A/N: WOW! That is all I can say. I'm speechless. Thank you all so much!
Just so all you know, even though Dimitri calls Rose his wife, they aren't married yet, only engaged.
*Warning: Chapter rated M for a lemony scene in the kitchen *
Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, profit from this story and all creative rights to the characters belong to Richelle Mead.
The original content, ideas and intellectual property of this story are owned by Ms. Belikov. Please do not copy, reproduce, or translate without express written permission.
Robert Doru pulled his black Dodge truck up to Tarasov and waited, blending in with the rest of the vehicles in the parking lot. The last thing he needed right now was to stand out.
Today they would be transferring Natasha Ozera to a maximum security prison up east about four hours away.
And today was the last chance he had, so he was going to make sure it count.
As he waited, he stared at the brick walls with barbwire on them and the men with rifles in the watchtowers.
When the black and white police car pulled up, Robert sat up straight, fully alert.
The gates beeped open. Gripping the Beretta 92 in his hand, he watched Natasha. The woman was handcuffed, two guards at her sides as they walk past the gates and towards the car.
This was it.
Now or never baby, he thought.
As the guards neared the car, Robert jumped out of his truck with the gun leveled up and rushed all three of them.
Natasha screamed and the guards automatically went for their weapons.
Got you, he thought. Robert pointed the gun at each of their chests and fired.
Pop, pop.
As they fell to the ground bleeding, he yelled at the woman to get in the Dodge truck.
Although she had no clue who the man was or why he was there, she realized this was her only chance at freedom and scrambled to get into the passenger seat.
"Who are you?" Natasha was breathing heavily as Robert punched the gas.
The alarms sounded around them, piercing his ears, making him flinch. He slammed the petal all the way to the ground as he heard gun shots. The guards were shooting at the Dodge trucks tires and windows, trying to slow them down…or kill them. Either way worked.
"No time to explain," Robert shouted. "I need your help with something."
Ice-blue eyes met his with a look of wonder and worship. "Anything."
DPOV:
"Lucy, I'm home!"
The sound of her voice made my chest swell. "I'm in the kitchen, baby." I called out.
I heard the scratching of her boots against the tile. The sound of her dragging her feet across the ground used to irritate me, but now it made me smile, I loved how familiar it was, that one sound belonged to her.
Roza came into the kitchen, dressed in a lavender turtle neck, an old pair of faded jeans with holes in the knees, and big white boots. The emerald necklace I gave her gleamed gold in the overhead light.
She looked perfect. To me, she was all beauty and love.
"Hi." She smiled, walking over for my kiss. "What are you cooking for dinner?"
I slipped my hands under her shirt and held the swollen belly underneath. "Roast beef and potatoes with vegetables."
"Mmmm. I like the sound of that," Roza smiled. "And what about dessert?"
"Chocolate mousse with raspberry sauce,"
"Double yum."
I nuzzled her hair, inhaling the scent of vanilla cookies. Then kissed both sides of her neck before meeting those toffee-brown eyes again. "How was shopping with Lissa?"
"Good. I slipped and hit my head again, but that's fine—"
"What?" I growled.
"Kidding, Comrade." Rose broke out in a fit of giggles, bending over and pointing at me. "Oh, my God. That was soooo worth it. You should have seen your face!"
I crossed my arms and watched her ride out the waves of hysterical laughter. I wanted to stay angry at her; I really did, but with her face glowing with happiness and that luminous smile…
It was impossible.
To hide my grin, I turned back to the stove and opened the oven, checking on the meat. It still needed a good thirty minutes before it was fully cooked and ready.
There was a weight against my back as she snuggled into me and wrapped her arms around my waist.
"Aww General, you're not mad at your pregnant honey, are you?" Her voice was soft, perfectly innocent, yet condescendingly devilish at the same time. The. Biggest. Turn. On. Ever. "Because I think I can make it up to you…"
I sucked in a ragged breath as I felt her hand go between my thighs from behind. Then she grasped me and started this wonderful friction by rubbing up and down, side to side. Even through the layers of fabric of my briefs and jeans, her touch was incredible, making me shiver and grit my teeth.
"Roza...stop." I growled, turning around. Bad idea. It gave her better access to my groin area. My body came alive, aching and urging me to rid my pants and take my wife good and hard, right there, in the middle of the kitchen floor.
"You don't want me to stop, do you? You like this." Roza gazed up at me under thick lashes.
"Don't start something you can't finish." My voice was rougher than sandpaper.
"I never start something I can't finish." She licked her lips. "Plus…you just challenged me. And you know how much I love a challenge, General."
Slender, elegant hands unbuttoned my jeans. Tooth by tooth, my zipper hissed until it was undone completely. My arousal sprang free.
Roza never broke eye contact with me and that alone nearly made me release. My blood pumped heavy in my veins and my body was painfully throbbing as she wrapped a hand around me.
I hissed and kicked my head back, squeezing my eyes shut for a moment. With hooded eyes and veins straining, I watched her work. There was no way I could miss this.
"Do you like that?" Roza bit her lip, eyes starving like a tigers.
"Faster," I panted.
