Rose

I bit down on my lip to keep from crying out.

Dimitri kissed a slow path down my neck, stopping at my breast. His lips were feather light, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin there but only gently biting down. It wasn't just the intense earnestness with which he was kissing each of my breasts that had me squirming on the edge, begging for release. The deliberate ministrations of his fingers between my legs were doing their part too. My hips jerked and bucked as I rode the measured pace he set for me with his fingers and the heel of his hand but his other hand held me in place as the rest of him slid the rest of the way down my body.

The first two times had been quick and hurried but we were taking our time this time around. We dozed off for a few hours in the living room, tangled together on the floor. I woke up when Dimitri lifted me into his arms to carry me to his room. We were both tired from the long day and the physical exertion and had started to fall back asleep but one lingering kiss goodnight had turned into Dimitri's methodical kisses along my body. And, as much as I praised his hugs, he was an even better kisser. His lips never left my heated skin as he trailed soft kisses to the apex of my legs, nibbling on the skin there.

"You're killing me," I panted.

The vibrations of his chuckle sent a receptive thrill through me. He spoke without raising his head, his words muffled against my skin. "In a good way I hope?"

"Definitely good," I assured him.

How he thought we could go any long without physical chemistry as good as this between us, I have no idea but I was glad he gave in. I liked that we talk, that we made each other laugh but I also missed this, the connection of two people coming together. It was comforting and mind-blowing and somehow better every time. He truly knew how to work my body, attuned to the most sensitive points at the most reactive parts of me, and I often wondered if I should attribute it to him being a doctor or to his experience over the years. I didn't want to think about it too much, especially not know. I only wanted to lose myself in the moment, the way I always did when we were like this, and he was certainly working tirelessly in helping me enjoy it.

My heavy breathing sounded too loud to me, the only noise in the room other than the distant crash and fall of the ocean outside, until he started gently lapping at my folds. The light sound of his tongue working its way to taste every inch of me was a turn on all on its own, adding to the pressure building inside of me. His slow, leisurely licks were downright torture, but a pleasurable one. He was drawing it out, the promise of release just within reach as he'd speed up a little before stopping all together. I couldn't tell if he was stringing it out to make up for lost time or as a sort of punishment.

"Are you playing with me because I laughed when you fell on the ice?" I managed to breathe out.

He laughed as he continued to work his fingers inside of me, slowly adding one more. "Maybe," he teased.

I groaned as he angled his fingers and cupped me in his hand, adding a light, welcome pressure.

"It's because I tried to seduce you, isn't it?"

"And that kiss at the rink," he added. "I'm paying you back and making up for lost time."

Huh. So I had guessed right on both counts. "Your payback is awesome. You're doing a good job," I sighed.

"Good to know," he laughed before lowering his mouth on me again. I lost my fingers in his hair, wanting to feel more of him, the weight of his body and the heat of his skin against my own. I shivered as his teeth grazed against the most sensitive of my flesh. He was intent on lengthening the build-up as much as he could.

"More," I chanted, over and over and he delivered, adding more pressure as I tightened my hold on his hair. He paused to lift my legs over his broad shoulders, holding me firmly by the waist as he finally let me reach my peak. I came louder and harder than I'd ever remembered, unable to catch a full breath of air. My back arched and my head fell back as I road it out for as long it lasted, Dimitri keeping his place between my weakened legs until the last of the shudders stopped. He unhooked me from around his shoulders and I could feel him kiss the tingling skin from my ankle to my knees before he slid his way back up my body, laying half on top of me. I had screwed my eyes shut when I came and kept them close as the aftershocks lingered but when I finally opened them, he was there, hovering over me as he cradled my face in his hand before pressing a kiss to my forehead.

"You're really good at that."

He laughed, hooking my hair behind my ears as he cupped me behind the knee to pull me impossibly closer.

"Thank you. You're not so bad yourself."

"But I didn't do anything for you this time."

He leaned close, his low voice in my ear. "Listening to you and the sounds you make was more than enough for me."

I buried my face against him, embarrassed at all the noise I'd made and what I'd looked like even though the room was mostly dark.

