a/n: Thank you all so much for the reviews for last chapter.

Also, this is probably a good time to tell you that this story is just one part of Rose and Dimitri's journey. Assuming there is still interest, a second story will follow this one to wrap things up. But this one isn't over yet! ;) There are more chapters to come!

Rose had slept like a log for the past three nights. Of course, Dimitri had been there, so that helped. He'd go home during the day, come back at night and climb into bed beside her. But it was Monday morning; the weekend was over now and she was pretty sure Dimitri wasn't going to say with her indefinitely. Stretching, she groaned as she rolled over onto her back.

"I better see you in class this morning, Ms. Hathaway."

Rose screeched as she looked over at Dimitri. Though his voice was rough with sleep, his eyes were wide open. A slow grin broke out over her face. "Yes, Professor," she said softly.

Dimitri growled at the use of the endearment, then leaned down and rubbed the tip of his nose over her neck. "Does this mean I can start calling you 'Roza' again?" he asked.

Rose was touched that he would ask her instead of assuming that things would immediately go back to the way they'd been. "Yes," she breathed.

He grinned as he lifted his head. "Good," he said huskily as his gaze locked with hers. "I'm staying at my place tonight."

"OK," she said, trying to hide her disappointment.

"Will you stay with me?" he requested as he reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Yes," she answered without missing a beat. "If you'll answer a question for me."

"What's that?" he returned.

She smiled seductively at him. "What are you going to do with me once you have me there?"

"I'm gonna cuddle you," he answered before climbing off her bed.

He bent down to reach for his shirt, and Rose lifted a hand to her hair, sighing in frustration. She wondered if there was even a point to staying with him. He'd been here with her for the last three nights, but he hadn't laid so much as a hand on her. Maybe he really was having an attack of conscience, and that's what prompted him to stay with her. Maybe he didn't want to go back to the way things were at all, but wanted to make sure she was OK—that she wasn't going to blab about their relationship to the wrong person.

"You know," she said, testing the waters. "If you got ready here…we could shower together."

Dimitri chuckled as he pulled his shirt over his head. "I can't be late for my own class, Roza," he informed her.

"Of course not," she agreed.

He grinned at her one last time before leaving. "See you at eight a.m. sharp."

"Is your chicken OK?" Dimitri asked distractedly as he looked up from the stack of papers in his lap.

"It's delicious", Rose assured him as she used her fork to push it around on her plate.

"You've barely touched it," he said.

Rose took a deep breath and sighed. "You've barely touched me," she said in a small voice.

He immediately stood from his spot on the couch and let the papers flutter to the floor. He walked over the coffee table, picked up the plate in front of her, and gently set it on the floor before sitting down. She had to crane her neck to look up at him.

"Roza," he said softly as he reached for her hands. "The last time I tried to touch you, you flinched," he reminded her.

"Well, we weren't together," she said defensively.

"And you'd just been attacked. I scared you. I don't want to scare you again."

Rose took a deep breath and made her way awkwardly to her knees. "OK, fine. You scared me," she conceded as she laced her fingers with his. "I'm not scared now."

Dimitri studied her face for a moment before speaking. "Are you sure?" he asked softly.

Rose swallowed past the lump in her throat and nodded.

He tugged gently on her hands, pulling her closer as he lowered his head. Rose sighed, closing her eyes as he brushed his lips over hers before running his tongue along the seam of her lips. Her mouth parted, and his tongue swept gently inside. He let go of her hands to cup her face, his tongue softly caressing hers.

When Rose reached for the buttons on his shirt, he pulled away. Her eyelids fluttered open to see the smirk on his face. "What?" she asked.

"Is this all we're about, Roza?" he asked teasingly. "Sex?"

Though he pretended to be joking, Rose had a feeling he was serious. She laughed nervously. "Well, no. Of course not. But it is one of my favorite things about us," she admitted. "I mean…out of all the guys I've been with…it's never been like this."

When Dimitri quirked a brow, Rose immediately realized her error. "Oh, God," she groaned. "Didn't something like this happen the last time we were in this apartment? I hate this place."

Dimitri cleared his throat. "So…how many other men have there been, Roza?" he asked.

With a resigned sigh, Rose lowered herself until she was sitting on her heels. "I think you missed the compliment in there," she informed him.

"Oh, no. I got it," he said dryly. "I'm amazing in bed. And apparently you have lots to compare me to."

"Not lots," she muttered as she looked away.

"How many?" he pressed.

"You first," she said with a defiant lift of her chin.

"One," he answered with no hesitation. "Now you."

"One?" she asked in disbelief. "How have you only been with one woman?"

Dimitri shrugged. "I was in a committed relationship for years, and I'm not a one night stand kind of guy, Roza. Incidentally, I tried it with you, and we see how that panned out."

"You were very good at it," she assured him.

"Yes, until you walked into my classroom," he said caustically. "Now it's your turn. How many, Roza?"

"Two," she finally answered.

"Two isn't so bad," he remarked as he stood. He tugged on her hands and pulled her to her feet, then hauled her into his arms. "We'll just have to make sure it stops at three."