"I make the rules here. Not you." She kept the pace and rhythm exhilarating, alternating between blurring fast and agonizingly slow, one hand or both.
It was pure torture.
And I craved every moment of it, especially as her nails scratched my sensitive skin. The perfect combination of pain and pleasure.
Moments later, I shattered apart in ecstasy. Magnolia-white jets shot and fired, landing all over my lower stomach and her belly and hands.
My skin was covered in a fresh layer of sweat when I collapsed, dropping my face into the crook of her neck. "Sorry." I breathed heavily.
"Don't be. Your pleasure is my own." I could hear the smile in her voice as she wrapped her arms around me, holding me until I was able to regain my composure.
When I pulled back, my wife was beaming at me. "God, you are amazing." I kissed her hard before fixing my pants, taking off her shirt, getting her a fresh one, and washing both of our hands in the sink with hot water and soap.
By the time I was done cleaning up, the timer on the oven went off. I pulled the tray out with two rags and set it on top of the stove, allowing it to cool off.
"Mmmm. Smells delicious." Roza's tummy growled. We both laughed.
I dragged a chair out of the dining table. "Sit." I said.
She did.
Crouching at her feet, I rolled her shirt up and tucked it underneath the two heavy swells. "Beautiful. So beautiful." I murmured. And I meant it. Roza's skin radiated, her breasts were so full they overflowed my hands, and she'd gained about fifteen pounds, all in the right places, making her perfectly plump.
And her belly…it was striking. Our son was in her womb, growing inside of her. That thought made chills run up my spine.
It also made me want to kill anyone that came near her.
But that was all part of becoming a new father. Right? It wasn't something I could control. My instincts and need to protect her screamed at me constantly. She called me overprotective, but I liked to look at it as being extra careful. It was always better to be safe than sorry.
I grabbed the jar of cocoa butter, scooped some into my palms, and rubbed the lotion into her skin.
"Do you think they're getting worse?" Panic flooded into Rose's face.
I continued to smooth my hands over her stomach, covering every perfect inch of skin. "What?"
"The stretch marks!"
"No." To me, they were beautiful. A reminder of Ivan. They didn't bother me in the slightest. Of course, convincing Roza of that was a whole other story.
"Look! There's one, two, three, four!" She pointed to each little red scratch on her belly. "Oh, God! I'm fat as a cow!"
"You're not overweight, Roza. The doctor said it was important to gain some weight during your pregnancy."
"Some weight, Dimitri. Some weight. Not a million frickin pounds!" She bit her nails. "That's it. I'm done being fat. I ain't eating a thing tonight."
"Oh, really?" I smiled as I stood up and grabbed two plates out of the cupboard. "Is that so."
"You bet your sweet ass that's so." Roza crossed her arms, resuming a determined expression. "I'm not breaking. No food for me. Ever. At least not until I loose some weight."
"Hmm." The silverware drawer shook as I grabbed two forks and knifes, then slammed it shut.
"Are you mocking me?"
"No." I sliced a few pieces of roast beef, set them on the plates.
"I don't like the tone of your voice."
"I am deeply sorry for offending you." Using a wooden spoon, I scooped some potatoes and carrots onto the roast beef, poured some broth over them
I took both of the plates to the table; set one down in front of my wife, and the other across from her, taking that empty seat.
She watched me as I cut into the roast beef and took a bite. Just for show, I moaned and closed my eyes.
Her gaze narrowed and her mouth tightened. "It's not working."
"It's not?" I cocked an eyebrow as I heard the growl of a stomach. "Someone's hungry. And it isn't me because I'm eating."
I bit into the carrots and potato—
"Jesus Christ that looks delicious!" Roza grabbed a fork and dug in to her plate like a starved animal.
I smiled, loving watching her eat.
CPOV:
"Look at what I picked up at the store." Lissa held up two tiny onesies. The pink one read: Mommy's little girl and the purple one read: Daddy's little girl.
I grabbed the pink one out of her hand. "Get rid of this one, keep that one, and I'll be happy."
She crossed her arms and glared at me.
I smiled, putting a lot of sugar in to it. "Kidding. I love both of them, babe. Little Rose will love it, too."
We'd named our daughter after Lissa's best friend. The girl was a loose cannon and a pain in the ass most of the time, but I admired her…and maybe loved her, a little. Just a little. Rose had gained my entire respect after sacrificing her own life to save my fiancé. If it wasn't for her, I was sure that Lissa wouldn't be here with me today, and neither would my daughter.
It was an honor to name my daughter after Rose. An absolute honor.
"Yeah, she will." Those jade-green eyes gleamed, cheeks flushed with crimson. No matter how many hours or days or years I spent with Lissa, her beauty wasn't something you got used to. Especially in her pregnancy state. With her long sunshine hair, creamy skin, raspberry lips, lean body with small but perfect breasts, and that swelled stomach…she was an angel. My angel.
"Ugh." Lissa suddenly groaned.
"What is it?" I torpedoed off the bed. "Your water break? Is the baby coming? Okay, don't panic. The last thing you want to do is panic! Do like the doctor said, remember your breathing exercises, in out, in out, in out, in out. Through the nose. Are you contracting? How far apart—"
"Christian!" Lissa's face was amused. "Nothing's wrong. My feet hurt from walking today, that's all. Relax."
