"So my father is a mob boss…" I said out loud, trying the idea on for size.
Abe had left half an hour ago. He'd stayed for dinner – we'd ordered pizza, and he'd invited his Guardian, Pavel, inside to eat with us – and he'd told me about his business interests. I got the feeling if I'd told him the sanitized version of my relationship with Dimitri, he'd done the same with his description of his occupation – which was frightening given what he had told me was already pretty confronting.
"He is," Dimitri confirmed, looking much more relaxed now my father had left.
He was sitting on the bed we'd slept on earlier, leaning up against the bedhead. It was still relatively early, but it had been a huge day. He patted the bed beside him, opening his arms up to me. I clambered onto the bed, snuggling in against him. We held each other gently letting the events of today soak in.
"So Eddie knows about us, and now your father does, too," Dimitri sighed.
"And Meredith," I added. "She was at the caves and guessed when I head-butted Stan. She only just told me."
Dimitri swore softly.
"Rose… We can't afford to be caught. If Eddie and Meredith know, it's only a matter of time before the others catch on. Artyom still watches you like a hawk, even if he isn't trying anything on. And Elizaveta would like nothing better than a chance to bring you down."
"I know. Mom spoke to me on the way here. Elizaveta went to talk to her. She thinks I have something going on with Eddie."
"Castile?" Dimitri laughed.
"Yeah. She's seen Eddie and I go off a few times to talk. Mom also said the mission here might be winding up. There's no indication Strigoi are returning."
Neither of us spoke after that. We both knew if the mission were wound up, I'd be going to an academy somewhere and Dimitri would return to Court to be with Lissa. If anything, that made tonight even more precious.
Our kisses were light and sweet. It wasn't like our first time, where passion had taken over. This time we were taking our time, savoring the chance to explore and delight one another.
Running the tip of his nose along my neck, following it with closed mouth kisses, Dimitri reached my ear, whispering words of love in Russian and English; telling me he loved me, that I was beautiful. That I was his. I couldn't stop a smile blessing my lips when I heard that. I was his! And he was mine. No one was going to change that.
Peeling his shirt off, then grabbing mine at the sides in order to follow, he rolled off the bed, taking off his pants and leaving him in boxers. I turned to the other side of the bed doing likewise, removing my jeans as well as my bra. He pulled down the bedclothes, lying in the middle of the bed and waiting for me to rejoin him. I did, and he pulled the covers back over us, creating a warm, soft space for us to share. Our kisses continued, my arms wrapped around his neck teasing his hair tie from his deep brown chin length hair.
"You're so handsome," I complimented as his dark strands fell forward, brushing his chin.
"Thank you, ангел. You're very beautiful."
And that was the last we said for some time; the air filled with soft sighs and moans as our bodies became reacquainted with one another. His skin was smooth and warm as I pushed myself against him, relishing the feel of our bodies so close together. I wanted to explore every part of him. Even though we'd made out and made love before, this was different. I wanted to get to know every part of my man. So I let my hands and lips wander, kissing and caressing everywhere I could reach, as he did likewise.
I was mewling desperately, Dimitri's lips attached to one of my breasts when he finally peeled my panties off. Finding his boxers with my feet, I reciprocated, pulling them down his legs before he kicked them off somewhere in the bedclothes. Rolling on top of me, it was only a second or two later when he groaned "Roza!" as he pushed himself inside.
We'd both waited so long to do this again. While Dimitri had undoubtedly been the more restrained of us, that he wanted this as much as I did was now indisputable.
I was on my back, Dimitri nestled between my thighs. Just like last time, our bodies seemed to fit together perfectly – two puzzle pieces sculpted to work only with each other. He started with a couple of long, slow strokes – rocking back and forth until I could take all of him. I gasped in excitement, little hisses becoming louder moans as he started moving in and out, creating a delectable friction.
