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CHAPTER 9

DPOV

It was still early when I came home from work, which was a nice change. I guess I could finally spend some time with my kids and Rose would probably be happy, too, to be able to go home early.

No one seemed to be in the house, though, when I entered the living room and looked around. I suddenly heard a voice singing. It was coming from the kitchen. Rose was doing the dishes, earbuds in her ears, and singing along to a song I didn't recognize.

I smirked and leaned against the wall, watching her. She hadn't even noticed me standing here. She just kept on singing. I then started to pay attention to what she was singing and I immediately wished I hadn't.

We can get a little crazy just for fun, just for fun

Don't even try to hold it back

Just let go

Tie me up and take me over till you're done

Till I'm done

Oh God. My eyes widened as I realized what that song lyric was about. I quickly straightened up and said her name, hoping she'd hear me, but she just started singing louder and, to make it worse, she started moving her hips along to the beat.

Push up to my body, sink your teeth into my flesh

Get undressed, ta-taste the flesh

Bite into me harder, sink your teeth into my flesh

Pass the test, ta-taste the flesh

I tried not to look at her beautiful legs as she swayed her hips and continued to sing. Why the hell did she have to wear shorts today? Why not some baggy pants or something else that covered up those terrific legs of her?!

Hold me up against the wall

Give it till I beg, give me some more

Make me bleed, I like it raw

Like it raw, raw, raw

Push up to my body, sink your teeth into my flesh

I tried to block out the words, but it was no use. I couldn't help myself; I was starting to get dirty thoughts about her and me because of that stupid song she was singing. I knew it was wrong, but this, seeing her dance like that and singing that song, was turning me on. God, she was killing me. This needed to stop right now.

"Rose!" I yelled.

She still didn't hear me so I quickly strode over and pulled the earbuds out of her ears. She gasped and her eyes widened in shock as she looked at me, speechless. I stared right back, breathing heavily. I glanced down and realized how close we were standing, but instead of stepping away, I took another step towards her.

"Roza," I said, my voice husky.

I didn't know what came over me, but I couldn't stop myself. I closed the distance between us and pressed my lips against hers. I could tell I'd taken her by surprise, but she responded to the kiss immediately and wrapped her arms around my neck.

I sucked on her bottom lip and she let out a moan as she parted her lips, granting me entrance. I slipped my tongue inside, exploring her mouth. Placing my hands on her hips, I lifted her and she wrapped her legs around my waist. Without breaking the kiss, I slowly took a few steps forward and set her down on the kitchen counter.

"Dimitri," she moaned as I kissed down her neck and shoulder. Her hands tugged at my hair and I let out a low growl before returning my lips to hers. Slowly, I slid my hand down to her ass and-

"Daddy!"

I shot up in bed, suddenly wide awake. My heart beat like a hammer in my chest and I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. I glanced down and then noticed the tent I was sporting in my boxers. Shit. Luckily, the sheets were covering my 'problem' so my son, who was tugging at my arm, couldn't see.

"Daddy!" Liam said again, a huge grin on his face. He was in his pajamas and had his teddy bear with him. He jumped onto my bed and I quickly pulled my knees up. "Can you make blini for breakfast, Daddy?" he asked eagerly.

I glanced at the clock and noticed it wasn't even eight in the morning. It was Sunday, for God's sake. The only day I could sleep in.

"Uh, sure." Clearing my throat, I said, "Are your sisters awake?" He nodded. No doubt he'd woken them up the same way as he had with me. "Well, then you should go downstairs. I'll be down in a sec."

He nodded and sprinted out of the room. I sighed and lay back down, closing my eyes.

It was just a dream, I told myself over and over again. It was just a dream.

Only it hadn't been just a dream. Just a few days ago, that very same situation had happened when I'd come home from work. Well, not the exact same situation. Me watching her dance and sing, yes, but the making out part had not happened.

No, when Rose had realized I'd come home, she'd jumped up and let out an ear-piercing scream. Her cheeks had flushed, embarrassed I'd caught her dancing and singing. I didn't think she realized I'd been equally embarrassed – if not more – because she'd caught me staring at her. Yeah, the whole situation had been awkward.

Luckily, my kids hadn't been around. They'd been playing in the garden at that time. It'd been the last beautiful and warm day of this year.

"Dad!" I heard Liam yelling from downstairs.

"Yes, I'm coming!"

Sighing, I got up and made my way to the bathroom to take a cold shower. It was very much needed right now. When I came downstairs, all three of my children were waiting impatiently at the kitchen table.

"Finally!" Liam said, exasperated. "I'm hungry."

"Me too!" Alisa piped in.

I watched their eager faces and smiled. "Well, I guess I'd better get started then, huh?"

I tried to forget about the dream, but it was useless. Even days later, it was still bothering me. Ivan noticed something was up when we were at the gym on Thursday night. He stayed quiet the whole night, but when we walked back to the car, he finally asked, "Are you okay, Dimitri? You seem a little tense."

I glanced away, wondering if I should tell him what was bothering me, but that meant I would have to admit I liked Rose. Did I want that? Did I want him to know I was attracted to the babysitter? Oh, screw it.

