I stirred awake once when Dimitri had lifted and carried me out of the car into the house when the cold wind hit my face.
It was a little disorienting waking up at home in what seemed like seconds after. The last thing I remembered was the car ride and Dimitri trying to keep me awake to tell me something…
It was all fuzzy though and the fading dream I had about all of these kids spinning in a circle around me saying, "tell him! Tell him!" repeatedly in singsong voices kept me from remembering.
I woke up again, in Dimitri's arms on his bed. I slept on his bed before when I had nightmares.
The first time, I padded barefoot into his room, my hair in disarray and the tank top and shorts I was sleeping in disheveled, rubbing my eyes.
Dimitri had been awake, sitting at his desk in the office beside his bedroom typing away.
He was at his worst, wired and wide-awake running on caffeine.
I liked and preferred him at his best, when he was calm and collected. Working on this case, even on vacation, was driving Dimitri crazy.
I didn't let that stop me from walking over and putting my arms around him, sleep in my voice.
He had been so into his work he didn't notice me and jumped when I touched him.
"Hey beautiful," he said pulling me around so he could see all of me.
I smiled as pulled me onto his lap and lean back in his chair.
"Another nightmare?"
He could probably guess from the solemn look in my eyes.
I nodded, fiddling with the buttons on his shirt. He hadn't changed out of his day clothes. He moved my hand away and brought it up to his lips. The softest of kisses was placed on my palm.
He leaned further back in the chair and laid my head against his chest nestled under his chin, trying to help me get to sleep again. I could have fallen asleep anywhere so long as Dimitri held me but the arm of the desk chair digging into my thigh and living and imprint decided to prove me other wise.
I fidgeted and Dimitri laughed at my efforts to get comfortable. The chair squeaked beneath us until I finally gave up and just lay there. He kissed my temple and patted my back, his other hand running through my hair.
He turned the chair around moving us away from the desk so that he could stand.
"I'm going to get ready for bed."
He stood, me still in his arms. He carried me over to the bed and plopped me down at the edge.
Pulling the comforter back he said, "Climb in."
I nestled my self directly in the middle so that no matter which side Dimitri slept on I'd be close to him. He tucked the blanket around me.
"When I come to bed, your are definitely moving to your own side."
"Maybe," I quirked.
He smiled and went to his closet for his sleeping clothes.
I had been nearly dead tired before, the memory of the nightmare of Victor chasing me wearing me down, but I found my self wide awake as he peeled his shirt off revealing the tanned skin underneath. I gaped open mouthed at his firm arms and his muscled chest. I ran my eyes from the tight abs of his chest to very top of his strong shoulders and rested there.
Despite the bruises from his brawl with Ambrose, which only made him that much more attractive, he look…good. That word didn't even sum it up. He looked amazing.
He caught me looking, pulling on a t-shirt and grinned.
"Like what you see?"
"Definitely," I breathed.
I might have even leaned up a little to get a better look.
When he climbed into bed, after peeling off his jeans and pulling on a pair of gym sweats, I was nowhere near tired.
He actually moved me over so that he could slide in on what I assume was his natural side of the bed.
"This is my side. That is your side," he laughed.
"I already have a side of the bed," I gushed rolling over.
He chuckled pulling closer to him.
"I thought we had separate sides. I think I was going to enjoy having a bigger spacious bed to sleep on."
He only tugged my closer, his arm tight around my stomach and his cool breath at my neck. The warmth of his chest kept me warm all over. Any skin contact sent electric pulses through my body.
Sleeping was out of the question.
I was tired of having nightmares but sleeping with Dimitri kept me from having any and from completely sleeping at all.
I woke up now with Dimitri lying beside me.
He was awake, moving a strand of my hair from side to side. Noticing that I was awake, he moved, turning my face toward him.
"Good morning," he whispered, his finger under my chin.
"Morning? It's still dark outside."
"It's three AM Rose."
"Oh." I turned my body all the way around so that I was facing him completely. Instinctively his arm encircled my frame.
I tensed at the feel of his skin on my but relaxed seconds later.
"Nightmare?" he asked running his hand along my hip.
""Not when I'm with you."
This brought out when of those breath taking smiles.
"I knew I had that affect on you."
"What about you? Couldn't sleep?" I asked moving hand along the side of his face, feeling the scruff of his facial shadow.