He snaked one arm beneath me, still buried deep within my cleft as he lifted my hips, pushing a doubled up pillow beneath my butt. Resting my hips back onto the pillow he started rocking in and out of me again. If before was good, now it was ten times better! The tip of his cock kept hitting that magical spot inside that felt so amazing before sliding deeper inside me, filling me completely. The combination of the two feelings was exquisite and driving me crazy.
Pulling back from me slightly, Dimitri looked into my eyes – a smoldering gaze filled with love and joy. I gave him my best man-eater smile, leaning my head up to push my lips against his. We kissed until I had to pull my lips away in order to breathe. But he didn't stop – he continued his hips' relentless pace, his lips at my ear again thrilling me with every sexy noise he uttered.
I was gripping Dimitri's biceps, nuzzling the side of my head against his as he nipped my shoulder, the pace of his movements starting to get faster. It was different to how it felt last time but still wonderful. Actually, this time I wasn't so nervous, and I had more of a clue what to do, which made it even better.
"Are you close?" he moaned breathlessly. His voice was strained and I knew he must be holding back to let me cum first.
"Yes," I groaned. "Very." He sped up, even more, causing my moans to turn into one long wail.
I splintered beneath him, running my nails down his back and resting my hands on his ass as he moved three or four times more inside me. His lips at my ear, he moaned "Roza…" repeatedly before slumping on top of me with a shudder, his manhood releasing inside my channel.
I could feel the tension leaving his body and after a few moments, he pulled out of me, rolling us over, so he was lying on his back. I was draped against his chest and secure in his arms. We lay there panting together, satiated and complete.
"You look happy," Dimitri laughed, taking in my completely blissed-out expression.
"I am," I confirmed, leaning up to give him a kiss. "That," kiss, "was," kiss, "wonderful!"
"I aim to please," he replied with a little smirk, but I couldn't help but notice that he looked happier and more relaxed than he had in weeks. It just went to show – we needed to do that more often!
"You do. Very much," I grinned giving him more kisses. "I'll have to let my father know!"
"Your father?" Dimitri asked, lifting an eyebrow quizzically.
"I heard him threatening you to keep a smile on my face. Well, I'm certainly smiling now!"
"Roza!" my Russian God growled in exasperation.
"You heard Abe. Your job is to keep me happy. In fact, I might need some more loving later just to keep my spirits up…"
"You're incorrigible," he groaned but with a smile.
"Shut it or I'll send my mob boss father after you!" I teased.
"I've created a monster!" he laughed, pulling a pillow over his head.
Waking up in Dimitri's arms had to be one of the best feelings in the world! I lay on my side just watching him sleep until I could no longer ignore the pressing need for the toilet. Carefully escaping his loving arms, I padded to the bathroom, wincing at the coldness of the tiled floor before sighing in relief as I emptied my bladder. I was a little tender downstairs, but that was probably to be expected. While round one of our lovemaking had been a sweet, loving reconnection, round two had been a bit more intense!
Creeping back into bed and rolling back into his arms, I rested my ear against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat and marveling at the sheer size of the man who considered himself mine.
"Last night was the best night of my life," I whispered as I saw his eyelids start to flutter and a smile grace his face when he appreciated I was in his arms.
"Mine too," he said, kissing my hair.
We were still cuddling when Dimitri's cell rang. He groaned and I was hoping he was going to ignore it before he announced, "I'd better check – it could be important."
He rolled over, reaching an impossibly long arm across to his bedside, groaning a little when he saw 'Guardian Hathaway' flashing on the screen.
"Janine," he greeted cordially, pausing to listen to my mother.
"Ok. We'll check out at ten and probably eat lunch here before returning to the property. I imagine we'll be there around one."
My mother was saying more, and Dimitri was listening, watching me the whole time.
"As far as I know, she hasn't said anything to the other Novices, and I don't think she intends to."
He rang off, pulling me back to him in the bed.
"How did she sound?" I asked, dreading having to see my mother again today.