"I don't believe you. I was loud and...noisy. That's not cute."

He took my hand and shifted a little so I could feel the hard erection between us. "I love the way you sound."

I shook my head, disbelieving. "You're only hard because I'm naked, lying under you."

"Oh really? You don't think you did this to me."

"With those sounds I made. Nope!"

"I guess I should do it again to demonstrate," he offered, already starting to lower himself down.

"No," I laughed, taking his face into my hands. "I don't think I could take it. I'm still trying to recover." I could still feel tiny shocks every couple of seconds, especially when he touched me. "I didn't hurt you did I? Pull too tight?"

"You were perfect," he assured me.

There it was again. Perfect. He was right. It was perfect, just like the first time. Letting myself go under the touches and affections of someone else was a pleasure in itself but even moreso with a guy who liked me as much as I did him. It was indescribable, in a way, the feeling of being connected to someone after feeling alone for so long, but it was indescribable in a good way. In a way that left me speechless, searching for the right words, and wishing I were more articulate to describe it to myself. I didn't even fully understand it but I knew that I needed it, this sensation of filling the emptiness I carried for so long. I looked into Dimitri's eyes and hoped that some part of him felt the same way.

"So beautiful..." he murmured, his fingers caressing my cheeks. "You skin flushes red a little bit and your eyes are always a little brighter afterward."

I could never get used to that, being called beautiful by someone who meant it, so I didn't say anything. I raised myself up to kiss him instead before pulling back and my eyes catching the time on the clock on his nightstand. I knew he had to get up for work soon and we'd only slept a few hours.

"It's almost five a.m. You should sleep."

"Probably," he agreed but leaned down again to kiss me.

"You said you have a twelve hour shift tomorrow," I reminded him.

"Exactly. I won't see you for half a day so we better make the most of it now," he argued. He smothered my laughter as he pulled my bottom lip between both of his.

"Dimitri," I halfheartedly admonished. The thought of going so long without him so soon took some of the steam out of my effort.

"I'll get through the day with a few memories like this to think about."

I want some more memories of tonight to get me through our time apart too. I relented and finally returned his kisses, my tongue seeking out his before clashing together in the warmth of his mouth. One hand around his neck and the other holding him in my hands, I squeezed as I slid along the velvety hardness of his length. It always surprised me how smooth and pliable it was despite its firmness. I touched my thumb to the tip, spreading the bead of warm moisture as I started a rhythmic pacing back and forth. He said I was beautiful when I came but Dimitri was pretty damn gorgeous himself when he reacted to my touch. His head was leaned against mine, his eyes closed and his lips parted. His hold on me was tight but not painful the faster I went. He pulsed in my hand, ready to spill but before he could he rolled so that I was completely under him. He grabbed a hold of my wrist to stop me as he used his legs to part my thighs.

"Okay?" he panted, waiting for me to give the okay. I appreciated it but he didn't need to. Despite my happy complaint before that I was still recovering from the last orgasm, I wanted him inside me again, already anticipating the sensation of feeling whole.

"Yeah," I breathed out before he quickly slid into me, filling me to the hilt. I gasped at the welcome intrusion, my limbs still tense from our earlier bouts but it felt amazing. It was the same kind of tension and soreness after a long workout. I knew he was already close, ready to let himself go but he still worked to get me there with him, pumping in and out and adding those long, deft fingers of his into the equation to help out. I held his hair back from his face, cupping his clenched jaws in my hands.

"It's okay. Let go," I strained to get out as his hand worked its wonders on me.

"You're almost there. I can feel it," he said stubbornly. It was a little starting that he already knew my body so well and was able to read it. He was right, I was close but I could tell he was barely hanging on.

"It's okay," I repeated.

He kept going, the movements of his hips quickening and he added welcome pressure of his thumb against my core. I was glad he held out because that was all I needed. I clenched my legs, tightening myself around him. He buried his face into my neck and we both let go.

"I just can't believe it!" Mia squealed as she scrolled through the pictures from my first official date with Dimitri. "Our little Rosie is dating!"

