A few days later Adrian was strolling by the gym, hoping to catch a glimpse of Rose. He made this trip every day, and so far it had been a wasted effort. It looked like today would be the same.
He froze in place when the door opened, his green eyes narrowing when Belikov emerged. The man looked almost… giddy. His normal bored-with-life expression was missing. In its place was a huge, happy smile.
Adrian cursed himself, wishing he hadn't polished off two bottles of vodka earlier in the day. He would have loved to glimpse at the Russian's aura. "What the hell are you so cheerful about?"
"Hello Lord Ivashkov. How are you today?" Belikov's voice was pleasant, and he actually stopped walking, offering Adrian a courteous bow.
Adrian stared at him, shocked. "Who are you and what the fuck have you done with Guardian Belikov?"
The tall man chuckled, ducking his head down and trying to hide his smile. The sound of the door opening behind them made both men turn. Rose walked out, her face full of bliss, and she flashed them both a giant, beaming smile. She didn't stop to talk, only paused for a moment locking eyes with Dimitri. Adrian watched them beaming at each other and couldn't contain a sigh of disgust. The sound caused Rose to tear her eyes free so that she could give him an evil glare. She sauntered off with a sway to her hips that Adrian knew was intentional. No woman could possible walk that way naturally—it was too damned sexy for words.
As soon as she was out of earshot he turned back to Belikov, unable to keep the smirk off his face. "She looks better. I'm assuming you're the reason—what happened, did you get all hot and heavy in the gym?"
Dimitri blushed. "I don't know what you mean. If you'll excuse me, I need to speak with Alberta."
Adrian watched him rush off, knowing he had hit the nail right on the head. He'd make sure of it tonight. With a smile like the one Belikov had been wearing, something major had happened, and he'd bet a million dollars the man would be revisiting the event tonight.
The dreams colors swirled, settling around him as he emerged into the gymnasium. He leaned against the wall, watching Belikov sigh as he reached out, taking Rose's hand. "When I saw your face…when we found you in that house…you can't imagine how I felt."
"How … how did you feel?"
"Devastated … grief-stricken. You were alive, but the way you looked … I didn't think you'd ever recover. And it tore me apart to think of that happening to you so young. You will recover—I know that now, and I'm glad. But you aren't there. Not yet. Losing someone you care about is never easy."
Rose looked at the floor, her long hair falling forward to hide her face. "It's my fault."
"Hmm?"
"Mason. Getting killed."
He knew it. All this time she'd been blaming herself for something that wasn't her fault at all. Ashford had given into his anger, making a bad decision. Now Rose was the one suffering from his poor choice. Adrian grimaced, wishing he had slapped the kid before he'd died.
"Oh, Roza. No. You made some bad decisions…you should have told others when you knew he was gone…but you can't blame yourself. You didn't kill him."
She shook her hair back, a tear spilling over and trailing down her cheek. "I might as well have. The whole reason he went there—it was my fault. We had a fight…and I told him about the Spokane thing, even though you asked me not to…"
Belikov reached out, gently wiping away the evidence of her sorrow. "You can't blame yourself for that," he told me. "You can regret your decisions and wish you'd done things differently, but in the end, Mason made his decisions too. That was what he chose to do. It was his decision in the end, no matter your original role."
Thank God the Russian knew what to say. If he'd said anything different, Rose might have been lost forever in her little world of guilt.
"I just wish I'd been able to … I don't know, do anything…" She pulled her hands away and stood up, not wanting to break down in front of him. When she spoke again, her voice was tear filled. "I should go," I said thickly. "Let me know when you want to start practice again. And thanks for … talking."
"No."
She paused, glancing back at him. "What?"
Their eyes locked and Adrian could see the light that surrounded him reaching out across the brief distance, stretching and spinning, straining to join together.
"No," Belikov repeated. "I told her no. Tasha."
