched her back as his lips and tongue grew bolder, and she was already on the point of combustion when he released her from his mouth, sliding his thumbs under her drawers and kneeling back to drag the last item of clothing down her thighs and ankles.

The man groaned as he took in the sight of her, completely exposed – completely his.

'Can I kiss you here?' his palm came to rest on the soft curls between her legs.

'Why on earth…?' Rose was mortified, trying to cover herself with her hands.

Dimitri dropped his attention to her thighs, looking up at her between kisses to explain.

'I won't if you don't want me to… kiss …it's just that men like to talk about... kiss… things… kiss …and I heard its pleasing for the woman.'

He was so close now she could feel his breath on her sensitive flesh and she inhaled sharply.

'Would you like me to...?'

'Yessss!' she hissed, bucking up to connect his waiting mouth to her sex.

The first touch took her breath away, and when he nosed between her folds and found the little pearl hidden there she cried out his name.

He pulled back. 'Sorry, Roza. Do you want me to stop?'

'No,' she gasped. 'Don't you dare,' and she grabbed his hair, trying to guide him back to his task.

His eyes widened and he returned to her willingly, exploring with his mouth and using her sounds to guide him. Before long, her legs were shaking and her breaths came out in choking gasps almost like she was sobbing. Dimitri was wondering if he should pull away when she tilted her hips up and froze – the breath lodged in her throat. The man experienced the strangest sensation of his lover pulsing against his lips, and then she collapsed down onto the blankets with a tortured sigh.

'Are you okay Roza?' he begged, creeping up beside her to wrap her in his arms as her body continued to quiver and tears rolled down her cheeks.

Slowly, she calmed, resting her head against his chest.

'More than okay, cowboy. That was the most… You… I can't think yet.'

He rewarded her with a shower of kisses, rejoicing that he had the power to bring her so much pleasure and already wanting to try it again. But he wouldn't be getting his wish any time soon. Rose had noticed the hardness digging into her leg and she wiggled experimentally, making him groan against her lips.

Rose had never seen a man completely naked before, but she understood enough to know what was troubling him. She rubbed against him again, and this time he rocked his hips towards her, pressing himself harder against her thigh through his trousers. His breathing accelerated and he buried his face in the crook of her neck, squirming slowly against her. Rose felt a deep, warm clutching feeling low in her belly and she followed her instincts, positioning her leg over his hip so his slow rocking met her where his lips had been only minutes ago.

'Cowboy,' she whispered in his ear, her breath hitching. 'Let me see you.'

He grunted at her request then knelt back, standing to unbutton his trousers and letting them slide down his thighs, his undergarments dropping as well.

Rose propped herself up on her elbows, her eyes raking over him in wonder as she took in every inch of him; the lean, hard torso tapering down from broad shoulders; the dark shadows of his hip muscles framing a narrow trail of hair running down his stomach; the corded muscles of his thighs – pale in contrast to the rest of his body. He was standing proud from a tangle of dark, coarse hair and she bit her lip at the sight of the strange beast between his legs. There was so much she wanted to try, but all of her bravery fled from her and, just this once, she hoped he would be willing to take the lead.

'Be with me,' she asked in a small voice, shivering in anticipation.

Dimitri didn't need to be asked twice. He sank to his knees, running his hands up her legs and parting her thighs to rest between them.

'You'll tell me if I hurt you?' he asked, brow furrowed.

'You won't hurt me,' she answered bravely.

Women did this every day, didn't they? Well she would too.

He hovered over her, dropping a sweet kiss to her lips.

'I love you, Roza,' he whispered, then he entered her.

She was expecting pain, but not this – rich, rolling shocks of pleasure, and the feeling of being both entirely filled and entirely consumed by the man who loved her above all others.

When Dimitri saw her shocked expression, he stilled abruptly, afraid he had hurt her and unsure of how to proceed. Rose gripped his back, her eyes falling closed as she adjusted to the new sensations, then her forehead relaxed and she wriggled beneath him, pulling her hips back then lifting them up to take him deeper.

He gasped. The sensation was exquisite – one he needed to repeat immediately. He pulled out slowly and sank back into her, feeling the resistance when he reached her depths. They both made a sound of pleasure and this time there was no hesitation. No timidness.

Her eyes flickered open and he held her gaze, delving deeper than before. She met him with her hips - again and again - each needy whimper stoking the passion that blazed through his body, and too soon he was losing control. No. Not yet, he pleaded with his body, but a few urgent thrusts later Rose began to clutch gently around him and he cried out her name as they arrived, together, in paradise.

Gradually, their ragged breathing evened out and silence fell over the room.

'Cowboy?' she whispered, running her hands through his hair as he buried his face in her neck.

'Sorry, milaya,' his words were muffled against her skin, the man too ashamed to meet her eye.

'I hoped that would last for longer, but I can't seem to stay in control around you.'

She dropped a kiss to his forehead then drew his face up to look at her.

'I just had the most pleasurable experience of my life and you're sorry?'

There was a moment's pause then Dimitri's mood brightened, a huge grin spreading slowly across his face.

Rose frowned, self-conscious.

'What? What's so funny?'

The man rested his weight on one elbow, surveying her with satisfaction and pride.

'You did it, Roza. You raised your eyebrow!'

Her face lit up like Christmas morning, and the laugh that bubbled from her lips was the single most beautiful thing Dimitri had ever heard in his life.

'I like your laugh,' he kissed her hair, eyes smiling.

'I like your…,' the end of her sentence was lost as she hid her face against his chest.

Dimitri peeled her back away from him, head tilted curiously.

'You like my what?'

Rose put her hands on his shoulders, wriggling herself higher to whisper something in his ear.

'Oh, Roza,' he practically purred her name, rolling his wife on top of him and seeking out her lips once more, inviting her to find her peace and completion in the haven of his body.

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Author's Note:

Aaahhhhhh!

Please tell me Danila Kozlovsky is secretly reading this story and wants to film this scene for us to enjoy visually!

One chapter & an epilogue to go folks! Share the love - send me a review!