"I think you might be right about Rose," I blurted out.

Ivan looked caught off guard. "What?"

"I like her," I explained. "A lot."

He started grinning. "I knew it. I knew you-"

"It's not funny," I cut him off. "I don't know what to do anymore. I can't stop thinking about her. And when she's around, I just…" I shook my head and sighed, frustrated. "I'm even dreaming about her!"

Ivan arched an eyebrow. "You're dreaming about her?"

I nodded.

"What kind of dreams?"

I glared at him. "Not the kind you're thinking about." But close.

He was still grinning as he said, "I was just asking."

I groaned and leaned against my car. "Seriously. I don't know what to do anymore."

Ivan's grin disappeared and he regarded me with utter seriousness. "You need to get laid, man," he said at last.

"Ivan! I'm being serious!"

"Me too," he said. "I mean… How long has it been? You've never gotten much with Tasha-"

"That's because I didn't want to," I muttered, not liking where this conversation was going to.

"I know, but now she's dead, you have, like, zero action. Unless…"

I clenched my teeth, not liking the way he was looking at me. "Unless what?"

"Unless you try for Rose," he suggested carefully.

"Are you insane?!"

"What?" he said shrugging. "She's hot."

"She's also several years younger than me," I argued. "And she's babysitting my kids."

"So? They don't need to know."

I stared at him, incredulous.

"I wouldn't think twice about it if I were you," Ivan said.

I pushed myself away from the car and opened the door. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. I shouldn't have even brought it up in the first place."

"Why not?" Ivan said as he got inside the car. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. I totally get why you like Rose."

"Let's just drop it, okay?" I said gruffly.

"Fine," Ivan said, "but if you ever feel the need to talk about it…"

"Thanks, but I'll be fine," I muttered.

I dropped Ivan off at his place and then went home. I found Inna on the couch, watching TV with Rose. Alisa and Liam had already gone to bed. Inna got up as soon as she saw me to hug me and I kissed her forehead before she went off to her room, too.

Now Rose and I were the only ones in the room and I didn't know where to look at. All I knew was that I couldn't look at her without thinking back to that stupid dream. Rose was getting ready to leave when I suddenly remembered something.

"Um, Rose?" I said, finally looking up at her. She gave me a questioning look, waiting for me to continue. "It's Alisa's birthday next week and I'm throwing her a party. Her friends are coming over and, well, she'd love it if you could come over, too."

She smiled. "Oh, sure. I'll be there."

I smiled back. "Great. Thanks. That means a lot to-" I cut myself off quickly. I'd almost said it meant a lot to me. Clearing my throat, I tried again, "It will mean a lot to Alisa."

"It's not a problem," Rose said. She opened the door and let herself out. "Good night, Dimitri."

RPOV

As I walked back to campus, my mind wandered off to Dimitri. Lately, things had been a little bit strained between us. He wouldn't look at me unless he really had to. I wondered if it was because of what had happened last week. I didn't get why he was having such a problem with it, though. I mean, I had made a total embarrassment out of myself when he'd caught me dancing and singing in his kitchen while doing the dishes – not him.

Or maybe I was imagining things and I was the one acting weird. Ah, well, I was glad he'd invited me to Alisa's birthday party. I really liked spending time with Dimitri's kids. They were fun and always put a smile on my face.

When I reached my dorm room, I was surprised to see Christian sitting on the floor, near the door. He looked up when he heard my footsteps and stood up, smiling.

"Hey," I said, a little surprised to see him. "What's up? How long have you been sitting here at my door?"

"Not that long," he said with a shrug. "I figured I'd wait outside for you, because, you know, Avery…" He made a face. "Didn't seem like a good idea to disturb her."

I grinned. "Yeah, probably not." I glanced down at my watch. It was only half past nine. "You wanna go out for some drinks?" I asked.

"Sure," he said, following me to the stairs. "Maybe we can go to that bar where Lissa hangs out sometimes. She could be there."

"You going to stalk her some more?" I teased.

"No!" he said immediately. "It's just…well, she told me. And that if I wanted, I could come and hang out with her and her friends there."

I smiled. "It seems like you're getting along."

He smiled, too. "Yeah. I think I'm going to ask her out next time I see her," he said, suddenly a little nervous. "You think that's a good idea? Or should I wait a little longer?"

"No, why would you want to wait? You have to ask her out before someone else comes along and snatches her away."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Christian said, though he still looked a little unsure.

"Of course I'm right!" I said.

A look of determination crossed his face. "Alright. I'll ask her out."

I smiled proudly. "Now I hear you talking. It's about time you grow some balls, Chris."

"Oh Rose, I'm so glad you're my friend," he retorted sarcastically. "Because you're always so nice to me, you know."

Grinning, I put my arm around his shoulders. "Just saying it how it is, my friend."

So, did you like this chapter? What did you think of Dimitri's dream? :P And who'd like to find out more about Tasha next chapter? ;)

Please leave a review and let me know what you think. Have a nice day/evening! ^^