Lying in our huge bed in Abe's unit, the sight in front of me was hot hot hot. Dimitri, standing only in his boxers ironing his formal uniform. My eyes traipsed across his muscled chest and sculpted arms, up his neck, to linger on his beautiful face, sensuous lips and almost shoulder length hair. He turned around to hang his freshly ironed shirt, giving me a view of his chiseled back; and I couldn't prevent the soft moan that escaped my lips. There was no escaping it. I was in love with an Adonis amongst men. A Russian Love God.

He knew I was watching him, but he didn't look up from where he was ironing the creases down the front of his pants with military precision. I knew he was nervous about visiting Guardian headquarters today – and preparing his uniform to pressed, starched perfection was his way of dealing with it. I, however, had a much more pleasant idea of how to ease his tension.

Putting my fingers in my mouth, I wet them before reaching down between my legs. I was already a little excited from just watching him, but I didn't think it hurt to make myself more turned on. Besides, I was curious to find out what seeing me pleasure myself would do to my man. I found the bundle of nerves at the apex of my thighs, and with a little sigh, I started rubbing myself gently. Mostly on the hood rather than on the nub itself, I closed my eyes for a moment as I began to feel the pleasure emanating from beneath my fingertips.

I opened my eyes again to where Dimitri was still ironing. I knew he was aware of what I was doing, but he hadn't yet looked up, so I decided to step things up a notch. One hand busily engaged between my legs, I pulled my hair tie out, letting my long dark hair spill against the whiter than white bed linens. With my tanned skin, and the fact I was completely naked, I suspected he'd find the sight inspiring. When he still didn't look up, I allowed my idle hand to trail down to my full breasts, playing with one dark plump nipple. I'd forgotten just how sensitive they'd become, because as soon as I tweaked it, a hiss escaped my lips and a spasm wracked my body, waves of excitement pulsing down the nerves linking my breasts with where my other hand was busily occupied.

"What are you doing, milaya?" Dimitri asked, seemingly intent on his ironing. But a quick glance at the tenting of his boxers suggested my man was already well aware of what I was up to.

"Just watching you iron," I said with mock virtuousness, my fingers still circling my clit. "I love the way you're so thorough. Are you so thorough with everything you do?" I asked mischievously.

"Probably," he replied refusing to look up.

"I hope so. I like a man who gives it his all," I said suggestively. "There's something very satisfying about a man who doesn't hold back."

"Do you think I hold back, milaya," he asked dangerously, turning his pants over on the ironing board and giving the reverse side a final quick press.

"I hope not," I whispered huskily, meeting his eyes as he finally looked up from what he was doing. I smiled deviously as I saw his eyes widen slightly, his soft lips purse as his dark brown orbs flipped from my face to the hand at my breast then down to where my other hand was unashamedly pleasuring myself.

"Do you need a hand there, Roza?" he asked, his accent much more pronounced, and his voice thick with desire. He switched off the iron, and put it safely at the end of the ironing board.

"Hmm… Well, a hand wasn't quite what I had in mind," I said with a cheeky grin, my eyes dropping to the very noticeable bulge in his boxers.

"Oh milaya, you're such a naughty girl," he moaned, crossing the bedroom towards me in three fluid steps, his boxers kicked to the floor along the way. "What am I going to do with you?" he asked rhetorically, before he climbed onto the bed, his excited lips crashing against mine.

"Everything," I moaned elatedly when his lips left mine to kiss and nip along my neck. "I want you to do everything with me!"

His excited growl was thrilling, and I gasped when he lifted me, shifting us, so I straddled his lap as he sat with his legs folded underneath him. It brought our faces to the same level so I could kiss him without having to reach up, which I did enthusiastically. I was still rubbing myself, much to Dimitri's delight, and pulling myself from his lips I leaned back to give him access to my breasts. With a moan, he pushed his face into my cleavage, planting open-mouthed kisses over each breast before pulling one nipple into his hot wet mouth.