"No. I have something on my mind and I don't think I'll be getting any sleep until I say it."
This sounded serious.
Maybe it was what he'd been trying to tell me in the car.
A tugging at my chest reminded me that I had something to tell him to, a small revelation of sorts. It was a feeling I might not have recognized without Dimitri's family's help.
Especially Yeva's.
I let Dimitri speak first though.
He took a breath and locked his hands within my hair, gently rubbing pulsating circles along my skin.
"This is something bad?"
"No. Definitely not, It's good. It involves me and you and the way…we feel about each other. We've only been together a short while, I know, but I feel like, I've known you longer than that. I know that's a lot for me to say and it's a little intense but-"
Somehow, Dimitri's rambling gave way to what was on his mind.
I'd been think all of the same things lately.
"I love you too Dimitri," I interrupted putting my finger over his lips.
Those lips pulled up into a smile against my finger and his cheeks lifted.
"How'd you know?"
"Because I've been feeling the same things lately. I wasn't sure what it was but your mother and grandmother help me see that everything I was feeling was love and that I'd just been scared."
"I would never intentionally hurt you Roza."
"I know that. I've known that for a while. It just took a little time for me to realize it. Especially when I forgave you and trusted you completely again," I told him playing with the collar of his shirt.
"When did you trust me again?"
"Truthfully? I started trusting you the second I saw you coming to save me from Mikhail."
I still cringed at his name.
Dimitri filled in the last of the space between us by pulling me closer to him and he gently touched his lips to mine. They were as soft as they'd ever been and familiar. Before, when we kissed, we'd taken it slow, step-by-step, but now it increased quickly.
The hand that had been resting on my hips moved around to my leg and hitched my leg up over his and he rolled so that I was underneath him.
He hovered over me, keeping his wait off.
I wanted him close to me though.
I tugged at his shirt and made him come all the way down on top of me. We kissed until we were fighting for breath and my lips were surely bruised but I didn't want it to stop.
I want all of Dimitri.
I lost my hand in his hair moving it through its softness and worked my other hand to the bottom of his shirt. He clasped my hands together with his and held them on either side of my head leaving trails of kisses along my neck.
I sighed contentedly, stifling a moan.
He moved his lips onto my own again and I used that to distract him and get his shirt off.
His mouth pushed at mine. I opened it willingly and tried to multitask by getting my hands free to get to his shirt. Dimitri, being the observant cop that he was, held a firm tight grip on my hands all while massaging my tongue with his.
He basically managed to engage in a game of tonsil hockey while keeping me from getting on clothes off.
I pulled my mouth away panting.
"Dimitri," I sighed, chest heaving.
"Rose," he said, imitating my complaint voice.
"I just want to be closer to you," I tried rationalizing. He smiled at how teenager I sounded but didn't loosen his hands from my own.
"I want to be close to you too but we're not going to screw this up by sleeping together."
"You think sleeping with me would ruin this?" I asked genuinely hurt.
I actually had just been trying to peel a few items of clothing from both of us and I was aiming for the sex thing but now I was curious since he brought it up.
"I think us sleeping together too soon would be a mistake," said honestly. "When we are ready to be together, I know it will be beautiful."
I smiled beneath him and we met in a less intense kiss than before.
"When will we be ready?" I asked once we pulled away.
"Only time can tell."
I hated those cryptic sayings that kept me guessing and my mind turning. But Dimitri was right. When it happened, it would happen spontaneously and it would be the most magical moment of my life. From the way things were going with Dimitri and I, I think that moment was coming soon and the look in Dimitri's eyes said the same thing.
I shoved at his chest for him to get off of me when he finally decided to release my hands. He didn't move and only laughed at my efforts.
"If we're not going to do anything you can get off of me," I said giggling.
"Just because we're not sleeping together doesn't mean we can't practice. It'll be good lesson on self control."
"My self control sucks. The only way I'm going to be able to resist you is without temptation."
He sighed, defeated, and rolled off of me.
I got off of the bed and straightened the white dress I was still wearing. I blew him a kiss and moved back to my own room.
"Where are you going?"
"No temptation in my own room," I teased.
I opened and closed his bedroom door behind me, leaving him guessing.
Love was tricky but awesome and a lot of fun.