Adrian slapped his hand over his mouth to contain his laughter at the expression on Rose's face. Her mouth gaped open and she looked as if someone had slapped the shit out of her.
"I … But…why? That was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. You could have had a baby. And she … she was, you know, into you..."
His lips twitched. "Yes, she was. Is. And that's why I had to say no. I couldn't return that…couldn't give her what she wanted. Not when…" He took a few steps toward her, their auras now flooding together in a bright sparkling glow. "Not when my heart is somewhere else."
Rose started rambling. "But you seemed so into her. And you kept going on about how young I acted."
"You act young," he said, "because you are young. But you know things, Roza. Things people older than you don't even know. That day …" Adrian watched as Rose thought about his words, the corners of her mouth lifting up sligthly—she must be remembering the kiss they'd shared against the wall. "You were right, about how I fight to stay in control. No one else has ever figured that out— and it scared me. You scare me."
No shit. It had taken him long enough to realize it. Adrian smirked, wondering if the fact he had called the man a coward had anything to do with the realization.
"Why? Don't you want anyone to know?"
He shrugged. "Whether they know that fact or not doesn't matter. What matters is that someone—that you—know me that well. When a person can see into your soul, it's hard. It forces you to be open. Vulnerable. It's much easier being with someone who's just more of a casual friend."
"Like Tasha."
"Tasha Ozera is an amazing woman. She's beautiful and she's brave. But she doesn't—"
Hah. Adrian could think of a few adjectives that described the woman a bit more accurately. Bitter. Sneaky. Conniving. Evil. Just to name a few.
"She doesn't get you." Rose finished his sentence, a small smile playing across her face.
He nodded. "I knew that. But I still wanted the relationship. I knew it would be easy and that she could take me away from you. I thought she could make me forget you."
Fucking coward. Belikov so didn't deserve Rose. Why the hell had he interfered? Right now he should be the one consoling her.
Rose nodded as if she knew what he meant. Probably thinking about Ashford. "But she couldn't."
"Yes. And, so … that's a problem."
Adrian rolled his eyes. How the fuck was that a problem? Boy sees girl. Boy likes girl. Boy fucks girl. This wasn't goddamned quantum physics.
"Because it's wrong for us to be together."
Belikov's golden aura pulsed with a dark, greyish blue, her words filled him with sadness. "Yes."
Why? Because he was her mentor? Hello—resign. Fuckwit.
"Because of the age difference."
"Yes."
Jesus. Again with the age? She was legal. Had been for two damned years. Maybe he should print up the law regarding the age of consent in Montana and shove it under Belikov's door.
"But more importantly because we're going to be Lissa's guardians and need to focus on her—not each other."
"Yes."
That didn't even deserve an answer. They were both clueless.
Rose stared at him for a minute or two then tilted her head, staring him straight in the eye. "Well, the way I see it, we aren't Lissa's guardians yet."
As soon as the words left her luscious lips, the sadness left him, replaced with a warm pink color. He loved her. So why the fuck was he acting like such a melodramatic dick?
In an instant Belikov's hands slid over her cheeks, cupping her upturned face and his lips were against hers. After an unbelievably long time he pulled back, pressing his lips against her forehead, pulling her into his body. Stepping back he ran his fingers through her hair, stroking down her cheek as he smiled at her, then he turned, heading for the door.
"I'll see you later, Roza."
"At our next practice?" She asked. "We are starting those up again, right? I mean, you still have things to teach me."
Good God—the things she said. And with complete innocence as to the innuendo her words contained.
Standing in the doorway, Belikov looked back at her and smiled. "Yes. Lots of things."
As the dream shifted the gym melted away, morphing into Belikov's bedroom. At the sound of the frantic pounding on the door, Adrian stepped back, removing himself from the scene. He had no desire to witness that particular incident again, he'd leave Belikov to it.
He came back to himself with a smile on his lips. His Rose was blooming again, and that signified something important. Mr. Nice Guy was officially banished. It was time to play.
Game on.