I rolled my eyes at her theatrics but couldn't keep the smile off my face. I finally told her and Liss the full details about me and Dimitri. I liked keeping him and all the time we've spent together to myself but I had to admit that it felt kind of good that people knew about us. Talking about him and us and dating, with someone other than Dimitri himself, made it feel more real.

Things were good with the three of us right now. We sat down and talked about the move and selling the house and caught each other up on everything going on in our individual lives. Mia had already started looking at a few apartments in our price range and was thinking of going back to school, Liss told us more about the permanent position she was being offered and meeting Chris' family, and I contributed my Dimitri news and the fact that I really liked him. It felt good to be on good terms and talking again.

"I feel like a proud mother hen." She swiped a fake tear from eye making Liss and I laugh.

"Calm down. I'm seeing someone. Not getting married."

"Don't try to play this down. This is a big deal!" she argued. "When's the last time you had a boyfriend? Never," she said, answering her question.

"What do you mean? Rose has been dating since kindergarten. Remember, Ralph?" Lissa asked without looking up. She was finishing up some school work but in an effort to spend more time with us, decided to do it here at the house instead of going to the library or Chris' place.

Mia shook her head. "The mini-doughnuts kid? Doesn't count and neither do those other guys."

"Why not?"

"Because she never really liked any of those guys."

I didn't even bother trying to argue because she was right. I've never had a boyfriend and I never really liked any of the guys I went out with. I didn't even want to use the word 'dated' because it was never about that. It had only ever been about wasting time with those losers but with Dimitri... I don't know. It was more than that. Sure those guys had interested me in a way but I never referred to any of them as my boyfriend. Not that I thought about it, I still hadn't even really referred to Dimitri as my boyfriend.

"It's different with this one," Mia continued.

"How do you know?"

"Gee, I don't know. Because he bought you that big ass plant that's sitting on the porch, you let him take you out on Valentine's day on an actual date, and..." She showed me the pictures she'd be scrolling through, the one where Dimitri and I were tangled together on the ice, laughing. "Because you're actually smiling in every single one of these pictures."

Liss took my phone from her and looked at the picture close up. "She's right. I can't remember the last time I've seen you smile."

"I smile!"

"Barely and it's usually one of those fake smiles."

She was right about that too. I couldn't help it. He made me smile. Even thinking about him made me smile. I tried to hide it behind my cup as I sipped on my coffee but both Mia and Lissa shook their head, smiling knowingly.

"And because you've hardly been here in the last week," Mia pointed out.

"I've been working." I had back-to-back catering gigs while Dimitri worked his twelve to fourteen hour shifts at the hospital but we had a late dinner together once and I'd slept at his place the two times he'd been able to go home and sleep.

"Is that what you kids are calling it these days? 'Working'?" she air-quoted.

"Seriously, we've hardly seen each other," I told her, which was kind of the truth. We texted back and forth mostly and slept when we were at his place, both too tired to do much else.

She ignored me as though I hadn't spoken and continued. "Which brings me to the most important question! A hunk as smokin' how as this? How's the sex?"

"Mia!"

"What? Don't act like you're not curious," she said to Liss. She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands as she eagerly waited for me to answer. Lissa set down her pen and turned to face me too.

"She's right. Details!" she demanded.

I squirmed under the scrutiny of their stare. I had never been shy dishing out details about the guys I'd hooked up with but, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, this was different. Sex with Dimitri wasn't just sex. It felt like more. It meant something to me.

"Your silence says it all," Mia said when I still hadn't answered. "And excuse me but are you blushing? I didn't think you were capable of that. It's that good huh?"

"Yes it's good," I awkwardly answered.

She grinned. "Get it girl!" she cheered before high-fiving me.

"We're really happy for you, Roses," Lissa said more calmly after she stopped laughing. Had I really worried them this much that they were this happy for me?

"I'm torn between hating you for leaving me as the only single one and being happy for you but since I love you and your one of my best friends I guess I can congratulate you," Mia playfully sighed. "I'm happy for you too."

"Thanks. I'm happy for me too," I admitted and it was the truth. Things were perfect but, for the time being, I was happy.

