Yes Tasha! I know most of you don't want her but she just has to happen. It's an important step in the relationship. I'm seriously blown away by the reviews! I absolutely love the thorough feedback and hope you keep it up because reading your reviews are the highlight of my day! I won't keep you any longer. Enjoy!

Rose's POV-

"Color and why?" I ask.

"Green." Dimitri answers. "It reminds me of spring."

"Movie Director?"

"John Wayne."

"Animal?"

"Horse."

"Day of the week?"

"Sunday."

"Who's Tasha?"

Silence…just like any other time I've asked this question. It had been a week since the shopping day and the day everyone began to talk…or rather not talk, about Tasha Ozera. The very name of her brought frowns to everyone's faces and after being informed that she was briefly in town, to look for an apartment for the spring, everyone seemed to just move on. I can't help but be curious though. Who's Tasha and why did everyone act like she was a taboo to talk about? Especially Dimitri? Frowning I slow my running down and stop altogether.

"Are you okay?" Dimitri asks as he jogs back to stand next to me. I don't reply and he sighs. "She's an old friend."

I know he's keeping secrets from me. That they were all keeping secrets from me, but I didn't want to ruin the mood. The last week had been great. Viktoria and I decorated the house for Christmas. Karolina was in early labor. Abe hadn't been back by yet, and Olena seemed to throw herself into the Christmas season. Even Yeva had been less fortune like and instead just smiled and nodded to herself with a secret in her eyes. Can't even begin to forget about the steady advancement of…whatever this is…with Dimitri. Our hesitation around each other had smoothed out. While he grades papers at the table I work on my homework. He walks me home from work every night. He helped me order a crib for the baby, a twin bed for the ever-growing Paul, two clothing organizers and a toy organizer for both of their needs. Our runs had gone from silent to a game of twenty questions or talking about places we want to see in the future.

The only thing that hadn't improved was the pull. Instead of lessening, it had grown to extreme proportions. The urge…the need to be near Dimitri was maddening and then once satisfied it only increased. We had grown to sit a good few feet apart when near each other or to be careful to avoid accidental touches. Anytime we brushed together fire would burst alive on my skin and the damn near painful need to touch more of him would wash over me. The temptation was maddening and made me feel like a girl from one of those sappy romance novels. Frowning I pray I don't look like one to other people.

"Rose!" Dimitri's concerned voice snaps me back to attention and I look up at him sheepishly.

"Sorry, lost in thought." I apologize smiling.

"I think we've run far enough." He chuckles at me. "Any further into these woods and we'll never find our way out."

Ah the woods. We'd taken to jogging different routes and, as we moved closer to Christmas, have moved to jogging in the wood trial outside of town to avoid the shopping crowd. It usually had a few other joggers that we would pass but, it was peaceful. It was quiet. Looking around I feel a slight frown fighting to make itself known…we were alone. A small quiver of excitement at the thought slices through me but is quickly matched with panic at the realization. Meeting Dimitri's eyes I find the same realization flitting through his gaze. I feel the beginnings of the familiar tug starting in my chest.

"I bet I could beat you back home." I laugh slightly nervous.

Backing up, without looking, I feel myself hit something and start to fall backward. Bracing myself to hit the ground I close my eyes, but never make impact. Instead, I'm jerked by my arms forward and steadied. The licks of fire burst to life and I groan in my head at the obvious cause. I don't open my eyes. I refuse to open my eyes. Opening my eyes would be the end. I'm almost positive, by the way the air around me is pleasantly warm and the feeling of another body brushing mine, that Dimitri had caught me and pulled me up and against his body in his rescue attempt. Dimitri's hands, still holding my arms, start to move. They trail down, brushing against my fingers before moving to grip my waist when I rock a little trying to find my balance.

"Rose." Dimitri mumbles deeply. I feel my breath catch a little at the sound. "You're okay. Open your eyes."

I shake my head and don't say a word. His grip on my waist tightens a little and bolts of electricity are pulsing from the area. I feel his body step closer, so we're now firmly against each other. The sound of his breathing is growing heavier. My hands move to rest against his lower stomach in an attempt to feebly push him back but he doesn't move.