"Oh." I took a moment to relax and control my breathing before getting the bottle of Lissa's jasmine lotion in the bathroom. I sat on the bed on propped her feet in my lap.
"You're perfect, you know that?" Her tone was soft and fond. "Even though you drive me up the wall sometimes, I wouldn't change a single thing about you."
I took off her boots, then her socks. "Funny. I feel the same way about you."
She scooted forward awkwardly and gave me a quick kiss before leaning back and resting on her palms again.
I squirted some lotion into my palms and started rubbing her feet, paying special attention to the heel and the center of her sole because I knew that's where she was aching most.
Lissa closed her eyes and groaned a little. "God…that feels so good…"
"I could massage you for hours," I smiled, separating and circling each one of her painted cherry-red toes. "You have the most beautiful feet."
She kept her eyes shut but one corner of her lips lifted into a smirk. "Got a fetish, Christian?"
"With your feet? Absolutely. Can't get enough of them."
Lissa giggled. God, I loved making her laugh.
As I continued to relax her, I thought of Tasha. The only family I had left. Bile rose in my throat. It was painful to admit, but a part of me still loved her, and always would love her. But that tiny spec of love was overshadowed by something so much more powerful…hate. I absolutely hated her.
My girlfriend, the observer, noticed my change in mood. Of course she did. I didn't expect anything less. I just wished I had better control over my emotions. It made me physically sick to upset her.
Hell, the mere thought made my stomach roll like I was in the early stages of food poisoning.
"What's wrong, honey?"
"Just thinking."
"About what?"
I shook my head and kissed her cheek. "Nothing you need to worry about."
"The hell it's not! Don't shut me out."
Oscar purred and jumped on the bed, all orange fur, wide green eyes, and pudgy stomach. The cat needed to lay off the late night eating and it wasn't helping that Lissa couldn't resist his chubby cuteness and gave him treats all the time. Sure the fella had lost all traces of kitten in him, but I had to admit…he was still damn cute. And a part of the family.
He rubbed his head against Lissa's arm, as if he sensed her distress and was trying to calm her.
"See…Oscar doesn't like seeing you upset. Don't get all worked up about nothing." I forced a smile. "I was just thinking about Tasha, that's all."
Her angelic face melted into softness. "Do you want to talk about it?"
My fingers were light as a feather on her swelling stomach. "Not now."
"Okay," She pulled her feet away from me and scooted close. I welcomed her with arms wide open. "If you need to talk…you know I'm always here. For you. You don't have to keep things inside. I know you hurt."
"I don't hurt-"
"She is your only family left, Christian. I may not be the smartest person in the world but I'm not stupid either-"
"The only reason it hurts inside of me is because I didn't kill her when I had the chance." She gasped at my words, but I continued on. "For what Tasha did to you, she could die a thousand painful deaths and it still wouldn't be enough. But at least I would feel better than I do now had I grabbed that knife and shoved it through her chest."
I heard her soft sob and wanted to bite my own damn head off. "Look babe, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to-"
She faced me with glossy eyes, a bit of smudged mascara under her lashes. "You need to stop blaming yourself!" Lissa growled. "It wasn't your fault. Damn it. Quit tearing yourself apart about it. Even if you were there, you wouldn't have been able to do anything. Get. Over. It."
"I can't just get over it, Liss. It's not that easy."
"And why the hell not? I did." She yanked herself away from me and stood up. "Last time I checked, Christian, I was the one on that operating table get sliced up like a piece of meat. Not you! You weren't the one being tortured by someone you love!"
"Lissa, listen-"
"No! Don't Lissa me!" She headed for the door and I jumped up. "No stay where you are. Don't touch me." She ripped her arm back.
"What are you doing?" I growled.
Lissa angrily wiped away fallen tears. "Leaving."
"Why?"
"'Cause I have to get away from you right now. You're opening up all these wounds and memories from the past that really hurt. And, and, frankly…I can't stand to look at your face right now."
My heart broke as I stared at my broken and vulnerable pregnant girlfriend. I would have given anything to hold her. Shit. What had I done? I hurt her…badly. I hated myself in that moment.
"How long will you be gone?" My voice was shot. Rougher than gravel from emotions. I cleared my throat and repeated myself, though it didn't help very much.
"For however long it takes you to forgive yourself…and to get rid of that god awful guilt. Right now, the last thing I need is to relive the past, Christian. I was just finally starting to heal and get over it and be happy-" She stopped short as she cried out in pain and gripped her stomach.
I ran to her and dropped to my knees. "What is it? Is the baby coming?"
"Get away from me," Lissa said through her teeth, a layer of sweat covering her forehead. "It was just a contraction."
Although it was like a knife to my gut, I stood up and stepped back, giving her the space she needed. We were only standing a few feet apart, but it felt like a million miles. That's how distant our relationship had become in just minutes.
Once she caught her breath, she opened the door and stood in the hallway.
"Where will you go?"
