a/n: Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to review last chapter!

I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to post last weekend. My boss is on maternity leave, and I am filling in for her. This means I have a huge workload, and I'm working even more extra hours! You know what's no fun? Going into your corporate office on a Sunday when you've never been in on a Sunday before and...setting off the alarm. Yep. That's what I did. My alarm code didn't work, and it was beeping central. Rough going for a while there, but at least I lived through it. Needless to say, I will never be working another Sunday again. :)

Anyway...here's the latest chapter. Enjoy!


"I'm just saying that I think it's a little short for a bridesmaid dress," Dimitri grumbled from the driver's seat as they made their way to the airport.

Rose arched a brow in amusement. "It was tasteful," she argued.

"There were no sleeves and it didn't even come down to the middle of your thighs," he pointed out.

Rose laughed. "It brushed my knees."

"Well...it's a damn good thing I'm going to be there to fend the men off."

"I RSVP'd months ago," she said quietly. "For one."

"The wedding isn't for another three weeks. I'm sure they can speak to the caterers and have them add another plate," he said forcefully.

Rose shook her head stubbornly. "I...we need to slow down. This is going too fast."

He took his eyes off the road long enough to give her an exasperated look. "Slow down? Roza...it's been five years."

"Yes, and-"

"It's my own fault; I know that. Trust me—that only pisses me off even more," Dimitri said through clenched teeth.

"That's not what I was going to say."

He gave her a questioning glance and she took a deep breath, wiping her suddenly damp palms on her jeans. "It probably wouldn't have been as bad if I wasn't already so fucked up," she admitted.

"Maybe not. But it doesn't change what happened, Roza," he insisted, reaching for her hand and threading his fingers through hers. "I could have handled it better."

"Yes, you could have," she agreed. "But to be honest...I don't think it would have mattered. Whether we'd talked about it or not, you were leaving. I've always had issues with people leaving," she said as she looked out the window to avoid his gaze.

He squeezed her hand. "That's something you don't have to worry about anymore," he promised.

She pulled away from his grip and placed her hands palms together, then put them between her legs.


Dimitri felt his jaw tighten in frustration. He knew it was going to take time before she believed him, but that didn't mean he liked it.

That she'd tried to take some of the blame off him was a huge step for her, and maybe before what he'd seen yesterday, he'd have appreciated that. As it stood, it only served to feed his fury. She thought it was her fault he'd left her. She thought she'd done something wrong.

In his head, he'd always maintained that because she hadn't been able to tell him she loved him, they were at different places in their lives. That if she'd just been able to say it., he would have stayed.

Why had it never been crystal clear to him that the fact that she knew she wasn't ready was a greater show of maturity than placating him with the words?

"I'll call Sydney when we get back in New York," she said, surprising him with her capitulation.

He swallowed past the lump in his throat. "Thank you," he said gruffly.

His heart melted when she just smiled softly at him.


After stopping to pick Hattie up, Rose and Dimitri stopped by his place so he could grab some more clothes, then headed to her apartment.

She heard Dimitri close the door behind her as she stretched, exhausted from the night before. Her arms were raised in the air when Dimitri's slipped around her body, his hands gently cupping her breasts. "Tired?" he asked in her ear.

Her arms dropped, and she sagged against him. "Someone kept me up most of the night," she teased.

He chuckled in her ear before sweeping her up in his arms.

"How are your ribs?" she asked, concerned.

"On the mend," he admitted as he strode toward her bedroom.

She bit down on her lower lip, torn between reminding him it was almost time to leave and not saying anything.

She knew she needed space; they were practically living together and having him so near all the time messed with her head. She needed a clear mind to analyze what was going on between them. That was going to be easier to do when he wasn't around.

But she hadn't been lying earlier. It felt like things were moving at warp speed between them. They may have been apart for five years and she may have been pushing him away for the last few months, but when her feelings had resurfaced, it had been like a tidal wave. And now she felt like she was drowning in them.

She'd spent so long veiling them with anger that she was still working on coming to terms with their past. She didn't want that black cloud hovering over their present.

Dimitri plopped her down in the middle of the mattress, and when he leaned over her, her thighs parted instantly to accommodate his hips. One hand was braced beside her waist, and the other cupped her cheek as he kissed her softly as her hands splayed over his lower back.

"I need a shower," he said, pulling away.

Her arms dropped helplessly to her sides. Yeah. That was so not what she needed.


"Why is your leg shaking?" Lissa snapped as she reached for her sandwich.

"Dimitri had his doctor's appointment this morning," Rose muttered.

"And?" Lissa prompted.

Rose sighed heavily. "He finds out today whether or not he can go back to work."

Lissa gazed at her friend. "And..." she repeated.

Rose didn't say anything, just speared her fork into a tomato and shoved it into her mouth.

Lissa's jaw dropped. "You don't want him to go," she said in astonishment.

Rose glared at her friend.

"You're afraid she's going to tell him he's fine, and that he's going to move back into his own place," she surmised.

Rose's gaze sharpened. "What do you mean move back into his own place? It's not like he's living with me."

Lissa rolled her eyes. "His dog is at your house. His toothbrush is in the holder next to yours," she said in a low voice, leaning over the table so she could be heard over the other diners. "You bought him hazelnut coffee creamer. He's living with you."

"He is not..." Rose's voice trailed off.

Lissa arched a brow as she sipped her Diet Coke.

"Fine. Maybe I don't want him to go," she admitted begrudgingly, though it didn't mean she knew it would be better for them if he did.

Lissa leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. Rose hated the triumphant gleam in her friend's eyes. "That, my friend, is what they call a breakthrough."