He sucked gently, but even that pressure was overwhelming. I mewled my approval, my lips pressed against the hair at his temple, one hand tangled in his dark mane.

"You need a haircut, Comrade," I gasped.

"I know. I was going to get one before my meeting," he said pulling away from my breasts.

"Ugh! Don't stop!" I groaned, pushing his head back towards my peaked nipples. Dimitri chuckled as he continued his oral assault, his huge hands on my hips and bottom holding me firmly in place on his lap. I was rocking against him, grinding against his rock hard member. I could feel a delicious vibration against my breast as he groaned torturously. I took my fingers from where I'd been rubbing myself, fisting his manhood and pulling my hand up and over the head, the precum on the tip helping lubricate his shaft. He nipped one nipple causing me to yelp in surprise and pleasure. Someone was getting a little overexcited! I wrapped one arm around his neck, and he lifted me so I could position myself above his thick hard length before I slowly sunk onto him.

"Roza!" Dimitri bellowed, throwing his head back in gratification. I smiled at him as gradually his eyes met mine, clouded with lust. We both needed this.

Moving both arms to rest around his neck, I rocked where I was sitting in his lap, adjusting to his size. I could feel his hands splayed across my back and buttocks as he pulled me closer to him, his lips meeting mine. Opening my mouth to him, his tongue licked mine before our lips pressed together starting a long passionate kiss. Lifting himself up on his knees, Dimitri took my weight and slowly lowered me onto my back, resting my hips at the very edge of the mattress. Standing on the floor, he leaned over and gave me another kiss before grasping each of my feet and resting them on his chest near his shoulder, one on each side. Then he bent his legs and leaned forward, simultaneously opening me further to him and pushing his hardness deeper into my eager core.

My enthusiastic wail obviously told him everything he needed to know, because he picked up the pace, his dark eyes holding mine as he slipped in and out of me. His hands on my hips grasped me tightly, immobilizing me as he all but impaled me on his cock. The sensation was exquisite; every time he pulled back my legs relaxed slightly, but with every forward thrust my legs bent and parted giving room for him to penetrate me deeper.

The pace he set was perfect. Had I had my way, he would have pounded me senseless, but his slightly slower pace was building the anticipation, and I knew the longer he delayed my release, the more profound it would be. Not really able to reach him where he was, I moistened my fingers in my mouth and fondled both my breasts, rolling and tweaking each distended nub. I was attempting to flex my hips up to meet his thrusts, but my Russian God's viselike grip held me stationary.

"Touch yourself," he growled just as I thought I'd be unable to withstand any further delay to my gratification.

Slipping my hand down to my tight pearl, I used the abundant wetness from my excitement to lubricate my fingers. Dimitri straightened up slightly to give my fingers easier access, causing him to change the angle of his thrusts. Suddenly he was pounding hard into my g-spot over and over again. My little gasps became loud moans of pleasure. Looking at me in surprise, Dimitri knew better than to stop, and within minutes I screamed with pleasure as I came hard.

He picked up the speed and now he was pounding me senseless. I was still wailing as his wetness flooded within me. His eyelids fluttered, and he bit his lips before he growled "FUCK yes!" loudly.

Both panting with exertion, we looked at one another in disbelief. That had been hotter than hell. Pulling out of me, I could feel Dimitri's cum on my butt as it dribbled out of my core. He flopped down beside me looking much more relaxed than he had while he was ironing.

"Are you feeling better, Comrade?" I cooed, rolling onto my side and putting my hand on either side of his face as I leaned in to kiss him.

"Much better" he conceded, wrapping his arm around my waist as we lay beside one another contentedly. I closed my eyes savoring the moment when I felt some familiar flutters inside my belly. I opened my eyes and looked at Dimitri as I giggled.

"Seems like I'm not the only one who likes what Papa just did to me," I said, watching his eyes widen with shock and then embarrassment.

"What do you mean?" he gasped. "Is the baby kicking?"