Lissa glanced over her shoulder at me. "I don't know. I'll figure something out. Rose'll probably let me stay at her place."
I nodded, gripping the edges of the oak door so tightly to keep from snatching my woman up, hauling her ass back into our apartment, and locking her in so that I could keep her safe.
Instead, I took a deep breath and nodded. "So I guess I'll see you around?"
"Probably not."
"I'm sorry-"
"Don't want to hear it." Lissa started walking down the hallway.
"I love you!"
She didn't say anything back, just kept going. I stood there watching her until the doors to the outside swung open and she disappeared.
RPOV:
Ding dong.
My head snapped up in surprise. "We expecting anyone?" I chewed on my last piece of Roast beef.
"Not that I know of." Dimitri wiped his mouth with a napkin, slid out of his chair, and headed for the front door.
I heard the hiss of the oak being pulled open, then, "Hey there's my boy! How are you?" I swallowed hard as the blood drained from my face.
Oh, god. No. Please don't let it be them.
Turning around, I found three heads. The tallest one belonging to Dimitri…and then another male head with a mass of dark brown hair. The other head was much lower than the others, a female…with flaming red hair.
My mother and father, Janine and Abe, had decided to come for a surprise visit. Yippee!
"Hello, General Belikov." My mother shook his hand. Always so uptight.
"Please, call me Dimitri." My fiancé smiled, but I could tell it was slightly forced. He was as surprised by their appearance as I was.
Last time we had seen them…well, things hadn't gone so well. After we'd traveled to my home which was located about two hours from St. Augustine's, we'd told my mother and father the news of my pregnancy. My mother was stunned into silence and couldn't seem to snap out of her shock.
As for my father, well…put it this way: I would never leave him and Dimitri alone in the same room.
Looking at Abe's handsome, grinning face now, I'd say that maybe he'd thought about the situation and had a change of heart. Maybe.
"There's my daughter," Abe's Turkish accent was thick as hell. "How are you, Kiz?"
It took me a moment to pick my jaw off the floor and put it back on my face. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"That's no way to greet your dad, now is it?"
"Oh, my mistake." I said. "What the hell are you doing here, dad?"
Abe smiled and gave me a hug. "It's so good to see you—whoa. That's a big belly you got there. You smuggling a beach ball under that shirt, Kiz?"
I actually laughed a little. That was until a short, redheaded woman with a stubborn face came into my line of sight.
"Hey, ma." I pulled back from my father. As we stared each other down, there was a moment of awkward silence.
"Rose." she nodded.
"What? No hug? Frankly, I'm not surprised."
Her narrowed gaze practically burned my face as she crossed her arms.
I mimicked the movement.
Ahem. Someone cleared their throat. "Well, it's so good to see you—"
"Don't brown nose them, Dimitri. It was rude of them to just pop in unexpectedly and they know it."
"Come on, Kiz. Relax." Abe patted my shoulder. "Give your mother a hug. She hasn't seen you in months!"
Very reluctantly and slowly, I inched towards her and wrapped my arms around her stiff body. I grimaced; it was like cuddling up to a rattle snake. Not something that you felt comfortable with nor wanted to do very often.
My mother relaxed a little in my embrace, then to my utter shock, she laid her head against my shoulder. "I missed you, daughter."
Everything inside me was so stunned that my mouth didn't work. I couldn't seem to get any words out, like someone had stitched my lips together.
A moment later, I felt wetness on my skin and realized that Janine was crying. My mother, the emotionless, cold, neglectful woman, was crying.
I had the urge to look up and see if pigs were flying.
My hand reached up on its own accord and smoothed over some of that soft, red hair.
Janine pulled back, her face was blotchy, nose red, eyes swollen. She quickly rubbed the tears from her cheeks, as if she was embarrassed. "I am sorry. That was uncalled for. I didn't mean to make any of you uncomfortable with my…break down. I, uh, I apologize."
"Don't be sorry." I said, my hands going to rest on my stomach.
Her sharp eyes tracked the movement. "So this is my grandson?"
Dimitri smiled as he walked over and pulled me close to him. "Yes, it is. His name is Ivan."
Abe whistled through his teeth in approval.
"That's a beautiful name," Janine's face tensed as a single tear spilled out of her eye. She quickly got it together, seeming angry at herself for being so emotional. My heart ached for my mother. She put up so many walls to keep people from seeing her true side and now she was having a hard time keeping them up. "I really, really like it." She murmured.
"I'm glad you do," Smiling, I grabbed her small hand and put it to my belly.
Janine gasped and quickly pulled it away, like she'd committed some horrible crime.
"No, it's okay." I said gently. "You can touch my stomach."
She looked hesitant and almost…afraid. She glanced up to Dimitri with question in her eyes, asking him for permission.
He broke out into a soft smile. "It's fine, Janine. He is your grandson."
Nodding, Janine pressed both hands to my belly, feeling the swollenness of my skin. "Wow." Was all she said. She was staring at it, positively mesmerized by my pregnancy state, entranced, as if the rest of the world just faded away.
Abe came up behind Dimitri and rested a heavy palm on his shoulder. "Let's give the ladies a moment to their selves."
