DPOV
"Aren't their books on what to wear when meeting your boyfriend's parents?" Rose asked.
She'd tossed every item of clothing out of her duffle bag trying to find 'The Perfect' outfit.
"Yes but you don't need any of those books because you'll look fine in anything you'll wear. Besides, you have a while to figure out what you're going to wear. We're supposed to be training," I told her dodging a red blouse.
"I'm meeting your family tomorrow. I have less than twenty four hours to prepare," she told me, her voice panicky. She went back to tossing her clothes around.
"You don't have to prepare. They'll love you the way you are," I tried to reassure her.
"I'm I the first girl you've brought home?" she asked so suddenly my head snapped up.
"Yes," I answered honestly.
She threw her hands up in the air with a dramatic scoff and eye roll.
"That's even worse. Couldn't you have brought home a few disappointments to make me look better! The first girl you bring home and she'd underage, the daughter of a mob boss, and she has a record!"
"You have a record?" I ask smiling.
"As if you don't already know."
I did. I just wanted to see her face when she said it.
I leaned up from the wall I'd been leaning on and moved toward her.
"Look, you are a beautiful, smart, charming young woman. My family will love you," I told her.
I wrapped my arms around her small, full frame. She leaned into me and I moved my hands to her lower back.
"Really?" she asked finally sounding like she believed me.
"I wouldn't introduce you to them if I thought otherwise," I answered truthfully.
She smiled up at me, locking her hands behind my back.
"I'm not sure if that's really a compliment but I'll take it."
I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers. I felt her gasp, surprised, as always. No matter how often I kissed her or pulled her toward me just to have her close, she couldn't hide her surprise.
It's been nearly a week since our 'intimate indiscretion" as I'd labeled it.
"You'd think you'd be used to me now," I murmured against her lips.
She shifted in my arms, still taken off guard by the kiss.
"I know. I just…can't get over it."
I moved my hands to her waist, to pull back a bit and give her some space.
Hastily she tugged me back toward her with a little moan of complaint.
I kissed the top of her forehead.
"Maybe after some time and practice," I offered leaning down to kiss her again.
She giggled, pecked me on the lips once and moved away, pushing at my chest.
"Behave lover boy. None of the good stuff until after I meet your family."
"Why?" Confusion clear and present even to my own ears.
"Because I'd feel guilty and then I'd meet your mom and your grandma and your sister and the guilt will be written all over my face and they'll know I've been making out with their son, grandson and brother."
"There are other guys you've been kissing beside me?" I asked teasing.
She shoved at my chest and went back to searching her bag for clothes.
"We're dating Rose. I'm introducing you as my girlfriend so I think they'll already know we've kissed."
"Yes but it shouldn't acknowledged outside of our minds."
I was even more confused then before. It must be that crazy girlfriend logic I'd heard so much about or the pre jitters before meeting the parents.
I was still getting used to just having someone else around so much, especially someone I could hug, kiss, and hold close as much as I want to, as many times as I wanted to.
Even the little things I was still getting used to.
Sounds of someone else moving around the apartment other than me, having someone waiting up for me when I came home from work no matter what time it was, and the best part: having another person to talk to about any and everything and no matter what they listened.
I couldn't really explain it in all words or simple thoughts.
When I was around Rose it was all one worded thoughts and images that described her, little mementos of moments that reminded me of her or of something she'd done.
"Hello? Earth to Dimitri," she said waving a hand in front of my face. "You were completely out of it. Thinking of anything in particular?"
"More like someone special."
This brought out an outright, high-cheeked grin.
"You romancer you. That's so sweet!" She squealed coming toward me. She wrapped her arms around my neck reaching up on her toes.
"I didn't say it was you," I joked. I earned a hard slap to my bruised arm.
"That's to bad," she teased pulling away. "A compliment like that could have earned you some major private time."
I reached to pull her to me again.
She pushed my hands away and giggled. "Nope too late!"
I sighed defeated. She went back to sorting through the few clothes she had.
She sighed frustrated.
Looking around the room, barely covered with the few items in the world Rose possessed, I had an idea.
"Would it help much if you bought an outfit for tomorrow?"
She looked up from the sweater she'd been considering, with a hole in the sleeve.
"Is this just so you could have some private time with Rose?"
