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Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.

CHAPTER 43

RPOV

"Have you heard from her?"

"Yeah, she sent me a postcard," I responded, looking up from my textbook. I was at Dimitri's house, studying. Avery had a new boyfriend and they were constantly making out in our room. I couldn't stand to stay there any longer so I'd come over to Dimitri's.

"Well, that's good, right? Where is she now?" Dimitri asked as he handed me a mug of hot cocoa and sat down next to me at the table.

"She's in Prague right now. I don't know where her next stop is."

Since my mother had left abruptly – which had happened a couple months ago – she'd sent me postcards of all the places she visited with her boyfriend. She had called a couple of times, too, asking me how I was doing. Luckily, she never mentioned Dimitri. I think she was really trying to make it work this time. I was kind of glad she was doing it from a certain distance, because having her here in town… Well, it had been a little bit too much.

"So does that mean she won't be home for Christmas?" Dimitri asked.

I snorted. "Of course she won't be home. She's never home for Christmas." I took a careful sip of the hot cocoa. "Why are you asking?"

He gave me a pointed look. "Why do you think?"

"Oh," I said. "You want me to spend Christmas with your family?"

"Yeah," he said, giving me a small smile.

"You sure they're alright with that?" I asked.

He rolled his eyes. "Of course. You were there last year, remember? And back then we weren't even together." I raised my eyebrows. "Well, not really," he added. He reached for my hand and laced our fingers together. "So would you like to come with us? My mother would love to see you again. And Vika, too."

I smiled. "Sure. I'll come with you."

Smiling, he leaned forward and kissed my lips. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," I replied, leaning into him and kissing him again.

Suddenly, someone cleared their throat. We quickly pulled away, but when I looked up, I saw that it was just Hailey. She was standing in the living room, wearing her winter coat and a hat and gloves. She'd been playing with the kids outside in the yard.

"Sorry, I didn't want to interrupt," she said, though she didn't look too sorry for interrupting us. "Liam asked if we could get a scarf and a hat? Oh, and a carrot too," she remembered.

Dimitri looked confused. "Okay. But why do you need that?"

She smiled sheepishly. "We're making a snowman."

Suddenly, Liam came bursting inside. "Did you ask?" he asked excitedly. Hailey had been smart enough to remove her boots, but Liam had come in wearing them and now there was slowly forming a puddle of water where he stood.

"Yes, you can have whatever you want for your snowman, as long as you go back outside right now," Dimitri said as he got up, "because you're making a mess here, Liam."

Liam looked down. "Oops. Sorry, Daddy."

"It's okay," Dimitri sighed. "Just go back outside and I'll bring you the stuff you need for your snowman, okay?"

"Okay," Liam agreed with a grin.

"And tell Inna and Alisa that when they come inside, they should take off their boots. And you too next time you come inside!" Dimitri called after Liam, who was already running back to the backdoor with Hailey in tow. Dimitri turned back to me. "You think he heard me?"

"Probably not," I answered grinning. Shaking my head, I said, "I can't believe they're making a snowman with Hailey. They should be doing that with me."

Dimitri laughed. "Jealous?"

"No," I said quickly. Too quickly.

Dimitri arched an eyebrow.

"Alright, maybe a little bit," I admitted.

He smiled. "Well, they wanted to do it with you, remember? But you weren't available."

I groaned and looked down at my textbooks spread across the table. "I can't help it that I have to study."

Dimitri chuckled. "Don't feel bad. They know you have to study. It's fine."

"No, it's not. I'd rather go outside and play with them than study," I complained.

"You'll have enough time to play in the snow during the holidays," Dimitri said, crossing his arms as he smirked at me. "You know, sometimes it's like I have four children instead of three. You whine like a child."

I scowled. "What?! I just like snow. It's fun. And way better than sitting inside all day and having to study."

"Just a couple more weeks before winter break, Roza," Dimitri said, kissing the top of my head before disappearing into the kitchen.

"Easy for you to say," I muttered unhappily.

Hours later, after Hailey had left and the kids had retreated to their rooms to get changed into some dry clothes, I allowed myself to relax for a while. I flung myself onto the couch and grabbed the remote, putting on the TV. There wasn't anything interesting on so I turned the TV back off and made myself comfortable on the couch, figuring I could take a nap instead. I'd just closed my eyes when I felt someone lift my legs and sit down next to me.

"Hi," Dimitri said as he put my legs down on his lap. "You okay?"

"Mmm. Just tired," I murmured as I opened my eyes to look up at him.

Dimitri grinned at me. "Oh really? How come?"

I glared at him. "Ugh. I knew you were going to say that."

"Well, I wouldn't have to if you'd just give in," he teased, still smiling.

We'd been up late last night, 'torturing' each other again. And damn, he knew just how to torture me. Now I regretted ever starting the whole game since it didn't seem like I was punishing Dimitri so much anymore. He just seemed to enjoy it as I struggled to keep in control and not just beg him to have sex with me already. This game had been going on for months now – yes, months – and I was almost at my breaking point.