My fiancé nodded in agreement, kissed me on the cheek, and exited our apartment.
"We'll be back in a little while," Abe whispered. "I'm going to take my son out for some real man-to-man bonding time. Stuff like that."
I nodded. "Okay. Just try not to blow anything up."
"No promises."
"See ya."
The door shut softly behind my father.
My mother was still staring at my belly and I don't think she even noticed that Abe and Dimitri had left, when she asked, "So you will let me be in Ivan's life?"
I nodded. "Of course. You're his grandma. You guys can do grandma-grandson stuff together like…I don't know. Bake oatmeal raisin cookies, or something."
"I'm not so sure about that, Kiz," Abe appeared in the doorway. He winked, grinning. "She's more likely to burn the whole house down. But then again, cooking has never run in our family's blood—at least on the women's side."
Janine glanced back at him. "Where are you going?"
"Out. Just back for the SUV keys." Abe quickly grabbed what he came for and left.
The scraping of the door shutting seemed to snap my mother back to reality. Janine sniffled, grabbed a tissue from the box on the kitchen counter, and dabbed at the smeared mascara under her eyes. "God, how bad do I look?" Her laugh was an embarrassed and shame filled one.
"Not too bad," I said. "You no longer look like a raccoon."
"That's always a relief," My mother tossed the used tissue into the garbage. She looked around awkwardly, sniffing the air. "Is that…roast beef?"
"Used to be," I muttered. "Uh, well, I kind of finished off the last piece. Sorry."
"Oh."
"Are you hungry?"
Janine shook her head. "No. I'm fine."
I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "Oh, please. As Dimitri says, I'll believe that lie when you do. You've be on the road for hours…come on, I'll cook you up something."
Her lips twisted into a smile.
"You look really pretty when you do that," I blurted. "And younger, too. You should do it more often."
Her cheeks turned the color of a barn, she cleared her throat uncomfortably. "What do you have to eat?"
"Right." I headed for the cupboard, opened it. "Well, we've got tons of good stuff. Puffy Cheetos, chocolate cupcakes, pasta, Frosted flakes, fruit loops, Apple Jacks—"
"Dimitri let's you eat that?" Janine resumed a disgusted expression.
"Yep. But he doesn't like it. Not one bit." I said. "But after threatening to pack up and leave him if he didn't let me eat what I wanted to, well, he backed off."
Her eyes widened.
"Anyways," I went for the fridge. "This is the stuff Dimitri eats. The healthy stuff. I think you'll like it."
"Okay. That sounds good. Anything sounds good right now actually. I'm very hungry."
"We got chicken, salmon, and every vegetable known to man kind. What about some herb chicken and salad?"
Janine nodded.
After washing my hands, I turned on the oven and set the package of chicken on the counter.
"Can you give me the cookie sheet? It's right over there." I pointed.
She handed it to me. "You do know what you're doing...right?"
"Pfft. Yeah." I waved my hands. "Dimitri taught me how to do this dish a few months ago. I got this."
My mother nodded again, but she still looked unsure. Very, very unsure.
"How's dads business going?" I asked while I seasoned the chicken with dried basil and pepper, then squeezed some fresh lemon over it.
"Good." Janine said. "I'm not sure how to say this, but, um, Ibrahim is retiring."
My body wheeled around in shock, dropping a drumstick. The raw chicken hit the ground with a gross splat.
Janine and I both went for it at the same time. Our heads bumped.
"Ouch!" We both yelped, bouncing back and landing on our butts from the impact.
We took one look at each other and busted out laughing.
"Sorry." She rubbed the red spot on her forehead.
I did the same thing, grimacing when I felt the stickiness hit my skin. "Oh, great. I got uncooked chicken stuff on my forehead. Do you think I'll get salmonella poisoning?"
My mother had turned beet red from her laughter. Still in hysterics, she shook her head, and said, "No. Just wash it off. You'll be fine."
Janine hopped to her feet when she realized I was struggling to stand on my own because of my huge stomach. She grabbed my hand, not caring that she was getting that sticky stuff all over her hands, and helped me up.
"Thanks." I smiled.
"No problem."
Forty-five minutes later, I pulled the tray out of the oven.
"Mmmm. Mmmm. Good." Slamming the metal on the countertop, I grabbed a plate out of the cupboard and scooped some lemon herb chicken onto it. Then put some salad next to it.
After getting a fork and something for my mother to drink, I set the steaming plate before her on the dining room table.
"How is it?"
She giggled in a short burst as she picked up the fork. "Not sure, Rose. Haven't tried it yet."
I sucked in a ragged breath, realizing that was the first time in my whole life she had called me "Rose", instead of my god awful full name "Rosemarie."
Something in me told me this was a big step in our relationship. That maybe we could stop hating each other. That maybe we could learn to get along. That maybe…we could be friends. All it took was Ivan to bond us.
If I had known that earlier, I would have gotten knocked up along time ago…
"I don't think this is supposed to be pink." Janine said, poking at the meat.
"Really?" My nose scrunched up. "Are you sure?"
"Yes. I am." My mother stood up and headed for the kitchen, bringing the plate with her.