"Hard to say. She wants to meet with us all as soon as we get back. She asked if you'd told anyone about meeting your father."
"So we stick with the story?" I asked.
"I think that's for the best," he agreed.
It was 8 am, so we reluctantly got up and dressed, heading downstairs to the room where Eddie and Meredith had stayed.
"Breakfast?" Dimitri suggested only a little awkwardly when Meredith opened the door. She and Eddie were already dressed and watching cartoons on television.
"I could eat," Eddie said giving us a relaxed, easy smile as he looked up from the TV.
They locked up and we piled into the car, me climbing into the back and letting Meredith take second. We headed to a pancake place we'd spotted last time we were here.
Once we were installed in a booth eating mountains of pancakes smothered in butter, maple syrup and bacon, Dimitri cleared his throat to start. I could see he was nervous and didn't want to have this discussion, so I took the reigns.
"So thanks for last night, guys. I really needed to speak with my father and I did, which was great. My Mom is super unhappy I know who he is, so if we could maybe go with the story that you saw nothing, we came back to the hotel, ordered pizza and watched TV, that would be great."
"That is what happened," Eddie teased.
"You know what I mean," I said giving him a death stare before dropping my hand to Dimitri's and stroking it soothingly for a moment. Both Eddie and Meredith looked a little surprised but didn't say anything, and I removed my hand before Dimitri could freak out even more.
"We got it," Meredith said giving Dimitri and I a tentative smile. "Rose and I shared two pizzas – one pepperoni one with the lot then settled in and watched TV. Nothing was said about your father and I have no idea something went down. Right?"
"That's right," I said with relief. Eddie could see how uneasy I was.
"Sure thing. Same deal for Belikov and I."
"Thanks, guys. I appreciate it. I'm sorry to have to ask this of you, but I'm trying to stop my Mom going psycho… again."
"It's all good. One crazy Hathaway is enough for the household to deal with!" Eddie teased. "So how did it go with your Dad?"
"Good, I think? He was really nice. He didn't know about me until very recently," I volunteered, "so there's a lot to catch up on. We're both playing it by ear, but he seems interested."
We all avoided acknowledging the other reason I'd stayed overnight with Dimitri, and I was grateful for it. They knew, and we knew they knew. Acknowledging it would be too much for my already vexed Russian God. The less said about our love affair the better, until I graduated.
"Rose's Mom wants us all at a meeting when we get back to the property," Dimitri announced as he threw some notes on the table to cover the bill. "I thought we could hang out at the hotel until 10, check out, and then kill a couple of hours in town?"
"Hey! We could go bowling!" Eddie suggested enthusiastically.
"Bowling?" I asked incredulously. Lissa and I had been a couple of times when we were on the run, but it wasn't the first thing that sprang to mind when I had a couple of hours off.
"Sure! It will be fun. And we're not likely to get another chance," he cajoled. "They'll probably have hot dogs there, and I know how much you love them, Rose…"
Damn him! He was right! I loved hot dogs with cheese and mustard – and we never got them at the Academy.
I looked at my Russian God and he shrugged. Meredith smiled and said, "I'm in."
"Alright… If you can find somewhere open. I'm going back to the hotel to watch TV until we check out. Then we can bowl," I said with a smile. Maybe bowling would be fun?
The mood was lighthearted as we returned to the hotel. We split up, going back to our respective rooms, Dimitri wasting no time pulling me back into bed.
"Again, Guardian Belikov?" I teased, laughing as I took off my clothes.
"I've missed being with you," he explained with a very sexy pout. "And there's no knowing when we'll have a chance to be together again."
"I know," I sighed, pressing myself against him and tangling our legs together. "Let's make the most of the time we have."
"You went bowling?" Blake grumbled jealously as the four of us sat laughing at the kitchen table. It had been fun, and I had to hand it to Eddie, it had been just the thing to relax us before our trip back to the property.