"Open your eyes."

Is it just me or did his voice sound feverish? I shake my head and utter a squeak when I feel something firm starting to form against my stomach. My breathing picks up with my heart rate.

"Open your eyes."

There's no fighting it anymore. Dimitri's voice leaves no room for arguing and my eyes fly open at his command. All I meet is his chest. The smell of chocolate, spice, woods, and man fill my nose and I let out a small moan when my nether regions react to the scent. Looking up I find myself frozen as I watch Dimitri lean down slowly. His eyes have darkened to almost black and I feel my eyes flutter at the intensity as he stares down at me.

"Dimitri…" I breathe out but it's no use because his lips press against mine gently and my world spins and I lose my mind.

Moving my hands into his hair and tangle at the ends as I give a rough yank. The message is clear. Give me more. His hands tighten almost painfully around my waist and the kiss goes from hesitant to animalistic. Teeth nip at my lower lip causing me to gasp. Tongue diving inside he lays claim to my mouth making me lightheaded. My hands grip his head to mind before moving to scrape my nails at the base of his neck. Our moans and groans mix together as we try and melt into each other. It's not enough. It'll never be enough. Yanking my head back I gasp for breath.

"More." I demand and boy does he obey.

Bending down, he grabs ahold of my thighs and yanks me up to wrap my legs around him. His mouth resumes to dominate my lips and my back it's a tree. Did we move? The thought is washed away when he pulls back to nip at my collarbone under my sweater. The flesh is sensitive and I feel a rush of wetness between my legs. Tightening my legs, I use them as leverage to grind between my legs against his stomach. The pressure causes a vividly dirty line of words to escape me as jolts of pleasure tighten my lower belly. I yank at his duster and sweater and bite down on his, now exposed, sweater. A growl fills the air and I'm being leaned against the tree as his hands stroke my breasts before moving down my stomach and then under my sweater. I dig my nails into his shoulders as I try to keep myself grounded. His calloused fingers stroke eagerly over the expanse of my abdomen and make me whine with need. Without any warning, his fingers dip beneath my sports bra and smooth over my right breast. Jerking against him I let out a low keen. Lips cover mine and swallow the noise. I can barely breathe as he rolls, tugs, and squeezes the bud between his fingers.

"Dimitri…" I moan against his lips.

His hand completely envelopes my breast and he squeezes gently. I grind down again except this time he's lowered me enough to grind down over his hardness covered by his sweats. He sucks at the skin behind my ear as he rolls his hips forward against mine. Faintly, as if from down a tunnel, I hear a bird tweet out. The sound tugs me from the mind-numbing pleasure. I blink up at the tree tops as his hips press into me again. Trembling from the pleasure it brings me I try and clear my mind.

"Dimitri." I pant as I move my hands to tug at his hair.

"Roza…" He groans as his hand switches to my left breast.

I tug harder as my thoughts threaten to clear out again. His lips move away from my skin finally and his head tilts back to meet my eyes. I can't help myself as I lean down to kiss his swollen lips. The taste of him is addicting and I sigh when I pull away.

"Dimitri." I say again feeling dazed when his grinding continues. "Stop. We have to…AH…"

His body freezes at my pleasured cry. I watch as he blinks as if waking up. We meet gazes and I watch as the lust recedes to a manageable level in his eyes. With that I watch the regret take its place and bite my lip. He doesn't put me down and he leans his head against my breasts as we try and calm our bodies.

"This is harder than I thought." I whisper.

Dimitri's POV-

I don't reply to Rose's whispered statement. She's right, this IS much harder than I thought it would be. The last week it had been easy to get close to Rose. We had given into the pull enough to learn about each other. She hated peas. She could eat pumpkin pie for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She liked doing homework and working because it made her feel like her life had stabled out. Yet the more I learned about her…the closer I got…the more I yearned to touch her. To run my hands over her body. To claim her as mine. I feel my hips press forward against her warm softness at the thought. We both let out quiet moans.