I followed, waddling behind her.
She stood at the stove, eyes squinted, lips pursed, as if she was trying to figure out the answers to a hard algebra test she hadn't studied for. "I think we should put the chicken in for longer. So it can cook."
"That would be best." I agreed.
After sliding the tray into the oven, Janine stared at the stove, getting that same focused expression again.
"How high should we turn up the heat?"
"The highest. Broil." She whipped the dial into place. "There we go. Now it will cook fast. And not be pink."
I nodded. "Good idea."
Minutes later, I grew bored of waiting around in the kitchen. "I'm gonna go watch some TV. My feet and lower back are killing me. Wanna come?"
She smiled, a little. "Yes. I would like that."
About fifty minutes filled of Godzilla later, with my Mom grimacing in distaste every two seconds at the screen, I caught something in the air and sniffed. "Do you smell that?"
"Smell what?" Janine asked, flinching as the big dinosaur on the screen roared loudly.
"It's like, uh, I don't know. Bitter. I don't like it." Throwing my head back and sniffing the air like a dog, I headed for the source of the smell.
The kitchen.
"Oh, my god! The chicken! We forgot about it!"
Janine ran in. "What—it's burning! It's coming from the stove!"
"No, duh." I coughed wildly at the black smoke and waved my hand in the air. "My eyes sting! I can't see!"
"Me neither." Janine gagged as the smoke alarms went crazy. "Get outside, Rose! You're pregnant."
"I'm not leaving you, mom."
"Go! I'll handle it." The growl in her voice and that look on her face…
I booked it for the front door. Instantly feeling relieved as I sucked in a huge breath of fresh air. My lungs clenched. As panic rose in my chest, I searched my jean pockets for my inhaler. I was so relieved when I found it.
Moments later, the blaring alarms were suddenly cut off, though the annoying as hell ringing in my ears remained.
The door flung open and my mother ran out.
"Are you okay?" Suddenly, I fell into a fit of hysterical laughter. "Ohmigod, look at your face! It's all black!" I pointed.
Janine rubbed her skin, only to smudge and make it worse than before.
After regaining my composure, I asked, "Is everything okay?"
"Yes." She took a seat on the patio, inhaled and exhaled slowly. "I turned off the oven. Threw the chicken away. Ripped all the batteries out of the smoke alarms—you'll have to put those back in later. And opened all the windows so the smoke could air out."
"Wow. You are superwoman." I took a seat at the chair opposite of her petite body. "Thanks."
"Are you okay?" Concern flooded her dirty face.
I smiled. "Yes, I am. So is Ivan."
"Thank the lord." Janine sagged back, relieved.
Roaring laughter drifted in the air. I glanced down just in time to see Abe running up the stairs towards our apartment, following behind him was Dimitri.
My chest swelled at the sight of him, my body heating up all over despite the fact that he hadn't even touched me yet. Yeah, I missed my fiancé. A lot. Even though he'd only been gone for a few hours.
"Hey, Kiz." Abe grinned, flashing teeth so white they blinded you.
"Hey, dad. What's up? How'd the bonding time go—holy shit. Are you bleeding?" I ran over to Dimitri. Right on his thick bicep, was a red line of dried crimson. It was a clean and short slit, but it was deep.
"Yes." My fiancé wrapped an arm around me. "But don't worry, it's nothing. Just a little accident. Why do you smell like smoke?"
"We'll talk about that later." I waved my hand dismissively. "Now tell me, right goddamn now, what happened to your arm. Or else I'll go all hormonal pregnant female hysteria on you. You do not want that."
"We went hunting. In the woods." Abe said. "I shot him with my rifle."
"You shot him?" I screamed, wheeling around.
"On accident." My father said.
My jaw dropped open as pure rage boiled in my veins.
"It was in the arm. And it only grazed."
"Well that makes it all better!" I threw my hands up in the air. "You could have killed him! And then I would have killed you!"
Abe headed for the front door. "I believe you're being a tad bit melodramatic."
"And I believe you nearly just murdered my husband!"
"Roza, relax. Please…I don't want you or the baby upset." Dimitri said…and he was laughing. The bastard actually had the nerve to laugh at me!
"What's so funny?" I growled.
"Your face…it's all red."
"You look like a lobster, Kiz."
With an animalistic roar, I torpedoed forward and slapped him so hard across the face that it stung my palm.
Balling my hands into fists, I went for a second blow—
Dimitri's arms wrapped around my waist. He hauled me back. "Relax. Now." He hissed in my ear. "Before I make you calm down."
As I regulated my rapid breathing, I glared at my father. "You piece of sh—"
"Roza!"
I broke eye contact and crossed my arms.
"I'm sorry, Rose—"
"I bet you'd be sorry if he was dead, wouldn't you?"
That shut him up.
"Let me go, Dimitri!" My fiancé quickly complied.
I was so angry that my whole body was trembling as I headed for the stairs.
"Where are you going?" That Russian accented voice demanded.
"Away from you. Away from him. Away from everyone. I need a moment alone." Without looking back, I just started walking. I wasn't sure where I was going, but I knew it had to be anywhere but that goddamn apartment or my goddamn father or my goddamn fiancé.