"Sure did! Meredith and I slaughtered the guys!" I declared triumphantly. "We owned you two!"
"It's not my fault. I just assumed Belikov could bowl," Eddie mock grumbled.
I laughed wickedly. Not only did Meredith and I share the dubious honor of being the victors, but I'd found something my Russian God sucked at. While he was a natural athlete at almost every other sport or physical activity, he was hopeless at bowling. The guys hadn't stood a chance!
We'd not long been back, but Mom wanted us all to gather for our meeting, hence our presence at the kitchen table. She and I had successfully avoided one another, so far. I was happy to pretend yesterday just hadn't happened. Let's face it – no one wanted to dwell on the moment their mother announced they wished they'd never had you!
"I've been in touch with Court, and provided nothing untoward happens between now and then, we're pulling out next Saturday," she announced without preamble. "It now seems unlikely the Strigoi are going to return to this location, so the Alchemists are eager for us to depart."
This was obviously news to Stan because he looked as surprised as the rest of us.
"We'll be driving to St. Vladimir's to return the vehicles and equipment. We'll fly from there to Court to debrief, and then on to our final destinations."
"Do you know where they'll be sending us?" Eddie asked.
"Not yet – that's still being worked out," my mother said brusquely. "Although Elizaveta and Artyom will be returning to St. Basil's."
"Will we be at Court long?" Meredith asked hopefully. I wondered whether she was thinking of her boyfriend, Geoff.
"At least a few days. Perhaps up to a week," Mom replied.
After that, she ran us through the packup procedure, which basically consisted of going through the house and making sure it was as immaculate as when we arrived.
The meeting over, we all went our separate ways to unpack or attend to our afternoon chores. I kept expecting Mom to make an appearance in my room, but she didn't. In fact, she didn't say a word to me directly at dinner or afterward in the library. Dimitri excused himself after an hour or so, begging off to place a call to his family. I followed not long after, citing the need to call Lissa. I saw my mother purse her lips, probably suspecting I was going to call Abe, but she didn't make an issue of it.
In my room, I dialed my father's number. I'd promised to call him to let him know the aftermath, if any, from my mother about our meeting. I quickly filled him in that she'd said nothing, so far, but that we were pulling out bound for Court in a week.
"I have some business to attend to elsewhere, but I can arrange to be at Court when you visit," he suggested. "If you have time to see me, great. If not, then that's fine too. I don't want to make things worse between you and your mother."
I snorted. The woman had blatantly declared in the middle of a public street that she'd never wanted me. How much worse could things get?!
We chatted a little more before I rang Lissa, telling her that I'd probably be at Court next week.
"I can't wait to tell Christian! And Tasha will be so excited. If you're coming, so will Guardian Belikov, right?"
I mentally slapped myself. With all the drama about my father, I'd all but forgotten Tasha's ongoing interest in Dimitri.
"Please don't tell them," I begged quickly. "I'm not even meant to tell you. Secret mission and all that…"
"No problem, your secret is safe with me," she promised, and I could tell by quickly sampling through the bond that she meant it.
"I can't wait to show you around Court, though," she said. "We didn't get a chance to see much, last time."
"That sounds great, Liss," I said in what I hope passed for an enthusiastic tone. While getting away from here was certainly appealing, leaving meant I'd be going to an academy somewhere and Dimitri would be living under Tasha's roof and subject to her attempts to coax him to stay with her. I had faith in him; it was her I didn't trust!
By the time I'd finished my calls, the others were already going to bed. I tossed and turned for ages, trying to get sleepy, but finding it hard. Last night in Dimitri's arms had been so perfect; it sucked to be back alone in a single bed.
I turned my pillow vertically, wrapping my arms around it and pretending it was my Russian God. It was a far from a convincing facsimile, but somewhere close to midnight I finally drifted off – fantasizing of Dimitri's sexy, manly body pressed against mine, joined once again in original sin.