"No," I retorted hiding a smile. "I just want you to be happy. And you're not going to be happy nor start training until you have the "perfect" outfit and that won't happen unless you go shopping." I was starting to sound more like Rose with my convoluted sentences.
"That's nice of you but we're going tomorrow," she sighed for great emphases. She plopped down on the bed. "Besides, every time I leave this house something bad happens to us and you end up hitting somebody."
She laid on her back staring up at the ceiling. Her hands were crossed over her stomach.
"Simply coincidences."
She gave me one of those 'yeah right' looks and fixed her gaze on the ceiling again.
"There's a little town a few miles down the road behind that bushel of green we call a forest. Anyone who could possibly be a danger to us won't be there and I doubt I'll hit anybody. The people are nice around here."
"That's what my father told my mother when we came from Turkey and look how that turned out," she muttered.
I moved and stood at the foot of bed where her legs were hanging off of the edge. I put my hand on either side of her curvy figure. The bed deepened where I held my weight off of her. I leaned my head down and held it close to her face.
"Things are different now. Fresh start remember?"
She nodded and locked her arms around my neck again to pull me down.
"After everything, you deserve to go out and buy clothes for your self. We'll drive into town after training, you'll buy a beautiful outfit for tomorrow and you'll meet my family and everything will be fine."
Her eyes softened and her lips pursed.
She pulled me down the rest of the way.
RPOVOur lips met in the warmest of embraces.
Warm seemed to be the first word that came to mind when Dimitri was near me.
It started slow at first, gentle as always but with time the intensity of it all increased. He touches his hands to my waist, testing to see if I was okay with it. When I only pulled him closer to me he moved his hands slowly higher to the edge of my tank top.
He inched it up, the entirety of his weight on top of me but it felt good to me. I want him more, even closer. He was being careful with me though as he always was when we were together like this.
Not hesitant but he'd hold me carefully and moved so that I was sure to be comfortable.
It was sweet and gentlemanly of him but sometimes a girl wanted a little bit more.
I pulled his hands the rest of the way up my tank top.
He smoothed his fingers over my back as if taking in every inch of me.
He moaned, satisfied with what he felt, on top of me.
I decided to give him a little more and parted his lips with my own, each of us fighting for control. I was normally the first to relent, letting him take control. It was a bit of a turn on when Dimitri was the domineering one.
We moved our mouths together until I thought my lips would bruise.
When he pulled back we were both panting, struggling for breath with a faint smile worn on each of our faces.
"I love it when you show gratitude." He had pulled my hair from its ponytail and ran his finger through its thickness, pushing it back from my face.
"It gets even better," I told him.
I lifted my self-up with what little strength I had and forced him to roll over so that I was on top of him. I was definitely lighter on him than he was on me but still; he made en "oof!" sound when I was completely on top of him.
"Ha ha," I said smiling.
He pushed the curtain of hair that was hanging off of my shoulder to the side of us, back.
He still held one hand behind my back.
I heated at the touch.
Just the feel of him made me tingly all over.
I moved to kiss him again and his hand moved upward at the edge of the sports bra I'd put on. I kept moving downward but his hand froze and he turned his head slightly away to say something. I settled for nuzzling against his neck running small kisses along the side.
"We're supposed to be training," he tried to scold sounding serious.
"Suddenly you're being Mr. Professional," I teased, my words muffled by lips still on his neck.
"Rose. I thought we agreed it'd be best if you learn how to fight."
"We did and this us warming up. Together."
He shifted so that he was over me again so quickly I didn't realize what he was doing until it already happened. He moved his hand from underneath my shirt and the other from behind my hair, standing up.
I laid there resting on my elbows.
He reached down to pull me up.
"Practices now, private time with Rose later," he said so serious. I was still baffled by how quickly he'd pulled away.
Had I gone too far?
I didn't think so.
We'd done all of this before it just took us a while together and that's where it normally ended.
I took his outstretched hand and stood, straitening my shirt and flattening my hair down.
"Fine. It's probably good we stopped. It wouldn't make a great impression if we show up tomorrow with a hickey on your neck and me with bruised lips," I rationalized.
He gave me his famous faint, one-sided smiles.
"Come on, we can practice out on the patio deck and then we'll go into town before the sunsets."
I sighed, wishing we were still entangled on the bed.
"Alright Mr. Serious."