Minutes later, as I walked through the forest, I bumped into a tree—no, not a tree. A human.
"Get out of my way!" I snapped.
"Whoa, Little Cadet. You've got a set of teeth there, don't ya?"
"Adrian," My head fell into my hands. "God, this day just keeps getting better. Doesn't it?"
I glanced up.
Only to shut my eyes again.
"Shit. You're naked."
"Sorry. My bad. I'm just so comfortable in my skin…it's easy to forget that I'm nude." There was a shuffling, like he was pulling on a pair of pants. "I feel bad for Dimitri."
"Why?" I growled.
"Because after you've seen me like this…well, I've set the bar high. And you know, Dimitri isn't going to be able to compare—"
Despite my angry mood, I laughed in a harsh burst. "There is no comparison. Frankly, Adrian, you have a nice body—"
"Thank you."
"-but Dimitri has the body of a God. Nothing comes close to him."
"You are biased."
I shrugged and slowly peeled my eyes open. "Oh, thank God. You're clothed—holy Mary. Sydney?" I screamed and squeezed my lids shut. "Why the hell are you naked?"
Her voice was an echo as she zoomed by. "Sorry!"
"Where's my kiss?"
The thud of bare feet slapping against the mud sounded as Sydney came back for a kiss, then ran off again.
"She's gone right?"
"Yep."
"And you're still dressed?"
"For now."
I opened my eyes to exhale in relief. An idea popped into my mind in a flash. "Hey, Adrian, give me a cig."
His eyes bugged out of his head. "What? Hell no."
"Please."
"No. Fucking. Way." Adrian said through gritted teeth, green eyes gleaming like emeralds in the night sky.
"Listen here, buddy. I am five and a half months pregnant and I'm cranky as hell. My apartment just nearly burned down to the ground with me in it. My father came for a surprise visit and shot my fiancé. I have all this anger inside me and I can't stop shaking. I need one goddamn cigarette now so that I can calm down and not go into early labor. Give. Me. A. Clove. Now."
Fear flooded into Adrian's face and when he handed me an ivory stick and a lighter, he was trembling worse than I was.
"Thank you. Leave me now."
He did.
Sitting down on the forest ground, I propped myself up against a tree and stared at the black sky filled with diamonds. Sometime later, after trying but failing to distinguish any shapes in the stars, my irritation spiked again so I lit up the cigarette.
The bud at the end flared orange as I inhaled. The tension in my shoulders and neck gradually eased as I smoked, and by the end of the tobacco stick, my headache had vanished.
I was just putting it out when I heard a deep voice call out to me. "Roza?"
Panic flooded my chest. Frantically, I waved my hands in the air to get rid of the lingering smoke.
"Roza? There you are. Thank God." Dimitri's long legs crossed the short distance that separated us. He crouched before me. "I was so worried. I've been searching for you for hours."
Had I really been gone that long? "I'm still mad at you." But my voice was soft. All of my anger melted at the sight of him. He was in dark jeans, a white thermal shirt that fit his muscles mouthwateringly, and his signature brown duster. That silky shoulder-length brown hair that I loved to run my fingers through was worn loose and wavy today.
"You can be angry with me all you want. But I have to get you home right now…" Dark eyes flickered around the pitch black forest. "It's not safe here at night. Besides, I told your parents I would call them once I found you."
"They left?"
"Yeah, I'm sorry, baby." Dimitri's fingers were light on my cheek, expression full of sadness. "Your father had a business meeting in the morning. They both told me that they love you."
"That's a first." I said, but my insides were all happiness. My mother telling me that she loved me was rare. "How's your arm?"
"Fine. No stitches required. It's already healing."
"Good. Now give me a kiss before I punch you for being so stupid as to go hunting with Abe."
Our lips brushed—
Dimitri hauled back.
"What's wrong—"
His dark eyes went black with anger. "Why do you taste like Cloves?"
"Because Adrian was here, and uh, he was smoking."
"I don't believe you heard me correctly, Rose." His voice was sharp, cutting through the air around us like a machete. "Why do you taste like Cloves?"
Automatically, I said, "I didn't kiss Adrian."
"I believe you."
"I didn't smoke a cigarette either." My gaze flickered to the ground. The intense, raw, angry power coming from him was nearly suffocating.
"Look me in the eye and tell me that." Dimitri growled.
"I can't."
"Come with me." He hauled me up by my bicep. A lick of pain shot through me but I ignored it.
"Where are you taking me?"
"Home."
Moments later, I was inside my living room, sitting on the couch. Dimitri headed for the door.
"Where are you going?" I jumped up.
"Sit down." My fiancé hissed. "I'm going to have a talk with Adrian."
I swallowed hard. "It was my fault, Dimitri. I demanded that he give me one."
"I understand that. But still, he had no right." The door slammed shut behind his six-foot-seven frame.
"Don't kill him!" I called out, biting my nails. God, why had I been so stupid as to smoke while I was pregnant?
The bell rang. I ran to the door and flung it open. "Please tell me that Adrian isn't in critical condition—Oh, hey, Lissa. Come in."