"I'm not sure if it's kicking, but there's definite movement," I confirmed looking at Dimitri in amusement.

He dropped his hands to my bump, a look of concentration on his face, but he couldn't feel anything.

"I can barely feel it myself," I consoled him. "It feels like butterflies in my tummy," I described.

"I wish I could feel it," he said. "I can't wait till I can feel him or her kick."

"Well, it looks like we know how to make him or her more active," I joked, giving my Russian God a wicked look.

We cuddled for another half an hour before my need for sustenance forced us out of bed and into the shower. The room we'd been given in Abe's unit was sumptuous and boasted a massive private bathroom. The bed was huge, and so comfortable. I'd been tired by the time we'd arrived last night, so we'd fallen into bed and slept immediately. By force of habit, we'd both woken early, Dimitri feeling nervous. He'd be reporting in at Guardian Headquarters later today.

"What's the plan for today?" I asked, adjusting the taps in the shower before stepping under the warm spray, holding the door open for Dimitri to follow me. Wrapping his arms around me as the water ran over both of us, my Russian God kissed my hair before replying.

"I thought I'd start at the bank and get my accounts and credit card reactivated, that way we'll have access to money. Then I thought I'd get a new phone number and have a haircut before presenting to Guardian Headquarters. I don't think I'll be too long there, so I thought you might like to wait at the pâtisserie which I seem to remember is just around the corner?"

I moaned in appreciation. A pâtisserie sounded like music to my ears. There was no part of leaving a pregnant woman to indulge in sweet baked goods that wasn't appealing! And the new phone number was going to be a necessity. Dimitri had ended up switching his phone off before we'd left campus last night because the calls from Tasha had just kept coming.

We soaped each other down, washing and conditioning one another's hair before drying off and getting dressed. My clothing choices were getting a little limited. I hadn't had a huge wardrobe to begin with, and for practicality, I'd worn a lot of jeans and pants. But my expanding waistline, while still relatively minimal, meant that only my most generous pants still fit. I'd packed pretty much every dress I owned for this trip, but Dimitri had been right. Unless I was going to wear sweats for the next twenty-three weeks, I needed to buy some maternity clothes.

Dimitri was in yoga pants and a shirt. He wouldn't put on his uniform until just before we left in order not to stain or crease it. Together we wandered out of our room and downstairs to the formal lounge, dining, living room and kitchen on the ground floor. As we descended the steps, the delectable scent of breakfast greeted us.

"Good morning Novice Hathaway, Guardian Belikov," a woman around Dimitri's age greeted us. "Can I interest you in a hot breakfast?"

I looked at Dimitri. Sexing had made me hungry.

"Um, sure," I replied. "He'll have one, too," I confirmed seeing my Comrade's nod. "Who are you?" I asked.

"I'm sorry, my name is Alyce," the Dhampir woman introduced herself. "I work as a housekeeper for guests visiting Court," she explained. "I'm here to cook, clean and help make your stay at Court as enjoyable as possible."

"So do you come with the unit?" I asked curiously.

"Kind of. Moroi visiting Court often hire an apartment, and if they don't have domestic staff with them, then they can hire someone like me to cook and clean for them. Some people just want someone to straighten up for an hour or two a day, and others like the full service of having all their favorite meals made, shopping, cleaning, and errands run."

"Have you been doing it long? Do you like it?" I asked.

"Five years and not at first," she admitted. "Some Moroi men think full service means full service," she said rolling her eyes in disgust as she flipped bacon in the frypan. "But now I have mostly regular clients, and I enjoy it. The hours are generally ok, so I can work while my son is at school. I like cooking, and most of the people I housekeep for aren't pigs, so the cleaning isn't too full on."

"You have a son?" I asked curiously.

"Yes he's seven," she said a little tightly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry," I apologized straight away. "I'm pregnant, so I guess kids are kinda interesting to me at the moment," I explained.

"Oh! How far along are you?" she asked, her mood changing entirely as her eyes dropped to the swell at my waist.

