From the reviews I've been receiving (thanks for that by the way, love them) I think you'll really like this chapter. Enjoy.
Iway on'tday ownway ampireVay Academyway.
Rose POV
Lissa and I are sitting on the couch catching up on the last three weeks of our lives. Lissa is loving school but admits it's hectic. I tell her about how I took down ten guardians at practice today and she squeels in excitement. I feel someone tap my shoulder and I look back to see Dimitri standing there. "Rose, can I have a word with you?" I nod and wait for him to start talking. "In private." I get up and follow him to the balcony. He shuts the glass door behind us and gestures for me to sit in the plastic patio chair across from him. I wonder what in the world he wants to talk to me about.
"What's up comrade?" He isn't saying anything, just sitting in his chair with his elbows on his knees, hands together in front of him. He's looking at me, trying to figure out how to say whatever is on his mind.
"Is there anything I can ever do or say to get you back?" Not this again. I thought I made that clear when he first came back.
"No, there isn't." I state simply. He drops his head for a minute and nods his head slightly.
"Are you in love with Adrian?" he asks still looking down. What is with people tonight? Everyone is questioning my feelings for Adrian all of a sudden.
"I'm his guardian. My personal feelings don't matter, remember?" He taught me that. He looks up, annoyed at my answer.
"Just answer the question, Rose. Are you in love with him?" I don't know where this is going, but if I want to find out, maybe I should just go with the flow. I look around to see if anyone else can hear our conversation before answering him.
"Yes, but like I said, it doesn't matter since I can't let it interfere with my duties." I'm getting real tired of always explaining myself.
"How is being in love going to interfere with guarding him? You're already in love with him, how is letting him know and being together going to change anything?" When did he become a shrink? He sure is full of questions.
"You see how we are around each other now, just think how we'd be if we were actually a couple. It's too distracting. I won't risk his life like that." I would think he of all people would understand where I'm coming from.
"You have your warning system to alert you to Strigoi. Plus, you two can make a compromise that when you are outside the wards, you are his guardian, not his girlfriend. You're the best guardian out there, Rose. You proved that today. I think you're just scared to be hurt again and you're using being his guardian as an excuse to keep your distance from him." He takes a deep breath and continues. "I know it's my fault that you're keeping these walls up around your heart, and for that I'm truely sorry. But, even though I hate to admit it, Adrian really does love you. I think he can make you happy, if you just let him." He's the last person I would expect to encourage me to have a relationship with a Moroi, especially a royal one.
"Wow. That's a lot to take in. You think I'm scared to give him my heart because I'm afraid he'll break it like you did." I say out loud, not necessarily to him. I see him flinch at my words and look away, staring out into the scenery.
"Start out slow. Only be a couple when you're alone or with your friends. You don't have to let the rest of the world know yet. Try it out." I can tell this is hard for him to say to me. Tasha must have coaxed him into it.
"Why are you telling me all this? You don't even like Adrian." He turns toward me and looks me right in the eyes.
"I want you to be happy. If he makes you happy, then so be it. But if he ever hurts you, I won't hesitate to do some serious damage to his body." he says seriously. I believe him.
"Well, you've certainly given me a lot to think about." We sit there quietly for a while as I go through everything in my head about a thousand times. Can I really do this? Can I keep myself focused when I'm being his guardian knowing that when we're back in the safety of the wards I can let my guard down? I'll have to talk to Adrian about this. Finally after some time, I get up and go give him a hug. "Thanks, Dimitri." He stands up too and holds me tight. We break apart and he goes back into the apartment. I stay on the balcony looking into the night sky wondering if I'm about to make the biggest mistake of my life. I'm not alone for long, though. I hear someone step out and the door close behind him. It's Adrian, I can smell his cologne. He wraps his arms around my waist and rests his chin on my shoulder.
"So what were you and Belikov talking about?" I can sense a little jealousy in his tone.
"Us." He pauses for a moment.
"Us as in you and him, or us as in you and me?" he asks confused by my brief answer.