A blond brow shot up. "Is everything okay?" She went for the recliner. Oh, how I loved that piece of furniture. It was heaven on earth if you were pregnant.
"I thought you were Dimitri. And yeah, everything's fine. Not to be rude or anything, but why are you here?"
"Relationship problems."
"Oh," I nodded my head in sympathy and understanding. "Wanna talk about it?"
"Not now." Lissa rubbed her bulging belly. "I just prefer to bottle all my emotions inside and then wait for them to explode and I go after Christian wielding a bat."
"I like that idea. Hold on just one sec." I grabbed a tub of Ben & Jerry's ice cream and a spoon. "Here you go. You deserve this more than anyone in the world right now."
"Chunky Monkey?" Lissa licked her lips in anticipation.
"You know it."
She dove in.
I smiled and yawned. Looking at the clock, I realized it was way past my bedtime. After bringing my best friend loads of spare blankets and pillows, I asked, "Will you be okay out here tonight alone? I'm kind of tired and I have to get up early in the morning."
She grinned after swallowing a big bite of frozen dairy. "I'll be fine, Rose. I'm a grown woman. Remember?"
I nodded. "Dimitri will be back in a little while," I hoped. "So don't get scared if you hear the door open. It's just him. You know where my bedroom is…if you need anything—"
"I know the drill. And I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. I just need some time alone. Time to think."
"Okay. Night, Liss."
"Sweet dreams."
I had my hand on the knob to our bedroom door when she called out to me. "Yeah?"
"Thanks for letting me, you know, stay here tonight."
"Anytime. Mi casa is su casa."
Inside the room, it was peculiarly lonely and cold. Probably because my fiancé wasn't there. I had gotten accustomed to sleeping beside Dimitri every night that I felt so alone without him.
After taking a shower to rinse the bitter kitchen smoke smell and dirt from the forest off me, I brushed my teeth and hair, then headed for the closet. It wasn't something I usually did, but I grabbed one of Dimitri's shirts off the hanger and slid it on. It was big on me and smelled heavenly of him.
Taking that comfort and familiarity, I laid down on the empty bed and slipped under the covers. A few more whiffs of aftershave and I was done for.
Hours later, I woke to the sound of someone in the room. The clink of a watch being set against a nightstand. Belt and change being shuffled around. Someone breathing heavily.
I opened my eyes and sat up. Squinting at the giant black shadow. "Dimitri?"
"It's me, baby."
"Why do you sound like you've run a dozen marathons?" I turned on the light. "Holy shit. What happened to your hands?" They were all bandaged up.
"Don't get up," He sat down on the mattress.
Now that he was closer, I was able to see his face clearer. He had a split lip, a gash on his eyebrow, a black eye, and his jaw was swollen.
"What did you do?" I touched his cheek. When he winced in pain, I pulled away.
"No," Dimitri said. "Please. Come back. I like that."
I scooted closer to his muscular body and carefully wrapped my arms around his neck, hugging him.
"You look so beautiful in my shirt." Dimitri murmured. "Now, let's lay down."
I fell back onto the mattress and he came with me, scooting into my side, arms and hands resting on my belly protectively. After laying his head on my chest like a frightened child would, I said, "Tell me what happened."
"I went after Adrian. And I found him."
I hid my flinch my gritting my teeth. "What happened?"
"I hurt him. Badly." Dimitri said. "He's in the clinic right now for a couple of stitches on his face and a broken arm."
Panic flooded my body, kicking up my heart rate.
"Don't worry," My fiancé obviously picked up on my mood. "He's not pressing charges. I talked to him afterwards…and I told him I was sorry. He apologized, too."
"You had no right to go after him like that, Dimitri. I told you it was my fault. I took the damn cigarette."
"I know that. I don't what happened to me. I just snapped. I couldn't control it-"
I pushed my fiancé away, not wanting to touch him, not even wanting to be in the same room as him. "Did Adrian do this to your face?"
"No. The guards did."
"The guards?"
"Yes. They had to pull me off of him." Dimitri said. "Took about seven of them. I finally stopped when I got this." He pointed to his black eye.
"You deserved it." I said. "I'm glad you got popped. That was fucking stupid what you did."
"I know, I know it was—"
"Don't touch me." I growled, standing up.
"Where are you going?" Dimitri shot up.
"Gonna go sleep with Liss on the couch. I can't stand being around you. You…you disgust me right now."
Hurt flashed across his face but I didn't care.
As I headed for the door, I thought of Adrian. I would talk to him first thing in the morning and make sure he was really okay. I also needed to apologize.
Dimitri was over in a flash, blocking my path to the door.
I glared up at him.
"I will sleep on the ground outside the hallway. You are pregnant and I will not have you sleeping on the couch. Take the bed."
"Have it your way." I slid under the covers. "And make sure you shut the door behind you."
He nodded slowly, his brows knitting together. "I…I'm sorry, Rose—"
"Go." I turned off the light, lay down, and rested my eyes.
"Goodnight, Rose." Dimitri whispered.
"Goodbye."
The door shut softly behind him.