"Seventeen weeks," I said with a smile. "In fact, you might be able to help me; you wouldn't happen to know where to shop for maternity stuff around here, would you? I need some pants that actually do up, and probably some dresses and underwear."

"Well there's the main shopping area," she started while moving our eggs, bacon, spinach, and mushrooms across to our plates. "But honestly that's mostly for Moroi. I tried, and there wasn't a thing that fit me when I was expecting," she said gesturing vaguely in the direction of her bust. "And it's all very expensive. There's a much better mall a little further out with a couple of maternity shops, but you'll need a car. It's where most of the Dhampir women buy," she explained. "It's within the wards," she quickly added, correctly interpreting Dimitri's concerned look. "I could take you there today if you'd like?"

"Maybe I could go while you're at headquarters?" I suggested to Dimitri. I knew the idea of accompanying me clothes shopping filled him with dread, although he might enjoy the bra part I thought to myself. And while he thought it would be a quick visit, knowing what I did about his time in Russia, I was willing to bet he'd be at headquarters for hours.

"Go where?" an accented voice asked as Alyce placed our steaming hot breakfasts in front of Dimitri and me.

"Morning Abe," I said shyly. "Alyce said there're some Dhampir maternity shops in a mall a little further out she could take me to."

Abe sat at the table and reached for the cup of black coffee Alyce placed in front of him without being asked.

"What's wrong with the maternity shops in the central shopping area?" he asked.

"The stuff they have is for Moroi women - it probably won't fit," I explained.

"It's maternity wear – surely it'll be big enough?" he asked perplexed.

"Doubtful," I muttered. "Even pregnant, Moroi women don't have big tits!"

Abe nearly choked on his coffee while Dimitri smirked over his breakfast.

"She has a point, Abe," he said his eyes dipping for just a moment to my ample bosom.

"Dimitri needs to go to Guardian Headquarters a little later, so I thought if Alyce was free, maybe she could show me? Or if not if you give me the address I can catch a cab there?" I added, looking at Alyce. "It's within the wards," I reassured Abe.

"That's a great idea. Does that suit you, Alyce? I can hire a town car to transport you if you need one?"

"That's alright. I have my car here as long as you don't mind traveling amongst a sea of kid's toys, Novice Hathaway" she joked.

"Please, it's Rose. And not at all – I'd better get used to it!" I replied.

In a matter of moments, we organized that Dimitri and I would run our errands this morning and that I'd call Alyce when I was free to go shopping.

"Where should we meet?" she queried.

"Dimitri said there's a pâtisserie near Guardian Headquarters – do you know it?" I asked hopefully, trying to work out how to still incorporate a trip there into my day.

"Do I ever!" she grinned. "I think coffee and cake will be required before we leave. Shopping is tiring work – especially when you're expecting."

"Which reminds me – you'll be needing these," Abe said, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a cell phone and a credit card. "I believe you presently have no phone. This concerned your father – you need to be able to contact people, particularly now you're pregnant, so he asked me to arrange a new phone for you. It's billed to him, and he said you're to feel free to call whoever you wish without restriction. Similarly, you're to use this credit card to do your shopping. Your father is a very wealthy man, Rose. I know he is deeply unhappy that you've gone without growing up. While he knows it doesn't make up for the past, he wants you to feel free to buy whatever you'd like on this card. Please spoil yourself – it's absolutely what he wants."


The bank and new cell number tasks had been achieved effortlessly, but it was when we got to the barber that I sensed trouble.

"How would you like it," the barber asked. I looked at myself in the mirror. My hair was much longer than I usually wore it. Rose stepped forward to speak with the barber.

"It's very long," she said. "Longer than I like it. He has to be able to tie it back," she said, running her delicate fingers through my hair and showing him exactly where on the nape I liked it. "Sometimes it gets a little boofy," she indicated towards the sides. "Do you think you could shape it a little there?"