"You and me. He was wondering why I keep pushing you away when it's so obvious to everyone that I'm in love with you. Every time I gave him a reason, he found a way to shut it down." I can feel Adrian smile next to me.
"So, what did he suggest?" he sounds excited that maybe we found an answer to our dilemma.
"He said we need to start slow and put some rules in place, like when outside the wards, I'm not your girlfriend, but your guardian. We need to keep our relationship descreet and only be together when alone or with them. What do you think?" I wonder if he'll object to any of this.
"I think Dimitri just became my best friend, after you of course." he laughs. I laugh too. He turns me around so that now we are facing each other. "So, does this mean that you're willing to take a chance with me and be in a serious relationship?" he asks with so much hope in his voice. A big grin breaks out on my face as I realize that I would very much like to be with Adrian.
"Yes, Adrian, I would love to be your girlfriend." I tell him. I know, cheesy right? I can't help it though, I'm just so freakin' happy right now.
"I love you, Rose Hathaway." he says as he pulls me closer to him.
"I love you, Adrian Ivashkov." I didn't' think his smile could get any bigger, but I was proven wrong by the look on his face right now. He leans in and crashes his lips to mine, like he couldn't wait a second longer to kiss me. This kiss is full of hunger and need that has been bottled up since the day we met. We reluctantly pull away, just enough to look into each other's eyes.
"Do you realize that's the first time you told me you loved me?" he says.
"No, it's just the first time that you heard me." I correct. He gives me a puzzled look. "When I would tuck you in bed after one of your binges, I would whisper I love you in your ear." He pulls me into another kiss, just as sweet and intense as the first one we ever shared. We're out on the balcony for a while in our own little world when I hear Lissa screaming in excitement and clapping her hands. I pull away from his warm lips to look over to see her and Tasha jumping up and down in excitement. Adrian looks back and laughs.
"It looks like I'm not the only one happy to finally see us together." he pulls me back inside and Lissa immediately tackles me into a bear hug.
"I'm so excited for you Rose." she squeels. I push her away and chuckle at her reaction.
"Lissa, we just agreed to date, we're not getting married." I remind her.
"Yet." Adrian adds. I just roll my eyes at his optimism. Adrian pulls me into another hug and kisses me in front of everyone. I hear a groan from behind me.
"Seriously, you two are going to make me sick. Do us all a favor and keep that" he motions to us "at home. No one needs to see that." Christian complains.
"Ah, I think it's cute. I'm sure you and Lissa were just like this when you first started dating, so leave them be." Tasha tells him.
"Well, I hate to end this night short, but Rose and I have a lot to talk about if we're going to make this work." He gives Tasha and Lissa kisses goodbye and shakes with the guys, except Dimitri. When Dimitri extends his hand to Adrian, he takes it and pulls him into a big hug. "I owe you big time, man." he tells him. Dimitri pushes him away and looks at him with a very stern look.
"I didn't do anything for you. I did it for her. Her happiness is important to me, so if you hurt her, you will have me to deal with." Dimitri can be really scary when he wants to be.
"You don't have anything to worry about. I learned from your mistake." Adrian says back. A bit of a low blow, but true. Dimitri just glares as Adrian so I decide to defuse the awkward situation we're all in by pulling Dimitri into hug.
"Thank you Dimitri." I whisper in his ear. "I know this isn't easy for you, but I'm really glad you came back into my life." I feel him tighten his hold on me before he releases me. I go around the room and hug everyone goodnight. When I get to Tasha I whisper to her. "I have a feeling you were behind his little talk with me. Thanks." We pull away and she smiles sweetly to me.
"We all just want to see you happy." she says.
Adrian walks over and takes my hand and leads me out the door and back to my room. As soon as I unlock the door, he tackles me and starts kissing me, hard. We tumble backward on the couch, not breaking contact. This feeling that I can't get enough of him consumes me. I've been denying myself of his touch and taste for so long, it's like finding a trickle of water after days of thirst. I try to get as much of him as I can, and the way he's responding, he must feel the same way. These kisses aren't about love and caring for one another. No. This is pure animalistic need and hunger. My hands seem to moving on their own accord, pushing his shirt up and over his head and throwing it on the floor. His lips move away from mine and trail down my jaw to my neck as his hands grip my waist, pulling me closer. The feel of his mouth on my sensitive skin causes a moan to escape my lips. He pulls away slightly to look into my eyes.