"Dimitri." Her voice is gentle and she runs her fingers up and down my neck.

"This can't keep happening." I say into her chest. I feel her body tense against me.

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Rose's POV-

"Did you do something to piss of Dimika?" Viktoria asks as she helps me move the furniture around in my room.

"I don't know. Maybe he decided he just doesn't like me finally." I tell her feeling angry and sad at the same time.

"I thought you guys were getting along great. It seemed like he accepted you as a part of the family." She says sounding disappointed.

I feel the same disappointment flood through me as I we finally get the bed in place. Dimitri had been avoiding me for the last three days. The sudden rejection had sent me reeling and once I managed to right myself all I felt was restless. I couldn't seem to sit still and when I did I kept my hands busy. Homework, working overtime, Christmas shopping, and now rearranging my room. Looking around the room I feel myself ease just a little. From where the door is, we had moved the bed long ways (towards the door) against the left-hand wall of the room and the nightstand on its right-hand side. I had purchased a blanket chest from and set it at the end of the bed. I had given Viktoria the small table and chairs and was expecting Abe to deliver the desk and chair I had ordered from his catalogue soon.

"So, are you finally going to decorate your room?" Viktoria asks sounding hopeful.

"Why is everyone so concerned with me decorating my room?" I ask coming off as annoyed. "I'm sorry I just…damn I'm sorry. I thought Dimitri and I were good so this is really bothering me and I keep getting asked that question. Why is so important?"

She doesn't say anything for a good minute as she hands me a bunch of books that I had purchased to add to the shelves under the window seat.

"Decorating the room means that you want to stay. It means you've finally come to accept and like being here." She explains suddenly. "So, if you're decorating that means this is YOUR room and you know it."

I finish stocking the shelves and study her face. She looks peaceful and confident in what she's saying. She's right to be confident. This is my room and I'm sick of looking at bare walls. The restlessness just pushed me to finally decorate it. I smile at Viktoria, taking a second to appreciate the friendship I've found in her. I feel myself opening up to her.

"I've never decorated my room before." I tell her as I stand up and stretch.

"Really?" She asks looking surprised.

"Yep." I tell her as I start making the bed. "We moved around too much to really decorate. I once hung pictures when I was a little girl, but my mom was on a bender and ripped them all down."

"That's horrible." She sounds sad.

"It was at the time." I admit. "I made them in school for her and she was too angry to care about ruining them."

"Why was she so angry?"

I take a step back and enjoy the look of my navy blue and gray striped duvet cover and matching pillow cases. It looks cleaner than mismatched blankets and sheets. I lay the knitted blanket Olena had given me the first time. I hear footsteps stop in the doorway but I ignore them assuming it's Viktoria.

"Ummmm…My mom was once top of her class. She was really smart, came from a good family, and just really had it all laid out in front of her." I stop as it all starts flooding in. All of the memories that I've worked hard to push away. "In her senior year, she met an older man and fell in love. Ended up getting pregnant, but he didn't want a baby and told her to get rid of it."

Viktoria looks upset at the story but doesn't say anything as I pull out the pillow top I made for the bench seat. I collect myself for a minute before sitting down and looking out the window.

"She didn't though. She kept me and her parents kicked her out and she lost her scholarship to college. So, she dropped out of high school and left in the middle of the night. Gave birth in some sketchy ass hospital and had to become a prostitute to support us." I continue. "Could barely afford to eat let alone rent a place and she was always bringing home guys who would hurt us or steal our money. One guy was named Jerry…he was a monster. Anyways, we lived in hotel rooms. Lived in apartments that had blood on the carpets, smelled like drugs, rat and roach infested. She ended up turning into an alcoholic and a druggie. She grew to hate me."

"Didn't anyone help you?" She asks sounding near tears.

"Who would help a whore and her bastard." I mock my mother's slurring voice. "I had it all and then YOU came along. He loved me. He loved me. Now all I have is you. You ruined me."

"She was your mom though."

"No, she wasn't. She couldn't handle being a mom."