The two of them discussed it for five minutes. I was moments away from grabbing the scissors and sawing off an inch or two myself when finally the barber started. I read a magazine, not even looking up until he was done. And when I did I had to admit – it was the best haircut I'd had in a long time.

"Do you like it, Comrade?" Rose asked, admiring me in the mirror.

"I do," I admitted with surprise, letting the barber comb it neatly back and using a hair tie to fasten it at my nape.

"You look so sexy," Rose whispered into my ear, giving me a mischievous little look before stepping back as the barber carefully removed the cape, so there'd be no hair on my uniform. "I think it's time," she said encouragingly, taking my hand after I paid.

"It is," I agreed nervously, taking her small hand in mine and walking down the pavement toward Guardian Headquarters. We were almost at the pâtisserie when a voice called out, "Belikov?!"

Rose and I spun around, and I saw Guardian Saunders, the leader of the ill-fated mission.

"You're alive?! How?!" he asked clearly stunned.

"Long story and I'm on my way to headquarters now to tell it," I explained. "It would probably save a lot of time if you were to accompany me."

He nodded in surprise.

"Good idea." I could see him looking to where I was holding hands with Roza.

"Guardian Saunders, this is my girlfriend Rose," I said, intentionally not revealing her surname. Everyone knew or knew of Janine Hathaway. If we wanted to keep things quiet, dropping the Hathaway name wouldn't help our cause.

"Pleased to meet you, Guardian Saunders," Rose said pleasantly, giving him one of her most beautiful smiles. The sort of smile that could make grown men turn into piles of goo at her feet. "Comrade? This looks like the pâtisserie you mentioned. I'll wait here for Alyce."

"Ok milaya. Head home with her once you're done, ok? I'll call if I can, but if you need anything, call me. Do you have my new number?" I checked.

"I do," she said, wrapping her arms around my neck and giving me a soft kiss. "I love you," she whispered against my lips.

"I love you, too," I said back not caring who saw me kiss the woman I loved. "Shop yourself silly," I encouraged before picking up the bag which held the leather book I'd stolen from Galina's mansion.


I didn't feel my death. But I must have died – because I was in heaven. Everything about this place was heavenly! From the scent of chocolate and baked goods to the seven-foot-long cabinet filled with sweet treats to the large comfortable looking chairs. Yep. Heaven!

I stood in the entryway waiting to be seated. Requesting a table for two, as soon as I sat, I rang Alyce on the number she'd provided. She agreed to meet me in ten minutes, asking me to order her a Chai Latte. I had no idea what that was, so I decided to stick with a hot chocolate myself. Our drinks arrived a few minutes later, and I was staring in awe at the glass in front of me. No shit - the hot chocolate was made with real melted chocolate coating the inside of the glass. I took a cautious sip, and it tasted even better than it looked. I closed my eyes and moaned in satisfaction. Hearing a chuckle, I opened my eyes to find myself staring into a pair of deep green eyes.

"My my little Dhampir," a young Moroi in his early twenties said, giving me an appraising look. With artfully messy brown hair and well-tailored clothes, he was wickedly good-looking, and he knew it.

"I'm sure a lot of men would love to hear you moan like that. How about you give me a chance, and I'll make you do it all evening?" he said suggestively. It was crass, but something about the way he said it made me feel he was laughing at himself more than he was laughing at me.

"Bug off," a voice behind him said, and I looked to see Alyce standing behind him rolling her eyes. "I've seen her boyfriend, and he'd pound you into a lump without raising a sweat."

"Such a shame. It's not often I find one so pretty with a friend who has so much Spirit. What a bond you must have," he muttered to himself, his gaze looking a little addled. I shivered, and he excused himself with a small bow.

"Who was that?" I whispered after he'd walked away.

"Just Court's self-appointed God's gift to women," Alyce laughed rolling her eyes. "I see you waited to order sweets until I got here," she said launching into conversation as though we'd been best friends all our lives. "First up you need to try..."