"You like that?" he asks in a husky, sexy voice that gets my heart racing even more than it is. I can't seem to find any words at the moment, so I just nod my head. Before I know what's happening, my shirt is off and joining his on the floor. My hands move along his chest and shoulders and into his hair. I pull him back down to meet his lips to mine. I never want this feeling of pure bliss and happiness to end. I feel protected and loved in his strong arms. I slow down and deepen the kiss, caressing his tongue with my own. I feel him grip my hair in his hands as he moans. I smile against his lips, thrilled I can get such a reaction from him.
"You like that?" I repeat his words. He doesn't answer, but silences me with his mouth on mine. Our lips move together in perfect synch, caressing each other. His hands gently run along my stomach and over my bra. My skin tingles at his touch and my back arches in response, wanting more. We continue like this for a good portion of the evening, never going farther. We slow down and Adrian moves us so that I am now laying beside him, my head resting on his chest. While he plays with my hair, I trace random patterns on his stomach. I feel his body tremble as I find a particularly ticklish spot. Of course, I make sure to keep hitting that spot, making him laugh. I love hearing his laugh.
"So, what was it that Dimitri said that made you change your mind?" he asks out of the blue.
"Well, basically he told me I was afraid of getting hurt again and used being your guardian as an excuse to keep you at a distance. He said that as long as I can keep my guardian and girlfriend roles seperate, there's no reason we couldn't work. He thinks I'm strong enough to do both." I tell him. Adrian kisses the top of my head and rubs my arm.
"I know you are. Your dedication to protecting others is part of why I fell in love with you."
"Why else did you fall in love with me?"
"Because you're hot." he chuckles. I lift my head to look at his face and glare. "And because you have the biggest heart of anyone I know, although you try not to advertise it. You stick up for the little guy and want to rid the world of injustice. But mainly, I fell in love with you because of the wonderful feeling that consumes me whenever you're near." That is the most romantic thing anyone's ever said to me. How did I get so lucky? I stretch up and plant a kiss on his lips, and then more in a trail down to his tickle spot right below his ribs, where I linger. "Rose...please...stop." he begs between fits of laughter. Do I stop? No. This causes an all out tickle war. We end up falling off the couch and rolling on the floor, laughing our heads off. He pins me to the floor and brings his lips to mine, ending the battle. All too soon, he pulls away and stands up, pulling me up with him. He sits on the couch and pulls me onto his lap, wrapping his arms around me.
"I can't keep pretending to date Emily now that I have you. I want to end it right away." he says as he kisses my neck.
"That sounds good to me, I'm just worried about what Lord Conta will do if you break up with his daughter." The guy doesn't seem to be the type to give up so easily.
"He won't have a chance to do anything considering I don't plan on letting you out of my sight." Adrian says like it's going to be that easy.
"Oh, do you plan on quiting your job to follow me around all day?" I ask trying to bring him back to reality.
"No, but I figure you're with other guardians when you're on duty and when training, so I just need to be with you during your off times. I plan on doing that anyway, Conta or not." That's pretty much how our lives were before Emily showed up anyway.
"What reason are you going to give her? Are you going to tell her about me? Cause I think she might go unhinged if she finds out you're leaving her for your guardian. She'll probably start trouble." He stops kissing on my neck, which I was really enjoying, and pauses to think.
"You're right. If she knew the real reason, she'll be a vindictive bitch. I guess going with the plan to frame her is best." he sighs and drops his head on my shoulder. "This next week is going to be hell." Poor guy.
"Don't worry, I'll make it up to you." He looks up to me doing that cool one eyebrow thing everyone else in the world can do but me. I move my legs so that I am now straddling him and push him against the back of the couch. I lean closer to him and let my lips linger just above his and whisper. "I'll make you a meatloaf."
So, are you excited? They're together! Yay!! Thanks for reading and don't forget to review and let me know what you think.