Soft sniffles can be heard from Viktoria and I struggle to keep a lid on everything that wants to burst out from me. I want to shove it on someone else so I can finally be free. Closing my eyes, I lean back.

"I HATE YOU!"

A cough makes me jump. Eyes flying open I spin towards the door to find Dimitri and Abe with my desk. The blood drains from my face at the horrified look on Dimitri's face and Abe looks like he's struggling with something. The air is tense and awkward before I shove past it. Getting up I point over to the right side of the room.

"I want it in the corner of the room." I tell them normally. The don't move and I snap at them. "People have shitty lives. It happened. It's over with. She left and I'm here so there's no need to look like that. I'm not a victim."

Pulling themselves together, they quickly move the desk into the far-right corner of the room and roll the chair up to it. Taking a step back I admire the desk before frowning.

"That's not the desk I ordered." I tell Abe.

"You picked out a cheap one that would fall apart. I switched the order to something nicer that would last. Free of charge." He says in an arrogant tone.

I feel my eye twitch but I don't say anything. The desk…it is nice. It's a Bush Fairview Computer Desk with an Optional Hutch in antique black. It looks nice with the Serta Ashland Winter River gray home office chair. The desk also complemented the Sharlowe Storage Panel bedframe that I got in black also. Nodding appreciatively at my room I go into the closet and pull out a solid gray rug and lay it down in the middle of the room. Looking around I admire the black book shelves hung on the walls surrounding the doorway. Various candles from downtown sat on them making the room smell nice.

"All you need is some paint." Viktoria says in a calm tone. Turning to her I smile thankfully and she smiles back. She makes her way to the doorway and waves as she goes downstairs.

"I like what you've done to the place. Very mature looking." Abe says as he looks around before going to leave. He stops before turning to me. "You know I was there when your mom was around and I know your father had his reasons for not wanting a baby."

I go to say something but he's already going downstairs. Confusion and hurt swing inside of me. Huffing I turn and freeze when I find Dimitri still here. He studies my face intently.

"I can't do your mood swings." I tell him. "You're either talking to me or you're not."

"I'm not trying to hurt you." He says sounding pained. "I'm trying to do the right thing."

"Then you're doing a really shitty job." I tell him deadpan.

Not saying anything he walks up to me and cups my face.

"Stop it." I tell him weakly.

"I want to." He mutters under his breath.

"You're a liar."

"I know."

He bends down and brushes his lips over mine before straightening up.

"We can't keep doing this." He whispers. "This is the last time."

My lips tingle and my body protests at his removal. Reaching up I carefully remove his hands away from my face and force myself to painfully move away. Footsteps echo up the steps and when I turn I find a tall slender woman with pale blue eyes and long black hair. I force myself not to stare at the burned half of her face. Walking into the room she smiles brightly at me and then at Dimitri.

"Dimika are you ready?" She asks smoothly.

I look at him and raise an eyebrow. Uneasiness starts to fill my stomach and chest.

"Yeah I'll be right down." He smiles at her. She gestures towards me and gives him a look. "Oh, this is Rose."

"Hello Rose!" She says smoothly as she quickly shakes my hand. "My names Tasha. Sorry for barging in but it would be rude not to be introduced."

I utter a polite hello and watch as she leaves and heads downstairs. The unease increases and I turn back to Dimitri. Tears start to fill my eyes as I connect dots. Guilt twists his face before it smooths out.

"I take it she's more than an old friend." I joke dryly.

"She's my ex. We ended it when things just weren't working out." He admits softly. "She came by to try and give it another go and I said no...but after this morning...I've decided to try again."

"Get out." I tell him pointing at my door.

"Rose…"

"Get out!" I snap at him turning around.

I listen to his footsteps cross the room before stopping. My body starts to tremble and the sound of my hitched breathing is the only sound in the room. I try and push down the hurt but it's too late.

"It's the only way. I'm sorry." He says firmly. I angrily wipe at the tears that have managed to leak out.

"Go fuck yourself." I shoot over my shoulder.

Silence meets me and then the sound of my door latching shut. I feel my heart break in my chest.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I'll update soon! Please leave a review and let me know what you think .