a/n: Thank you all so much for the reviews for last chapter! :) I hope you enjoy this one!

Dimitri heard her breath catch and when she didn't speak, he gave her shoulder a gentle push until she was lying on her back glaring up at him. "I told you not to say that," she said furiously.

"I couldn't stop myself," he admitted unapologetically.

"Did you even try?" she shrieked.

"Roza—"

When she made an attempt to get up, he pressed gently on her shoulder. "Don't run."

"Let go of me," she ordered scathingly.

Dimitri shook his head, and fear instantly filled her eyes.

"You're scaring me," she told him.

"My words scared you," he amended softly. "You're not afraid of me, remember?"

He was right, and Rose was freaked out even more by how well he knew her. "Can you just…roll away...at least? So I can sit up?" she asked in a shaky voice. "I feel like...the room is getting smaller."

Dimitri did as she asked, and Rose flew into a sitting position. Her hand flew to her throat as she gasped for air. "I knew…I was in trouble…when you said you…you wanted to cuddle, but I didn't listen to my instincts!" she said between breaths. "Oh, God," she said as she tried to scramble to the side of the mattress. But Dimitri was too quick for her. His hand gripped her knee as he hauled her closer.

"Roza," he said as he pushed her hair away from her face. "I just told you that I love you…and you're on the verge of a panic attack. You know that's not normal, right?"

"You don't know my family!" she stated sharply.

Dimitri wasn't sure what he'd expected, but this hadn't been it. He thought maybe he'd stun her for a few seconds before she returned the sentiment, or maybe tell him she needed a little bit of time before she could say it back, but he hadn't expected her to completely lose it.

So he reverted to the only thing he knew would comfort her. His lips came crashing down onto hers as he reached between her legs and thrust two fingers inside of her. She gasped against his kiss as she fell back, her hips lurching up off the mattress to meet his thrusts; she was already drenched for him. Her body instantly fell into rhythm with the tempo he'd set, and she clutched his shoulders.

"What are you…doing?" she asked against his lips.

"Turning your legs to jelly so you can't get up and walk out of here," he returned huskily as he nipped at her jawbone.

"You don't play fair," she said breathlessly.

"That's because I'm not playing Roza," he replied solemnly.

Her eyes narrowed accusingly, but whatever she'd been about to say was lost when she felt him harden against her thigh. Her hands tightened on his shoulders, and she pushed him onto his back. Her knees straddled his waist as she sunk down onto him, and Dimitri's hips soared off the mattress until he'd completely filled her.

Her hands were still on his shoulders as she rocked back and forth; her hair grazed his chest. He used one hand to gather the silky locks into a pony tail at the nape of her neck, then lifted his back off the mattress and pressed his lips to hers. She parted instantly, sucking his tongue inside of her mouth. His tongue battled with hers to command the kiss, but he was unable to resist her. He gave in with a groan as her tongue stroked his.

Her heat surrounded him over and over as she lifted her ass in the air and dropped down onto him. When her body clenched around his, Dimitri lifted his hand to her back and used his fingertips to caress her spine while she rode him. As her breathing became more erratic, she was forced to break the kiss as she struggled for air. "Oh, yes," she groaned as her entire body tightened around his.

Driving into her one last time, Dimitri's body found its release.

"Oh, good," Rose said when she burst into the apartment and found Lissa on the couch studying. "Christian!" she bellowed.

"He's not here," Lissa told her.

"Oh, good," Rose repeated as she slammed the door behind her.

"Ummm…what happened to your buttons?" her friend asked with an amused look on her face.

Rose looked down at her shirt. "That is so not important," she said with a wave of her hand.

"Ummm…it is if it's naughty," Lissa insisted as she closed her text book. "You know I'm big on details!"

"Well, as luck would have it, big is one of the details," Rose said dryly.

"So I've heard," Lissa remarked teasingly.

Rose sighed as she began pacing in front of the television. "Liss—we have a situation," she said gravely.

For the first time since Rose had surged into the apartment, Lissa's face became serious. "Is everything OK?" she asked straightening.

"Not really," Rose answered. "Dimitri said—" She laughed in disbelief as she covered her face with her hands. "God, I can't even say them in casual conversation!" she said miserably.

"Say what?" Lissa pressed.

"Dimitri said the three words that most—as he pointed out—normal people like to hear!"

"Oh, God. Oh my, God," Lissa said as she clapped a hand over her mouth. "Doesn't he know you at all?"

"Well, I thought so!" Rose said shrilly. "As it turns out, I think he's just mastered my body and not my emotions, because he can get me off pretty quickly, but—"

"OK—too many details," Lissa interrupted.

"Right, right," Rose said breathlessly. "I don't know what to do from here. I mean…clearly I'm not ready to say them back, but don't you think Dimitri deserves to hear them?"

"OK, first of all…sit, Rose," Lissa commanded. "You're making me dizzy—and every sentence is coming out like a single word."

Rose walked to the couch and sat down for all of five seconds before springing up again. "I can't sit," she said. "I mean…I had to lay there for hours waiting for Dimitri to fall asleep so I could sneak out of his place, but…I'll slow down my talking," she offered as a compromise.

"OK," Lissa said, her voice soothing. "That'll work."

Rose winced as she came to a stop in front of her friend. "I think…I think I might've lost him, Liss."