I knew it wouldn't take long anymore before I gave in to my desire, but that meant Dimitri would win and I couldn't allow that. But I also knew Dimitri wasn't going to crack either so this was probably going to go on and on until I couldn't take it anymore. And I realized I was close. Very close.

I realized this was silly and that I should just give in, but I didn't want Dimitri to win this stupid little game of us. Hell, I started this so I should win it.

"I'm not giving in," I said firmly. "You give in."

Dimitri laughed and moved to lie down next to me.

"Nah, I don't think so," he said, wrapping his arms around me and nuzzling my neck. He planted a kiss on my skin. "I enjoy seeing you struggle way too much. But I'd gladly give you what you want if you asked me," he added, looking up at me with a teasing smile.

"You're going to regret you said that," I warned, "because there's no chance in hell I'm giving in first."

Dimitri pressed another kiss to my neck and chuckled. "We'll see about that."

"I'm…serious!" I said, my voice catching in my throat when he started sucking on my soft spot. A moan escaped my throat and I heard Dimitri chuckle.

"I'm sure you are, Roza," he said before moving his lips to mine and kissing me deeply.

What the hell, I thought before kissing him back eagerly. He moved on top of me, careful not to crush me with his weight. My hands tangled in his soft locks as his lips slowly trailed down my neck and to my collarbone. One of his hands slipped under my sweater and rested on my waist before drifting up a little higher.

"Eww!" someone suddenly screeched.

Dimitri pulled away from me in an instant, sitting up and almost falling onto the floor in his haste to get off of me. Liam stood near the couch, his face scrunched up in disgust.

"Liam," Dimitri exclaimed, breathless, "what are you doing here? I thought you were in your room."

"I was, but then I got thirsty so I wanted to get something to drink," he said, his brows furrowed. "What were you doing to Rose? Were you hurting her? She was making weird noises."

I glanced at Dimitri, who had a very comical look on his face, and burst out into laughter. Dimitri looked over at me. I sobered up quickly and tried to keep a straight face as Dimitri stammered, "N-no, I wasn't hurting her. I was just…" He was at a loss for words and looked flustered. "That was nothing."

"Then why was she making those noises?" Liam asked, suddenly looking more curious than disgusted. "You were kissing her. Didn't she want you to?"

I couldn't hold my laughter any longer, which confused Liam.

"What's so funny, Rose?" he asked.

"Yeah, what's so funny, Rose?" Dimitri echoed as he glared at me.

"Nothing," I managed to say, wiping at my eyes. I was actually crying from laughing so hard. "It's nothing. It's just me…being weird again." I smiled at him. "So don't worry, buddy. Your father wasn't doing anything I didn't want him to. But you should not have seen that so maybe you should go back upstairs and forget about what you've just seen."

Liam still looked confused, but nodded. "Okay," he said hesitantly and he started to turn back around.

"Don't tell your sisters about this!" Dimitri called after him when he reached the door. "I'm never going to hear the end of it if they find out," he muttered.

I laughed again. "It's your own fault. You should've kept your hands off of me."

He smiled reluctantly. "I'm trying, but you're making it really difficult for me."

"Ha! And you say I am going to give in first? It sounds more like you are on the verge of giving-"

Dimitri silenced me with a kiss. "Never said it was easy," he said before getting up and disappearing into the kitchen to get dinner ready.

During dinner, I was still thinking about our little makeout session from an hour ago. I wondered what would've happened if Liam hadn't interrupted us. Probably nothing since he's just as stubborn as me and doesn't want to give in, I thought.

Suddenly, I felt a hand slide over my thigh. I let out a small gasp and glanced at Dimitri, who was sitting next to me. He looked down at his plate, focusing on his food, but I could see a small smile playing on his lips.

I put down my fork and moved my hand on top of his to stop him from moving his hand further up my thigh. The kids were oblivious to this; they were talking excitedly about some TV show. Thank God.

"Don't," I murmured softly as I glared at him warningly.

His smile widened, but he didn't say anything. I waited a few more moments and then removed my hand from his. I was hoping that would be the end of it, but no… His hand moved up higher and then to my inner thigh and then –

"Are you alright, Rose?" Inna suddenly asked, looking concerned when I jumped in my chair. "You look pale."

I bit the inside of my cheek and shifted in my seat, squeezing my legs together. Clearing my throat, I said in a tight voice, "I'm fine."

"Are you sure everything is alright, Roza?" Dimitri asked, looking all innocent.

"I'm fine," I repeated, clenching my teeth. "Just fine."

"Alright then," he said, squeezing my thigh before finally removing his hand.

I breathed a sigh of relief and continued eating. When I glanced at him, he was still smiling to himself. He caught my eye and grinned. I glared at him and kicked his leg under the table.

"Ouch," Dimitri said, rubbing his shin.

"Oops. I'm so sorry, honey," I said, smiling sweetly at him.

"Is there something going on?" Inna asked suspiciously, looking from her dad to me. "You are acting funny."

"Everything's fine," Dimitri and I said at the same time.