"So! When do we get to meet this guy and does he have any brothers that are just as fine as he is? I'll settle for a cousin. Even an uncle," Mia asked.

"Only sisters."

She thought about it for a moment and nodded. "Are they cute?"

"I'm not sure," I laughed, ignoring the first question. I wasn't ready for them to meet him. It was already a big step for me that I'd told them about him and how he made me feel. "I haven't met them."

"Okay but when you do, get the deets! I'm having a bit of a dry spell in the dating department and could use a little lovin'," she complained. Mia was a serial dater, jumping from one person to the next. It was rare that there was much time between partners.

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Good."

We spent another hour or so joking around and catching up before Mia had to head to the bar for her shift while Liss and I went to see a listing agent about selling the house.

It felt a little backwards, selling the house in order to move into an apartment. Most people would kill to live in a house that was essentially paid for but the house had too many terrible memories for us to hold on to. I could understand Liss's point of view on that but sitting at the realtor's office, it finally felt real that we were doing this. It was weird, working to sell the house we'd practically grown up in but Liss was excited. I held on to the idea that this was the first step to a fresh start and a new beginning. It was my turn to see how I'd do out in the world on my own without the responsibility that came with the house and providing financial support for Liss. This was about me having to only support myself. It was scary but there was nothing I could do about that except remember what Dimitri said about not being alone and take it one step at a time. It was a lot of change but good change.

The listing agent, Ellen, was nice enough. She was little too chipper and chatty but, according Liss, she was one of the best. She calculated the worth of the house and, after punching in a few numbers and accounting for her commission, she figured that we'd make a nice profit. I tried to argue that even though I'd grown up there, the house was actually just Liss's but she wasn't hearing it. She figured that it had been my home too and I paid and took care of much of its upkeep so I should be included in the money we'd make from selling. I wasn't even sure what I'd do with money like that. My account only ever seemed to have money in it long enough to pay the bills before I was back to a double digit balance. Liss pointed out that with money like that, I could even quit one of my jobs. Maybe even both if I wanted. I wasn't sure about that since working kept me busy but it was something to think about.

We made plans for Ellen to come see the house in person in the upcoming week for a proper assessment before leaving. Mia and I still had to find an apartment so while Lissa headed off to one of her classes, I set out to do a little more apartment hunting since it was one of my rare days off. I was at an open house for an apartment not too far from the local university when Dimitri called. He was working long shifts at the hospital this last week, filling in at the emergency room, but always made sure to call or text when he could.

"Guess what," he said as soon as I answered.

I laughed at the lightness in his tone. "What?"

"The doctor I'm filling in for just started his shift and I have the next three days off which means..."

"Which means you can go home and crash for the next seventy-two hours?" I guessed as I wandered through the first bedroom of the two bedroom apartment. It was the size of a closet which was ironic considering it was supposed to be the bigger of the two.

"I could do that ooooor I could pick up dinner for the two of us and we can watch a movie," he suggested.

"Trying to make good on your promise of Netflix and chill?"

He answered eagerly without missing a beat. "Definitely! Where are you right now?"

"Apartment hunting near the university and it's not going well," I told him as I peaked into the bathroom and spotted mold on the ceiling. As much as this one was within a reasonable price range, I decided to cross it off the list and left.

"That bad?"

"Terrible. I think I've been spoiled by living in a house in suburbia. I've never lived in an apartment before. It's kind of stressing me out a little," I admitted. It was overwhelming, trying to find somewhere for Mia and I to live for who knows how long, that was affordable, a reasonable driving distance to both our jobs, and didn't have any maintenance or cleanliness problems. I knew that I was mostly stressing at the newness of it all and the acceptance of all this change but I couldn't help it.

"Then a break is exactly what you need," he reasoned.

"Maybe you're right," I agreed as I stepped out on the street. I remembered that I'd driven with Liss and had taken the bus and train to each of the apartments. Dimitri and I made plans for him to pick me up from the Mexican restaurant where I ordered our dinner. Familiar butterflies fluttered in my stomach when I spotted his truck. I couldn't understand how I was always this excited to see him even though we'd been seeing each other for almost two months now. Even seeing the notifications of his texts or his name on my phone when he called sent my heart into overdrive. Was this what it meant to really like being with someone or had it just been too long for me? I couldn't remember ever feeling this way before.