The kids stared at us for a moment. Liam only did so because his sisters were, but he lost interest pretty quickly and focused on his dinner again. Inna narrowed her eyes at us, but then Alisa looked at her and shrugged before returning her focus back on her food. At last, Inna did the same.

Later that night, I made a decision. Dimitri had put the kids to bed and he'd just returned back downstairs when I got up from the couch and walked out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Dimitri asked as he followed me to the hallway.

I didn't answer and went up the stairs and to his room. Just like I'd thought he would, he followed.

"Rose, are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

"Am I okay?" I repeated incredulously. "Am I – no, I'm not okay!"

Dimitri's eyes widened in surprise.

"I can't take it anymore!" I exclaimed. Then I realized the kids were in bed and lowered my voice. "I can't take it anymore."

"Can't take what anymore?" Dimitri asked hesitantly.

"The teasing!" I said, agitated. "It's too much. I can't take it anymore. So I'm suggesting" – I started to pull my sweater over my head and then removed my jeans – "that we get this over with right now. I don't care about who gave in first. Let's have sex."

Dimitri stared at me, speechless, as I stripped naked.

"Come on," I said impatiently, putting my hands on my hips. "Or are you going to say you don't want it anymore?"

He blinked. "Wow. I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything," I said, walking over to his bed. "You just need to get over here and fuck me."

Dimitri smirked. "You're so romantic, Rose," he said sarcastically.

"It's been five months, Dimitri!" I said, trying to catch my breath. "Five months. Do you realize how long that is?"

"Yeah, I do," he said, looking me up and down. "And I didn't think you would be able to keep it up this long."

"Well, I'm not keeping it up any longer. I want you and I want you now."

Slowly, a grin spread across his face. "You realize you're giving in first, right? I win."

"Whatever. I don't care about the stupid game. Just get over here," I said impatiently.

"Finally," he said before stripping off his clothes quickly.

- START M SCENE -

Less than a heartbeat later, he was kissing me. He started pushing me onto the bed and moved on top of me without breaking the kiss. When Dimitri's hands started to drift down my body, I tore my mouth from his and whispered breathlessly, "No."

He stopped and gave me a questioning look.

"No foreplay. Just get on with it," I said before pressing my lips to his again.

He grinned against my lips and murmured, "Your wish is my command."

And then, without warning, he pushed himself inside of me. I gasped and dug my fingernails into his shoulders. My gasp turned into a loud moan when he started to move inside of me.

"Shh, the kids are asleep," Dimitri whispered, placing his hand over my mouth.

I grinned against his hand. "Sorry. Can't help it." I lifted my pelvis toward him. "Don't stop now," I said, wrapping my arms around his neck.

Dimitri removed his hand. It was true when I said I couldn't help it; as soon as he started moving inside of me again, I let out another moan. And another. Dimitri pressed his lips against mine to smother the sounds coming from my lips as he continued to drive into me in a frantic pace.

"Are you close?" Dimitri whispered, kissing me feverishly.

"Yes," I moaned against his lips.

I'd barely managed to utter the word when I fell over the edge, clinging to him desperately. Dimitri reached his peak at the same time. He let out a low moan and collapsed on top of me, burying his face in my neck.

- END M SCENE -

It was quiet for a few moments as we tried to catch our breath. At last, Dimitri lifted his head and kissed me passionately.

"Roza," he said softly, his breathing still a little uneven.

"Yeah?" I asked, stroking his cheek.

"Will you please move in with me?" he asked, almost looking scared.

I stared at him, shocked. "Wh…what?" I stammered at last, my hand falling from his cheek and onto the bed.

"I know this is the worst timing ever," he said, "and the last time I asked… Well, it was a disaster. But it's not going to be like last time. I promise. I… I won't make that mistake again. I promise, Roza."

"Dimitri," I started.

"You're practically here every day and you stay over most of the time. So why not move in? I really want you to move in, Roza," he rambled, looking desperate. "I don't want to spend another day without you. I want to wake up next to you every morning. I-"

"Okay."

Dimitri stopped and stared at me. "Okay?" he repeated hesitantly.

I smiled at him. "Okay. I'll move in with you."

He blinked a couple of times. "You're serious?"

I nodded. "Yes. But," I warned, "I don't want it to go like last time. Because then you'll never see me again."

"It won't," he said quickly. "I promise. This time we'll do it right. I won't fail you. I promise, Roza."

I smiled again. "Alright. Then I guess I'm moving in with you."

I hope you liked this chapter. Unfortunately, this story is coming to an end. There'll only be a couple more chapters left, I think. I really enjoyed writing this story and I hope you enjoyed reading it. Honestly, I'm surprised by the amount of readers and reviewers! Seriously, you guys are the best.

Anyway, I'll update the next chapter as soon as possible. And hopefully, it is soon because, lately, I haven't been able to update as fast anymore and I'm sorry about that.

Have a nice day/evening!

P.S. Are any of you on Wattpad? I recently made an account so if there's someone who knows some good stories I could check out, let me know. My username is _meanttobe. I'll put the url on my profile :)