I could see how tired he was when he arrived, tired bag under his eyes and his clothes were a little rumpled, but he still climbed out of his truck to pull me into his arms. The scent of his aftershave was barely detectable and his smell resembled that of the hospital but it felt good to hold him even though only a day had passed since we were last together.

We spoke at the same time. "I missed you."

We smiled at each other, both of us a little awkward by our confession, feeling a little silly that we hadn't been apart that long. It was reassuring that everything I was feeling wasn't one sided. The look he gave me before we kissed convinced me that he felt it too. Our kiss that would have lasted longer if they hadn't called out my name for our order. Dimitri took the bag from my hands and opened my door for me, helping me into the car. It was a new experience for me, dating someone with basic manners who took an interest in my day no matter how boring it was. We talked about our days and what we'd both been up to since we'd last talked late last night. I had always thought that if I'd met someone I really liked, we'd connect in a way that we'd never run out of things to say to each other but with Dimitri, even when we ran out of things to say and the conversation petered out, it wasn't awkward or uncomfortable. It was enough that we were together.

His phone alerted him to a message as we made it back to his house. "Tasha and Ivan have been sending me reminders about tomorrow," he explained as I spread the food out.

"She's that worried you won't go?"

"I've cancelled before," he admitted looking none to proud of that fact.

"They must really miss you."

"I think they're more looking forward to yelling at me for being gone for so long," he said humorlessly as we sat down.

"Are you worried they're mad at you?" I asked as we started eating.

"They have every right to be but I know I can't keep avoiding them."

"Are you spending the entire weekend there?"

"It's only about a two hour drive so just tomorrow. I don't think I could take more than a few there."

I touch my hand over his. I wasn't great at giving moral support but I wanted him to know I was there for him the same way he promised I wasn't alone either. "If it gets to be too much, you can always call me. I don't work tomorrow."

He leaned over to kiss my cheek. "Thank you, I appreciate that."

"No problem," I murmured.

He squeezed my hand, kissing me on the lips this time. "I really do."

I had to look away from the intensity of his gaze. I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks whenever he looked at me like that. I focused on poking at my food as I realized something.

"If I'd known you were going to invite me over, I would have driven my own car and just met you here. I feel bad asking you to drive me home before you have to drive all the way to your mother's house."

"Or you could stay here," he suggested. "It'd give me something to look forward to."

"I don't have any clothes with me," I pointed out.

"Even better," he smiled coyly.

After a busy week, the thought of lounging here in this gorgeous beach house, waiting for him to come back sounded good to me. After we finished up our food, we curled up together on the couch to watch the movie Dimitri picked. I wasn't too surprised that it was a western. He'd been trying to get me to watch one for a while now.

"So this is the movie that's going to turn me onto westerns forever?"

"It's one of my favorites," he said as it started.

I wasn't a fan of black and white movies but I was willing to see what made it so great and why he loved it so much. I liked the little bits and pieces we were slowly finding out about each other.

"Okay but next time I get to pick, even if it's a crappy horror movie."

"Deal," he agreed, sealing it with a soft kiss, his fingers tangling in my hair as I tilted my face up. It was the type of slow and lazy kiss the made my toes tingle and left me aching for more but for now it was enough. The movie wasn't half bad but Dimitri fell asleep through the second half. I covered us both up with the throw blanket and let him sleep. His arms tightened around me as I nestled against him, falling into a deep, comfortable sleep soon after.

A/N: I'm starting to think I should have rated this M for that opening sex scene? I'm a little awkward writing lemony scenes like that so I wasn't sure. Kind of a slow chapter where nothing really happens but I'm working on it. I'm sorry for the late update. It was basically finished but I messed up on the timeline and was struggling to fix it but I promise I will finish this story even if it kills me! Thanks for sticking with me and I'll see you guys on the next update soon!